Ra Ra Ra Ranavalona!

Queen Ranavalona I of Madagascar was responsible for the deaths of 1/3 of her people during her reign,  through a series of campaigns to avoid Westernization. This Queen of Madagascar will go down in history for her bloody reign.

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Matthew: 0:00

Macabrepedia makes light of dark subject matters and may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

Marissa: 0:20

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. From humble beginnings run of Alona would go from the daughter of a commoner to the sovereign queen of a nation through luck or a trick of fate. Many people put her in an honorable place in history because of how she was able to successfully stave off European colonization in the 19th century, and how she was able to maintain her country's independence. But others have to ask, at what cost known to history as both runnable Loana the cruel and the Mad Queen of Madagascar. Queen random Ilona. The first was responsible for the deaths of somewhere between a third and a half of the people on her island during her rule. As the years progressed, she became more and more unhinged, something that can be seen as her punishments and executions became crueler, and crueler. This queen did many things, both great and terrible. Join us as we add another entry into this our Macabrepedia.

Matthew: 1:35

Hello, and welcome to Macabrepedia marriage of true crime in the truly bizarre we are your hosts, Matthew and Marissa. And today we will be taking a trip to

Marissa: 1:50

Madagascar. Oh,

Matthew: 1:53

wonderful.

Marissa: 1:54

Yes, Madagascar is the world's second largest island country and actually has about 220,000 square miles. So for reference, the US state of Texas has about 268,000 square miles. So it's a bit smaller, but not by that much.

Matthew: 2:09

What's the biggest Australia?

Marissa: 2:11

No, it's a continent.

Matthew: 2:14

I know kinda just the biggest island. Most of time. Europe's not but

Marissa: 2:21

so anyway, this main island of Madagascar has different climates in different parts. It has tropical along coastlines in the South. It has an arid, Atmos like atmosphere. So it's more desert like and then fairly temperate inland so it has kind of all over the place.

Matthew: 2:36

Madagascar is like southern most it's like

Marissa: 2:40

Southeast of Africa, Africa. Mainland. Yeah. So

Matthew: 2:44

it's

Marissa: 2:45

often called paradise on earth because of its climate. This is the setting in which we're exploring history this week with Crete Queen rent of Ilona, and it's entirely possible I will mess up her name at some point or somebody else's name in this so apologies if I do. I did make an effort. So we'll see what happens

Matthew: 3:03

when we always try to make an effort. We always screw it up.

Marissa: 3:06

So Queen random Ilona. Her long name. I'm going to try this. You might have to cut it because it might be embarrassing.

Matthew: 3:16

Oh, no, it's embarrassing. We're definitely leaving it.

Marissa: 3:19

Robidoux Andrey Jana point Marina. I think very long.

Matthew: 3:25

It's quite a few like cultural things. It feels like it's both a bit of Spanish. A little bit of Slavic in there. I don't know. I have absolutely

Marissa: 3:36

no idea. I won't talk about that because I don't know. But they are cool names and they are some of them are quite long. But anyway, random alone is really what she goes by. She also went by Remo at some point. But random Ilona. She ruled the kingdom Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. She actually had a fairly long reign. Queen Rania Valona was born in 1778, the daughter of a tribesmen and servant of the king of Madagascar at the time his name was King and Andrew Jana point a marina. So Adriana pointer Marina was the king at the time and random Ilona is father learned of an assassination plot to kill him. It was going to be from the Kings uncle. So he was trying to kill him. And so Renovage Mona's father, who found out about this and told the king, and because of this, he was rewarded. So at this point in history, Madagascar was watched and wanted by many colonial powers who wanted to control it. Britain wanted it because it was an important kind of bridge to India, where it was located. France wanted it because they already owned some islands that were nearby, and they wanted to add Madagascar to the collection. And King Andrea Anna pointed Marina, he wanted Madagascar to remain independent, but he was also interested in learning more about the world beyond the borders from these Westerners.

Matthew: 4:58

Right. This is When he just said it was a bunch of colonial things in there, and I said that the name sounded like they were, I don't

Marissa: 5:04

know how much of it. I don't know how much it impacted their culture. Before this. I don't know

Matthew: 5:08

that that name sounds like it came over with some colonial influence.

