Rainilaiarivony
Encyclopedia
Rainilaiarivony was the Prime Minister of Madagascar
from 1864 to 1895, following his older brother Rainivoninahitriniony
who had held the post for thirteen years prior. As Commander-in-Chief of the military at the time his brother was deposed, Rainilaiarivony became Prime Minister in 1864 and remained in power by marrying three queens in succession: Rasoherina, Ranavalona II and Ranavalona III.
Rainilairivony was described by a contemporary as a "Great orator in a nation of orators" and was widely respected by Malagasy and foreigners alike.
village of Ilafy
, one of the twelve sacred hills of Imerina
, into a family of statesmen. His father, Rainiharo
, was a high-ranking military officer and deeply influential conservative political advisor to the reigning monarch, Queen Ranavalona I
, at the time of Rainilaiarivony's birth. Five years later Rainilaiarivony's father had been promoted to the position of Prime Minister, a role he retained from 1833 until his death in 1852. Rainilaiarivony's paternal grandfather, Andriatsilavo, had likewise been a privileged adviser to the great King Andrianampoinimerina
(1787–1810). According to oral history, Rainilaiarivony was born on a day of the week traditionally viewed as inauspicious for births. Custom in much of Madagascar dictated that such unlucky children had to be subjected to a trial by ordeal, such as prolonged exposure to the elements, since it was believed the misfortune of their day of birth would ensure a short and cursed life for the child and its family. But rather than leave the child to die, Rainilaiarivony's father reportedly followed the advice of an ombiasy (astrologer) and instead amputated a joint from two fingers on his infant son's left hand in order to dispel the ill omen. The infant was nonetheless kept outside the house to avert the possibility that evil might still befall the family if the child remained under their roof. Relatives took pity and adopted Rainilaiarivony to raise him within their own home. Meanwhile, Rainilaiarivony's older brother Rainivoninahitriniony
enjoyed the double privilege of his status as elder son and freedom from a predestined evil fate. Rainiharo selected and groomed his elder son to follow in his footsteps as Commander-in-Chief and Prime Minister, while Rainilaiarivony was left to make his way in the world by his own merits.
At age six, Rainilaiarivony began two years of study at a school opened by the London Missionary Society
for the children of andriana
(the noble class) at the Rova of Antananarivo
. Ranavalona shut down the mission schools in 1836, but the boy continued to study privately with an older missionary student. When Rainilaiarivony reached age 11 or 12, the relatives who had raised him decided he was old enough to make his own way in the world. With a few pennies he invested in the resale of bars of soap and eventually saved enough to begin reselling more costly but marginally more profitable lengths of fabric. The young Rainilaiarivony's reputation for tenacity and industriousness as he fought against his predestined misfortunes eventually reached the palace, where at the age of 14 the boy was invited to meet Queen Ranavalona I. She was so favorably impressed that she named him an Officer of the Palace and awarded him the official ranking of Sixth Honor. At 16 he was promoted to Seventh Honor, then promoted twice again to Eighth and Ninth Honor at age 19, an unprecedented ascent through the ranks.
As a regular among the foreigners at the palace, young Rainilaiarivony was tasked by an English merchant to courier his confidential business correspondence. The merchant was impressed by the young man's punctuality and integrity and would regularly refer to him as the boy who "deals fair." With the addition of the Malagasy honorific "ra", the expression was transformed in to a sobriquet—"Radilifera"—that pleased Rainilaiarivony such that he transmitted it to one of his sons and a grandson. The arrival of a doctor from Mauritius in 1848 furthermore provided Rainilaiarivony with the opportunity to study medicine over the course of three years. With this knowledge he became indispensable at the palace, where he provided modern medical care to the Queen and other members of the aristocracy. Successfully curing the Queen of a particularly grievous illness earned him a promotion to Tenth Honor in April 1851, thereby qualifying him for more responsible positions within the monarch's closest circle. Rainiharo took advantage of this trust to successfully encourage closeness between his own sons and the only child and heir apparent of the queen, her son Radama II, who was one year Rainilaiarivony's junior.
