Female Caligula: Ranavalona, The Mad Queen of Madagascar

by Keith Laidler

'The seven christians stood together in the bright sunlight, bound with ropes singing a hyme to their foreign saviour as the spearmen advanced. Around them a croud of jostling men, women and children, more than sixty thousand strong...cheered enthusiastically as the spears were driven home and, one by one, the men and women fell and writhed on the sandy ground, their hymn fading slowly into silence...above the still writhing bodies, on a ridge, a score of crosses stood in mute witness, carrying their ghastly burdens, some of whom still lived despite the day and a half they had hung upon the wood.

As European colonists scrambled for control of Africa, a leader arose in the red island of Madagascar who, through ruthless determination thwarted the combined ambitions of all the major world powers. That leader and the author of this holocaust was no warrior but a diminutive woman of middle years, Ranavalona-Manjaka Queen of Madagascar, know to her subjects more simply as Ma Dieu. Under Ranavalona's despotic rule, hundreds of thousands of her people, possibly one-half of Madagascar's entire population, were murdered, starved or simply worked to death by her express command, while she enjoyed an eccentric and debauched lifestyle. For these characteristics, European history has remembered her reign as that of the Female Caligula.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Madagascar, Biography

232 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2004

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the biography of the 19th century Queen Ranavalona of Madagascar, and, to be honest, whilst being an interesting insight into the country at that time, didn't really do it for me as a biography.

The biographer seems to rely a bit too much on hearsay and speculation for it to be labelled as accurate - particularly when desricibing the acts which would label her ass the 'female Caligula': too many of these were preceded by the words 'it was rumoured' or something like it. Also, he relies too heavily on the recollections of foreigners, rather than people from Madagascar itself, so it seems a little too objective for my liking.

An interesting enough read, but lacking in any real biographical credibility.

[Calzean · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book covers the history of Madagascar till the end of the 19th century by focusing on the rule of Queen Ranavalona. The sources quoted are mainly English or French so there is little to represent what the Madagascans were really saying/thinking/planning.
There is also little of the lady herself. The last third of the book covers a potential coup, the life of the Austrian adventuress Ida Pfeiffer and the machinations after the death of Ranavalona. With the first 40 pages devoted to the lead up to her reign, there is barely half of the book that covers her actual reign.
The writing is clear and easy to read given the various tongue-twisting names of the people. But it does give the essence of a woman and her time which is not widely known or documented.

[Thoraiya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so awfully Anglophilic. The author never misses a chance to call the Queen "barbaric" and "bloodthirsty" ; when Catholicism is stamped on, this is "intolerance" and "xenophobia" but when the native religion is stamped on, this is "civilising" and "educating." However, the fact remains that this is the only real biography of Ranavalona in English, so all credit to Keith Laidler for that.

Edit: I especially like how the "Sanguinary Queen" is somehow responsible for giving Ida cancer. (See South Park)

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outrageous but true

[Preili Pipar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Türanlik ja verd ihkav valitseja - kindlasti! Aga ka valitseja, kes tahtis hoida Madagaskari Euroopa vallutajatest prii ja see tal ka õnnestus (oma veidrate meetoditega). Ranavalonale järgnevad valitsejad seda teha ei suutnud ning Madagaskar koloniseeriti prantslaste poolt.
Huvitav oli ka teada saada, et Madagaskarit kutsutakse Punaseks Saareks (aga et miks, seda siit välja ei tulnud).

[Quinesia Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good.

This book served the purpose I needed from it. It filled up little holes with information of the story's basic framework. I didn't learn a whole lot more on Ranavalona and her reign, but still enough to be satisfied. The writing was relatively personable too, which is a must for me with history. Fair attempt at a subject with limited information. Pretty good.

[Torrance Public Library]

This is the January 2013 selection for the Biographies and Memoirs Book Group.