Comte de Benyovszky and Madagascar

[JonasResende]

Found out about this guy yesterday, and besides the obvious cool-factor of getting captured by the Russians, exiled to Kamchatka, escaping from there, back to Europe, etc. He also was acknowledged as sometime overlord/emperor of Madagascar. He tried to get France, Britain and America to all take an interest in using the island, but failed in both attempts. He even tried to get Hungary into the maritime trade by establishing a trade route between Fiume (Rijeka) to Komorn ((Komárno) then in Hungary, now in Slovakia), but was frustrated by the Imperial court.

What if he had get someone (Louis XVI, George III, Maria Theresia/Josef II, or Congress) to actually take an interest in the island? Obviously, the island is going to be a secondary colony in British/French eyes, but it could likewise be the "jewel" in the crown of the Austrian or American colonial empire.

 

[Indicus]

Did you read Look to the West? That does quite a bit with Benyovsky's crazy life.

Getting a foreign power to feel interested in his island won't help, because the island will split apart after his death (at least until a local ruler reunifies it and builds upon his work, as Andrianampoinimerina did IOTL). What this could do is make recognition of Madagascar smoother and earlier, and the later kings may attempt to bring up Benyovsky as proof of recognition.

So yeah, most butterflies come after his death, not before.

 

[JonasResende]

Did you read Look to the West? That does quite a bit with Benyovsky's crazy life.

Getting a foreign power to feel interested in his island won't help, because the island will split apart after his death (at least until a local ruler reunifies it and builds upon his work, as Andrianampoinimerina did IOTL). What this could do is make recognition of Madagascar smoother and earlier, and the later kings may attempt to bring up Benyovsky as proof of recognition.

So yeah, most butterflies come after his death, not before.

Re: Look to the West - no, I'm afraid I haven't.

As to the island itself, I merely find it interesting that Madagascar/Malagasy was sort of left out the loop before the 19th century. I must profess ignorance to it's history of colonization, but surely someone must've thought "well, gee, there's this large island where we can stop for supplies on the way to India/Australia"?

 

[Revachah]

Re: Look to the West - no, I'm afraid I haven't.

As to the island itself, I merely find it interesting that Madagascar/Malagasy was sort of left out the loop before the 19th century. I must profess ignorance to it's history of colonization, but surely someone must've thought "well, gee, there's this large island where we can stop for supplies on the way to India/Australia"?

Europeans have always struggled to survive in the lowlands
https://books.google.com/books?id=k-YhAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA616&lpg=PA616&dq=ranavalona+iii+forests+malaria&source=bl&ots=Npo5Tqy2C4&sig=kQfhFfdHD9T-Yqi3HTFharjMZMc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiw5L_Rm4jTAhUIxFQKHTisCV4Q6AEIbjAS#v=onepage&q=ranavalona iii forests malaria&f=true

They also weren't dealing with small tribal groups, Sakalava were the greatest force to be reckoned with at Euro contact as they themselves were imperialistic. Europeans got their asses whooped for some time whenever they tried to conquer outright in the West.

East coast they married into polities, they went native. Doesn't make for a European colonized nation. France could not have been what they were later on if they hadn't pitted Merina and Sakalava against others and themselves.

 

[JonasResende]

Ergo, the chances of Benyovszky being able to convince anyone to send settlers in significant amounts would be difficult? A pity, cause I was reading up on him, and thinking of incorporating some of his doings regarding Madagascar into my TL on a different Louis XVI.