Merina kingdom · 1787-1897

Madagascar and the Merina kingdom

From the central highlands of Madagascar, the Merina kings set out to rule the whole island. Students explore an island settled from both Asia and Africa, the reforms and conflicts of its rulers, and the French conquest of 1895.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 800 to AD 1880
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

From the central highlands of Madagascar, the Merina kings set out to rule the whole island. Students explore an island settled from both Asia and Africa, the reforms and conflicts of its rulers, and the French conquest of 1895.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Locate Madagascar, the central highlands and Antananarivo, and explain where the first settlers came from.
  • Compare how Radama I and Ranavalona I dealt with Europeans.
  • Explain how and when France ended the independence of the Merina kingdom.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 800

An island apart

Open the map in AD 800 and find Madagascar. Its first settlers came across the Indian Ocean from Southeast Asia. Zoom out until you can also see Borneo. How far is it?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1815

The highland kingdom

Move to 1815 and find the label for the Merina kingdom in the central highlands. Is it on the coast or inland?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1880

The whole island?

Move to 1880. How much of the island does Imerina control now? Then move to 1914: what has changed?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. The Malagasy language is related to languages of Borneo, not of nearby Africa. What does that tell us about Madagascar's history?
  2. King Andrianampoinimerina said "the sea is the border of my rice field." What did he mean, and what did it mean for other peoples of the island?
  3. Radama I signed a treaty with Britain and welcomed missionaries and schools. What did Madagascar gain, and what did it risk?
  4. Ranavalona I expelled missionaries and persecuted Christians. Europeans called her a tyrant; some Malagasy see her as a defender of independence. Can both be true?
  5. France ended the Merina monarchy in 1897. Why could a strong island kingdom not keep its independence?
4

Game round

9 min

No Malagasy ruler is in Rule History. Play one round as Peter the Great, who, like Radama I, brought in foreign teachers and technology to change his country. Discuss: how do you modernise without losing your independence?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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