Most of Rainilaiarivony's children would fail to truly achieve their full potential. Another son, Rafozehana, died young of delirium tremens
, and sons Ratsimandresy and Ralaiarivony both met violent ends while still young men. Randravalahy, to whom Rainilaiarivony later ascribed the name Dilifera, was sent to France to study but returned before earning his diploma and faded into obscurity among the upper classes of Imerina. Ramangalahy studied medicine and was on his way to becoming a successful doctor but died of illness in his youth. Three brothers turned to crime: Rajoelina, who violated the laws of his country to enrich himself by selling contraband gold to an English company; Penoelina, who studied in England before health issues recalled him to Madagascar, where he and his friends engaged in sexual assault and theft; and Ramariavelo (Mariavelo), who organized a group of bandits to rob the houses of common citizens.
Several years prior to his death, former Prime Minister Rainiharo led military campaigns to bring the peoples of the south under Merina control. Valiant and strategic campaigns on both sides of the conflict had concluded in a peace agreement between the Merina armies and those of the Bara people
of the central southern highlands, who were accorded semi-autonomous status in exchange for serving as a buffer between the Sakalava
to the west and the Tanala
, Antemoro, Antefasy and other ethnic groups
to the southeast. Upon learning of the death of this respected figure, disgruntled factions among the southeastern peoples rose up against the Merina military stationed at posts within their territory. Queen Ranavalona responded by sending her newly appointed Commander-in-Chief, Rainivoninahitriniony, and his younger brother Rainilaiarivony, on their first military expedition to liberate the besieged Merina colonists and quell the uprising.
Under the brothers' joint command were ten thousand soldiers armed with muskets and another thousand carrying swords; an additional 80,000 porters, cooks, servants and other support staff accompanied the army throughout the massive campaign. Over 10,000 southeasterners were killed by Merina soldiers, and according to custom numerous women and children were captured to be sold into slavery in Imerina. Rainilaiarivony took 80 slaves, while his older brother took more than 160. The campaign was only partly successful, however, and the Merina hold over the outlying areas of the island remained tenuous throughout the 19th century.
and Joseph-François Lambert
, with whom he privately concluded the lucrative Lambert Charter that would come into effect upon Radama's accession to the throne. In May 1857, when Rainilaiarivony was 29 years old, Lambert consequently invited Prince Radama, Rainivoninahitriniony, Rainilaiarivony and a number of other officers to conspire with him in a plot to overthrow Ranavalona.
Rainilaiarivony warned his brother that the two of them had the most to lose if the attempt were to fail, and seeing the logic in this conclusion Rainivoninahitriniony informed Lambert that he could not guarantee the support of the army and that the plot should be aborted. One of the officers believed the brothers had betrayed them and sought to exonerate himself by notifying the queen of the failed conspiracy. She reacted by expelling the foreigners from the island and subjecting all the implicated Merina officers to the tangena
ordeal. Rainilaiarivony and his brother were excepted from this and remained, like her son Radama, in the queen's confidence for the few remaining years of her life.
According to custom, pretenders to the throne had historically been put to death upon the naming of a new sovereign. Radama was opposed to this practice and asked the brothers to help ensure his accession to the throne with minimum bloodshed. On August 14, the day of the queen's death, Rainilaiarivony—now 33 years of age—possessed forethought and self-possession that would enable him to prevent needless loss of life. He successfully maintained authority over the palace guards anxiously awaiting the command from either faction to slaughter the other, and when the queen's attendant quietly informed him that her final moments were approaching, Rainilaiarivony discreetly summoned Radama and Rainivoninahitriniony from the Prime Minister's palace
to the royal Rova compound
and ordered the prince crowned before the gathered soldiers just as the queen was pronounced dead. Ramboasalama was promptly escorted to the palace where he was obliged to publicly swear allegiance to Radama.
Rainilaiarivony was made responsible for the tribunal where Ramboasalama's supporters were tried, convicted of subversion and sentenced to banishment and other punishments. Ramboasalama was sent to live with his wife Ramatoa Rasoaray—Rainilaiarivony's sister—in the distant highland village of Ambohimirimo, where he died in April 1962. Rainijohary, the former Prime Minister, was relieved of his rank and exiled. Rainilaiarivony was promoted to Commander-in-Chief and Rainivoninahitriniony became the sole Prime Minister.
