| Madagascar Expedition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theFranco-Hova Wars | |||||||
 French infantry landing atMajunga, May 1895. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |  Merina Kingdom | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jacques Duchesne | Rainilaiarivony | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 15,000 soldiers 6,000 porters | 30,000 40,000 reservists | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 25 killed in combat 6,000 died of disease | 4,500 killed in combat | ||||||
TheSecond Madagascar expedition was a French military intervention which took place in 1894–1895, sealing the conquest of theMerina Kingdom on theisland of Madagascar byFrance. It was the last phase of theFranco-Hova War and followed theFirst Madagascar expedition of 1883–1885.
Madagascar was at the time an independent country, ruled from the capital ofAntananarivo by theMerina dynasty from the central highlands.[1] The French invasion was triggered by the refusal of QueenRanavalona III to accept aprotectorate treaty from France,[2] despite the signature of the Franco-Hova Treaty of 1885 following theFirst Madagascar expedition.[3] Resident-generalCharles Le Myre de Vilers broke negotiation and effectively declared war on theMalagasy monarchy.[4]
An expeditionary corps was sent under GeneralJacques Duchesne.[5] First, the harbor ofToamasina on the east coast, andMahajanga on the west coast, were bombarded and occupied in December 1894 and January 1895 respectively.[6] Some troops were landed, but the main expeditionary force, however, arrived in May 1895, numbering about 15,000 men, supported by around 6,000 carriers.[7][8] The campaign was to take place during the rainy season, with disastrous consequences for the French expeditionary corps.[9]
As soon as the French landed, revolts erupted here and there against theMerina government of QueenRanavalona III. The uprisings were variously against the government, slave labour, Christianisation (the court had converted toProtestantism in the 1860s).[10]
As the French force advanced towards Antananarivo, they had to build a road along the way.[11] By August 1895, the French were only mid-way atAndriba where there were numerous Malagasy fortifications but only limited fighting.[12] Disease, especiallymalaria, but alsodysentery andtyphoid fever, was taking a heavy toll on the French expeditionary corps.[13] The expedition was a medical disaster: about 1/3 of the force died of disease.[14] Altogether, there were 6,000 deaths in the expedition, four-fifths of them French.[15]
The Malagasy Prime Minister and Commander-in-ChiefRainilaiarivony tried to resist atTsarasaotra on the 29 June 1895, and at Andriba on the 22 August 1895. He again attacked the Duchesne "flying column" in September, but his elite gunner troops were decimated by the French.[16]
Duchesne had to send a "flying column" from Andriba on the 14 September 1895, formed ofAlgerian andAfrican soldiers as well asmarines and accompanied by pack mules, to the capital. They arrived at the end of September.[17] An artillery battery was trained on the royal palace from the heights around the capital, and high-explosive shells were fired on the palace, killing many.[18] The Queen promptly surrendered.[19][20]
In the whole conflict, there were only a few skirmishes, and only 25 French soldiers died from fighting.[21]
On 1 October 1895, the Merina Kingdom signed a treaty with France wherein it became aFrench protectorate.[22]
The conquest of the island was formalized by the 6 August 1896 vote at theFrench National Assembly, which resulted in favor of theannexation of Madagascar.[23]
Despite the success of the expedition, the quelling of the sporadic rebellions would take another eight years until 1905, when the island was completelypacified by the French underJoseph Gallieni.[24][25] During that time, insurrections against the Malagasy Christians of the island, missionaries and foreigners were particularly terrible.[26] QueenRanavalona III was deposed in January 1897 and was exiled toAlgiers inAlgeria, where she died in 1917.[27]
