Madagascar,officially the Republic of Madagascar,is an island country comprising the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa,it is the world's fourth largest island,the second-largest island country and the 46th largest country in the world. Its capital and largest city is Antananarivo.
Antananarivo= Antoine arrive
Ranavalona I,also known as Ramavo or Ranavalo-Manjaka I,was the sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. After positioning herself as queen following the death of her young husband Radama I,she pursued a policy of isolationism and self-sufficiency. She sought reduced economic and political ties with European powers,repelled a French attack on the coastal town of Foulpointe,and took vigorous measures to eradicate the small but growing Malagasy Christian movement initiated under Radama I by members of the London Missionary Society.
The phrase "power behind the throne" refers to a person or group that is understood to de facto wield the power of a high-ranking official,or whose support must be maintained to continue in office. In politics,it most commonly refers to a nominal subordinate or advisor to an officeholder who serves as de facto leader,setting policy through influence,manipulation,or both.
A commander-in-chief or supreme commander is the person who exercises supreme command and control over an armed force or a military branch. As a technical term,it refers to military competencies that reside in a country's executive leadership,a head of state,head of government,or other designated government official.
Ranavalona III was the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar. She ruled from 30 July 1883 to 28 February 1897 in a reign marked by ultimately futile efforts to resist the colonial designs of the government of France. As a young woman,she was selected from among several Andriana qualified to succeed Queen Ranavalona II upon her death. Like both preceding queens,Ranavalona entered a political marriage with a member of the Hova elite named Rainilaiarivony,who largely oversaw the day-to-day governance of the kingdom and managed its foreign affairs in his role as prime minister. Ranavalona tried to stave off colonization by strengthening trade and diplomatic relations with foreign powers throughout her reign,but French attacks on coastal port towns and an assault on the capital city of Antananarivo led to the capture of the royal palace in 1895,ending the sovereignty and political autonomy of the centuries-old kingdom.
The Allies,the Entente or the Triple Entente was an international military coalition of countries led by France,the United Kingdom,Russia,the United States,Italy,and Japan against the Central Powers of Germany,Austria-Hungary,the Ottoman Empire,and Bulgaria in World War I (1914–1918).
Yoav Gallant is an Israeli politician and former military officer who served as minister of defense between 2022 and 2024. Gallant was an officer in the Southern Command of the Israel Defense Forces,serving in the Israeli Navy. In January 2015 he entered politics,joining the new Kulanu party. After being elected to the Knesset he was appointed minister of construction. At the end of 2018 he joined Likud,shortly after which he became minister of Aliyah and Integration. In 2020 he was appointed minister of education,and the following year became minister of defense. On 5 November 2024,Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had dismissed Gallant,effective 7 November,and sought to have Israel Katz replace him.
The Axis Powers of World War II was established with the signing of the Tripartite Pact in 1940 and pursued a strongly militarist and nationalist ideology;with a policy of anti-communism. During the early phase of the war,puppet governments were established in their occupied nations. When the war ended,many of them faced trials for war crimes. The chief leaders were Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany,Benito Mussolini of Fascist Italy,and Hirohito of the Empire of Japan. Unlike what happened with the Allies,there was never a joint meeting of the main Axis heads of government,although Mussolini and Hitler met on a regular basis.
The Order of Saint Stephen is an order of chivalry founded in 1764 by Maria Theresa. In 1938,Miklós Horthy took the rights and activities of Grand Master as Regent of Hungary. The name of the Order changed to the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen. The Order was terminated at the time of the proclamation of the Second Hungarian Republic in 1946. It was recreated in 2011 as the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen,and to this day remains the highest order in Hungary.
Rainilaiarivony was a Malagasy politician who served as the prime minister of Madagascar from 1864 to 1895,succeeding his older brother Rainivoninahitriniony,who had held the post for thirteen years. His career mirrored that of his father Rainiharo,a renowned military man who became prime minister during the reign of Queen Ranavalona I.
