Country history · Africa

History of Malawi

14 recorded states lay in what is now Malawi, from the Kingdom of Maravi (1480 CE). 2 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)7 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

15th century

  1. Kingdom of Maravi1480 CE – 1720 CE · kingdom

16th century

  1. Kingdom of Lundu1590 CE – 1800 CE · kingdom

17th century

  1. Ngonde Kingdom1600 CE – 1891 CE · kingdom
  2. Kingdom of Undi1650 CE – 1880 CE · kingdom

18th century

  1. Chikulamayembe State1780 CE – 1855 CE · kingdom

19th century

  1. Mataka Chiefdom1800 CE – 1912 CE · chiefdom
  2. Makanjira Chiefdom1830 CE – 1895 CE · chiefdom
  3. Jumbe State of Nkhotakota1845 CE – 1894 CE · other
  4. Northern Ngoni Kingdom1855 CE – 1904 CE · kingdom
  5. Mpezeni's Ngoni Kingdom1865 CE – 1898 CE · kingdom
  6. Maseko Ngoni Kingdom1870 CE – 1896 CE · kingdom
  7. British Central Africa Protectorate1891 CE – 1907 CE · protectorate

20th century

  1. Nyasaland1907 CE – 1964 CE · protectorate
  2. Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland1953 CE – 1963 CE · other

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Central and Southern Africa → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of Malawi. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/malawi
MLA
“History of Malawi.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/malawi. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of Malawi.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/malawi.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of Malawi’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/malawi (Accessed: ).