Editing History of Madagascar (section)

====King Radama I (1810–1828)====
{{main|Radama I}}
Andrianampoinimerina's son [[Radama I]] (Radama the Great) assumed the throne during a turning-point in European history that had repercussions for Madagascar. With the defeat of [[Napoleon I of France|Napoléon]] in 1814/1815, the balance of power in Europe and overseas shifted in [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]]'s favor. The British, eager to exert control over the trade routes of the Indian Ocean, had captured the islands of [[Réunion]] and [[Mauritius]] from the French in 1810. Although they returned Réunion to France, they kept Mauritius as a naval base which would maintain trade links throughout the [[British Empire]]. Mauritius's governor, in a bid to woo Madagascar from French control, recognized Radama I as King of Madagascar, a diplomatic maneuver meant to underscore the idea of the sovereignty of the island and thus to preclude claims by any European powers.

Radama I signed treaties with the United Kingdom outlawing the slave trade and admitting Protestant missionaries into Madagascar. As a result of these treaties Protestant missionaries from Britain would spread British influence in Madagascar; while outlawing the [[Slavery in Africa|slave trade]] would weaken Réunion's economy by depriving the island of slave laborers for France's [[sugar]] [[plantation]]s. In return for outlawing the slave trade, Madagascar received what the treaty called "The Equivalent": an annual sum of a thousand dollars in gold, another thousand in silver, stated amounts of gunpowder, flints, and muskets, plus 400 surplus [[British Army]] [[uniform]]s. The governor of Mauritius also sent military advisers who accompanied and sometimes led Merina soldiers in their battles against the Sakalava and Betsimisaraka. In 1824, having defeated the Betsimisaraka, Radama I declared, "Today, the whole island is mine! Madagascar has but one master." The king died in 1828 while leading his army on a punitive expedition against the Betsimisaraka.