Ranavalona III Ranavalona III ( November 22 , 1861 – May 23 , 1917 ) was the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar . 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 . As a young woman , she was selected from among several Andriana qualified to succeed Queen Ranavalona II upon her death . Like both preceding queens , Ranavalona entered a political marriage with a member of the Hova elite named Rainilaiarivony , who in his role as Prime Minister of Madagascar , largely oversaw the day - to - day governance of the kingdom and managed its foreign affairs . 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 . The newly installed French colonial government promptly exiled Rainilaiarivony to Algiers , although Ranavalona and her court were initially permitted to remain as symbolic figureheads . But the outbreak of a popular resistance movement – the " menalamba " rebellion – and discovery of anti - French political intrigues at court led the French to exile the queen to the island of Réunion in 1897 . Rainilaiarivony died that same year and shortly thereafter Ranavalona was relocated to a villa in Algiers , along with several members of her family . The queen , her family and the servants accompanying her were provided an allowance and enjoyed a comfortable standard of living including occasional trips to Paris for shopping and sightseeing . Despite Ranavalona ' s repeated requests , she was never permitted to return home to Madagascar . She died of an embolism at her villa in Algiers in 1917 at the age of 55 . Her remains were buried in Algiers but were disinterred 21 years later and shipped to Madagascar , where they were placed within the tomb of Queen Rasoherina on the grounds of the Rova of Antananarivo . Early years . Ranavalona III , daughter of Andriantsimianatra and his wife Raketaka , was born Princess Razafindrahety on November 22 , 1861 , at Amparibe , a rural village in the district of Manjakazafy outside Antananarivo . Razafindrahety ' s lineage , as niece to Queen Ranavalona II and great - granddaughter of King Andrianampoinimerina , qualified her to potentially inherit the throne of the Kingdom of Madagascar . Her parents assigned the care of the infant Razafindrahety to a slave who served the family . When she was old enough to attend school , Razafindrahety was taken into the custody of her aunt , Queen Ranavalona II , who ensured she began receiving a private education from a London Missionary Society ( LMS ) teacher . She was described as an industrious and inquisitive child with a strong love of studying the Bible , learning and reading , and she developed affectionate relationships with her teachers . She continued her education throughout her adolescence at the Congregational School of Ambatonakanga , the Friends High School for Girls , and the LMS Girls ' Central School . She was baptized as a Protestant at Ambohimanga on April 5 , 1874 . Her teachers consistently described her as ranking among their strongest students . As a young woman , Razafindrahety married an Andriana ( nobleman ) named Ratrimo ( Ratrimoarivony ) . Her husband died several years later on May 8 , 1883 , aged 22 , leaving Razafindrahety a premature widow . According to rumor , Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony may have arranged to have Ratrimo poisoned for political reasons . The Aristocratic Revolution of 1863 , which had been orchestrated by Rainilaiarivony ' s older brother , Prime Minister Rainivoninahitriniony , had replaced the absolute rule of the Andriana with a constitutional monarchy in which power was shared between an Andriana monarch and a Hova ( freeman ) prime minister . This arrangement was to be cemented by a political marriage between the prime minister and a ruling queen effectively selected by him . As Queen Ranavalona II neared death and the search for her successor began , Rainilaiarivony may have had Ratrimo deliberately poisoned so that Razafindrahety , the most eligible successor , would be free to marry the prime minister and succeed to the throne . Reign . Ranavalona III was proclaimed queen upon the death of her predecessor , Queen Ranavalona II , on July 13 , 1883 , and moved into Tsarahafatra , a wooden house on the grounds of the royal Rova complex in Antananarivo . Her coronation took place in the Mahamasina neighborhood of Antananarivo on November 22 , 1883 , her 22nd birthday , where she was given the title " Her Majesty Ranavalona III by the grace of God and the will of the people , Queen of Madagascar , and Protectoress of the laws of the Nation " . She chose to break with tradition by supplementing the customary retinue of soldiers at her ceremony with a group of 500 male and 400 female pupils from the capital ' s best schools . The girls were dressed in white while the boys wore soldiers ' uniforms and performed traditional military drills with spears . Ranavalona was crowned wearing a white silk gown with a red train featuring embroidery and gold embellishments . The queen was described in the American press in the following terms : " She is a little above the ordinary height and has delicate features , her complexion is a little darker than that of most of her subjects . She appears quite timid and she presides well at the solemn functions of her court . " Like her two predecessors , Ranavalona concluded a political marriage with Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony . The young queen ' s role was largely ceremonial as nearly all important political decisions continued to be made by the much older and more experienced prime minister . Ranavalona was frequently called upon to deliver formal speeches ( " kabary " ) to the public on behalf of Rainilaiarivony and would make appearances to inaugurate new public buildings , such as a hospital at Isoavinandriana and a girls ' school at Ambodin ' Andohalo . Throughout her reign , Ranavalona ' s aunt , Ramisindrazana , acted as an adviser and exercised considerable influence at court . Ranavalona ' s older sister , Rasendranoro , whose son Rakatomena and daughter Razafinandriamanitra lived with their mother at the Rova , was also a close companion . An American journalist who visited her palace reported that Ranavalona spent much of her leisure time flying kites or playing lotto , a parlor game , with her relatives and other ladies at court . She also enjoyed knitting , needlework and crocheting and would frequently bring her latest craft project to work on at cabinet meetings . She had a great love of fine garments and was the only Malagasy sovereign to import the majority of her clothing from Paris rather than London . Franco - Hova War . As sovereign of Madagascar , Ranavalona III became a pawn in the endgame of the maneuvering that had been taking place between the British and French since the beginning of the century . The tension between France and Madagascar had grown especially acute in the three years prior to Ranavalona ' s succession , with an intensification of attacks in the months prior to her coronation . In February 1883 the northwestern coast was bombarded , followed by the occupation of Mahajanga by the French in May , and bombardment and capture of Toamasina in June . Attacks along the northern coast were ongoing at the time Ranavalona III was crowned in the summer of 1883 . Shortly after the French initiated this latest round of hostilities , Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony decided to engage Lieutenant Colonel Willoughby , a Briton who had gained combat experience in the Anglo - Zulu War ( but without having been a member of the British armed forces ) , to oversee the nation ' s military affairs and train the queen ' s army to defend the island against the seemingly inevitable French invasion . Throughout this period Madagascar continued to engage the French in negotiations , but these were to prove unsuccessful with both sides unwilling to capitulate on key points of contention . After two years of stalemate , a column brought an ultimatum to Antananarivo in December 1885 , asking for recognition of French rights in northeastern Madagascar , a French protectorate over the Sakalava , recognition of French property principles and an indemnity of 1 , 500 , 000 francs . This peace treaty was ratified by Ranavalona and Rainilaiarivony in January 1886 and French government representatives two months later . Prior to ratification , the queen and her prime minister sought clarification about several articles in the main treaty that stated " foreign relations " would be controlled by a " French resident " and referenced " establishments " at Diego - Suarez Bay . Two key French negotiators , Minister Patrimonio and Admiral Miot , provided an explanation affixed to the treaty as an annex , which led the rulers of Madagascar to deem the treaty an adequate enough safeguard of their nation ' s sovereignty to warrant their approval and signature . However , the official treaty was published in Paris without the annex or any reference to it . When the annex was later published in London , the French denied it had any legal validity . France declared a protectorate over the island despite the opposition of the Malagasy government and the omission of this term from the treaty . The international reaction to this latest turn of events was varied and greatly colored by national interests . The British were unwilling to defend Madagascar ' s sovereignty for fear that the French might retaliate and fail to recognize the British claim to certain protectorates of its own . All official British engagement with Madagascar was henceforth transacted through the French resident , but these communiques were not officially recognized by Ranavalona and her court . The United States and Germany , on the other hand , continued to deal directly with the queen ' s government as the rightful authority in Madagascar . This discrepancy forced a reinterpretation of one aspect of the treaty , resulting in the queen ' s authority over internal affairs being maintained . In 1886 the queen attempted to solicit the support of the United States in preserving Madagascar ' s sovereignty by sending gifts to then - President Grover Cleveland , including silk " akotofahana " cloths , an ivory pin and a woven basket . However , the United States was neither able nor inclined to assert itself militarily or diplomatically in favor of preserving Madagascar ' s independence . Ranavalona signed a treaty granting further concessions to the French on December 12 , 1887 . France ' s claim to Madagascar as its protectorate was officially recognized by Britain in the Anglo - French agreement of 1890 . Between 1890 and 1894 , the French sought to aggressively claim what they believed to be the territorial