Marissa: 5:12

I have no idea. I have no idea. But basically, he he was he was very interested in the Westerners. A lot of this is the reason for a lot of the conflict that is to come. Because there were some changes that occurred in Madagascar from welcoming welcoming these Westerners into the land and attempts at modernization that other people in the country just did not like at all. This was likely part of why his uncle was trying to take throne from in and assassinate him. Sure. So that was the reasoning behind that. But it did not work as he was worn by random alone his father, and in return for saving his life that came in betrothed, his own son and heir Prince for dama to run of Ilona. So this is a definitely a commoner girl, but because of circumstances with her father, she became betrothed to the air of Madagascar.

Matthew: 6:05

Okay, so she's in she's in line because of marriage or marital things. You Yes. Okay.

Marissa: 6:16

So, he declared, The king declared that any child born from these two and their union would be first in line of succession. After Adama would die that this realm is the heir apparent. The king took random Ilona and educated her in the ways of the court, which really set her on her path. From a humble beginning, she left her parents simple life to being like a princess and a palace. So things changed pretty quickly for her. She carried her few possessions with her and became who she would become quite intrigued her and she learned a lot there and executions were fairly commonplace, which really left a mark upon her. And when right of Ilona and Madonna when she was just 22 years old. She had a lot of hope, and in about this relationship, and though she was the highest ranking of the 12 wives, it didn't last long.

Matthew: 7:09

Well, wives, yes. Oh, yeah, that's a lot of podcasts.

Marissa: 7:14

We're probably not going to do 12 podcasts. So

Matthew: 7:16

I'm saying if you had a wife for every podcast,

Marissa: 7:19

yeah, I guess it's 12 podcasts. Well, she was the highest ranking but we're Dhamma really didn't seem to care for her much. So any paid or very little attention is not a loving and happy union. And the surely impacted random Ilona, living in this loveless union. And because of this, she became ever more or maybe not even because of this, but she just was very outspoken person. And she was really, she talked a lot about how she did not like the prince's policies loudly disagreeing with much of what he did. Sudama was a lot like his father and he would welcome foreigners into Madagascar. But random Alona failed to see what these quote greedy foreigners had to offer her people and would gladly say so this just made her diamond like her even less as you can imagine. And so random alone anre dama lost what little love that they had for each other and runnable ova started to seek affection elsewhere taking a lover.

Matthew: 8:15

Oh, that's never good with with men in power.

Marissa: 8:21

No, it's usually not. But in this case it I don't think it really impacted much but we'll see. Okay, so in 1810, this saw Prince for Donald become king or dama after Adriana appointed Marina died. So the Queen disagreed with just about everything she saw her husband do and she loudly said so. And after he became king, this Metro Dhamma allowed more and more foreigners into the country looking to westernize the style of his people. He let Protestant submission Protestant missionaries into the country who set up schools and spread Christian ideas. And this whole time, Queen Renova Lova is watching helplessly seeing Christianity take root, which is a major threat to her own gods. Who are the old gods and Madagascar. In 1828, Ridhima fell ill the island was thrown into turmoil because with the king dangerously Ill Ill who was going to take over if he died to Queen. Okay, so the union of predominant and random Alona had not produced produced an air which was supposed to be the line of succession. So, the king Adriana pointed Marina had declared that after Redonda died, then his son by this union would take over that was the original agreement. Sure, but they had no sons and no children. And so, what was going to happen? By Madagascan custom, random Ilona herself had a claim to the throne. And if she were to rule and had a son, even with another man, then after Redonda died, that son would be rightful king.

Matthew: 9:56

That seems like I mean, it makes sense, I guess. Yeah. Not a specific bloodline, but it's still from that union. Right? I mean, I feel like that was still work. It's kind of the way would still work if that was ever a situation. Right? And like, European style, monarchy?

Marissa: 10:15

Yeah, I would guess it would be a different wife would have

Matthew: 10:18

a different would never, I would never be in that position. Like, unless there was not really another choice, right. But then, but then it would continue. Like if like, you know, Mary, or somebody or Queen Elizabeth had had a child, that child would have had

Marissa: 10:31

the If married, had a child, then that child would have succeeded rather than Elizabeth for sure. Right in England.

Matthew: 10:38

So that's not that far off of what it would be, but it's okay.

Marissa: 10:44

But because of this, this was another reason to act now, because she would be seen as a threat if another relative were to be named heir after her dama because she had this claim this is having an English courts and all kinds of courts. If you see a rival who has a claim to the throne, sometimes they take them out just to prevent future issues. Yeah, you know,

Matthew: 11:03

no, no, no, no, no, no.

