Linguistic patterns indicate that the Mangbetu originated from the northeast, probably from modern day central Africa. As they moved southward they encountered Bantu migrations moving northward. They finally settled in their current homeland in the 19th century. This area had been occupied by the Mbuti.The Mangbetu intermarried with and subsumed many of the Bantu and pygmy populations they encountered. In the 19th century the Mangbetu Kingdom was established under Nabiembale and became the dominant political force in the region until 1880, when central Africa and Islamic slavers entered the region, fragmenting the kingdom into sultanates controlled by Moslem leaders.
