Maravi Confederacy
Maravi Confederacy was a state in Zambezi and Zimbabwe Plateau (Central and Southern Africa) that lasted from c. 1480 to 1750 CE, about 270 years. Its people spoke Bantu languages (Kongo, Shona, Zulu, Swahili, Luba, Ganda).
Phiri clan rulers under the Kalonga held the lands around Lake Malawi from the 15th century and fought the Portuguese for the Zambezi ivory trade. By the 18th century the confederacy had split into rival chiefdoms.
See Maravi Confederacy on the interactive timeline
Facts
- Dates
- c. 1480 to 1750 CE
- Duration
- 270 years
- Type
- State
- Region
- Zambezi and Zimbabwe Plateau, Central and Southern Africa
- Language family
- Bantu
- Capital
- Mankhamba
Events in Central and Southern Africa during its time
- Diogo Cão reaches the Congo River
- Kongo's king is baptised
- Vasco da Gama on the Swahili coast
- Portuguese sack Kilwa and Mombasa
- Founding of Cape Town
- Battle of Mbwila
- Omanis take Fort Jesus
Neighbours in Central and Southern Africa
- Swahili city-states
- Kingdom of Kongo
- Kingdom of Buganda
- Kilwa Sultanate
- Bunyoro-Kitara
- Portuguese Mozambique
- Portuguese Angola
- Mutapa Empire
- Luba Empire
- Kingdom of Imerina
Elsewhere in the world at the same time
- Republic of Venice
- Holy Roman Empire
- Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty)
- Ottoman Empire
- Ottoman Empire
- Portuguese Empire
- Mali Empire
- Ayutthaya Kingdom
- Mughal Empire
- Portuguese Brazil
Questions
When did Maravi Confederacy exist?
c. 1480 to 1750 CE, about 270 years. These dates are approximate, because the evidence for its beginning or end is uncertain.
Where was Maravi Confederacy?
Zambezi and Zimbabwe Plateau, in Central and Southern Africa. Its capital was Mankhamba.
What language did Maravi Confederacy speak?
Bantu. This family includes Kongo, Shona, Zulu, Swahili, Luba, Ganda.