Historical Figure
Ranavalona I
Also Known As Rabodonandrianampoinimerina · Ramavo · Ranavalo-Manjaka I · Ranavalona reniny
Monarchs and Rulers
Ranavalona I (1778-1861) was Queen of Madagascar from 1828 until her death in 1861. She pursued a deliberate policy of isolation and self-sufficiency, working to limit European political and commercial influence over her kingdom and to preserve Malagasy sovereignty and traditional institutions. In 1835 she banned the practice of Christianity, which had been spreading through British missionary activity, and took sustained action to suppress the growing Malagasy Christian community, including through the use of the tangena ordeal, a trial by poison in which the accused was forced to swallow a toxic nut, which historians estimate killed thousands of people a year during parts of her reign. Her long reign was also marked by heavy losses among soldiers and forced laborers conscripted for military campaigns and state building projects, and modern demographic estimates suggest Madagascar's population may have declined by as much as half over her 33 years in power.
Facts
RoleSovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861, ruling as queen after the death of her husband Radama I. 1 BirthplaceAmbatomanoina, about 16 km east of Antananarivo, Kingdom of Madagascar 1 Death PlaceManjakamiadana palace, Rova of Antananarivo, Kingdom of Madagascar 1 Role
Role (category) FAQs
Why did Ranavalona I ban Christianity in Madagascar?
She credited her recovery from illness to traditional Malagasy spirituality, then banned Christian worship and expelled the missionaries in 1835 after they ignored her order to stop baptizing.
Encyclopedia.com's biography says that after a serious illness in the seventh year of her reign, Ranavalona I credited her recovery to her ancestors and their enshrined fetishes, which reinforced her prejudice against Christian missionaries. On 26 February 1835 she ordered missionaries to respect the nation's cultural traditions and to stop baptizing its subjects. When that proved ineffective she banned Christian worship altogether, expelled all missionaries on 18 June 1835 and closed the mission schools. The source describes this as beginning as an effort to safeguard Malagasy culture before it turned into persecution of Christian converts, with the first execution of a convert ordered on 14 August 1836.
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Source Wikipedia: Ranavalona I
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Source Wikidata: Ranavalona I
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Ranavalona I
Wikipedialead section
Ranavalona I (born Rabodonandrianampoinimerina; 1778 - 16 August 1861), also known as Ramavo or Ranavalo-Manjaka I or Ranavalona reniny, was the sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861.
Succession and death section
On 16 August 1861, Ranavalona died in her sleep at the Manjakamiadana palace in the Rova of Antananarivo.
Early life section
Princess Ramavo was born in 1778 at the royal residence at Ambatomanoina, about 16 kilometers (10 mi) east of Antananarivo
Ranavalona I: Gender
Ranavalona I (born Rabodonandrianampoinimerina; 1778 - 16 August 1861), also known as Ramavo or Ranavalo-Manjaka I or Ranavalona reniny, was the sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. After positioning herself as queen following the death of her young husband Radama I, she pursued a policy of isolationism and self-sufficiency.
In Era: The Late Modern Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
Ranavalona I (born Rabodonandrianampoinimerina; 1778 - 16 August 1861), also known as Ramavo or Ranavalo-Manjaka I or Ranavalona reniny, was the sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861.
View the Source Wikidata: Ranavalona I
Wikidata Q169794, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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