rights established by the treaty . However , these French land claims and settlements were perceived by Ranavalona and Rainilaiarivony as an unjustifiable encroachment upon Malagasy sovereignty . Ultimately Charles Le Myre de Vilers was sent to persuade the queen and her prime minister to submit to the French interpretation of the treaty with the intent to launch a war and take the island by force if an agreement was not reached . The French offer was flatly refused and diplomatic relations between France and Madagascar were broken off in November 1894 . Upon terminating diplomatic relations , the French bombarded and occupied the harbor of Toamasina on the east coast in December 1894 , then captured Mahajanga on the west coast the following month and immediately began their gradual advance , constructing roads through the malarial swamps that hindered passage to the island ' s interior . The main expeditionary troops arrived in May . Over 6 , 000 of the original 15 , 000 French soldiers lost their lives to disease as they gradually moved inland , necessitating several thousand reinforcements drawn from French colonies in Algeria and Sub - Saharan Africa . The column reached the capital in September 1895 . For three days the Malagasy army managed to hold the French troops at the periphery of the city , but upon French bombardment of the Rova palace compound with heavy artillery , Ranavalona agreed to surrender control of her kingdom to the French . French colonization . France officially annexed Madagascar on January 1 , 1896 . That August , the French officially declared Madagascar to be their colony and exiled Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony to Algiers ( in French Algeria ) where he died the following year . The queen and much of her administration remained but were afforded no real political power . Shortly after Rainilaiarivony ' s exile , Ranavalona was approached by a French official who informed her that a new prime minister would need to be selected . The queen hastily concluded that General Jacques Duchesne , the French general who had successfully led the military campaign against the Merina monarchy , would be a probable choice . Assuming that Malagasy political tradition would be preserved , Ranavalona believed she would be forced to marry whichever man was chosen for the job and worriedly asked if Duchesne was to be her next husband . Surprised , the French official reassured her that France had no intention of imposing a husband on the queen and would never again require her to marry a prime minister . The queen ' s minister of foreign affairs , Rainitsimbazafy , was nominated to the post of prime minister by mutual consent . In December 1895 , two months after the French capture of Antananarivo , popular resistance to French rule emerged in the form of the " menalamba " ( " red shawl " ) rebellion . This guerrilla war against foreigners , Christianity and political corruption quickly spread throughout the island and was principally conducted by peasants who wore shawls smeared with the red laterite soil of the highlands . The resistance movement gained ground until it was effectively put down by the French military at the end of 1897 . Members of Ranavalona ' s court were accused of encouraging the rebels and many leading figures were executed , including the queen ' s uncle Ratsimamanga ( brother of her favored adviser , Ramisindrazana ) and her minister of war , Rainandriamampandry . Ramisindrazana , the queen ' s aunt , was exiled to Réunion , as the French were reluctant to execute a woman . The resistance led the government of France to replace the island ' s civil governor , Hippolyte Laroche , with a military governor , Joseph Gallieni . The day before Gallieni arrived in Antananarivo , he had a message sent to the queen requiring her to present herself and her entourage at the military headquarters , preceded by a standard bearer carrying a French flag . The queen was obliged to sign documents handing over all royal property to France before being placed under arrest and imprisoned in her own palace . She was only allowed to receive visitors who had obtained prior authorization from Gallieni himself . While imprisoned , Ranavalona offered to convert to Roman Catholicism in an attempt to curry French favor but was informed that such a gesture was no longer necessary . Exile . Gallieni exiled Ranavalona from Madagascar on February 27 , 1897 , and officially abolished the monarchy the next day . French officials ordered the queen to leave her palace at 1 : 30 in the morning . She was carried from Antananarivo by palanquin as the city slept , accompanied by 700 – 800 escorts and porters . Throughout the days spent traveling to the eastern port of Toamasina where she would board a ship to Réunion , Ranavalona reportedly drank heavily , swigging rum directly from the bottle in an uncustomarily coarse fashion . At Toamasina on March 6 , Ranavalona was notified that her sister Rasendranoro and aunt Ramasindrazana would be arriving shortly , as would the queen ' s fourteen - year - old niece , Razafinandriamanitra , who was nine months pregnant with the illegitimate child of a French soldier . Réunion Island . Together , the family sailed on " La Peyrouse " to the port of Pointe des Galets , a site twenty kilometers ( 12 . 