11 Facts About Merina Kingdom

Merina Kingdom famously repelled an attempted invasion by an army of the powerful western coastal Betsimisaraka people.

Under Radama I, the Merina Kingdom continued to launch military expeditions that both expanded imperial control and enriched military chiefs.

The ability of the Merina Kingdom to overcome neighboring tribes was due to British firepower and military training.

Merina Kingdom extended the borders of the kingdom to their largest historical extent prior to the kingdom's fragmentation.

Merina Kingdom's replaced the incumbent Prime Minister with his brother, Rainilaiarivony, who retained the role for three decades and married each successive queen.

In 1896, the Merina Kingdom was put under French protection as the Malagasy Protectorate and in 1897 the French Parliament voted to annex the island as a colony, effectively ending Merina sovereignty.

Merina Kingdom transformed social divisions into spatial divisions by assigning each clan to a specific geographical region within his kingdom.

Merina Kingdom projected his power by constructing a palace on the site that became the seat of royal power in the Merina kingdom.

Merina Kingdom beliefs held the connection between cultural history and the landscape in high regard.

Merina Kingdom introduced the traditions of circumcision and family intermarriage among Merina nobles, these practices having already existed among certain other Malagasy ethnic groups.

Practice of sanctifying deceased Merina Kingdom sovereigns is believed to have originated with Ralambo.