Andriantsimitoviaminandriandehibe ("the noble without equal among great nobles") was the King of

Imerina The Merina Kingdom, or Kingdom of Madagascar, officially the Kingdom of Imerina (–1897), was a pre-colonial state off the coast of Southeast Africa that, by the 19th century, dominated most of what is now Madagascar. It spread outward from I ...

in the central highlands of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

from 1650 to 1670. He acceded to the throne on the death of his father, King

Andriantsitakatrandriana Andriantsitakatrandriana (1613-) was the king of Imerina from 1630 to 1650, acceding to the throne upon the death of his father, Andrianjaka. He took two wives: the first, Ravololontsimitovy, gave birth to his first son and successor Andriantsimito ...

. He had three wives: Ratompoimbahoaka of Ambohimalaza, Princess Ramahafoloarivo (granddaughter of King

Andrianjaka Andrianjaka reigned over the Kingdom of Imerina in the central highlands region of Madagascar from around 1612 to 1630. Despite being the younger of King Ralambo's two sons, Andrianjaka succeeded to the throne on the basis of his strength of char ...

), and Princess Rafaravavy Rampanananiamboninitany. He is responsible for establishing the rice paddies of the Betsimitatatra that lie to the west of Ankadimbahoaka.Callet (1908), p. 532

Reign

Andriantsimitoviaminandriandehibe pledged to continue his father's work to transform the Bestimitatatra swamps into rice paddies to feed the growing population of Imerina. He selected two of his sons to oversee the labor. The two princes challenged one another to see who could complete their dike fastest. The king proceeded to traditionally divide the territory into northern and southern halves along the

Ikopa River The Ikopa River is the second longest waterway in Madagascar and passes through the capital, Antananarivo. It is the largest tributary of the Betsiboka River. It is formed by the Varahina-North and Varahina-South Rivers. Its spring, named Varahi ...

and assigned Andrianjakanavalondambo to construct a southern dike at Ambivy, while his eldest son and heir apparent,

Razakatsitakatrandriana Andrianjaka Razakatsitakatrandriana or Andrianjakatsitakatrandriana was the King of Imerina in the central Highlands of Madagascar from 1670–1675. He was born in Analamanga as Lamboritakatra, eldest son of King Andriantsimitoviaminandriandeh ...

, was tasked with building a northern dike from Ankadimbahovaka to Anosizato. The king positioned himself at Ankadimbahovaka where he could observe the work of the entire population and both his sons' qualities of governance as they oversaw the construction of the dikes. The younger of the two boys, Andrianjakanavalondambo, was the first to complete the construction of his dike. The young prince visited his father en route to brag to his elder brother, whereupon the king warned him, "Younger as you are, learn to wait until the end. Stay where you belong and don't bring troubles upon yourself without reason, as you are a man, my friend." His eldest son,

Andrianjaka Razakatsitakatrandriana Andrianjaka Razakatsitakatrandriana or Andrianjakatsitakatrandriana was the King of Imerina in the central Highlands of Madagascar from 1670–1675. He was born in Analamanga as Lamboritakatra, eldest son of King Andriantsimitoviaminandriandeh ...

, was declared heir apparent and ruler of

Antananarivo Antananarivo ( French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "An ...

, Ambohidrabiby and

Ambohimanga Ambohimanga is a hill and traditional fortified royal settlement (''rova'') in Madagascar, located approximately northeast of the capital city of Antananarivo. It is situated in the commune of Ambohimanga Rova. The hill and the rova that sta ...

. Andrianjakanavalondambo heeded his father's advice to wait for his moment to come, and accepted the responsibility of governing the illustrious territory of

Alasora Alasora is a rural commune in Analamanga Region, in the Central Highlands of Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Antananarivo Avaradrano. It is located in the East of Antananarivo. The sacred Hill of Alasora is situated in this municipa ...

, as well as Ambohimanjaka,

Antanamalaza Antanamalaza is a town and commune in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Ambatolampy, which is a part of Vakinankaratra Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 12,000 in 2001 commune census. Primary and juni ...

, Ifandana, Ambohimanambola and Andrianakotrina. After Andriantsimitoviaminandriandehibe's death, Andrianjakanavalondambo would go on to supplant his older brother as the celebrated sovereign

Andriamasinavalona Andriamasinavalona (1675–1710), also known as Andrianjakanavalondambo, was a King of Imerina in the central highlands of Madagascar. He made significant and enduring contributions to the social, political and economic life of Imerina. Chief ...

.Callet (1908), p. 533 Andriantsimitoviaminandriandehibe's two younger sons, Andriandambomanafika and

Andriamanitrinitany Andriamanitrinitany was a member of the Merina dynasty of Madagascar in the 17th century. He was the 4th son of King Andriantsimitoviaminandriandehibe of Imerina. King Andriamasinavalona Andriamasinavalona (1675–1710), also known as Andrian ...

, co-ruled Ambohimanga and governed Ambohipoloalina, respectively.

Death

Andriantsimitoviaminandriandehibe died at the

Rova Rova may refer to: * Rova, Domžale, a village in the municipality of Domžale in Slovenia * Rova (Madagascar), a type of fortified royal complex found throughout the highlands of Madagascar * Rova of Antananarivo, a royal-palace complex in Antana ...

in 1670. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Andrianjaka Razakatsitakatrandriana.

References

Bibliography

* {{Merina monarchy Malagasy monarchs 1670 deaths 17th-century monarchs in Africa Year of birth unknown