Ranavalona I.

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Ranavalona I of Madagascar (posthumous portrait painting by Philippe-Auguste Ramanankirahina, 1860–1915)

Ranavalona I (born Rabodoandrianampoinimerina , * around 1782 ; † August 16, 1861 ) was ruler of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 until her death.

Life

Ranavalona and her son Rakoto traveling with soldiers and slaves (engraving by Pierre Suau, 1861–1916)
Madagascar ambassadors to Great Britain (1836–1837), reception by Queen Adelaide (painting by Henry Room, 1802–1850)

Ranavalona was born under the name Ramavo. The death of her husband, Radama I , who ruled Madagascar from 1810 to 1828, was initially kept secret. His wife became the center of a palace revolution that would bring her to power. In order to nip in the bud the claims of the Radama family to rule, his next of kin were murdered, including Radama's mother, two of his wives, his favorite nephew Rakotobe and his father Ratefy and his daughter Raketaka.

Radama's widow ruled the country under the name Ranavalona I from then on in an authoritarian manner. Torture and executions were the order of the day under her reign. It gradually banished almost all foreigners from the island and broke off diplomatic relations with other countries. The practice of the Christian faith was also forbidden, and even possession of a Bible was punishable by the death penalty.

During the tenure of Ranavalona I, the construction of the large wooden central palace, the Manjakamadiana, which was to dominate the Rova of Antananarivo from now on, was undertaken.

During the reign of Ranavalona, Ida Pfeiffer traveled to Madagascar in 1857 , where she was allowed to visit the Queen. Ida Pfeiffer came from Vienna and traveled almost all over the world on her own. In her book Conspiracy in the Rainforest , she reports on her adventures in Madagascar. As she became involved in a conspiracy of the queen's son against Ranavalona, ​​she finally had to flee the island. One year after her return to Vienna she died of complications from a malaria infection .

Ida Pfeiffer's travelogue is one of the few authentic documents about the history of the island of Madagascar from this period when the island closed itself off to all outside influences.

Remarks

  1. ↑ From the work: Élie Colin: Madagascar et la mission catholique (5e éd.) Sanard et Derangeon: Paris 1895, p.23. From the biography of the artist and the publication date of the book, strong doubts arise as to whether it is Ranavalona I, it could also be Ranavalona II or Ranavalona III. be.

literature

  • Guida M. Jackson, Guida Myrl Jackson-Laufer: Women Rulers Throughout the Ages: An Illustrated Guide . ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara (California) 1999, ISBN 1576070913 , pp. 343-344.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ranavalona I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rabodoandrianampoinimerina (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ruler of the Merina, Madagascar
DATE OF BIRTH around 1782
DATE OF DEATH August 16, 1861