In early August 1828, Princess Mavo was proclaimed Queen and took the name Ranavalona. Thirty-three years later, on August 16, 1861, the Sovereign passed away, or “niamboho” as the royal protocol vocabulary dictates.
From August 1861 to August 2026, it has been 165 years since the passing of Ranavalomanjaka, a figure often caricatured by Western literature and demonized by Christian tradition. Two-thirds of her long reign, from the departure of the last British missionaries in July 1836 to her death in August 1861, were labeled “Tany Maizina,” a dark period or time of mourning.
Upon Ranavalona’s accession, why did Ramanetaka, Governor of Majunga and first cousin of Radama I, immediately set sail for Anjouan? Why did Ratefinanahary, brother-in-law of Radama I, urgently request to board a ship bound for Mauritius before responding to the summons to Antananarivo? Radama’s relatives sought to flee because they remembered that the future queen’s own kin had been assassinated by Radama I when he ascended the throne in 1810.
One cannot judge ancient times by the standards of our era. While Ranavalona inaugurated her reign by liquidating the close relatives of her husband and predecessor, it was not revolutionary or shocking, considering that Radama I had previously caused the deaths of several Avaradrano from the family of the then-Princess Imavo of Ambatomanoina.
Oral tradition does not record older exterminations during previous successions to the throne of Imerina. The 1828 episode only passed into posterity because there were European eyewitnesses. These Europeans testified against her throughout a reign that deprived them of the political and evangelical advantages previously tolerated by Radama (1810-1828).
Yet, her 33-year reign was not merely a slaughter of zebus and persecution of Christians. Ranavalona’s decisions must be situated within the Malagasy context of that time, as well as the frontal clash between traditional society and the revolutionary ideas brought by the London Missionary Society and European visitors.
On July 18, 1857, the Queen reproached Laborde, Lambert, Finaz, Webber, and Pfeiffer: “You wanted to establish a republic, free the slaves, and establish equality for all without distinction of nobility… You have no kings, you are republicans, you lead people to think like you, you seek to change the government and abolish slavery.”
In her doctoral thesis, Bakoly Domenichini-Ramiaramanana emphasized that the collection of “hainteny” (traditional Malagasy poetry) under this queen was part of a vast political program to safeguard and promote traditional Malagasy society and culture. Her hostility toward foreign and Christian doctrines, whose egalitarian discourse was revolutionary, was a defense of the very foundations of the society of that time.
Ranavalona authorized the stay of Baker and Freeman, initiating an intellectual collaboration with Malagasy scholars like Raharolahy and Ramarotafika. Beyond the collection of “hainteny,” several fundamental works were published, including Malagasy-English dictionaries and the translation of the Bible, marking a significant period of intellectual development.
Captured & Published at: 2026-08-25 05:38:47 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/08/il-y-125-ans-ranavalona-1ere.html