When was the Merina kingdom of Imerina founded?

The Merina kingdom, also known as Imerina, was founded toward the end of the 16th century in the Ikopa valley on the central plateau of Madagascar.12

While the origins of the early Merina people are uncertain, they entered the central plateau during the 15th century and established a small kingdom that eventually expanded under rulers such as Queen Rafohy in the early 16th century. By the 18th century, the kingdom had fractured into four warring states before being reunited around 1797 by King Andrianampoinimerina, who established Antananarivo as the capital and laid the foundation for a centralized state.312