Andriamihaja, also spelled Andrìamihàja (died 1831), was the first

Prime Minister of Madagascar This is a list of prime ministers of Madagascar, since the establishment of the office of chief minister in 1828, during the Merina Kingdom. List of officeholders ;Political parties ;Other factions ;Status See also * Politics o ...

. He was a supporter of

Ranavalona I 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 pos ...

and as a young military officer he was instrumental in her rise. He came to be functionally viewed as her husband, and with her he fathered

Radama II Radama II (September 23, 1829 – May 12, 1863 'contested'' was the son and heir of Queen Ranavalona I and ruled from 1861 to 1863 over the Kingdom of Madagascar, which controlled virtually the entire island. Radama's rule, although brief, ...

. He was executed in 1831.

Early life

Andriamihaja's father is thought to have been

Ratsitatanina Ratsitatanina, also known as ''Ratsitatane'' (1790-1822) was a Malagasy nobleman. He was the nephew of King Radama I and the son of minister Andriamambavola. The first Prime Minister of Madagascar Andriamihaja is believed to be his son. Ratsitata ...

, who led a

slave rebellion A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by enslaved people, as a way of fighting for their freedom. Rebellions of enslaved people have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery or have practiced slavery in the past. A desire for freedo ...

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

and was executed in 1822. Andriamihaja was a military officer, who commanded forces in the mid-1820s. As a young officer he became an ally of queen

, and he supported her as the successor to

Radama I Radama I "the Great" (1793–1828) was the first Malagasy sovereign to be recognized as King of Madagascar (1810–1828) by a European state. He came to power at the age of 18 following the death of his father, King Andrianampoinimerina. Under Ra ...

following his death. His support from within the military was an important part of Ranavalona I's rise to power.

Political career

When Ranavalona I became the sovereign, Andriamihaja was quickly appointed as her prime minister, as well as commander in chief of the military. He was also a close advisor to the queen. Some sources consider Andriamihaja to be the second or third chief minister of Ranavalona I, possibly succeeding Andrianamba as the leading minister to Ranavalona I, but Andriamihaja is often described as the first person to hold the position of prime minister or chief minister in Madagascar. The date of his selection is variously given as either 1828 or 1830. Andriamihaja has been described as a reformer who was sympathetic to education expansion efforts. He was also a convert to Christianity, and was considered a proponent of

Europeanisation Europeanisation (or Europeanization, see spelling differences) refers to a number of related phenomena and patterns of change: *The process in which a notionally non-European subject (be it a culture, a language, a city or a nation) adopts a number ...

. Andriamihaja was one of the lovers of Ranavalona I, and after her accession he was sometimes viewed as functionally being her husband. Andriamihaja was the father of

. Reportedly because of Andriamihaja's rapid rise in power from being a young military commander to becoming a primary advisor to the queen, a group of his rivals including

Rainiharo Field Marshal Rainiharo (died on 18 October 1852 in Rabodomiarana) was from 1833 to 1852 prime minister of the Kingdom of Imerina in the central highlands of Madagascar. Biography Rainiharo was born as ''Ravoninahitriniarivo'' into the Hova (fr ...

and Rainiseheno ( pl) accused him of treason, resulting in his execution on the orders of Ranavalona I in 1831. At first, Ranavalona I only expelled him from court and stripped him of his positions, but after it was alleged that he had begun an affair with a princess, she ordered his execution. Andriamihaja's support for the European powers is also thought to have been used as an instrument by his opponents to provoke his downfall. Andriamihaja was buried at Namehana in Madagascar.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andriamihaja Malagasy politicians Government ministers of Madagascar Prime Ministers of Madagascar