Who was Ratsimilaho in the history of the Betsimisaraka confederation?

In the history of Madagascar, Ratsimilaho was the foundational figure of the Betsimisaraka confederation, a quasi-state established in the early 18th century to unite the peoples along the island's eastern littoral.12

Ratsimilaho was the son of an English pirate and a Malagasy princess. He successfully consolidated various chiefdoms across a significant stretch of the eastern coast—spanning between 200 and 400 miles—and is credited with giving the Betsimisaraka their name, which translates to the "Inseparable Multitude".21

Under his leadership, the confederation functioned as a viable political entity; however, following his death in 1750, the confederation began a prolonged period of disintegration. The kingdom eventually collapsed entirely in 1791 upon the death of the dynasty's third ruler, after which most of the Betsimisaraka fell under the control of the expanding Merina kingdom.21