The Mwali Sultanate was established in 1830. It was located on Mohéli island. This island originally belonged to the Sultanate of Anjouan. The island went towards separating itself politically from Anjouan in the early 1800s. The sultans of Mwali were immigrants from Madagascar and their descendants. As in Madagascar, some of the rulers of Mwali were female.
The island then became a French protectorate in 1886, and the sultanate was ended in 1909. The French became interested in the island starting in 1843, when they first tried to establish a protectorate. The French influence on the island increased in the following years. Twice (1861 and 1871) French troops meddled with the islands affairs.
