History of Africa

The economic progress made under Ranavalona's early reign was seemingly awe-inspiring. The country had rapidly transformed from a feudal state pumping endless sums of cash into perpetually failing com...

28 Aug 202333min

Ranavalona hires a new group of foreign artisans like Jean Laborde and James Cameron to hasten the transformation of Madagascar into a modern, industrialized economy. Will the Merina Kingdom become th...

14 Aug 202335min

When Radama I died without a clear heir, his wife, Ranavalona I, allied with a group of military officers to secure her place as the new queen of Madagascar. Almost immediately, she was faced with num...

31 Juli 202333min

An industrial revolution in Southeast Africa?  Following the abolition of the slave trade in 1817, the future of the economy of Imerina was in flux. Looking for a replacement for the system of slave ...

17 Juli 202335min

Prior to his coronation, the king of Imerina, Radama, promised to his father that he would expand the kingdom towards the coast. In 1817, he accomplished this goal, conquering the largest port on Mada...

3 Juli 202340min

If his father is the most remembered king in Madagascar, Radama is probably the best-known Malagasy king in the rest of the world. Radama is famous not only for leading the first major push to unify h...

19 Juni 202330min

In our last episode, Andrianampoinimerina reunited the warring kingdoms of Imerina after seven decades of intermittent civil war. While this alone is a significant achievement, Andrianampoinimerina al...

5 Juni 202335min

Andrianampoinimerina is the most famous monarch in Malagasy history, and for good reason. At a young age, Andrianampoinimerina, still then known by his birth name Rambosalamarazaka, quickly emerged a...

22 Maj 202334min