1788 - 1861
Ranavalona I (born Rabodoandrianampoinimerina (also called Ramavo); 1778 – 16 August 1861), also known as Ranavalo-Manjaka I and the “Mad Monarch of Madagascar” was sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. After positioning herself as queen following the death of her young husband, Radama I, Ranavalona pursued a policy of isolationism and self-sufficiency, reducing economic and political ties with European powers, repelling a French attack on the coastal town of Foulpointe, and taking vigorous measures to eradicate the small but growing Malagasy Christian movement initiated under Radama I by members of the London Missionary Society. She made heavy use of the traditional practice of fanompoana (forced labor as tax payment) to complete public works projects and develop a standing army of between 20,000 and 30,000 Merina soldiers, whom she deployed to pacify outlying regions of the island and further expand the realm. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Ranavalona I has received more than 825,464 page views. Her biography is available in 30 different languages on Wikipedia. Ranavalona I is the 3,715th most popular politician (down from 2,768th in 2019), the 3rd most popular biography from Madagascar (down from 2nd in 2019) and the 2nd most popular Malagasy Politician.
Ranavalona I was the Queen of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. She is most famous for her policies which were designed to make the country more traditional and conservative. These policies included banning Christianity, outlawing the wearing of clothes with European styles, and forbidding the teaching of reading and writing.
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Among politicians, Ranavalona I ranks 3,715 out of 15,577. Before her are Agis II, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, Empress Dowager Ci'an, Masahito, Prince Hitachi, Tewfik Pasha, and Constantin Fehrenbach. After her are Charles, Grand Duke of Baden, Louise Marie Thérèse of Artois, Florian Geyer, Pribina, Albert I, Duke of Bavaria, and Philip Noel-Baker.
490 BC - 401 BC
HPI: 60.76
Rank: 3,709
1946 - Present
HPI: 60.76
Rank: 3,710
1837 - 1881
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3,711
1935 - Present
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3,712
1852 - 1892
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3,713
1852 - 1926
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3,714
1788 - 1861
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3,715
1786 - 1818
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3,716
1819 - 1864
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3,717
1490 - 1525
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3,718
800 - 860
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3,719
1336 - 1404
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3,720
1889 - 1982
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3,721
Among people born in 1788, Ranavalona I ranks 16. Before her are Princess Wilhelmine of Baden, Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, Archduke Rudolf of Austria, Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff, Johan Christian Dahl, and Étienne Cabet. After her are Rama III, Antoine César Becquerel, Mikhail Lazarev, Leopold Gmelin, Carl Reichenbach, and Geert Adriaans Boomgaard. Among people deceased in 1861, Ranavalona I ranks 16. Before her are Lola Montez, Pavel Jozef Šafárik, Eugène Scribe, Elisha Otis, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, and Adam Jerzy Czartoryski. After her are Henri Murger, Lars Levi Laestadius, Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska, Infante Carlos, Count of Montemolin, Heinrich Marschner, and Jonas Furrer.
1788 - 1836
HPI: 62.64
Rank: 10
1788 - 1865
HPI: 62.05
Rank: 11
1788 - 1831
HPI: 61.20
Rank: 12
1788 - 1857
HPI: 61.10
Rank: 13
1788 - 1857
HPI: 60.84
Rank: 14
1788 - 1856
HPI: 60.77
Rank: 15
1788 - 1861
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 16
1788 - 1851
HPI: 59.87
Rank: 17
1788 - 1878
HPI: 59.76
Rank: 18
1788 - 1851
HPI: 57.32
Rank: 19
1788 - 1853
HPI: 56.85
Rank: 20
1788 - 1869
HPI: 56.56
Rank: 21
1788 - 1899
HPI: 55.63
Rank: 22
1821 - 1861
HPI: 63.19
Rank: 10
1795 - 1861
HPI: 62.80
Rank: 11
1791 - 1861
HPI: 61.91
Rank: 12
1811 - 1861
HPI: 61.83
Rank: 13
1797 - 1861
HPI: 61.74
Rank: 14
1770 - 1861
HPI: 61.42
Rank: 15
1788 - 1861
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 16
1822 - 1861
HPI: 59.64
Rank: 17
1800 - 1861
HPI: 58.95
Rank: 18
1834 - 1861
HPI: 58.56
Rank: 19
1818 - 1861
HPI: 57.75
Rank: 20
1795 - 1861
HPI: 57.28
Rank: 21
1805 - 1861
HPI: 56.25
Rank: 22
Among people born in Madagascar, Ranavalona I ranks 3 out of 32. Before her are Claude Simon (1913) and Ranavalona III (1861). After her are Andrianampoinimerina (1745), Radama I (1793), Didier Ratsiraka (1936), Ranavalona II (1829), Radama II (1829), Philibert Tsiranana (1912), Marc Ravalomanana (1949), Rasoherina (1814), and Gabriel Ramanantsoa (1906).
1913 - 2005
HPI: 69.97
Rank: 1
1861 - 1917
HPI: 61.76
Rank: 2
1788 - 1861
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 3
1745 - 1810
HPI: 59.74
Rank: 4
1793 - 1828
HPI: 58.47
Rank: 5
1936 - 2021
HPI: 57.80
Rank: 6
1829 - 1883
HPI: 57.67
Rank: 7
1829 - 1863
HPI: 57.12
Rank: 8
1912 - 1978
HPI: 56.97
Rank: 9
1949 - Present
HPI: 56.20
Rank: 10
1814 - 1868
HPI: 55.24
Rank: 11
1906 - 1978
HPI: 53.22
Rank: 12
Among politicians born in Madagascar, Ranavalona I ranks 2. Before her are Ranavalona III (1861). After her are Andrianampoinimerina (1745), Radama I (1793), Didier Ratsiraka (1936), Ranavalona II (1829), Radama II (1829), Philibert Tsiranana (1912), Marc Ravalomanana (1949), Rasoherina (1814), Gabriel Ramanantsoa (1906), and Albert Zafy (1927).
1861 - 1917
HPI: 61.76
Rank: 1
1788 - 1861
HPI: 60.75
Rank: 2
1745 - 1810
HPI: 59.74
Rank: 3
1793 - 1828
HPI: 58.47
Rank: 4
1936 - 2021
HPI: 57.80
Rank: 5
1829 - 1883
HPI: 57.67
Rank: 6
1829 - 1863
HPI: 57.12
Rank: 7
1912 - 1978
HPI: 56.97
Rank: 8
1949 - Present
HPI: 56.20
Rank: 9
1814 - 1868
HPI: 55.24
Rank: 10
1906 - 1978
HPI: 53.22
Rank: 11
1927 - 2017
HPI: 52.92
Rank: 12