History of Africa

Season 4 Episode 11: The Crisis of the 18th Century Part 1 - Andriamasinvalona’s Blunder

The 18th century will be a painful time for the people of Imerina. The once proud kingdom will devolve into a deadly multilateral civil war, splitting into dozens of smaller kingdoms, each suffering from intermittent famine and domination by foreign enemies. How could the kingdom of Andriamasinavalona, rapidly rising to become a major player in Madagascar, fall so far. The inciting incident lays at the feet of the otherwise great king Andriamasinavalona.
The mpanjaka Imerina had spread his kingdom several times beyond what his predecessors would have even considered possible. Could such a large kingdom survive in highland Madagascar? Andriamasinavalona believed that the answer was "no." Instead, he favored transforming the Merina kingdom into a confederation of four smaller states called Imerina Efa Toko, or "Imerina like the Legs of a Cooking Pot." The king's advisor Andriamampandry repeated warned him against the plan, cautioning that the newly empowered princes would immediately seek to make war with each other. But Andriamasinavalona persisted. 
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Season 4 Episode 10: Andriamasinavaloa and the Hova Revolution

The class conflict of Imerina comes to a head, as the free peasants of central Madagascar overthrow the hated king Razakatsitakatrandria. In his place they elevate Andriamasinavalona, a king far more willing to listen and act on their concerns, ushering in a golden age of Merina history.
 
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Season 4 Episode 9: Betsimitatra and the Wonders of Merina Agricultural Engineering

As Andrianjaka passes his stable but poor kingdom to his grandchildren, they undertake an enormous project to improve the agricultural output of Imerina. Their largest project, consisting of the miles of canals and terraces of Betsimitatra, would go on to transform the destiny of Imerina's history. This project, completed using the fanampoana system of conscript labor,  would forever transform the demographics of Imerina by kicking off a decades-long trend of rapid Merina population growth.
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Season 4 Episode 8: Andrianjaka - The Indivisible Sun

Despite being the younger of Ralambo's sons, Andrianjaka inherited the kingdom of Imerina due to his brother's board gaming addiction. He would make the most of this time, with some of the most important developments during his rule including: the foundation of Madagascar's most important city in Antananarivo, the canonization of religious practices surrounding the sampy, and the final expulsion of the remaining Vazimba from the kingdom.
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Season 4 Episode 7: Ralambo’s Wars

In the early 17th century, a raiding party of Sakalava soldiers entered Imerina. King Ralambo, faced with an existential threat, was forced to rely only on a combination of his own wit and divine assistance from the idol Kelimalaza. According to the Tantara, Kelimalaza assisted Ralambo in all of his shocking victories over his larger and better-equipped enemy armies. 
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Season 4 Episode 6: Sakalava - Madagascar’s First Empire

While Imerina is our primary focus this season, they were far from the pre-eminent power in 18th Century Madagascar. In today's show, let's learn about the first empire to truly dominate Madagascar, the equally fascinating and enigmatic kingdom known as Sakalava. Since our show is primarily told from the Merina perspective, they will be the primary "antagonists" of this season.  However, don't get it twisted: the Sakalava kingdom and its people were so much more than mere enemies of the Merina.
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Season 4 Episode 5: Ralambo, the Miracle Child

Of all seven of the king's children, Ralambo was the only son to survive into adulthood. Emerging into a world through a miraculous birth, Ralambo's rule would be miraculous in its own right. From transforming his country's views on marriage, completely rewriting its system of religious worship, and setting up the foundations of its future class system, Ralambo's rule could be argued to be the true beginning of the Merina Kingdom.
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Season 4 Episode 4 - Andriamanelo, King of Alasora

With Rangita deceased, it is now time for her sons to live up to her promise to cooperate and share power. Which lasts about as long as you'd expect.With his brother dead, Andriamanelo now has to decide the direction of his rule. He will certainly make a lasting impact.
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Season 4 Episode 3: The Vazimba, Hova, and the Merina

In today's episode, we examine the Vazimba, the mysterious original inhabitants of inland Madagascar. Are they fact, fiction, or somewhere in between?
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Season 4 Episode 2: Settlers from All Shores

This episode charts the numerous hypotheses and perceptions of Madagascar's confusing early history of migrations, its place in the economic system of the ancient Indian Ocean, and the demographics that eventually became the ancestors of the Malagasy.
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