The Rova of Antananarivo is a royal palace complex (rova) in Madagascar that served as the home of the sovereigns of the Kingdom of Imerina in the 17th and 18th centuries,as well as of the rulers of the Kingdom of Madagascar in the 19th century. Its counterpart is the nearby fortified village of Ambohimanga,which served as the spiritual seat of the kingdom in contrast to the political significance of the Rova in the capital. Located in the central highland city of Antananarivo,the Rova occupies the highest point on Analamanga,formerly the highest of Antananarivo's many hills. Merina king Andrianjaka,who ruled Imerina from around 1610 until 1630,is believed to have captured Analamanga from a Vazimba king around 1610 or 1625 and erected the site's first fortified royal structure. Successive Merina kings continued to rule from the site until the fall of the monarchy in 1896,frequently restoring,modifying or adding royal structures within the compound to suit their needs.
Rainivoninahitriniony (1824–1868),was Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Madagascar between 1852 and 1864. He was the chief engineer of the Aristocratic Revolution initialized upon the attempted assassination of King Radama II. His excesses and participation in the regicide saw him fall from favor,ultimately being relieved of his position and replaced as prime minister by his younger brother Rainilaiarivony. Rainivoninahitriniony died in exile on May 5,1868,shortly after an attempted coup meant to enable him to regain his position upon the death of Queen Rasoherina ended in failure.
The KingdomofMerina,also known as the Kingdom of Madagascar and officially the Kingdom of Imerina,was a pre-colonial state off the coast of Southeast Africa that,by the 18th century,dominated most of what is now Madagascar. It spread outward from Imerina,the Central Highlands region primarily inhabited by the Merina ethnic group with a spiritual capital at Ambohimanga and a political capital 24 km (15 mi) west at Antananarivo,currently the seat of government for the modern state of Madagascar. The Merina kings and queens who ruled over greater Madagascar in the 19th century were the descendants of a long line of hereditary Merina royalty originating with Andriamanelo,who is traditionally credited with founding Imerina in 1540.
The 2009 Malagasy political crisis began on 26 January 2009 with the political opposition movement led by Antananarivo mayor Andry Rajoelina,which sought to oust President Marc Ravalomanana from the presidency. The crisis reached its climax in the 2009 Malagasy coup d'état when Andry Rajoelina was declared the president of the High Transitional Authority of Madagascar on 21 March 2009,five days after Ravalomanana transferred his power to a military council and fled to South Africa.
The Second Madagascar expedition was a French military intervention which took place in 1894–1895,sealing the conquest of the Merina Kingdom on the island of Madagascar by France. It was the last phase of the Franco-Hova War and followed the First Madagascar expedition of 1883–1885.
Andriamanelo was king of Alasora in the central highlands region of Madagascar. He is generally considered by historians to be the founder of the Kingdom of Imerina and originator of the Merina royal line that,by the 19th century,had extended its rule over virtually all of Madagascar. The son of a Vazimba mother and a man of the newly arrived Hova people originating in southeast Madagascar,Andriamanelo ultimately led a series of military campaigns against the Vazimba,beginning a several-decade process to drive them from the Highlands. The conflict that defined his reign also produced many lasting innovations,including the development of fortified villages in the highlands and the use of iron weapons. Oral tradition furthermore credits Andriamanelo with establishing a ruling class of nobles (andriana) and defining the rules of succession. Numerous cultural traditions,including the ritual of circumcision,the wedding custom of vodiondry and the art of Malagasy astrology (sikidy) are likewise associated with this king.
The architecture of Madagascar is unique in Africa,bearing strong resemblance to the construction norms and methods of Southern Borneo from which the earliest inhabitants of Madagascar are believed to have immigrated. Throughout Madagascar,the Kalimantan region of Borneo and Oceania,most traditional houses follow a rectangular rather than round form,and feature a steeply sloped,peaked roof supported by a central pillar.
Christianity in Madagascar is practiced by 85.3% of Madagascar's population according to the Pew Research Center in 2020. However,other surveys put the figure at 58%. Malagasy Christianity is generally practised in syncretic form with traditional religious practices.
Andriamihaja,also spelled Andrìamihàja,was the first Prime Minister of Madagascar. He was a supporter of Ranavalona I and as a young military officer he was instrumental in her rise. He came to be functionally viewed as her husband,and with her he fathered Radama II. He was executed in 1831.
