1828 to 1861. By succeeding upon the death of her young husband,
Radama I, Ranavalona became the first female sovereign in the Merina
royal line since its founding in 1540. After initial tolerance of
European influence she adopted a policy of isolationism, reducing
Madagascar's economic and political ties with European powers,
developing the island's industrial manufacturing capacity, improving the
government's bureaucratic organization and military strength, and taking
vigorous measures to eradicate the small but growing Malagasy Christian
movement. The combination of widespread disease, harsh measures of
justice, regular military campaigns to pacify outlying provinces and
difficult statute labor for public works projects resulted in a high
mortality rate among soldiers and civilians alike during her 33-year
reign. French intermediaries unsuccessfully tried to use divisions
between traditionalist and pro-European factions at court to hasten the
succession of her son, Radama II. Her European contemporaries generally
condemned her policies and characterized her as a tyrant at best and
insane at worst, characterizations that persisted in Western scholarly
literature until the mid-1970s. Recent research has recast Ranavalona's
actions as those of a queen attempting to expand her empire while
protecting Malagasy sovereignty against the encroachment of European
cultural and political influence.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranavalona_I>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1492:
The first papal conclave held in the Sistine Chapel elected
Roderic Borja as Pope Alexander VI to succeed Pope Innocent VIII.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_conclave,_1492>
1828:
William Corder was hanged at Bury St Edmunds, England, for the
murder of Maria Marten at the Red Barn.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Barn_Murder>
1945:
Amid rumors of kidnappings of children by Jews in Kraków, a
crowd of Poles engaged in a pogrom, which resulted in one dead and five
wounded victims.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w_pogrom>
1962:
Vostok 3 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and cosmonaut
Andriyan Nikolayev became the first person to float in microgravity.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_3>
1973:
At a party in the recreation room of a New York City apartment
building, DJ Kool Herc began rapping during an extended break, laying
the foundation for hip-hop music.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Kool_Herc>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bevy:
1. A group of animals, in particular quail.
2. A large group or collection.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bevy>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
While utterly discarding all creeds, and denying the truth of all
religions, there is neither in my heart nor upon my lips a sneer for the
hopeful, loving and tender souls who believe that from all this discord
will result a perfect harmony; that every evil will in some mysterious
way become a good, and that above and over all there is a being who, in
some way, will reclaim and glorify every one of the children of men; but
for those who heartlessly try to prove that salvation is almost
impossible; that damnation is almost certain; that the highway of the
universe leads to hell; who fill life with fear and death with horror;
who curse the cradle and mock the tomb, it is impossible to entertain
other than feelings of pity, contempt and scorn.
--Robert G. Ingersoll
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_G._Ingersoll>
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