Menalamba rebellion
Rising of the Menalamba, 'Red Shawls', following the imposition of French colonial rule in Madagascar in 1895; crushed in 1897.
The Menalamba rebellion was an uprising in Madagascar by the Merina people that emerged in central Madagascar in response to the French capture of the royal palace in the capital city of Antananarivo in September 1895. It spread rapidly in 1896, threatening the capital, but French forces were successful in securing the surrender of many rebel groups in 1897. Elements of the rebellion continued sporadically until 1903. Menalamba rebels were mostly outlaws called "Fahavalo" led by Rabozaka and Rabezavana in the region of Anjozorobe between Alaotra lake and Betsiboka river and Rainibetsimisaraka in the region of Vakinankaratra.
Background
French diplomatic and military claims over the island of Madagascar – ongoing for more than four decades – intensified under the reigns of Queen Ranavalona II and Queen Ranavalona III, the island's final monarchs. Following a successful campaign under General Jacques Duchesne, the Queen surrendered on 14 September 1895. On 1 October 1895, the Merina Kingdom signed a treaty with France wherein it became a French protectorate. Upon the queen's signing of the treaty, the French government deposed Rainilaiarivony from his position as prime minister and commander-in-chief, and then exiled him to French Algeria On 6 February 1896. Queen Ranavalona III and much of her administration remained but were afforded no real political power. A civil governor, Hippolyte Laroche, was initially appointed to administer the territory.
“Menalamba rebellion” enters the record as rising of the Menalamba, 'Red Shawls', following the imposition of French colonial rule in Madagascar in 1895; crushed in 1897. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Menalamba, rebellion and Rising can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3305728. The Library of Congress control number is sh85079501. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1895, 1896, 1897 and 1903.
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This entry incorporates text from “Menalamba rebellion” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.