Reigned 1883-97 RANAVALONA III
Queen of Madagascar
As the favourite great niece of Queen Ranavalona II, Princess Razafindrahety was made Queen of Madagascar, at the age of 22, upon the queen’s death in 1883. She took the name of her predecessors, becoming Ranavalona III, during Madagascar’s transition from being governed by absolute rule to a constitutional monarchy. Widowed shortly before her accession, Ranavalona married the prime minister of Madagascar, Rainilaiarivony, who had also been married to the two previous queens. He was a lot older than the young Ranavalona and there was speculation that Rainilaiarivony was responsible for the death of Ranavalona’s first husband.
Despite her youth and largely ceremonial position as queen, Ranavalona took an active role in governance, focussing on retaining Madagascar’s independence from the threat of French colonisation. She ensured she was a recognisable and friendly figure to her people, taking part in public engagements and visits to hospitals and schools. However, her efforts could not hold off the French, and in 1895 she was forced to hand over the capital, Tananarive. Ranavalona, along with her family, were exiled to the island of Reunion in 1897 because the French feared her presence could inspire an uprising of the Madasgacan people. After two years she was sent to Algiers, where she lived a comfortable life until she died of an embolism in
1917. Ranavalona was never permitted to return to Madagascar, though her remains were eventually returned to the island, where she is now buried.