History
Madagascar was first settled by humans about 2000 years ago. Madagascar's settlers were either Indonesians or people of mixed Indonesian/African descent.
800-900 A.D. - Arab traders arrived and began trading along the northern coast.
August 10, 1500 - The first known European, Diogo Dias, a Portuguese sea captain, spotted Madagascar and named the island St. Lawrence.
Later in the 1500s - the Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English attempted to establish trading settlements in Madagascar but failed due to fierce fighting by local Malagasy warriors.
Late 1600s - Europeans first got a foothold on Madagascar when pirates ruled the eastern coast of the island. These pirates used Madagascar as a base for attacking ships bringing goods back to Europe from India.
1700s - The French attempted to establish military positions on the east coast but failed. By the early 19th century the only settlement the French could claim was the island of Sainte Marie.
1700s - The Sakalavas of the western coast established the first kingdom of Madagascar.
1810 - The Merina established a kingdom over most of the rest of the island. Their king, Radama I, established relations with the British. English missionaries spread Christianity throughout the island and transcribed Malagasy into a written language. Under Radama's reign, a miniature Industrial revolution brought industry to the island. After Radama's death, he was succeeded by his widow, Ranavalona I, who terrorized the country for 33 years by persecuting Christians, evicting foreigners, executing political rivals, and reviving the custom of killing babies born on unlucky days. After her death, relations with Europe were restored.
1883 - France invaded Madagascar.
1896 – France had established rule over the island, which became a French colony. France used Madagascar as a source for timber and exotic spices, like vanilla.
1918 and 1947 - The Malagasy’s two major uprisings against the French.
June 26, 1960 – The Malagasy gained their independence.
1975 - Didier Ratsiraka took control of the country. He ruled Madagascar as a dictator until he was overthrown in 1991 in the midst of an economic collapse. He regained the presidency shortly thereafter and ruled until losing a contested election in 2001.
2002 – The court announced Marc Ravalomanana as the new president. He promised to bring democracy to the country. He started selling yogurt on the streets from the back of his bicycle and eventually built a business empire and became Madagascar's richest man.
2009 – Protests over increasing restrictions on opposition press and activities resulted in Ravalomanana stepping down.
2009 – Presidency was given to Andry Rajoelina.
2013 – New presidency elections.