5 miles ) from the capital of St . Denis , to secure a discreet arrival . Despite this effort , a crowd of French onlookers jeered and shouted as the boat docked , angry at the queen for the loss of French lives incurred during France ' s campaign to occupy Madagascar . After waiting for the crowd to disperse , the captain escorted the queen and her party into a horse - drawn buggy , the first Ranavalona had ever seen , and drove to the Hotel de l ' Europe in St . Denis . Young Razafinandriamanitra , suffering from the emotional and physical strains of the journey into exile , went into labor shortly after reaching the hotel . She gave birth to a little girl on her second day in Réunion , but could not recover her strength and died five days later . The infant was named Marie - Louise and was baptised a Catholic to avoid antagonizing the French . Marie - Louise , who could have become heir - apparent according to the traditional rules of succession , was adopted by Ranavalona as her own daughter . Within a month the party had been moved to a house owned by a Madame de Villentroy , located at the corner of " rue de l ' Arsenal " and " rue du Rempart " near the French government offices in St . Denis . Ranavalona was reportedly pleased with the two - story house , which had a large walled garden and featured a peaked roof and wrap - around veranda reminiscent of the traditional highland homes of Madagascar . In addition to the queen and her aunt , sister , and grand - niece , the royal household included two secretaries , a cook , a maid , three servants for Ranavalona , and several more servants for her aunt and sister . The queen ' s private pastor was authorized to make visits freely to the royal household . The queen ' s party occupied the house in Réunion for just under two years . As tensions between England and France began to mount once again , this time over the conflict in Sudan , the French authorities became concerned that elements of the population in Madagascar might seize the opportunity to launch a new rebellion against French rule . The queen ' s proximity to Madagascar was seen as a possible source of encouragement for would - be Malagasy rebels . French authorities made an abrupt decision to remove Ranavalona and her party to Algeria , a more distant location . On February 1 , 1899 , with very little forewarning , Ranavalona and her family were ordered aboard the " Yang - Tse " accompanied by a secretary - interpreter and several maids . During the 28 - day journey to the French port of Marseilles , the passengers stopped over at such ports as Mayotte , Zanzibar , Aden and Djibouti . Throughout the trip , the various captains responsible for the journey were under orders to prevent Ranavalona from speaking with anyone who was not French . The party was held for several months at Marseilles before being transferred to a villa in the Mustapha Superieur area in Algiers . Ranavalona had hoped to continue on to Paris and was greatly disappointed to learn she was instead being sent to Algeria , reportedly bursting into tears and remarking , " Who is certain of tomorrow ? Only yesterday I was a queen ; today I am simply an unhappy , broken - hearted woman . " Algeria . At the queen ' s villa in Algiers , Ranavalona was provided with servants and a French female attendant who kept her under observation and remained present whenever the queen entertained guests in her home . In addition , the government of France initially provided Ranavalona with an annual allowance of 25 , 000 francs paid from the budget for the colony of Madagascar and authorized by the colony ' s Governor General . Nearly all the queen ' s property had been seized by the colonial authority , although she had been permitted to keep certain personal belongings , including some of her jewelry . Her initial pension allowed such a humble lifestyle that the colonial government of Algeria lobbied unsuccessfully several times on her behalf to obtain an increase for her . Ranavalona also tasked a servant with selling some of her jewelry for cash , but the plan was discovered by the French colonial authorities and the servant was discharged and sent back to Madagascar . During the first years of her exile in Algeria , Ranavalona soon discovered the excitement of the socialite lifestyle among the elite of Algiers . She was regularly invited to parties , outings and cultural events and often hosted events of her own . However , homesickness was ever - present and the impossibility of visiting Madagascar contributed to melancholy and boredom . She would frequently take long walks alone in the countryside , along the beach , or through the town to clear her mind and lift her spirits . The queen was eager to see mainland France and especially Paris and repeatedly submitted formal requests for permission to travel . These were routinely denied until May 1901 when Ranavalona received the first of many authorizations to visit France . That very month , the queen moved into a small apartment in the 16th arrondissement of Paris near the Avenue Champs - Élysées and what is now the Place Charles de Gaulle , from which she visited the major sights of the city and was invited to numerous receptions , balls , shows and other events . She was widely received by high society with courtesy and admiration and was offered many gifts including a costly gown . During this first trip , Ranavalona visited the