Not having been involved in the coup, Rainilaiarivony provided direction for his brother and the rest of the court as they grappled with the gravity of their acts. He proposed that future monarchs would no longer have absolute power but would instead rule by the consent of the nobles. A series of terms were proposed by Rainilaiarivony that the nobles agreed to impose on Radama's widow, Rasoherina. Under Rainilaiarivony's new monarchy, a sovereign required the consent of the nobles to issue a death sentence or promulgate a new law, and was forbidden to disband the army. The new power sharing agreement would be concluded by a political marriage between the queen and the Prime Minister.
Rainivoninahitriniony's tenure as sole Prime Minister was to be short lived. His violent tendencies, foul mood and insolence toward Rasoherina, in addition to lingering popular resentment over Rainivoninahitriniony's role in the violent end to Radama's rule, gradually turned the opinion of the nobles against him. As Commander-in-Chief, Rainilaiarivony attempted to counsel his brother while simultaneously overseeing diplomatic and military efforts to re-pacify the agitated Sakalava and other peoples who viewed the coup as a mark of weakening Merina control. The Prime Minister repaid these efforts by repeatedly castigating high-ranking officers and even threatening Rainilaiarivony with his sword.
Two of Rainilaiarivony's cousins urged him to take his elder brother's place in order to end the shame that Rainivoninahitriniony's behavior was bringing upon their family. After weighing the idea, Rainilaiarivony approached Rasoherina with the proposal. The queen readily consented and lent her assistance in rallying the support of the nobles at court. On July 14, 1864, little more than a year after the coup, Rasoherina deposed and divorced Rainivoninahitriniony, then exiled the fallen minister the following year. Rainilaiarivony was promoted to Prime Minister while retaining the role and title of Commander-in-Chief, thereby becoming the first Malagasy prime minister to hold both positions concurrently. The arrangement was sealed when Rainilaiarivony took Rasoherina as his bride and demoted his longtime spouse to the status of second wife.
—royal talismans believed to channel the supernatural powers of kingship since the time of King Ralambo
(1575–1610)—were publicly destroyed in a bonfire and replaced by the Bible. This public conversion came at a steep personal price: as a Christian wedded to the Queen, Rainilaiarivony was required to repudiate his first wife and mother of his many children.
During his time in power, Rainilaiarivony proved a competent and temperate leader, administrator and diplomat. He outlawed the enslavement of the Makoa
community in 1877, oversaw a massive expansion of public schooling which he declared mandatory, introduced a rural police force, modernized the court system and eliminated certain unjust privileges that had disproportionately benefited the noble class
, but was prudent enough to introduce these reforms gradually so as to avoid a popular backlash. He modernized the army by the amassing more local and imported firearms, reintroducing regular exercises and reorganizing the ranking system.
Through his prudent diplomatic leadership and military savvy, Rainilairivony successfully forestalled and resisted French colonial designs upon Madagascar for nearly three decades. He ordered the Lambert Charter publicly burnt.
In 1900, the former prime minister's remains were exhumed from their original Algerian tomb and transported to Madagascar, where they were interred in the family tomb at Isotry. French colonial governor General Gallieni
and Rainilaiarivony's grandson both spoke at the funeral, which was heavily attended by French and Malagasy dignitaries.
Prime Minister of Madagascar
This page contains a list of the Prime Ministers of Madagascar.-Prime Ministers of Madagascar :-Affiliations:*PSD - Social Democratic Party of Madagascar and the Comoros...
from 1864 to 1895, following his older brother Rainivoninahitriniony
Rainivoninahitriniony
Rainivoninahitriniony , also called Raharo, was Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Madagascar between 1852 and 1865. He was the chief engineer of the Aristocratic Revolution initialized upon the attempted assassination of King Radama II...
who had held the post for thirteen years prior. As Commander-in-Chief of the military at the time his brother was deposed, Rainilaiarivony became Prime Minister in 1864 and remained in power by marrying three queens in succession: Rasoherina, Ranavalona II and Ranavalona III.
