Field Marshal Rainiharo (died on 18 October 1852 in Rabodomiarana) was from 1833 to 1852 prime minister of the

Kingdom 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 ...

Biography

Rainiharo was born as ''Ravoninahitriniarivo'' into the Hova (freeman) class of the

Merina The Merina people (also known as the Imerina, Antimerina, or Hova) are the largest ethnic group in Madagascar.Merina ...

people in the central highlands of Madagascar. His father, Andriantsilavonandriana, served as an adviser to the king

Andrianampoinimerina Andrianampoinimerina () (1745–1810) ruled the Kingdom of Imerina on Madagascar from 1787 until his death. His reign was marked by the reunification of Imerina following 77 years of civil war, and the subsequent expansion of his kingdom into n ...

. After distinguishing himself as a military officer in a series of campaigns of pacification in the southeastern part of the island, he was chosen as a spouse by Queen Ranavalona I following the death of her first husband in 1833, and was thereupon promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the military and

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 ...

.Madagascar prime ministers
rulers.org, accessed 15 August 2008 He retained these roles until his death in 1853,
accessed 15 August 2008 when he was interred in a distinctive tomb constructed in central

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 ...

by Frenchman

Jean Laborde Jean Laborde (16 October 1805 in Auch - 27 December 1878 in Mantasoa, Madagascar) was an adventurer and early industrialist in Madagascar. He became the chief engineer of the Merina monarchy, supervising the creation of a modern manufacturing cent ...

. This tomb would later hold the bodies of Rainiharo's two sons,

Rainivoninahitriniony Rainivoninahitriniony (1824–1868), was Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Madagascar between 1852 and 1864. He was the chief engineer of the Aristocratic Revolution initialized upon the attempted assassination of King Radama II. His excesses and ...

and

Rainilaiarivony Rainilaiarivony (30 January 1828 – 17 July 1896) was a Malagasy politician who served as the prime minister of Madagascar from 1864 to 1895, succeeding his older brother Rainivoninahitriniony, who had held the post for thirteen years. His ...

, who would each succeed him as Commander-in-Chief, Prime Minister and consort. He was buried in Fasan-dRainiharo, Isoraka.

Literary

Rainiharo is mentioned in ''The Fugitives'' by

R. M. Ballantyne Robert Michael Ballantyne (24 April 1825 – 8 February 1894) was a Scottish author of juvenile fiction, who wrote more than a hundred books. He was also an accomplished artist: he exhibited some of his water-colours at the Royal Scottish Acade ...

.The Fugitives
, R.M.Ballantyne, athelstane.co.uk

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rainiharo Year of birth missing 1852 deaths Prime Ministers of Madagascar Merina people