France Recognizes Kingdom of Merina in Madagascar

By the nineteenth century the Merina kingdom, based in the central highlands around Antananarivo, had come to dominate much of the island of Madagascar. Its rulers, often called Hova sovereigns, centralized authority and, under figures such as Radama I, opened the kingdom to European influence, missionaries, and trade.

On the death of Queen Ranavalona I and the brief reign of her successors, the throne passed in 1868 to Ranavalona II. The dominant political figure of the era was the prime minister Rainilaiarivony, who married successive queens and effectively governed the kingdom. A professed Christian, he promoted the adoption of Christianity by the court.

France, increasingly interested in Madagascar, recognized the sovereignty of the Merina monarchy over the island, while pressing its own claims. This rivalry culminated in the Franco-Hova Wars of the 1880s and 1890s, after which France conquered the kingdom, abolished the monarchy by exiling Queen Ranavalona III, and annexed Madagascar as a colony in 1896.