Rainilairivony was described by a contemporary as a "Great orator in a nation of orators" and was widely respected by Malagasy and foreigners alike.
Early life
Rainilaiarivony was born on 30 January 1828 in the MerinaMerina
The Merina are an ethnic group from Madagascar. The Merina are concentrated in the Highlands and speak the official dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo. Their ancestors, the...
village of Ilafy
Ilafy
Ilafy is a town and commune in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Ambatondrazaka, which is a part of Alaotra-Mangoro Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 13,000 in 2001 commune census....
, one of the twelve sacred hills of Imerina
Twelve sacred hills of Imerina
The twelve sacred hills of Imerina are hills of historical significance to the Merina people of Madagascar. Located throughout Imerina, the central area of the highlands of Madagascar, the sites were often ancient capitals, the birthplaces of key public figures, or housed the tombs of esteemed...
, into a family of statesmen. His father, Rainiharo
Rainiharo
Rainiharo was from 1833 to 1852 Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Madagascar.-Biography:Rainiharo was born into the Hova class of the Merina people. His father served as an adviser to the great king Andrianampoinimerina...
, was a high-ranking military officer and deeply influential conservative political advisor to the reigning monarch, Queen Ranavalona I
Ranavalona I
Ranavalona I , also known as Ranavalo-Manjaka I, was a sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861...
, at the time of Rainilaiarivony's birth. Five years later Rainilaiarivony's father had been promoted to the position of Prime Minister, a role he retained from 1833 until his death in 1852. Rainilaiarivony's paternal grandfather, Andriatsilavo, had likewise been a privileged adviser to the great King Andrianampoinimerina
Andrianampoinimerina
Ruling between 1787–1810, Andrianampoinimerina , born Ramboasalama or Ramboasalamarazaka at Ambohimanga around 1745 , initiated the unification of Madagascar under Merina rule and is considered one of the greatest military and political...
(1787–1810). According to oral history, Rainilaiarivony was born on a day of the week traditionally viewed as inauspicious for births. Custom in much of Madagascar dictated that such unlucky children had to be subjected to a trial by ordeal, such as prolonged exposure to the elements, since it was believed the misfortune of their day of birth would ensure a short and cursed life for the child and its family. But rather than leave the child to die, Rainilaiarivony's father reportedly followed the advice of an ombiasy (astrologer) and instead amputated a joint from two fingers on his infant son's left hand in order to dispel the ill omen. The infant was nonetheless kept outside the house to avert the possibility that evil might still befall the family if the child remained under their roof. Relatives took pity and adopted Rainilaiarivony to raise him within their own home. Meanwhile, Rainilaiarivony's older brother Rainivoninahitriniony
Rainivoninahitriniony
Rainivoninahitriniony , also called Raharo, was Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Madagascar between 1852 and 1865. He was the chief engineer of the Aristocratic Revolution initialized upon the attempted assassination of King Radama II...
enjoyed the double privilege of his status as elder son and freedom from a predestined evil fate. Rainiharo selected and groomed his elder son to follow in his footsteps as Commander-in-Chief and Prime Minister, while Rainilaiarivony was left to make his way in the world by his own merits.
At age six, Rainilaiarivony began two years of study at a school opened by the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
for the children of andriana
Andriana
Andriana is a title of nobility in Madagascar and often traditionally formed part of the names of noblemen, princes and kings. Historically, many Malagasy ethnic groups lived in highly stratified caste-based social orders in which the andriana were the political and/or spiritual leaders...
(the noble class) at the Rova of Antananarivo
Rova of Antananarivo
The Rova of Antananarivo is a royal palace complex in Madagascar that served as the home of the sovereigns of the Kingdom of Imerina in the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as the rulers of the Kingdom of Madagascar in the 19th century...
. Ranavalona shut down the mission schools in 1836, but the boy continued to study privately with an older missionary student. When Rainilaiarivony reached age 11 or 12, the relatives who had raised him decided he was old enough to make his own way in the world. With a few pennies he invested in the resale of bars of soap and eventually saved enough to begin reselling more costly but marginally more profitable lengths of fabric. The young Rainilaiarivony's reputation for tenacity and industriousness as he fought against his predestined misfortunes eventually reached the palace, where at the age of 14 the boy was invited to meet Queen Ranavalona I. She was so favorably impressed that she named him an Officer of the Palace and awarded him the official ranking of Sixth Honor. At 16 he was promoted to Seventh Honor, then promoted twice again to Eighth and Ninth Honor at age 19, an unprecedented ascent through the ranks.
