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[[File:Andrianampoinimerina.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Portrait of Andrianampoinimerina painted around 1905 by Ramanankirahina]]

Andrianampoinimerina was born in 1745 in [[Ikaloy]] in the kingdom of [[Ambohimanga]]. He was the son of <i>Andriamiaramanjaka (King of Ikaloy)</i> and <i>Ranavalonanandriambelomasina (Princess of Ambohimanga)</i>. At 1787 he became king of the small Ambohimanga kingdom. In 1794 he conquered the neighbouring kingdom of Antananarivo and moved his headquarters to [[Antananarivo]]. After uniting the various Merina kingdoms from the central plateau of Madagascar, he also conquered other highland tribes, such as the Betsileo, Sihanaka, Bezanozano and Bara territories. By 1810, the time of his death, Andrianampoinimerina had conquered two thirds of Madagascar. The Merina Kingdom was the most powerful empire in the history of Madagascar.