Marissa: 11:06

Exactly. So King Rama died, and random Ilona lucked out. Luckily for her as it turns out, she was pretty mean not listen to me.

Matthew: 11:15

She liked that because he died.

Marissa: 11:17

While she didn't like him that much. But that's not why she locked out. She locked out because two of her Damas officers decided to keep the king's death a secret until they could place Prince raka Toby who was the nephew of the king on the throne. Okay, so so the other contender,

Matthew: 11:34

he has other people in the lineage, okay?

Marissa: 11:36

Yes. But he's his nephew. So random alone. His lover overheard them talking about this and flew to tell her. He told her all about this scheme. So while the princess supporters slept, she organized her own supporters to carry out a coup. She had the support of the priests. So she claimed that she enjoyed the blessing and approval of the Madagascar jaw, the gods. She had the support of two generals from the Marine Marina army who approved of her traditional views. Was she trying to keep out all Westerners through whom she had many troops that were marshaled to take the palace? Okay, and they did. And once they took it, ran of Alona announced that she was going to be crowned as sovereign and if anybody has a problem with that they should speak now or forever hold their peace

Matthew: 12:28

so for all those that a quote that's a specific more

Marissa: 12:30

or less what happened four officers stepped forward and pledged their support for the prince instead. So they don't do that. Don't do that. And they were

Matthew: 12:42

you're gonna instantly put your you're gonna die like right then almost certainly

Marissa: 12:47

they definitely did they were all killed by spears. Yeah, immediately. Yeah, who

Matthew: 12:51

who's against me? i As you just saw I'm willing to murder my way to the throne. Anybody against me? Me, dummy. Why did you? Did you not see how I got here to begin with? Somebody killed that guy. I know. So now they're all now these four generals have been speared? In the court?

Marissa: 13:12

Yeah, officers, but yeah, sure. So August 1 1828. Random alone. I see a bunch of conflicting reports here, but for sake of clarity, I'm just gonna say she was 46 years old. Some say she was in her 30s I don't know. She hosts an elaborate ceremony where she ascended to the throne. Proudly pledging allegiance to her people. She said, quote, never say she's only a feeble and ignorant woman. How can she rule such a vast empire? I will rule here to the good fortune of my people in the glory of my name. I will worship no gods, but those of my ancestors, the ocean shall be a boundary of my realm, and I will not cede the thickness of one hair of my realm. Just in case you had any doubt she's like, Nah, we're not going to be talking to these foreigners that much my island you're not taking it from me. Random Luna wasted little time killing Prince raka Toby's supporters. She wiped out his entire bloodline. This is the nephew in a series of agonizing deaths, ensuring that they could not pose a threat in the future. She even locked his mother away until she slowly starve to death.

Matthew: 14:17

Oh, okay. Well, that's a Yeah, okay.

Marissa: 14:20

She watched from her royal balcony taking what some noted as sadistic pleasure in the executions.

Matthew: 14:27

I mean, so it's a good way to you know, silence your your your naysayers. Yeah. When you just go up there and you're like, Nah, nothing sacred. Like I will. I will tell you to remind your whole your whole line back to back to the beginning will be utterly destroyed. That that sends a message.

Marissa: 14:52

It did. It definitely did. And it pretty much cemented her power. And so now she is the queen. She's been the Queen But you know, she

Matthew: 15:01

recognized as the monarch. Yes. So I'm trying to I'm trying to like, this is my, this is my Western ignorance. I'm trying to figure out like, I'm trying to put a mental picture to this. And every time that I'm doing this, I keep I keep having like, the the, like the architecture be very European. And I feel like I shouldn't be thinking because she she wouldn't appreciate that I don't think and I feel like it wouldn't be as European as I'm, as I'm, as I'm picturing in my head.

Marissa: 15:31

Well, I, I mean, I can't speak much about architecture, because I don't know too much about it. But I've seen pictures of the palace during her time and I mean, it's somewhat reminiscent of Greek architecture. It's not it's not really but it's to me it has a little bit of like, a temple vibe, some of it she has columns and stuff. You can look up pictures of what it used to look like,

Matthew: 15:53

oh, I have to so I can paint a better mental picture of of this scene. Because I mean, I just tried to put myself right there smelled smelled blood. See the gleeful appearance of the of the Queen looking down upon the gore. You don't have to wait for me to look up a pig.