As a regular among the foreigners at the palace, young Rainilaiarivony was tasked by an English merchant to courier his confidential business correspondence. The merchant was impressed by the young man's punctuality and integrity and would regularly refer to him as the boy who "deals fair." With the addition of the Malagasy honorific "ra", the expression was transformed in to a sobriquet—"Radilifera"—that pleased Rainilaiarivony such that he transmitted it to one of his sons and a grandson. The arrival of a doctor from Mauritius in 1848 furthermore provided Rainilaiarivony with the opportunity to study medicine over the course of three years. With this knowledge he became indispensable at the palace, where he provided modern medical care to the Queen and other members of the aristocracy. Successfully curing the Queen of a particularly grievous illness earned him a promotion to Tenth Honor in April 1851, thereby qualifying him for more responsible positions within the monarch's closest circle. Rainiharo took advantage of this trust to successfully encourage closeness between his own sons and the only child and heir apparent of the queen, her son Radama II, who was one year Rainilaiarivony's junior.
Marriage and family
Around 1848—the exact date of his marriage is not recorded—Rainilaiarivony, then around 20 or 21 years old and having adopted the name Radilifera, concluded a marriage with his paternal cousin Rasoanalina. She would bear him no fewer than sixteen children over the course of their marriage. In addition, a one-year-old son that Rasoanala had conceived with another man prior to the union, Ratsimatahodriaka (Radriaka), was adopted by Rainilaiarivony as his own. As the boy grew to manhood, so did the affection between father and son. The young man rapidly distinguished himself at court and Rainilaiarivony singled him out as his successor. But Radriaka followed the majority of the royal court in abuse of alcohol and fell from a balcony while intoxicated, shattering his skull and dying in his early twenties.Most of Rainilaiarivony's children would fail to truly achieve their full potential. Another son, Rafozehana, died young of delirium tremens
Delirium tremens
Delirium tremens is an acute episode of delirium that is usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol, first described in 1813...
, and sons Ratsimandresy and Ralaiarivony both met violent ends while still young men. Randravalahy, to whom Rainilaiarivony later ascribed the name Dilifera, was sent to France to study but returned before earning his diploma and faded into obscurity among the upper classes of Imerina. Ramangalahy studied medicine and was on his way to becoming a successful doctor but died of illness in his youth. Three brothers turned to crime: Rajoelina, who violated the laws of his country to enrich himself by selling contraband gold to an English company; Penoelina, who studied in England before health issues recalled him to Madagascar, where he and his friends engaged in sexual assault and theft; and Ramariavelo (Mariavelo), who organized a group of bandits to rob the houses of common citizens.
Military career
The February 1852 death of Prime Minister Rainiharo left the queen without her spouse, long-time political adviser and military Commander-in-Chief. She consequently awarded Rainilaiarivony a double promotion to Twelfth Honor ten days afterward, in preparation for an increase in military and political responsibilities. Shortly thereafter Ranavalona expressed romantic interest in Rainilaiarivony and proposed that he assume the former role of his father as prince consort and Prime Minister. The young man refused on the double basis of their age difference, the queen being forty years his senior, as well as the perceived impropriety of becoming intimate with his father's former lover. Ranavalona continued to harbor feelings for him throughout her lifetime but she never expressed resentment over his refusal to reciprocate them and went on to wed another high-ranking official, Rainijohary, who was jointly awarded the role of Prime Minister along with the new Commander-in-Chief, Rainivoninahitriniony. Within a year the queen had assigned the 24-year-old Rainilaiarivony to his first position of responsibility within the military, and promoted him to Royal Secretary, keeper of the Royal Seal, and supervisor to the Royal Treasurer.Several years prior to his death, former Prime Minister Rainiharo led military campaigns to bring the peoples of the south under Merina control. Valiant and strategic campaigns on both sides of the conflict had concluded in a peace agreement between the Merina armies and those of the Bara people
Bara people
The Bara people are a Malagasy ethnic group living in the southern part of the central plateaus of Madagascar, in the Toliara Province, especially in the Ihosy-Betroka area. They are estimated to account for 3% of the overall malagasy population. Along with Sakalava, Bara are one of the two...
