Chapter 242: Why Mayotte Island?
Mayotte Island is located in the Mozambique Channel and, together with Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Moheli, forms the Comoros archipelago. Covering an area of 374 square kilometers, its economy is primarily agricultural, producing spices like vanilla. In a previous life it was France's overseas department, administering a single province called Mayotte Province.
In 1870, France's colonial holdings were concentrated in six main areas.
North Africa (French Algeria), whose importance needs no explanation. It's closest to mainland France and the region France most wants to integrate as part of its homeland.West Africa (French territories from Seychelles–Gambia to Guinea, etc.; Ivory Coast–Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana; Gabon, Equatorial Guinea region, which later evolved into French Congo). In terms of both quantity and quality, these are arguably France's most economically valuable colonies. Furthermore, these latter two areas are in the Gulf of Guinea, making it very convenient for mainland France's navy to support them.Madagascar, along with the French Comoros (Mayotte) and Réunion Island, together forming France's strategic strongpoint in the Indian Ocean.Southeast Asia (Cambodia, southern Vietnam), in the Far East region.French Guiana in South America.Finally, controlling Suez Canal access in Djibouti. After all, the importance of the Mandeb Strait is self-evident—without it, the Suez Canal is just a dead-end route. Both Britain and France station forces around that area.
These six areas compose France's core colonial empire, plus mainland France, so it can project its power worldwide. Among these six, four lie in Africa, illustrating the importance France attaches to the continent. By the European perspective of world maps, Africa is basically the global geographic center (the 0° coordinates converge in the Gulf of Guinea).
So Ernst can only consider smaller islands under France's control, and anything too far is impractical. Meanwhile, Mayotte Island is the closest to East Africa and sits at the heart of the Mozambique Channel, holding great strategic significance for East Africa. It also enjoys decent agricultural conditions that can feed several tens of thousands. Alongside the rest of the Comoros, with their combined population in the tens of thousands (indeed, in later times the Comoros would reach around 800,000), the other three islands are "unclaimed" (actually, two local sultanates exist: Grande Comore, which speaks Swahili like East African natives), but the French alone occupy Mayotte, making it especially conspicuous. Hence Ernst sets high value on it.
On Mayotte Island, the inhabitants are mostly Malagasy, whose homeland is southern Madagascar. In Madagascar's north, the French have their Madagascar colony alongside the Merina Kingdom.
One might think Ernst is interested in Madagascar, and indeed, how could he not be? But the French holdings in Madagascar are not easy prey for East Africa: the East African navy's four ships can't handle such an undertaking. Meanwhile, the Merina Kingdom evidently isn't in East Africa's league right now: it's too large, not purely tribal, and better-armed, not the usual "never-seen-guns, scattered" African tribes. Ernst's simple measure for evaluating African "civilization" ranks them by how primitive, slave-based, semi-feudal/semi-slave-based, or fully feudal they are.
East Africa's expansions prove that the easiest opponents are primitive tribes, then slave-based kingdoms, then semi-feudal ones, and finally feudal states. The higher you go, the more centrally governed they are, the stronger their organization. So far, East Africa's toughest fights have been with the semi-feudal/semi-slave kingdoms around the Great Lakes, plus the Gredi Sultanate. As for Zanzibar, that was a fluke: Felix cunningly took its leadership hostage—had East Africa chosen to wipe out the sultan and his court, they'd have faced a drawn-out war, since Zanzibar's main base was on the island, and East Africa then had no ships to launch an amphibious assault.
Meanwhile, the Merina Kingdom is a very tough nut, basically on par with Ethiopia among African states: not purely black African. One was influenced by Middle Eastern civilization, the other has a strong Asian lineage. Both sit at a crossroads of civilizations, so they're quite advanced.
Even by 1817, Britain had formed a treaty with the Madagascar Kingdom recognizing Radama I as King and providing weapons, advisors, and a ban on the slave trade, with the London Missionary Society able to operate there. Radama I was a formidable ruler, abolishing the slave trade and pushing modern reforms. His successors, Ranavalona II and Ranavalona III, later clashed with France. In 1896, after failing to resist French forces, the Merina Kingdom fell and became a French colony.
So, without substantial manpower, conquering Madagascar is unrealistic. Indeed, historically, the Merina Kingdom fought nearly a century of conflict before succumbing to France—whereas Belgium, a small country, claimed all of Congo in just a few years. It underscores Merina's strength.
Hence, compared to Merina, Ernst is more interested in southwestern tribal areas of Madagascar. But East Africa still focuses on the continent, not an island, so they won't attack Madagascar for now. That doesn't preclude them from doing so in the future. Southwestern Madagascar is quite distant, with the Comoros in between as a stepping stone.
Given that the French already occupy Mayotte in the Comoros, that's the main island in that chain. With it, the entire group is effectively controlled. Meanwhile, if East Africa wants to form a stepping stone, Mayotte is crucial.
Likewise, for France, Mayotte doesn't matter much, as they already own Madagascar and Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Madagascar is their focus, critical to the global posture (threatening the Cape of Good Hope route).
Hence in the upcoming Franco-Prussian War, if East Africa can glean territory from France, that territory can only realistically be Mayotte Island. The rest of France's colonies or strongpoints are either too distant or valuable, or too autonomous. They might not obey Paris's orders to surrender. Plus, bigger colonies would require a second war if East Africa wanted them.
Mayotte is different: small population, small area, and negligible value to France. Giving it up to Hohenzollern doesn't hurt them so badly. They can let it go.
Nor need East Africa worry about competition from other colonial powers for it. Britain is France's greatest threat—Seychelles is a prime example seized by Britain, and Britain's navy overshadowed France's.
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