Madagascar - History Forum ~ All Empires

There's been a few mentions on Malay topics. After all Malgasys are of Malay stock, at least linguistically.

Malgasy origins

The Malgasys most probably travelled from Borneo via Sri Lanka to East Africa and finally stabilished themselves in Madagscar. This happened around 100-700 CE: after iron tech had arrived to Indonesia but before Islam did.

While the core of Malgasy culture is Malay, many aspects come from Mailand Africa, includig musical instruments. There's archaeological evidence that Malgasys were in Eastern Africa before reaching the island.

Muslim and Christian contacts

Madagascar is a corruption of Mogadishu, caused by an error intepreting Marco Polo. The island was actually know to Arabs as Komr (therefore Comores, the Muslim nearby archipielago). Muslims (Zendj) stabilished some trading posts in the Eastern coast and some descendants still have a very evolved Muslim tradition.

The Portugese tried to convert the natives in the 17th century but found out that they couldn't make them to believe in Hell. Eventually the native kings expelled all missionaries and Europeans stood aside not knowing well what to do with that huge and montainous island. The only ones to stabilish a settlement (Port Dauphin) were the French. The unprofitable settlement was eventually abandoned but at least produced a book on the island: History of the Great Island of Madagascar and Relations, by Ettienne de Flacourt. Apart of this, there was an explorative expedition to the interior and it was behind the later claim of France to the island, which it had nominally annexed with the name of Isle Dauphin.

After that the presence of Europeans and Arabs in the coasts of Madagascar is irregular and without clear objectives. Pirates and slave traders are the most interested in it. The main enslaving tribe are the Sakalavas of the Western coast, who capture people from other nations to sell them mostly (but not only) to the Arabs. Nearby French island Reunion (then Bourbon) was colonized with Malgasy slaves initially.

The Sakalava

Madagascar had a certain number of kingdoms, which are often tribal organizations. In the West we have the Sakalava kingdoms, that, as we have mentioned were warrying-enslaving organizations. The first Sakalava sovereign is Andriadahifotsi, who lived in the 17th century and founded Menabe, and who started all the Sakalava dynasties. The sacred king is chosen by the tribal chiefs in the royal family.

The Sakalava kingdom of Boina is described by a Dutch slave-trader in 1741. He says that the city groups "several million homes" and that the palace of the king, surrounded by five stockades, is larger than the palace of the governor of Capetown. The king of Boina recieves the trader with an escort of 100 men, armed with muskets, sit on a throne of Chinese origin and dressed with many golden ornaments. Boina was founded by one of the sons of Andriandhifotsi, Andriamandisoarivo.

Betsimisarakas

While the western coast is relatively plain, the western one is more mountainous and humid. It was inhabited by fishermen and later by European pirates. In the 18th century Ratsimilhao, a son of the pirate Thomas White and princess Rahena, after having studied in England, decide at his return to found a kingdom. He was elected by acclamation of the Zano-Malatas, the mixed offsprings of pirates and natives. He founded the kingdom of the Betsimisarakas (the many inseparable ones) and conquered Tamatave, marrying a Sakalava princess. After his death the kingdom decayed rapidly but one tradition survived: the systematic yearly pillage of the Comores and the coast of Africa by the Betsimisarakas and the Sakalavas together. They lasted until 1823, when Imerina annexed Tamatave.

Betsilean kingdoms

In the SE, other more peaceful kingdoms existed, of which only the Betsilean ones are relatively known. They were four: Lalangina, Arindrano, Isandra and Manandriana. Most notable is King Andriamanalina, who ruled in the 18th century, developed agriculture and grew silk worms, creating a local textile industry. When he was offered firearms by the merchants, he refused the guns and expelled the traders, keeping just a cannon that he used for solemn occasions. He also concieved that flies were central in transmission of illnesses and attemted to organize their exterminaton.

A contemporary who ruled in neighbour Lalangina, Andrianohindrinarivo, developed rice cultivation, extending irrigation and fertilization under the conviction that "no enemy is more fearful than famine".

Imerina

In the long run, though, the most important kingdom of Madagascar was Imerina. This kingdom was created by the Hovas and their aristocratic caste of the Andrianas.

In the 16th century, King Andriamelo developed iron casting, securing the military superiority over their neighbours, who, while knowing iron as such, used only wooden spears. Iron was maybe even moe useful when used for work: the Hovas exploited swampy areas where they grew rice, what allowed their growth and their eventual expansion.

His son, Ralambo the Bloody, estabilished absolute monarchy ("There can't be two bulls in a ranch"), gives the country its name of Imerina, and creates the aristocratic caste of the Andrianas. Monarchy has a ritual-sacred character. His son, Andrianjaka, founds on a deserted hill the city of Antananarivo, the City of the Thousand, which becomes the capital.

