Imerina (KdM)

Imerina, officially the Kingdom of Imerina (Malagasy: Fanjakan'Imerina) was a kingdom located on the island of Madagascar. In 1575 it unified the island to form the Empire of Matagaskar.

Foundation:
The foundation of Imerina is shrouded in mythology, but the consensus is that several petty polities were unified around the year 1392 by Andrianerinerina, who is said to have been the son of Zanahary, the personification of the sky and the god, himself. The story, originally passed down through oral tradition and later documented tell of Andrianerinerina being sent to earth by Zanahary to interact with the humans where he would settle down and herd sheep who thus became holy. Zanahary warned the Merina not to slaughter and cook the sheep especially since Andiranerinerina was strictly forbidden from consuming them. This still occurred, invoking Zanahary's wrath. Zanahary dealt with this by presenting a choice for the Merina, either make Andrianerinerina king, or be killed. They chose the former. Thus Andrianerinerina unified the very northern tip of Madagascar.

Foreign Contact:
Sources dating to the mid-15th century, circa 1448, are the first mentions of the Merina encountering the Adnanite (Adananita in Malagasy) people of the Ahuric Empire. The contact with these peoples would become incredibly important for the future history of Imerina and the rest of the island.

Hova Dynasty:
Rafandrampohy's infertility resulted in the line of Malagasy rulers to continue from a different man, this being Rangita's second husband Ratsifandrihamanana and thus a branch of the Ammagari dynasty on the mother's side became the new dynasty: the Hova dynasty.

Unification of Matagaskar:
[...] With victory achieved over Betsimisaraka and the people of Mahafaly subjugated, Andriamanelo succeeded in uniting all of Matagaskar. He declared himself Emperor of the Malagasy, officially naming his realm the Empire of Matagaskar. The history of the Merina and the other Malagasy peoples would continue through the Empire of Matagaskar.