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French troops capture Antananarivo in the Franco-Malagasy War

When
1895
Where
Andriba (departure point); destination the capital; Merina capital (Antananarivo), signing location unattested
Episodes
2

The Second Madagascar expedition, a French military intervention in 1894–1895, culminated in the conquest of the Merina Kingdom. Triggered by Queen Ranavalona III's refusal to accept a protectorate treaty, French forces bombarded coastal ports and advanced inland. Despite logistical challenges during the rainy season, a flying column reached Antananarivo, leading to the signing of a protectorate treaty on 1 October 1895.

Episodes

  1. 14 September 1895 · Andriba (departure point); destination the capitalFlying Column Dispatched Toward the Capital

    General Duchesne dispatched a flying column from Andriba toward the capital on 14 September 1895, following resistance attempts by Rainilaiarivony.

  2. 1 October 1895 · Merina capital (Antananarivo), signing location unattestedTreaty Signing

    The Merina Kingdom signed a treaty with France on 1 October 1895, establishing a French protectorate.

Background and detail

Background. Madagascar was an independent country ruled from Antananarivo by the Merina dynasty. The invasion followed the First Madagascar expedition and was triggered by Queen Ranavalona III's refusal to accept a protectorate treaty, despite the 1885 Franco-Hova Treaty. This refusal precipitated the Second Madagascar expedition, the last phase of the Franco-Hova War, aimed at sealing the conquest of the island.

Campaign. French forces bombarded and occupied Toamasina and Mahajanga in late 1894 and early 1895. The main expeditionary force arrived in May 1895, numbering about 15,000 men supported by 6,000 carriers. The campaign occurred during the rainy season, causing disastrous consequences for the French corps. Revolts erupted against the Merina government, and fighting was limited at Andriba by August 1895.

People involved

Sources

  1. Second Madagascar expedition Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.