16 August 1861(1861-08-16) (aged 82–83) Manjakamiadana, Antananarivo, Merina Kingdom
Burial
1861/1893 (re-interred)
Ambohimanga/Tomb of the Queens, Rova of Antananarivo (re-interred)
Spouse
Radama I
Rainiharo
Rainijohary [nl]
Issue
Radama II
Names
Ranavalona I (Ranavalo-Manjaka I)
Ramavo
Father
Prince Andriantsalamanjaka (also called Andrianavalontsalama)
Mother
Princess Rabodonandriantompo
Ranavalona I (born Rabodoandrianampoinimerina (also called Ramavo); 1778 – 16 August 1861), also known as Ranavalo-Manjaka I and the “Mad Monarch of Madagascar” was sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. After positioning herself as queen following the death of her young husband, Radama I, Ranavalona pursued a policy of isolationism and self-sufficiency, reducing economic and political ties with European powers, repelling a French attack on the coastal town of Foulpointe, and taking vigorous measures to eradicate the small but growing Malagasy Christian movement initiated under Radama I by members of the London Missionary Society.
She made heavy use of the traditional practice of fanompoana (forced labor as tax payment) to complete public works projects and develop a standing army of between 20,000 and 30,000 Merina soldiers, whom she deployed to pacify outlying regions of the island and further expand the realm. The combination of regular warfare, disease, difficult forced labor and harsh tangena trials by ordeal using a poisonous nut from the Cerbera manghas shrub resulted in a high mortality rate among both soldiers and civilians during her 33-year reign, with Madagascar's population reducing from 5 million in 1833 to 2.5 million in 1839.
Although greatly obstructed by Ranavalona's policies, foreign political interests in Madagascar remained undiminished. Divisions between traditionalist and pro-European factions at the queen's court created opportunities that European intermediaries leveraged in an attempt to hasten the succession of her son, Radama II. The young prince disagreed with many of his mother's policies and was amenable to French proposals for the exploitation of the island's resources, as expressed in the Lambert Charter he concluded with a French representative in 1855. These plans were never successful, however, and Radama II did not take the throne until Ranavalona's death in 1861 at the age of 83.
Ranavalona's European contemporaries generally condemned her policies and characterized her as a tyrant at best and insane at worst. These negative characterizations persisted in Western scholarly literature until the mid-1970s. Later academic research recast Ranavalona's actions as those of a queen attempting to expand her empire while protecting Malagasy sovereignty against the encroachment of European cultural and political influence.
RanavalonaI (born Rabodoandrianampoinimerina (also called Ramavo); 1778 – 16 August 1861), also known as Ranavalo-Manjaka I and the “Mad Monarch of Madagascar”...
Ranavalona III (Malagasy pronunciation: [ranaˈvalːə̥]; 22 November 1861 – 23 May 1917) was the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar. She ruled from...
the greater Merina Kingdom. Following the ferocious attempts by Queen RanavalonaI (r. 1828–1861) to eradicate the Christian influence, over the 19th century...
Ranavalona is the name of three 19th century queens of the Merina Kingdom in Madagascar: RanavalonaI (ruled 1828–1861) notable for attempting to preserve...
Ranavalona II (1829 – 13 July 1883) was Queen of Madagascar from 1868 to 1883, succeeding Queen Rasoherina, her first cousin.[citation needed] She is best...
(September 23, 1829 – May 12, 1863 [contested]) was the son and heir of Queen RanavalonaI and ruled from 1861 to 1863 over the Kingdom of Madagascar, which controlled...
prematurely at age 35. He was succeeded by his highest-ranking wife, RanavalonaI. Radama was the son of Rambolamasoandro and King Andrianampoinimerina...
as they had to capture the animal for treatment or slaughter. Queen RanavalonaI, the regnant of the Madagascar's Merina Kingdom from 1828 to 1861, was...
these was Manjakamiadana, also known as the "Queen's Palace" after Queen RanavalonaI, for whom the original wooden palace was built between 1839 and 1841...
Rafantaka; further westward expansion was completed under Ranavalona II. Under RanavalonaI and her successors, Besakana served as the residence of the...
1831), was the first Prime Minister of Madagascar. He was a supporter of RanavalonaI and as a young military officer he was instrumental in her rise. He came...
II following his presumed assassination. Rasoherina, niece of Queen RanavalonaI, was born Princess Rabodozanakandriana in 1814, the daughter of Prince...
of the Royal House, and the death of the last ruling Sovereign, Queen Ranavalona III's heir apparent, Princess Marie-Louise of Madagascar, remained. She...
dramatically between 1829 and 1842 during the reigns of Radama I and especially RanavalonaI. Because of a combination of war, forced labor, disease and...
Madagascar each year on average. Mortality peaked during the reign of Queen RanavalonaI (1828–1861), when the tangena ordeal was used extensively. The belief...
Radama I to expand its schools throughout Imerina to teach basic literacy and numeracy to aristocratic children. The schools were closed by RanavalonaI in...
the teenager can be heard saying Arabic: "If he didn't insult my prophet, I wouldn't have come here". Members of the congregation rushed forward to subdue...
renowned military man who became prime minister during the reign of Queen RanavalonaI. Despite a childhood marked by ostracism from his family, as a young...
Masteeat, Queen of the Wollo Gallas (Flashman on the March). Queen RanavalonaI of Madagascar (Flashman's Lady). The Silk One (aka Ko Dali's daughter)...
The "crown" of Queen Ranavalona III is a crowning of a royal canopy used by Ranavalona III (November 22, 1861 – May 23, 1917) during the ceremony of declaration...
1547 to 1553. Elizabeth I, from the House of Tudor, reigned as Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603. RanavalonaI, from the Hova dynasty, was...
supervising the creation of a modern manufacturing center under Queen RanavalonaI. Later he became the first French consul to Madagascar, when the government...
sons of Rainiharo, of the Tsimiamboholahy clan, Prime Minister to Queen RanavalonaI from 1833 to 1852. His mother was Rabodomiarana, a daughter of Ramamonjy...
Kingdom: Rainiharo Rainijohary [nl], husband of RanavalonaI Rainivoninahitriniony Rainilaiarivony Monaco: Jacques I, Prince of Monaco – He was first a male consort...
transit point for pirates. Radama I (1810–1828) invited Christian missionaries in the early 19th century. Queen RanavalonaI "the Cruel" (1828–1861) banned...
Radama I, who was the first to admit and regularly engage European missionaries and diplomats in Antananarivo. The 33 year reign of Queen RanavalonaI, the...
people were ruled by Queen RanavalonaI ruled from 1828 to 1861, Queen Rasoherina from 1863 to 1868, and Queen Ranavalona II ruled from 1868 to 1885....
Brenchley (1989). Britain and the Middle East: Economic History, 1945-87. I.B.Tauris. p. 221. ISBN 978-1-870915-07-6. Terry John Carter; Lara Dunston;...
signing that entreated Napoleon III to support a coup d'état against RanavalonaI, and land ownership agreements with French industrialist Joseph-François...
Sikhism, martyred on 11 November 1675. He is also known as Dharam Di Chadar (i.e. "the shield of Religion"), suggesting that to save Hinduism, the guru gave...
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