Maravi

Malawi, 1480–1870. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Maravi Empire or Maravi Confederacy was a Chewa polity that controlled what is now central and southern Malawi, parts of Mozambique, and eastern Zambia, from at least the early 15th century to the mid-19th century. The empire was headed by the Kalonga, with other leaders paying tribute, often in the form of ivory. In the 18th century, the system of succession broke down as a long-term consequence of Nyangu and the royal family's separation from the Kalonga in Mankhamba, leading to internal conflict and disintegration. Frequent slave raiding from Yao chiefs in the 19th century culminated in the death of the last Kalonga, Sosola, in battle in the late 1860s.

Seat of power: Mankhamba

No rulers documented for this era yet.

Culture

• The name Maravi is a Portuguese derivation on the word Malawi, which the Chewa had used to refer to themselves.
• While the Kalonga held secular authority, the Makewana priestess, as head of the Banda clan and of the Pre-Maravi, held ritual authority.
• Linkage to both African and Indian Ocean long-distance trade facilitated the export of cloth and iron tools and import of glass beads and copper.

Picture

In the 17th century, the empire extended westwards to the Luangwa River, northwards to Nkhotakota, and southwards to the Zambezi.

Image: Africa_map_blank.svg: Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting) derivative work: moyogo (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Sources

• Maravi (Wikipedia)
• Maravi (Wikidata)
• About the picture (Wikipedia)

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.