Palace of Versailles , was formally received at the Paris City Hall , and spent three weeks on vacation in Bordeaux . Finally , Ranavalona visited the beaches of Arcachon before exhausting her budget and boarding an Algeria - bound ship at Marseilles in early August . The details of her visit attracted much attention from the Parisian press , which expressed sympathy for the queen ' s fate and recrimination toward the French government for failing to provide a larger pension or accord her the consideration she deserved as a recipient of the Legion of Honor . Ranavalona would return to France six more times over the course of the next twelve years . Her frequent visits and excellent reputation made her the " cause célèbre " of many French citizens who pitied the queen ' s fate and admired her gracious acceptance of her new life . Ranavalona ' s visits were generally accompanied by much media fanfare and the queen ' s popularity among the French public grew to the extent that she was featured on the box of " Petit Beurre " cookies in 1916 . The queen ' s second visit to France occurred in September 1903 , when she visited Vic - sur - Cère and Aurillac . Pressure by citizens during this visit succeeded in raising her pension to 37 , 000 francs . Two years later she would visit Marseilles and Saint - Germain and inhabit a large five - bedroom Parisian apartment in the sixteenth arrondissement from which she would attend the Paris Opera , observe a session of the French House of Representatives and be formally received at the Ministry of the Colonies . Again due to pressure from sympathetic French citizens , Ranavalona ' s pension was further raised to 50 , 000 francs per annum . On her next visit in 1907 , the queen would use Dives - sur - Mer as a home base to visit the Calvados region , where she was photographed for the French press . From August to September 1910 , Ranavalona would visit Paris , Nantes , La Baule and Saint - Nazaire and was repeatedly the target of undesired attention from press photographers . Her 1912 trip to the tiny , remote village of Quiberville would coincide with the increase of her annual pension to 75 , 000 francs . The queen ' s final voyage in 1913 would take her to Marseilles , Aix - les - Bains and Allevard . The advent of World War I in 1914 put an end to Ranavalona ' s visits to France . Throughout her time in Algeria , she and her family regularly attended the weekly Protestant service at the Reformed Church building in central Algiers . After the war began she sought to contribute by vigorously participating in the activities of the Algerian Red Cross . Death and aftermath . Ranavalona died without ever having returned to Madagascar , after two formal requests in 1910 and 1912 were refused on the pretext of insufficient funds in the colonial coffers . The exiled queen died suddenly at her villa in Algeria on May 23 , 1917 , the victim of a severe embolism . Ranavalona was buried at the Saint - Eugene cemetery in Algiers at 10 : 00 a . m . on May 25 . Her funeral was attended by dozens of personal friends , admirers , Red Cross colleagues , members of her church congregation and prominent figures of the political and cultural elite of Algiers . By nine in the morning , a long line of cars had already formed at the entrance to the memorial site . This effusive display of respect and remembrance on the part of Ranavalona ' s friends was not mirrored by subsequent actions of the French colonial administration in Madagascar . In June 1925 , eight years after the queen ' s death , the Governor - General of Algeria informed the Governor - General of Madagascar by letter that payments for the maintenance of Ranavalona ' s tomb were in default . He urged the colonial government in Madagascar to provide funds for the upkeep of the dilapidated tomb , emphasizing that such neglect was unworthy of the queen ' s memory and the government of France alike . The request was twice refused and the tomb was never refurbished . In November 1938 , Ranavalona ' s remains were exhumed and re - interred in the tomb of Queen Rasoherina at the Rova of Antananarivo in Madagascar . A fire on the night of 6 November 1995 severely damaged the royal tombs and destroyed most of the other buildings at the site . The " lamba " - wrapped remains of Ranavalona III were the only ones that could be saved from the flames . These have since been re - interred in the royal tombs at Ambohimanga . Following Ranavalona ' s death , her aunt Ramasindrazana left Algeria and moved to Alpes - Maritimes where she lived out the few remaining years of her life . The heir - apparent , Marie - Louise , had left Ranavalona ' s villa several years earlier to study at a French high school and would go on to marry a French agricultural engineer named Andre Bosshard on June 24 , 1921 . Although she continued to receive a small pension from the French government throughout her lifetime , Marie - Louise chose to pursue a career as a nurse and was awarded the Legion of Honor for her medical services during World War II . After Bosshard and the childless Marie - Louise divorced , the young woman reportedly made the most of her new - found freedom as a flamboyant and vivacious social butterfly . Marie - Louise died in Bazoches - sur - le - Betz on January 18 , 1948 , without leaving any descendants , and was buried in Montreuil , France .