Radama I of Madagascar

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Radama I
Radama I, King of Madagascar

Reign	ca. 1810 – 1828
Born	1793
Died	1828
Predecessor	Andrianampoinimerina
Successor	Ranavalona I
Consort	Ranavalona I
Royal House	Ambohimanga
Dynasty	Merina
Father	Andrianimpoinimerina, King of Ikaloy (Zafimamy/ Alahamadintany)
Mother	Queen Rambolamasoandro

Radama I "the Great" (c. 1793-1828), the first king of Madagascar, united the island under his rule.

In 1810, he succeeded his father Andrianimpoinimerina as king of Merina, a small area in the central plateau of the island, around Antananarivo. Immediately, at the age of 17, he had to set out to put down rebellions to secure his position. As a shrewd diplomat he played off competing British and French interests. The French were weakened by losing Réunion and Mauritius to the British in 1810. The British were interested to secure the passage to India and to prevent the French from taking Madagascar. Having not enough resources to possess Madagascar themselves, the British made an alliance with Radama and supported him. Their Governor Robert Townsend Farquhar from Mauritius committed to training and supporting his army. The Anglo-Merina treaty of friendship was sealed by a blood oath between Radama and the British envoy Captain Le Sage in 1817. As part of the treaty Radama agreed to put an end to the profitable slave trade, nevertheless slave-dealing continued clandestinely at a reduced level. Thomas Pye and James Hastie were the British representatives at the capital in Antananarivo. ^[1]

As a result of the treaty social and political changes occurred; Radama organized a cabinet, and invited the Protestant London Missionary Society to establish schools and churches. The Society also brought a printing press, and devised a written form of the Malagasy language . The missionaries set up craft industries in wood, metal, leather, and cotton.^[1]

During this time and with the help of the British support, Radama’s military became the dominant force allowing him to unify by force the island. Expanding the boundaries of the kingdom, he first took over the area of the Betsileo tribe in the southern part of the island. The next step was the submission of the Sakalava on the west coast. The people on the east coast did not put up a major fight when he arrived with an army of 35,000 men being aware of his ruthless methods. ^[1]

With the unification accomplished he titled himself “King of Madagascar”, - a step that was protested by the French in 1823 who had an interest to incorporate the island into their possessions. In response, in 1825 he conquered the French stronghold of Fort Dauphin at the southern end of the island making him the undisputed ruler of Madagascar.^[1]

His early death in 1828 was caused by illness or overindulgence.^[1]

Radama had twelve Great Wives, one of them his adopted sister Ranavalona who would emerge victorious in the scheming struggle for succession to become the infamous Queen Ranavalona I.