Imerina grew constantly but in the 18th century it became divided in four separate kingdoms. Yet, at the end of the century, Andrianampoinimerina (the beloved Nampoina), king of one of these states, Ambohimanga, reorganizes it, acquring firearms and gathering troops. He attacks his neighbours and reunifies Imerina by 1796. He doesn't stop there: Nampoina attacks also the neighbour kingdoms obtaining submission from the Betsilean monarchs and making pressure on the Sakalava states of Boina and Menabe. His success seems based in that he not longer relied only in the Andrianas but in all social classes. In this sense he is a very modern monarch.

Nampoina organizes the colonization of the semi-desert lands that could pose a problem to his domain, he celbrates a popular assembly, the Kabary, regularly, using it to obtain popular support for his policies, he forbids alcohol and tobacco, forbids burning the woods (a practice that still threatens the fragile Malgasy ecosystem), takes care that everybody has a job and no one lacks the essentials.

Nampoina gets canals and dikes rebuilt, creates a penal code, stabilishes weights and measures, organizes the economy of the kingdom in closed circuits (except for export of slaves and import of fire weapons). He dies in 1810 leaving his son Radama as heir and the following political testament: "The sea is the limit of my rice fields", meaning a clear intention of unifying the island.

Radama maks of Napoleon his model and introduces in Madagascar European method and techniques. He also manages to control an even more important part of the island.

After the fall of Napoleon, Radama plays the British card against France. In 1817, the British sign a treaty with the "King of Madagascar", by which they will give him money and weapons in exchange for abolishing slavery.

With the help of three western sargeants: a Scott, a Jamaican and a French desertor, Radama organizes a regular army of well trained and equipped 19,000 men. As mentioned above, he conquers Tamatave and submits other coastal peoples. To favor his British allies, he expels the few Frenchmen stabilished in the Eastern coast. He eventually conquers also Fort Dauphin. French are now only in the northern stabilishment of Ste. Marie.

With the Eastern and Southern portions of the island under control, Radam attacks the Sakalavas. After a very costly campign, in 1824 both western kingdoms: Boina and Menabe are subimtted. But the very next year the Sakalava are rebelling, being fiercely repressed by the Imerina king.

Radama pushed forward cultural developement as well: schools are founded, a Malgasy written language is created, porfessionals are formed... He decided not to build roads because he feared an invasion. He died young in 1828, leaving the island virtually unified.

His wife and cousin, Ranavalovna is enthronized then by the olygarchy. This aristocratic rule supressed the power of the Royal family and expelled the European liasons, including the British resident. In 1835 Christianity is forbidden, with some very brutal killings. Nevertheless one Breton and one Gascon (Lestelle and Laborde) are employed as Malgasy citizens to develope the plantations and industry. Lestelle creates sugarcane plantations and a sugar and rum factory, creating also a monopoly on the international trade.

Laborde builds a total industrial complex to make weapons, construction materials and other products as soap and dyes, by Laborde. He also founds a botanic garden, what allows the introduction of vainille and vine. He built the first roads, transited by oxes.

The new aristocratic regime tried to complete the unification of the island but the expeditions against the Sakalavas, again independent, and other states find a strong resitence.

In 1861, Radama II, pesumably son of Radama I, is crowned king. He reacted aagainst the absolutism of his mother and restabilished contact with the Europeans. In 1862, France recognizes Radama as "king of Madagascar" while reserving "the rights of France". A British and a French companies were given trading privileges.

The olygarchy reacted killing Radama II and placing again his wife and cousin, Rasoherina, as Queen. Rasoherina entrusted the government to Ranilaiarivoni, an excelent administrator, whom she eventually married. He replaced the privileges of private companies by international treaties with Britain, France and the USA, allowing Christian missions and reforming the law and the administration. He also liberated the slaves and gave them parcels of land, to favor their integration in the society.

French colonization

Under Louis Philippe, the French, who had always had a vague claim on the island, had stabilished a protectorate on the Sakalavas, while the French colonists of Reunion saw in Madagascar their natural extension.

In 1883, under the pretext of the succession of Laborde, the French navy bombed the Imerina coastal bases, occupying Majunga, Tamatave and Diego Suarez. A treaty then gave France a theorical protectorate over the island, allowing Queen Ranavalona II to keep the administration of "the interior of the island". A French resident was to be sent to Antananarivo and France would keep Diego Suarez.

After a decade of riff-raffs, the French government decided to take over the island in 1894. In September 30 1895, a French column reaches Antananarivo, bombing the royal palace. The white flag was raised and Madagascar became a French protectorate.

Rebellions continued for some time. In 1897, the Queen was exiled forcefully and direct French rule stabilished. General Galieni was placed as governor. Still in 1904-05, another major upsrising took place but the French rule was solidly stabilished, now with a more constructive "Malgasy" approach and would last until 1960.