The Full Story
In 1817, Britain made an extraordinary deal with King Radama I of Madagascar. They would pay him an annual salary: gold, silver, military uniforms, and weapons. In exchange for one thing: closing the slave markets.
Radama was ambitious. He wanted to unite Madagascar under his rule, and British support gave him the military edge he needed. The British agent James Hastie negotiated the treaty, offering Radama the means to build a modern army in exchange for ending the export of enslaved people from his kingdom.
The deal worked, for as long as Radama lived. British arms helped him bring much of Madagascar under his control, and the export slave markets were closed, though the internal trade continued. Thousands of people who would have been shipped to plantations across the Indian Ocean remained free.
Britain wasn't just opposing slavery with words. They were spending enormous sums to end it. They bought a king his empire. The price was freedom for thousands.
Why This Matters
This story challenges the simplistic narrative that Britain only profited from slavery. After abolishing the slave trade in 1807, Britain spent decades and vast sums actively working to end slavery globally.
Key Facts
- ⚠Correction: the video says Britain paid Radama every year for decades; the payments ran from the 1817 treaty era to Radama's death in 1828, with an interruption around 1818-1820 (History Ireland, King's College London exhibition). His control by 1824 was extensive but not the whole island.