This biography, written by Amy-Jane Humphries, is shared with permission from Team Queens, an educational history blog run by a collective of historical scholars. All rights reserved; this material may not be republished without the author’s consent.
Born: 22 November 1861, Madagascar
Died: 23 May 1917
Country most active: Madagascar
Also known as: Razafindrahety
Ranavalona III was the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar. She succeeded her aunt, Ranavalona II, in 1883, aged twenty-two. Ranavalona’s reign was dominated by the Franco-Hova War, which eventually resulted in her exile in 1897 and the French colonisation of Madagascar.
Her first, short-lived marriage was to a nobleman named Ratrimoarivony. Unfortunately, we do not know much about the match. What we do know, though, is that it ended abruptly with Ratrimo’s death just two months before Ranavalona became queen.
It was believed that Ranavalona’s husband might have been poisoned by the Prime Minster, Rainilaiarivony, who had been married to both Ranavalona II and her predecessor, Rasoherina. Rainilaiarivony intended to marry Ranavalona in order to secure his power during her reign.
At the time of Ranavalona’s succession, Madagascar was transitioning from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one and Ranavalona’s role was much more ceremonial at the start of her reign. Real power lay in the hands of the statesmen around her, including her new husband.
The experience of these politicians did not help in their fight against the military presence of the French in the region. They managed to stave off the inevitable for some time through a series of treaties and prolonged negotiations.
The French eventually invaded fully and, in September 1895, Ranavalona was forced to surrender her kingdom. For a time, the French allowed Ranavalona to remain in Madagascar as a figurehead.
Rainilaiarivony was exiled to Algiers, where he died in 1896. It was court intrigues, and the fear of a popular uprising, which eventually led to Ranavalona’s exile in 1897 and the official abolition of the Madagascan monarchy.
Ranavalona and her family went into exile first on Réunion Island but later they were moved to Algiers in what was then French Algeria. There, Ranavalona became quite a sensation, and she was eventually allowed to visit Paris which she did at least seven times.
She would never return to Madagascar, though. She died in her villa in Algiers in 1917, aged fifty-five.
Recommended Reading
Marie-France Barrier, Ranavalona, dernière reine de Madagascar (Paris: Balland, 1996).
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Ranavalona III, the last ruler of the Kingdom of Madagascar, was born as Princess Razafindrahety.
Her reign lasted from July 30, 1883, to February 28, 1897, and was marked by unsuccessful attempts to resist French colonial attacks. Chosen from among several Andriana candidates in her youth, she entered a strategic marriage with Rainilaiarivony, a member of the Hova elite who served as prime minister and oversaw the kingdom’s day-to-day governance and foreign relations.
Ranavalona tried to prevent colonization during her rule by strengthening trade partnerships and diplomatic connections with foreign nations. However, French attacks on coastal port towns and an assault on the capital city of Antananarivo resulted in the capture of the royal palace in 1895, effectively ending the kingdom’s sovereignty.
Initially allowed to retain symbolic roles, Ranavalona and her court were exiled to Réunion in 1897 due to the Menalamba rebellion and anti-French political intrigues. After Rainilaiarivony’s death that same year, she and her family resided in a villa in Algiers, receiving financial support and enjoying a comfortable standard of living. They occasionally visited Paris for shopping and sightseeing. Despite repeated requests, Ranavalona never received permission to return to Madagascar. She passed away from an embolism at her Algiers villa in 1917 at the age of 55. Her remains were initially interred in Algiers but, 21 years later, were repatriated to Madagascar and placed within the tomb of Queen Rasoherina on the grounds of the Rova of Antananarivo.