Marissa: 16:21

Random Ilona gave birth to a son by her lover and Adriana Maharaja. And he had always supported her role. He was pretty supportive. She actually, like raised him up to the First Minister later on. But this was about 11 months after her husband Retama had died. And this child was not accepted as the next heir in line to the throne, so she didn't waste a lot of time and getting her next heir. And thus her reign began which would last from 1828 to 1861. She wrote from her palace, which was perched on a cliff top which overlooked the village of 1000 villages. And during her reign, the people random Ilona was ruling would be subjected to numerous crucifixions, beheadings, skinning, alive, burning. There were many tortures and awful things that happened during her role. And this was so common that it became part of daily life. Oh, yeah, I mean, she expelled the European merchants and teachers, diplomats, everybody who was European basically, with all of the trade deals that were with Britain and France immediately cancelled. After one successful battle against an invasion, she slipped the heads of Europeans stuck them on pikes and lined them on the beaches as a way to tell for foreign unfazed invaders. This is what I'm going to do if you come in here. And she banned Christianity. And she said that whoever breaks the law of my kingdom will be put to death, whoever he may be. And she meant it. And her lover, Adriana Maharaja, he she loved him a great deal. Like she was pretty, I guess vicious towards a lot of people. But toward him, she had a very soft heart. And, you know, as I said, She raised him to First Minister, and he was confident enough about this, that he became outspoken about things that random Alona was against. So he was very for modernization and foreign influence coming in.

Matthew: 18:16

What was what's her lover's name?

Marissa: 18:19

Andrea Adriana? Maharsha.

Matthew: 18:21

Adriana as a as a physician that's like It's like saying, like Noble or Lord apparently

Marissa: 18:31

I do see some patterns where some parts of the names overlap so I can imagine

Matthew: 18:36

it's like a title it's like calling him like count or something.

Marissa: 18:40

Yeah, I mean, the king was Andrea on appointed Marina. So

Matthew: 18:43

yeah, that's, that's it's it's a position thing. They don't all just say share the same names. And also, everything looks very European. Yeah, everything I'm going through, it looks like that. It was pretty pretty thickly entrenched in European style of dress and architecture.

Marissa: 19:00

Didn't have Europeans for a while. So they definitely had some influence. There's no doubt about that. before this all happened.

Matthew: 19:06

I mean, they made it their own a little bit from what I'm seeing.

Marissa: 19:11

And the Queen's a traditionalist allies accused her lover Adriana Maharaja of treason, because he was talking, you know, for things that were for foreign influence and for stuff like that, which she was very much against. Sure. And so they demanded that he take place in this thing called a 10 Gaina or trial by ordeal. Oh, yeah, yes. though. Yes. During this trial, the accused was forced to eat three pieces of chicken skin that had been robbed with powder from the poisonous tango in a plant. Alright, so if they regurgitated all three pieces of this chicken scan together, they were innocent. It actually this kind of like smacks of Salem witch trials in some ways, but if not, they were guilty and sentenced to death, even if they had survived ingesting the poison which they may not which came from the 10 Ganesh shrub I'm running alone. I heard about this plan but she didn't want to put him through this ordeal. She didn't actually think he would survive. So instead she banished him to kind of soothe her ministers. She showed a soft spot or otherwise dark and twisted rain.

Matthew: 20:13

Well, she's so I mean, she's still a lady. She's the loves.

Marissa: 20:18

However, a few months later, she heard that Andrea Malhotra was sleeping with a younger woman with royal blood while in exile. And this was too much. No

Matthew: 20:28

he can't now you have made it out the first time I do. Yeah. Now you don't messed up

Marissa: 20:33

too much. She was furious with him and she sentenced him to death. And thus her heart hardened further. And an 1845 Random Ilona. She actually ordered 1000s of her people to go on a buffalo hunt. There were like 50,000 people in this group. They took some supplies and they were ordered to build a road on their way to help their travel. Sure, whatever. The road construction was across jungles and caused the death of many people. However, the group progressed regardless of their misery. And the buffalo hunt lasted about four months, during which 10,000 people died from exhaustion, starvation, and malaria was not a single buffalo being killed.

Matthew: 21:17

I was gonna say are there even buffalo buffalo is to be found there.

