In 1810, at the age of 17, Radama succeeded his father as king of Imerina. Several of the principalities conquered by his father revolted upon news of Andrianampoinimerina's death. The young ruler immediately had to embark on military campaigns that successfully put down the rebellions and secured his position, which included completing the pacification of the
Betsileo kingdom. In 1816 Radama was contacted in
Mahazoarivo by Chardenoux, a Mauritian trader sent by British Governor
Robert Townsend Farquhar of
Mauritius (Ile de France), who was interested in increasing British influence in the region and preventing the re-establishment of French trading posts on Madagascar. As a result of this initial contact, two of Radama's half-brothers, Rahovy and Ramarotafika, were sponsored to be educated in Mauritius. This was followed by a commercial treaty. On 23 October 1817, Radama signed a treaty negotiated by former military general James Hastie that granted Radama a formal alliance with the British crown and its recognition of Radama as "King of Madagascar" in exchange for horses, uniforms and a pledge to abandon the
export of slaves. The British were invited to establish a diplomatic mission on the island, and in 1820 Hastie was appointed to the role of British
resident minister. But, the import of slaves from the African mainland continued, and remained Madagascar's primary import throughout Radama's reign and into the 1850s. Radama's military campaign to Toamasina in 1820 brought him into contact with Welshmen
David Jones and
David Griffiths of the Protestant
London Missionary Society (LMS), who had established a school there enrolling three students. Radama was inspired to introduce similar schools throughout Imerina. Within a year he had established 23 schools enrolling 2300 students, of whom a third were girls. He tasked the LMS missionaries to transcribe and teach the
Malagasy language using the
Latin alphabet. It was under Radama's rule that LMS missionaries (with notable contributions from
Scottsman James Cameron) set up craft industries in carpentry, leather, tin plating and cotton, introduced the first printing press, translated and printed
Bibles in the Malagasy language and oversaw Radama's plan to establish dozens of schools. They offered compulsory literacy courses and basic education for the
nobles of Imerina. Radama's European contacts describe him as openly skeptical of many of the religious rituals and traditions that formed the legitimacy of the Merina monarchy over the past four centuries. In particular he was reportedly critical of the importance placed on the
sampy, the 12 royal idols that figured prominently in Merina court ritual. Many of the cultural and technological innovations Radama introduced during his reign were rejected by the broader population as a denial of the heritage of their ancestors and their traditions. During this time and with the help of the British, Radama's military became the dominant force, allowing him to unify the island by force. Radama reportedly admired
Napoleon Bonaparte and drew upon European structure and tactics to modernize his army, which included French, British and Jamaican generals. In each newly conquered territory, administrative posts were built within fortified garrisons (
rova) on the model of the original
Rova of Antananarivo. These were staffed with Merina colonists called
voanjo ("peanuts"). Radama's territorial expansion began in 1817 with a campaign to the eastern port town of Toamasina, where he established a military post. This was followed by a series of westward campaigns into Menabe in 1820, 1821 and 1822. The following year, Radama sent military expeditions along the northeast coast, establishing military posts at Maroantsetra, Tintingue and Mananjary. In 1824 further expeditions established posts at Vohemar,
Diego Suarez, and Mahajanga. In 1825 military posts were established in the southeastern coastal towns of Farafangana and Fort Dauphin. The Antalaotra were defeated in 1826 in a combined land and sea attack. Revolts by the
Antanosy and
Betsimisaraka prompted Radama to launch a military campaign to subjugate them. The
Antesaka were conquered in Radama's final military campaign in 1827, and the northern
Tanala became a vassalage. All together, Radama united two thirds of the island under Merina rule. The areas retaining independence included most of
Bara country,
Mahafaly and
Antandroy in the south, a stretch of southern Tanala and the coastal area between Antesaka and Antanosy in the east, and northern Menabe and Ambongo in the west. == Death and succession==