African Kingdoms

Merina / Imernia / Ambohimanga (Clan State) (Madagascar)
c.AD 1675 - 1896

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The Merina clan in the central highlands of Madagascar had lived in relative isolation from the rest of Madagascar for several centuries, but by 1824 they had conquered nearly all the various clans in Madagascar - thanks to the leadership of two shrewd kings, Andrianampoinimerina and his son, Radama I.

Personal names used before individuals ascended the throne are shown in parenthesis.

Principal author(s): Page created: Page last updated:

(Information by Peter Kessler & John De Cleene, with additional information from the John De Cleene Archive, from Country Studies - Area Handbook, US Department of the Army at the US Library of Congress, and from External Links: Women in African History (UNESCO), and Lost relics telling story of Madagascar's last queen (The Guardian).

c.1675 - c.1710

King of the Imerina clan.

c.1710 - c.1730

c.1710

The Tananarive kingdom emerges. At an unknown point in the same century, the Betsileo states of Anrindrano, Antakarana, Bara, Fisakana, Isandra, Lalangina, and Mananddriana also emerge.

1712

The Betsimisaraka kingdom is formed.

c.1730 - c.1770

c.1770 - 1787

1774 - 1786

The short-lived kingdom of Antogil is formed by a European adventurer.

1787 - 1810

United much of Madagascar.

1794

Andrianampoinimerina conquers the Tananarive kingdom.

1797

Imernia conquers Ambohidratrimo.

1810 - 1828

Son.

1817

The British governor of Mauritius concludes a treaty with Radama to abolish the slave trade in Madagascar. In return for the loss of a considerable part of the clan's revenue, Britain supplies military and financial assistance so that Radama can conquer the island's eastern coast and create a largely unified kingdom. This allows Christian missionaries to penetrate deeper into the island's territory and also spread the Latin alphabet.

c.1820

The Boina kingdom becomes tributary to Imernia.

1822

The Tanibe kingdom is formed.

1824 - 1828

With British support, Radama completes the Merina conquest of the Madagascan clans. He is recognised as king of Madagascar by Britain. The Menabe clan in the west, the Betsimisaraka clan on the east coast, and the kingdom of Tanibe are amongst the last to be subdued.

1828 - 1861

Wife of Radama and now queen in her own right.

1828

The queen repudiates the treaties that her husband had signed with the British, and murders the king's heir and other relatives. In 1835 she prohibits Christianity and expels British missionaries while executing other Christians. The queen's actions isolates the island and ruins its trade with other nations.

1840

The Boina kingdom is annexed by Imernia. In the same decade the Sakalava sign treaties with the French which the latter use as a basis of establishing a protectorate over north-western Madagascar in 1882.

1861 - 1863

Son. Created new ties with France. Killed by PM.

1862

On 12 September 1862 a Franco-Malagasy treaty of friendship is signed, recognising the kingdom's sovereignty. However, certain clauses that authorise the takeover of land, natural resources, and the use of the labour force, put this sovereignty at risk.

1863

Following his murder of the king, the prime minister and his cunning brother rule the kingdom from behind the throne for the remaining years of the Merina monarchy.

1863 - 1868

Wife of Radama II and now queen in her own right.

1868 - 1883

Queen. Made Anglican faith the official religion.

1869

The kingdom of Bemihisatra is formed on the island.

1882

Based on treaties signed with the Sakalava in the 1840s, the French establish a protectorate over north-western Madagascar.

1883 - 1897

Queen. Exiled. Monarchy abolished.

1883

Using the excuse of a cancelled treaty and the loss of French property, France invades Madagascar in the First Franco-Hova War and conquers the island in the face of local resistance.

French vessels are shown in this woodcut at Tamatave, prior to the colonial period but during the build up to that period which would see Madagascar dominated by the French

1894 - 1895

Agreements in Europe mean that France can attack the Malagasy again without any interference from Britain. Queen Ranavalona III refuses to recognise the latest French effort to subordinate her kingdom so a French expeditionary force lands on the island, sparking the Second Frano-Hova War. In September 1895 the French capture the country's seventeenth century highland capital, Antananarivo (formerly known as Tananarivo). A wave of anti-foreign, anti-Christian rioting ensues.

1896 - 1897

The French parliament votes to annexe Madagascar. The Merina monarchy comes to an end, with the royal family being sent into exile to Algeria (via Reunion) along with the prime minister. A collection by Clara Herbert of ephemera that is related to the queen is put together during Herbert's employment by the royal family between 1890 and the 1920s.

It includes an archive of fashion, photographs, and letters, along with one of the queen's dresses. The collection is returned to Madagascar in 2020 via auction. In 1896 French governors are appointed to control the island in the form of French Colonial Madagascar.