Djoumbé Fatima (c. 1837–1878), also known as Djoumbé Soudi or Queen Jumbe-Souli, was the Sultana of

Mohéli Mohéli , also known as Mwali, is an autonomously-governed island that forms part of the Union of the Comoros. It is the smallest of the three major islands in the country. It is located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa and it is the ...

Comoros The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni, ...

from 1842 to 1865 and 1874 to her death in 1878.

Early life

Jumbe-Souli inherited the throne of the island of Moheli (Mwali) after the death of her father, King Ramanateka-Rivo, also known as Sultan Abderahmane. Ramanateka was a Malagasy prince who ran away from Madagascar after the death of King

Radama I Radama I "the Great" (c. 1793–1828) was the first Malagasy sovereign to be recognized as King of Madagascar (1810–1828) by a European state, Great Britain. He came to power at the age of 17 following the death of his father, King Andrianampo ...

. She was also a cousin of King

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, ...

. She had a sister, Jumbe-Salama, who died young. Her mother, Ravao (daughter of Andriantsiahofa, of Imamo West) was

Merina The Merina people (also known as the Imerina, Antimerina, Borizany or Ambaniandro) formerly called Amboalambo are the largest ethnic group in Madagascar.

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. Her father, Field-Marshall Ramanetaka, was brother-in-law to

, King of Madagascar. He died in 1842 and Djoumbé ascended to the throne. Her mother, Ravao, ruled as regent for a time and married her husband's former adviser, General Ratsivandini, in 1843. Ravao died by poison in 1847. He became Djoumbé's tutor and started making arrangements for her marriage to the sultan of Zanzibar.

Reign

When the missionary David Griffiths returned to Moheli in 1841, expecting to meet her father he in fact found his young daughter Jumbe-Souli on the throne. Jumbe-Souli, like the majority of people on the island was Muslim and did not convert to Christianity. Ravao and Tsivandini divorced in 1846.

Mayotte Mayotte ( ; , ; , ; , ), officially the Department of Mayotte (), is an Overseas France, overseas Overseas departments and regions of France, department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is one of the Overseas departm ...

had recently been ceded to France, and the French, eager to develop their presence on Mohéli, arranged for a Madame Droit to serve as governess for Djoumbé. The French also arranged for her coronation at the age of 12, in 1849. Two years later she expelled the governess and married Saïd Mohammed Nasser M'Kadar, who was cousin to Zanzibar's sultan. M'Kadar became prince consort and ruled with Fatima until 1860, when he was ousted by the French. Fatima held on to the throne, marrying two sultans. She renounced the throne for her son. In 1863, the French government sent a delegation to meet with Queen Jumbe-Souli and the event was recorded by a visiting photographer

Désiré Charnay Claude-Joseph Désiré Charnay (2 May 182824 October 1915) was a French traveller and archaeologist notable both for his explorations of Mexico and Central America, and for the pioneering use of photography to document his discoveries. Biograph ...

. He recorded that she seemed "melancholy and sickly" and had a number of attendants. She was dressed extremely finely in a "robe of rich Turkish tissue of silk and gold". Her dress covered most of her face, with only her hand visible. The purpose of the visit had been to impress upon the young queen the advantages of becoming a French colony; she resisted. Jumbe-Souli lived in the palace, overlooking the sea, next to which was the garrison - a white building of two rooms, which held 28 soldiers. When the French returned in 1871, she was restored to the throne and ruled until her death in 1878.

Children

* From her marriage to Said Muhammad bin Nasser Makadara, Prince Consort and Regent of Mohéli, Counsellor to Sayyid Sa’id bin Sultan,

Sultan of Oman The sultan of the Sultanate of Oman () is the monarchical head of state and head of government of Oman. It is the most powerful position in the country. The sultans of Oman are members of the Al Bu Said dynasty, which has been the ruling fami ...

and

Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...

, three sons: ** Mohamed bin Saidi Hamadi Makadara (c. 1859 − 1874), Sultan of Mohéli (1865–1874) ** Abderremane bin Saidi Hamadi Makadara (c. 1860 − 1885), Sultan of Mohéli (1878–1885) ** Mahmudu bin Mohamed Makadara (

Fomboni Fomboni (population approximately 19,000) is the fifth-largest city in the Comoros. It is also the capital and largest city on the Autonomous Island of Mohéli, of which it makes up more than one third of the population. Characterized as quiet ...

, 1863 −

Saint-Denis, Réunion Saint-Denis (, ; ), unofficially Saint-Denis de La Réunion () for disambiguation, is the prefectures in France, prefecture (administrative capital) of the France, French overseas department and region of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. It is lo ...

, 18 October 1898), Regent of Mohéli for her halfsister, Sultana

Salima Machamba Salima Machamba (1 November 1874, Fomboni – 7 August 1964, Pesmes) was sultan of Mohéli (Mwali) in 1888–1909. Her official paternal name was ''Salima Machamba bint Saidi Hamadi Makadara''. She was a relative of Ranavalona I, Queen of Madagasca ...

(18 September 1889 – 9 October 1897), he had a son: *** Manini, Prince of Mohéli * From her relationship to

Emile Fleuriot de Langle Emile or Émile may refer to: * Émile (novel) (1827), autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life * Emile, Canadian film made in 2003 by Carl Bessai * '' Emile: or, On Education'' (1762) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a treatise o ...

(1837–1881, assistant to explorer

Joseph-François Lambert Joseph-François Lambert, the "Duke of Imerina" (1824–1873) was a French adventurer, businessman, and diplomat who fathered the Lambert Charter. Early years Lambert was born in Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine in 1824. He was the brother of Henri Lamb ...

), two children:Mwali
(Access date: 27 October 2014) ** Bakoko (–1901), Prince of Mohéli **

(

, 1 November 1874 –

Pesmes Pesmes () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of ...

Haute-Saône Haute-Saône (; Frainc-Comtou: ''Hâte-Saône''; English: Upper Saône) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of northeastern France. Named after the river Saône, it had a population of 235,313 in 2019.

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, 7 August 1964), Sultana of Mohéli (1888–1909), married at

to French gendarme

Camille Paule Camille Paule (1 March 1867 – 22 September 1946) was the husband of Salima Machamba, List of sultans on the Comoros, sultan (queen) of Mohéli (Mwali) (1901–1909). He was a French gendarme. Life He was born on 1 March 1867 in Pesmes.See Nivois ...

(

, 1 March 1867 – Champagney, Jura, 22 September 1946) on 28 August 1901, and she had three children

Early life

Reign

Children

References

Further reading