Nborn on November 22, 1861 in Amparibe (old name of the capital: Antananarivo) Princess Razafindrahety better known under the name of Queen Ranavalona III was the last queen of the Merina dynasty to have reigned over Madagascar before taking possession of the island by the French colonial empire.
Razafindrahety became queen of Madagascar in 1883, on the death of Queen Ranavalona II, her stepmother. Her husband Crown Prince Ratrimoarivony dies shortly after his mother under mysterious circumstances. Following the death of her husband, Razafindrahety was crowned at 22 years Queen Ranavalona III of Madagascar. When he was enthroned, the island was already threatened by an invasion by French colonial forces. A civil war settled from 1883 to 1885, the Malagasy not supporting the invasion of the colonists on their island, but very quickly the revolt is controlled by the French colonists.
The colonists, pretending to come to the island to help it modernize, were surprised to see the Queen's government modernize the country quickly and efficiently to show that the island of Madagascar was a civilized and independent state. To slow the momentum of modernization of the island, the colonists made bomb the ports of the cities of north and the east of the island and seized Tamatave.
Without wanting to negotiate any departure and limit the occupation of the island, the colonial navy seizes Diego-suarez and proclaims the island of Madagascar a French protectorate despite the disagreement of Queen Ranavalona and the Prime Minister. Foreign policy and finances are under the control of the French state. This imposed and fragile treaty in no way guarantees peace and obliges Madagascar to pay compensation to France.
To execute it, the Malagasy government contracts a loan from the Comptoir Nationale d'Escompte de Paris (CNEP), the customs revenues from its six main ports (Tamatave, Majunga, Fénérive, Vohémar, Vatomandry and Mananjary) are pledged. Huge concessions are ceded to the French: logging, copper extraction in the country, gold concession in Boina. The insufficient income from taxes does not allow the government to pay the loan contracted to CNEP, to remedy the colonial power forced them to increase taxes and increase the chores of the inhabitants of the island.
Despite several attempts to get rid of the colonial hold on the country, the government of Queen Ranavalona III failed to get rid of the invaders and the total invasion of the country ended in 1895 under the command of General Duchesne, the French army neutralizes the soldiers of the queen and seizes the capital on September 30, 1895. The prime minister was removed from office and replaced by a collaborator with the colonial empire. On August 6, 1896, Madagascar was proclaimed a “French colony” by the national assembly. Queen Ranavalona will keep an illusory power for a few months before being arrested by surprise on the night of February 28, 1897, by General Gallieni. She and all her family were sent into exile to Reunion Island and then to Algeria where she died there on May 23, 1917.
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Queen Ranavalona III: Historical drama
Is Adult Product | |
Release Date | 2019-07-15T00:00:01Z |
Language | Français |
Number Of Pages | 108 |
Publication Date | 2019-07-15T00:00:01Z |