Andriamihaja
Andriamihaja | |
|---|---|
| 1stPrime Minister of Madagascar | |
| In office 1828–1831 | |
| Monarch | Ranavalona I |
| Succeeded by | Rainiharo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Madagascar |
| Died | 1831 |
| Resting place | Namehana, Madagascar |
| Children | Radama II |
Andriamihaja,also spelledAndrìamihàja(died 1831), was the firstPrime Minister of Madagascar.He was a supporter ofRanavalona Iand as a young military officer he was instrumental in her rise. He came to be functionally viewed as her husband, and with her he fatheredRadama II.He was executed in 1831.
Early life[edit]
Andriamihaja's father is thought to have beenRatsitatanina,who led aslave rebellioninMauritiusand was executed in 1822.[1]: 120
Andriamihaja was a military officer, who commanded forces in the mid-1820s.[2]As a young officer he became an ally of queenRanavalona I,and he supported her as the successor toRadama Ifollowing his death.[1]: 120 His support from within the military was an important part of Ranavalona I's rise to power.[3]
Political career[edit]
When Ranavalona I became the sovereign, Andriamihaja was quickly appointed as her prime minister, as well as commander in chief of the military.[1]: 165 [2]He was also a close advisor to the queen.[1]: 165 [2]Some sources consider Andriamihaja to be the second or third chief minister of Ranavalona I, possibly succeeding Andrianamba as the leading minister to Ranavalona I,[1]: 203 but Andriamihaja is often described as the first person to hold the position of prime minister or chief minister in Madagascar.[2]The date of his selection is variously given as either 1828[2]or 1830.
Andriamihaja has been described as a reformer who was sympathetic to education expansion efforts.[2]He was also a convert to Christianity,[1]: 165 and was considered a proponent ofEuropeanisation.[2][3]
Andriamihaja was one of the lovers of Ranavalona I,[1]: 120 and after her accession he was sometimes viewed as functionally being her husband.[3]Andriamihaja was the father ofRadama II.[1]: 120 Reportedly because of Andriamihaja's rapid rise in power from being a young military commander to becoming a primary advisor to the queen, a group of his rivals includingRainiharoandRainisehenoaccused him of treason, resulting in his execution on the orders of Ranavalona I in 1831.[1]: 120 At first, Ranavalona I only expelled him from court and stripped him of his positions, but after it was alleged that he had begun an affair with a princess, she ordered his execution.[3]Andriamihaja's support for the European powers is also thought to have been used as an instrument by his opponents to provoke his downfall.[3]
Andriamihaja was buried at Namehana in Madagascar.[2]
References[edit]
- ^abcdefghiCampbell, Gwyn (2020).The Travels of Robert Lyall, 1789–1831.Palgrave Macmillan.doi:10.1007/978-3-030-51648-2.ISBN978-3-030-51648-2.
- ^abcdefghOliver, Samuel Pasfield (1886).Madagascar: An Historical and Descriptive Account of the Island and Its Former Dependencies, Volume 1.Macmillan. pp. 41–47.
- ^abcdeLaidler, Keith (7 December 2016).Female Caligula: Ranavalona, Madagascar's Mad Queen.Aziloth Books. pp. 43–44.ISBN978-1911405191.