of the central southern highlands, who were accorded semi-autonomous status in exchange for serving as a buffer between the Sakalava
Sakalava
The Sakalava are an ethnic group of Madagascar numbering approximately 700,000 in population. Their name means "people of the long valleys." They occupy the Western edge of the island from Toliara in the south to Sambirano in the north. The Sakalava denominate a number of smaller ethnic groups...
to the west and the Tanala
Tanala
The Tanala are a Malagasy ethnic group that inhabit a forested region of south-east Madagascar. Their name means "people of the forest." The Tanala speak a dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in...
, Antemoro, Antefasy and other ethnic groups
Ethnic groups of Madagascar
The number of ethnic groups of Madagascar has long been a point of contention and debate. The island of Madagascar is predominantly populated by people broadly classified as belonging to the broader Malagasy ethnic identity...
to the southeast. Upon learning of the death of this respected figure, disgruntled factions among the southeastern peoples rose up against the Merina military stationed at posts within their territory. Queen Ranavalona responded by sending her newly appointed Commander-in-Chief, Rainivoninahitriniony, and his younger brother Rainilaiarivony, on their first military expedition to liberate the besieged Merina colonists and quell the uprising.
Under the brothers' joint command were ten thousand soldiers armed with muskets and another thousand carrying swords; an additional 80,000 porters, cooks, servants and other support staff accompanied the army throughout the massive campaign. Over 10,000 southeasterners were killed by Merina soldiers, and according to custom numerous women and children were captured to be sold into slavery in Imerina. Rainilaiarivony took 80 slaves, while his older brother took more than 160. The campaign was only partly successful, however, and the Merina hold over the outlying areas of the island remained tenuous throughout the 19th century.
First thwarted coup attempt
As the queen's son Radama grew to adulthood he became increasingly disillusioned by his mother's brutal military campaigns, harsh measures of justice and unilateral rejection of European influence. The young prince readily developed sympathetic relationships with the handful of Europeans permitted by Ranavalona to frequent her court, namely Jean LabordeJean Laborde
Jean Laborde was an adventurer and early industrialist in Madagascar. He became the chief engineer of the Merina monarchy, supervising the creation of a modern manufacturing center under Queen Ranavalona I...
and Joseph-François Lambert
Joseph-François Lambert
Joseph-François Lambert, the "Duke of Imerina" was a French adventurer, businessman, and diplomat who fathered the Lambert Charter.-Early years:...
, with whom he privately concluded the lucrative Lambert Charter that would come into effect upon Radama's accession to the throne. In May 1857, when Rainilaiarivony was 29 years old, Lambert consequently invited Prince Radama, Rainivoninahitriniony, Rainilaiarivony and a number of other officers to conspire with him in a plot to overthrow Ranavalona.
Rainilaiarivony warned his brother that the two of them had the most to lose if the attempt were to fail, and seeing the logic in this conclusion Rainivoninahitriniony informed Lambert that he could not guarantee the support of the army and that the plot should be aborted. One of the officers believed the brothers had betrayed them and sought to exonerate himself by notifying the queen of the failed conspiracy. She reacted by expelling the foreigners from the island and subjecting all the implicated Merina officers to the tangena
Tangena
Tangena is the name given in the highland dialect of the Malagasy language to an indigenous tree distinguished by the high toxicity of the nuts it produces, which have been used historically on the island of Madagascar for trials by ordeal to determine the guilt or innocence of an accused party...
ordeal. Rainilaiarivony and his brother were excepted from this and remained, like her son Radama, in the queen's confidence for the few remaining years of her life.
