During our tour I hungered for any information I could get regarding the history of this country. Alas, I was frustrated in this endeavor as every guide I talked with could only provide information that dated back to the early 1700s. Also, we discovered that most of the guides we met could only give us information on the place that they were at. It appeared that they had memorized the history of that place but could not provide much information beyond the script that they were working off of.

To get any historical information, I had to go to the Internet. In doing my research I discovered that one of the reasons there is not much historical information is that until the French arrived in the 1700s, there was not a written language in Madagascar. Any pre-1700 information was either from folklore passed down from generation to generation by mouth or was written from a highly biased foreign perspective. Plus, the island was inhabited by 18 different tribes of people who fought each other for territorial rights. Thus, one tribe’s folklore would be grossly different than another tribe’s folklore.

I have learned that the prevalent theory on the populating of the island states that people from Indonesia/Borneo had first come to Madagascar about 2000 years ago. This is supported by the fact that the Malagasy language is very similar to the languages that are spoken in the Indonesia/Borneo area. The theory goes on to say that over time members of tribes from the south coast of Africa also populated the island. Currently, there are 18 tribes that make up the Malagasy population with each tribe struggling to maintain their own unique culture and traditions.

It wasn’t until the 800s to 900s AD that Arab traders started coming to the island to trade goods. The first European to see Madagascar was not until 1500 when a Portuguese ship captained by Diego Dias was blown off course to India and found Madagascar in its way. Later in this century the Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English attempted to establish trading settlements but they all failed due to hostile conditions and the fierce local Malagasy.

In the early 1700s the Sakalava tribe populating the western coast established the first kingdom which extended from Tulear in the south to Diego Suarez in the north. During this period the French attempted to establish military positions on the east coast but by the early 19th century the only settlement they could claim was the island of Ste. Marie. This they lost when the locals massacred the village with a few escaping to the island of Reunion.

Radama I (1810-1828), a Merina tribe king who had help from the British, is successful in unifying most of the country save for the Sakalava kingdom in the far west and far south. Radama opened the country to English missionaries who spread Christianity throughout the island and transcribed Malagasy to a written language. In the process of unifying much of Madagascar, he took 12 wives, one from each of the tribes closest to him. However, this also proved to be his downfall as it is highly suspected that his first wife, Ranavalona I (1828-1861), poisoned him and usurped the crown. She, in turn, terrorized the country for 33 years by persecuting Christians, evicting foreigners, executing political rivals, and reviving the custom of killing babies born on unlucky days. However, this view of her is one that is owned by the Europeans. One can make the case that she was just a traditionalist who fought to maintain the Malagasy traditions, religion and culture. Nevertheless, everyone we talked to here called her “the nasty Queen”. Of course, they were all Christians, which is now the dominant religion in this country.

Upon the death of his mother, Ranavalona I's son, Radama II (1861 to 1863), took the crown and restored contact with the outside world and ended the persecution of Christians. He actually plotted against his mother and, in 1855, secretly signed the terms of the Lambert Charter, which contracted with French entrepreneur Joseph-François Lambert while Ranavalona still ruled. Through this charter the French were awarded exclusive rights to the exploitation of large tracts of valuable land and other lucrative resources and projects. This agreement, which was later revoked by Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony, was the key to establishing France's claim over Madagascar as a protectorate and, in 1896, as a colony.

Due to the significant reversals in policy that were implemented by Radama II, a coup took place in 1863 in which the Prime Minister, Rainilaiarivony, led and murdered Radama II. The Prime Minister was no fool as he immediately appointed Radama II’s wife to be queen and then married her. Radmada II’s wife became Queen Ranavalona II and ruled until 1868 when she died. Rainilaiarivony continued to rule the country behind the skirt of his next wife: Queen Ranavalona III. She ruled from July 30, 1883 to February 28, 1897 in a reign marked by ongoing and ultimately futile efforts to resist the colonial designs of the government of France. Ranavalona tried to stave off colonization by strengthening trade and diplomatic relations with the United States and Great Britain throughout her reign. French attacks on coastal port towns and an assault on the capital city of Antananarivo ultimately led to the capture of the royal palace in 1895, ending the sovereignty and political autonomy of the century-old kingdom. In 1896 France declared Madagascar a French colony and deported the queen and the prime minister, first to Reunion, then to Algeria where she died there in 1917.

This is getting a bit long so I will continue with the more modern part of Madagascar’s history tomorrow. The picture posted to this blog is of Queen Ranavalona I during her younger, and happier days.