March
29
/ 2021
Ranavalona was the 19th-century ruler of the Kingdom of Madagascar. She lived during a time when there was increasing contact between the island kingdom and Europeans. Ranavalona, however, pursued a policy of isolationism, and self-sufficiency, so as to reduce dependency on these foreign powers. This has been interpreted as a means by which the queen fought off the encroachment of Europeans and protected the sovereignty of her kingdom. This, however, is a more recent re-assessment of Ranavalona’s reign. Traditionally, scholars depict the queen as a tyrant whose policies caused great suffering to her subjects, a view first propagated by her European contemporaries. The Early Life of Queen Ranavalona Queen Ranavalona was born in the Kingdom of Madagascar, known also as
