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Maravi Confederation Expansion (1670s)
In the 1670s, the Maravi confederation centered on Lake Malawi continued integrating Chewa polities under the Kalonga system, controlling salt and ir…
Timeline
- 1671–1674Southern Lake Malawi · MalawiThe paramount Kalonga reinforced suzerainty over the Chewa polities through investiture of subordinate chiefs and ritual authority; the confederation's political structure was further institutionalized in the early 1670s.
- 1675–1678Upper Zambezi corridor · Southeast AfricaThe confederation controlled the lake region's salt pans and iron production, exporting them inland along trade routes toward the Zambezi; economic integration became a key support for political expansion.
- 1679–1680Mozambique corridor · MozambiqueBy around 1680, indirect links between the confederation and both the Swahili coast and Portuguese trading posts increased, and the ivory and slave trades began to affect the interior balance of power.
Sources
- A History of Malawi, 1859-1966 — John McCracken (2012)
- The African Experience: From Olduvai Gorge to the 21st Century — Roland Oliver (2000)