Second thwarted coup attempt
In the summer of 1861, the queen's advanced age and acute illness stirred talk at court about who would succeed her. Ranavalona had repeatedly stated her intention that her progressive and pro-European son would be her successor, much to the chagrin of the conservative faction at court. The conservatives privately rallied behind the queen's nephew and adoptive son Ramboasalama, whom the queen had initially declared heir apparent some years prior and who had never abandoned hope to one day reclaim the right that had briefly been accorded to him.According to custom, pretenders to the throne had historically been put to death upon the naming of a new sovereign. Radama was opposed to this practice and asked the brothers to help ensure his accession to the throne with minimum bloodshed. On August 14, the day of the queen's death, Rainilaiarivony—now 33 years of age—possessed forethought and self-possession that would enable him to prevent needless loss of life. He successfully maintained authority over the palace guards anxiously awaiting the command from either faction to slaughter the other, and when the queen's attendant quietly informed him that her final moments were approaching, Rainilaiarivony discreetly summoned Radama and Rainivoninahitriniony from the Prime Minister's palace
Andafiavaratra Palace
The Andafiavaratra Palace, located on the highest hilltop of the capital city of Antananarivo, was the residence of Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony of Madagascar, who governed the island kingdom in the late 19th century...
to the royal Rova compound
Rova of Antananarivo
The Rova of Antananarivo is a royal palace complex in Madagascar that served as the home of the sovereigns of the Kingdom of Imerina in the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as the rulers of the Kingdom of Madagascar in the 19th century...
and ordered the prince crowned before the gathered soldiers just as the queen was pronounced dead. Ramboasalama was promptly escorted to the palace where he was obliged to publicly swear allegiance to Radama.
Rainilaiarivony was made responsible for the tribunal where Ramboasalama's supporters were tried, convicted of subversion and sentenced to banishment and other punishments. Ramboasalama was sent to live with his wife Ramatoa Rasoaray—Rainilaiarivony's sister—in the distant highland village of Ambohimirimo, where he died in April 1962. Rainijohary, the former Prime Minister, was relieved of his rank and exiled. Rainilaiarivony was promoted to Commander-in-Chief and Rainivoninahitriniony became the sole Prime Minister.
Military honors
As head of the military, Rainilaiarivony would eventually earn Sixteen Honors, including the Order of Military Merit; Commander's Stars, Badge and Grand Cross of the Orders of Radama II; Commander's Stars of the Royal Hawk; Cross of Merit; and the Star of Service. Among his titles were Officer of the Palace, Supreme Director of Affairs and President of the Grand Council.Creation of a limited monarchy
Throughout the two years of Radama's reign, Rainilaiarivony maintained a distance from politics and instead focused on his responsibilities as head of the military. Meanwhile, disputes between Rainivoninahitriniony and Radama grew frequent as the young king pursued radical reforms that had begun to foment displeasure among the traditional masses. The situation came to a head on May 7, 1863, when Radama insisted on legalizing duels despite widespread concern among the king's advisers that the innovation would lead to anarchy. The Prime Minister initiated the arrest the menamaso, the prince's influential advisers, while Rainilaiarivony enacted his brother's instructions to keep the peace in the capital city. The situation deteriorated in dramatic fashion, however, and by the morning of May 12 King Radama II was declared dead, having been strangled on the Prime Minister's orders.Not having been involved in the coup, Rainilaiarivony provided direction for his brother and the rest of the court as they grappled with the gravity of their acts. He proposed that future monarchs would no longer have absolute power but would instead rule by the consent of the nobles. A series of terms were proposed by Rainilaiarivony that the nobles agreed to impose on Radama's widow, Rasoherina. Under Rainilaiarivony's new monarchy, a sovereign required the consent of the nobles to issue a death sentence or promulgate a new law, and was forbidden to disband the army. The new power sharing agreement would be concluded by a political marriage between the queen and the Prime Minister.
Rainivoninahitriniony's tenure as sole Prime Minister was to be short lived. His violent tendencies, foul mood and insolence toward Rasoherina, in addition to lingering popular resentment over Rainivoninahitriniony's role in the violent end to Radama's rule, gradually turned the opinion of the nobles against him. As Commander-in-Chief, Rainilaiarivony attempted to counsel his brother while simultaneously overseeing diplomatic and military efforts to re-pacify the agitated Sakalava and other peoples who viewed the coup as a mark of weakening Merina control. The Prime Minister repaid these efforts by repeatedly castigating high-ranking officers and even threatening Rainilaiarivony with his sword.
