History.— Madagascar was known to the traveler Marco Polo at the end of the 13th cen tury and had been visited for several centuries by the Arabs. In 1506 it was visited by the Portuguese, who gave it the name of Saint Lorenzo. toward the end of the 17th and dur ing the most of the 18th century the French endeavored to form military stations on the east coast, but with no lasting results. A settlement was established at Fort Dauphin in the south east and held for some time, but in consequence of the tyrannical behavior of the French set tlers they were massacred by the natives and the place destroyed. The French, however, strug gled hard and successfully to retain the islands of Sainte Marie on the east coast and Nossi be on the northwest. Previous to 1810 Mada gascar might be said to have been divided among numerous petty chiefs, almost constantly at war with each other. In that year, however, Radama I, a prince of remarkable intelligence, became king of the Hovas, and began to enforce a claim by right of conquest to the sovereignty of the whole island. He saw that if his people were to be prosperous they must first be edu cated and civilized. In return for the promise of co-operation in putting do Ain the slave-trade on the coast of Mozambique, he received arms and other assistance from the British, by which he was enabled to carry on his conquests. Chris tian missionaries began to teach in the capital in 1820, many converts were made, the Bible was translated into the Malagasy tongue, the language was first reduced to a systematic writ ten form and printing was introduced. Great improvements had taken place in the manners of the people when Radama died in 1828, and was succeeded by his chief wife, Ranavalona, a woman of cruel disposition, and opposed to all innovation. The native converts were perse cuted, many of them being put to death, and the island was closed to Europeans. This reign of terror ended at last in 1861, when the queen died, and was suceeded by her son, Radama II, who, himself a Christian, reopened the is land to European missionaries and traders, and proclaimed the emancipation of the African slaves. He appears, however, to have been a
weak easily swayed by native and foreign favorites, and he unwisely granted extensive territories and privileges to an enterprising French company, an act which lost him the affection of his nobles, and led to his assassina tion in 1863. His wife Rasoherina was placed on the throne, and the government repudiated the concessions made to the French, offering 1,000,000 francs as compensation. After a quiet and prosperous reign of five years this queen died, and was succeeeded by Ranavalona II in 1868. After she had been elected queen she and a great number of her courtiers became Christians, and many reforms favorable to en lightenment and humanity were perseveringly carried out. She was succeeded in 1882 by Ranavalona III, when the French brought for ward their claims on the Malagasy territory, which, being refused, led to hostilities in 1883 85. This war was terminated by a treaty, under which France acquired protectorate rights over Madagascar; but hostile feeling toward the French again led to war in 1895, with the result that the queen was deposed and exiled first to the island of Reunion, and thence in 1899 to Algiers, while Madagascar became a French colony.
Dawson, 'Madagascar: its Capabilities and (London 1895) ; Foucart, 'Madagascar: Commerce, colonisa tion) (Paris 1899); Gallieni, pacifocation de Madagascar) (ib. 1900) ; 'Madagascar de 1896 1 1905) (Antananarivo 1905); Grandidier, A., 'Histoire physique, naturelle et politique de Madagascar) (50 vols. in progress since 1876) ; Gravier, G., 'Madagascar' (Paris 1904) ; John ston, Sir H., 'The Colonies of Africa) (Cam bridge 1899) • Keller, 'Madagascar, Mauritius and Other East African Islands) (London 1900) ; Marcuse, W. M., Western Madagascar) (London 1914) ; Sibree, Jas., 'Madagascar and its (London 180) ; id., 'The Great African Island' (ib. 1880) . • id., 'A Naturalist in Madagascar) (ib. 1915) ; Vassiere, 'Histoire de Madagascar: ses habit ants et ses missionaires) (Paris 1884) ; You A., 'Madagascar: histoire, organization, coloni sation' (ib. 1905).