colony · Central and Southern Africa

French Madagascar

1897 CE – 1958 CE · capital Antananarivo

Madagascar as a French colony, from the overthrow of the Merina monarchy to the autonomous Malagasy Republic of 1958.

Origins

After the conquest of 1895 and the end of the French Protectorate of Madagascar, France annexed the island in 1896. In February 1897 the governor-general Joseph Gallieni abolished the Merina monarchy and exiled Queen Ranavalona III to Réunion and later Algeria, then put down the Menalamba rising and subdued the coastal peoples.

Rule and society

Gallieni and his successors imposed a head tax and forced labour, promoted French over English schooling and broke the power of the Merina elite. Coffee, vanilla, cloves and rice were exported, and Nosy Be, Diego-Suarez and the Comoros were attached. In 1942 British forces took the island from Vichy France, and it passed to the Free French.

Decline and legacy

The nationalist uprising of 1947 was crushed with tens of thousands of deaths. Madagascar became the autonomous Malagasy Republic in October 1958 and fully independent on 26 June 1960 under President Philibert Tsiranana.

Lineage

Merina Kingdom 1540 CE – 1897 CE Ile Sainte-Marie 1750 CE – 1896 CE Nosy Be 1841 CE – 1896 CE Diego-Suarez Colony 1885 CE – 1896 CE French Protectorate of Madagascar 1885 CE – 1897 CEFrench Madagascar

Connections (5)

Menabe was conquered by French Madagascar1897 CE – 1900 CE
French Madagascar was a colony of French Empire1897 CE – 1958 CE
Mahafaly Kingdoms was conquered by French Madagascar1900 CE
Bara Kingdom was conquered by French Madagascar1900 CE
Colony of Mayotte and Dependencies was part of French Madagascar1912 CE – 1946 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). French Madagascar. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-madagascar
MLA: “French Madagascar.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-madagascar. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “French Madagascar.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-madagascar.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘French Madagascar’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-madagascar (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