Two of Rainilaiarivony's cousins urged him to take his elder brother's place in order to end the shame that Rainivoninahitriniony's behavior was bringing upon their family. After weighing the idea, Rainilaiarivony approached Rasoherina with the proposal. The queen readily consented and lent her assistance in rallying the support of the nobles at court. On July 14, 1864, little more than a year after the coup, Rasoherina deposed and divorced Rainivoninahitriniony, then exiled the fallen minister the following year. Rainilaiarivony was promoted to Prime Minister while retaining the role and title of Commander-in-Chief, thereby becoming the first Malagasy prime minister to hold both positions concurrently. The arrangement was sealed when Rainilaiarivony took Rasoherina as his bride and demoted his longtime spouse to the status of second wife.
Acts as Prime Minister
After two years of marriage to Rainilaiarivony, Queen Rasoherina died on April 1, 1868, and was succeeded by her cousin Ranavalona II who, like Rasoherina, was a widow of Radama II. Ranavalona II was a pupil of Protestant missionaries and had been much influenced by them. Rainilaiarivony recognized their growing power and understood the need to bring it under his influence in order to avert destabilizing cultural and political power struggles. Rainilairivony encouraged the new queen to Christianize the court, himself included, which she did in a public baptism ceremony at Andohalo on February 21, 1869, the day of their marriage. In this ceremony, the sampySampy
A sampy is an amulet or idol of spiritual and political importance among numerous ethnic groups in Madagascar. Amulets and idols fashioned from assorted natural materials have occupied an important place among many Malagasy communities for centuries...
—royal talismans believed to channel the supernatural powers of kingship since the time of King Ralambo
Ralambo
Ralambo was the ruler of the Kingdom of Imerina in the central Highlands region of Madagascar from 1575 to 1612. Ruling from Ambohidrabiby, Ralambo expanded the realm of his father, Andriamanelo, and was the first to assign the name of Imerina to the region...
(1575–1610)—were publicly destroyed in a bonfire and replaced by the Bible. This public conversion came at a steep personal price: as a Christian wedded to the Queen, Rainilaiarivony was required to repudiate his first wife and mother of his many children.
During his time in power, Rainilaiarivony proved a competent and temperate leader, administrator and diplomat. He outlawed the enslavement of the Makoa
Makoa
The Makoa are an ethnic group in Madagascar descended from people of Mozambique of Makua origin who had been captured and brought to Madagascar as slaves...
community in 1877, oversaw a massive expansion of public schooling which he declared mandatory, introduced a rural police force, modernized the court system and eliminated certain unjust privileges that had disproportionately benefited the noble class
Andriana
Andriana is a title of nobility in Madagascar and often traditionally formed part of the names of noblemen, princes and kings. Historically, many Malagasy ethnic groups lived in highly stratified caste-based social orders in which the andriana were the political and/or spiritual leaders...
, but was prudent enough to introduce these reforms gradually so as to avoid a popular backlash. He modernized the army by the amassing more local and imported firearms, reintroducing regular exercises and reorganizing the ranking system.
Through his prudent diplomatic leadership and military savvy, Rainilairivony successfully forestalled and resisted French colonial designs upon Madagascar for nearly three decades. He ordered the Lambert Charter publicly burnt.
Exile
Rainilaiarivony was exiled to Algeria, where he lived in the Mustapha Superieur neighborhood of Algiers and inhabited a house called Villa des Fleurs (Villa of the Flowers).Death
Rainilaiarivony died at his Algiers villa in 1896.In 1900, the former prime minister's remains were exhumed from their original Algerian tomb and transported to Madagascar, where they were interred in the family tomb at Isotry. French colonial governor General Gallieni
Joseph Gallieni
Joseph Simon Gallieni was a French soldier, most active as a military commander and administrator in the French colonies and finished his career during the First World War. He was made Marshal of France posthumously in 1921...
and Rainilaiarivony's grandson both spoke at the funeral, which was heavily attended by French and Malagasy dignitaries.