Maravi was an empire which straddled the current borders of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, in the early 15th century. The present-day name "Malawi" is suggested to have been derived from the Chewa word malaŵí, which means "flames". "Maravi" is a general name of the peoples of central Malawi, eastern Zambia, and northeastern Mozambique. The Chewa language, also known as Nyanja which is spoken in southern and central Malawi, in eastern Zambia and to some provinces of Mozambique, is the main language that emerged from the empire.

The Maravi Confederacy was founded by Bantu people immigrating into the valley of the Shire River (flowing out of Lake Nyassa) around 1480 AD. It prospered into the late 18th century, extending to reach what is now belonging to Zambia and Mozambique.

At its greatest extent, the state included territory from the Tonga and Tumbuka people's areas in the north to the Lower Shire in the south, and as far west as the Luangwa and Zambezi river valleys. Maravi's rulers belonged to the Phiri clan and held the title Kalonga. They ruled from Manthimba, the secular/administrative capital, and were the driving force behind the state's establishment. Meanwhile, the matrilineal Banda clan, which traditionally provided healers, sages and metallurgists, took care of religious affairs from their capital Mankhamba near Ntakataka.