Marissa: 21:20

I didn't look that up. That'd be funny if it was

Matthew: 21:25

there. Well, you have to like the Find a go find me a unicorn.

Marissa: 21:32

Others would be dipped in boiling water, or oil, boiling oil or tied with ropes and burned alive. She would place others into coffins. And Emir them. And some are buried into holes with dirt showered upon them while they were alive. I mean, she classics. Yeah. So during this time, right of aloneness, isolationism was really not helping things much. It was access to the Westerners that they really needed for stuff like superior weaponry and engineering skills that they just didn't have. And they were really lacking in your ability to repel their invaders because they were so just they weren't able to match them and technology. Sure. As if an answer to her needs. A man washes up on Madagascar shores in 1832 that it really is kind of crazy. This guy's perfect for what she needed. Okay. Yeah. So Frenchmen. John Laborde had been traveling aboard and indeed, around the Indian Ocean. He was looking for sunken treasure. He was a treasure hunter sure when a storm came and it smashed his ship on some rocks. So he washed up on shore on a beautiful Madagascan Beach,

Matthew: 22:41

like literally washed up on shore literally was on a boat or nothing like we're talking Robinson Caruso.

Marissa: 22:49

And luckily, he was near lands that belonged to a French plantation owner named de la Estelle, who knew just what to do about him, that it really kind of seems faded in a way of all the places he could have washed up, hoping to get favor with the queen Dayla Estelle nurse Laborde back to health and then sent a message to the Queen about this young Frenchman who was a skilled weapons maker. Random Alana was elated at this, of course, and she sent for Laborde at once convinced that this was fate dealing her hand. And I can't argue with her because it kind of seems like it seems Yeah. Unknown to Laborde, there was a legend that predicted that a white man would be shipwrecked on the shore and then would marry a king's daughter and roll the island with fairness and wisdom.

Matthew: 23:37

Why is this? Why is Why is there always that that same thing that undid the Aztecs? Yeah,

Marissa: 23:43

I don't know that

Matthew: 23:44

they ever believe have never never by the white savior height that has never it has never worked out for civilization.

Marissa: 23:52

I mean, it's it's an interesting little law. I can't think today I mean, it's interesting little little story to this, but he didn't actually end up doing that so I don't know.

Matthew: 24:02

Yeah, well, cuz prophecies don't aren't real. Yeah.

Marissa: 24:06

So he he did however, have a huge impact on the nation's future. He established factories to produce cannons muskets gunpowder iron copper still, this guy knew his stuff I was gonna say that the young but he knew a lot of some

Matthew: 24:21

shit to be able to fix I was gonna say like, yeah you like at what point in this in his weapon creation stuff was he liked the guy who put barrels on the on the guns or this dude knew everything from smelting down to

Marissa: 24:34

ah, it really kind of seems like he did because I don't know if he got any help. But there weren't a lot of Europeans left on Madagascar at this point. So yeah, and so this kind of ensured that Ireland's independence could be maintained as I get produced weapons to repel the British and French invaders. Laborde was a young charming man and he became a personal favorite of run of Lunas, which made it easy for her to look past his background, you know, as a European Yeah,

Matthew: 25:00

get rid of all the Europeans. I mean, they're super helpful ready, willing to help us also get rid of European

Marissa: 25:07

Yeah. He was even appointed as young prince were kowtows personal tutor Ricardo is actually her son. I don't know if I said that but Makoto is your son. So he was appointed as Ricardo is personal tutor and rather Willinger knots he was likely run up alunos lover also.

Matthew: 25:24

This became where her son come from.

Marissa: 25:27

Now I told you she had a son 11 months after her husband died, and Makoto and Laborde actually really had a close friendship as he was tutoring him. And this kind of started to unsettle the traditionalists who weren't very happy with this European coming in of course,

Matthew: 25:43

yeah, you have Yeah, you're trying to get rid of European influence and then you're gonna have your kid taught by European Yeah, come on.

Marissa: 25:49

I know. So good look, yeah, random Ilona love to dramatic scenes showing her ruling the Empire and occupying the same heavenly stratosphere as the Madagascan Gods one major ritual. So she had a bunch of rituals, but one major ritual that she concocted was the Queen's bath, which was part of the new year's festival. This was based on an older custom that was like washing away the sins of the population. Right. But she didn't she changed it for her own interests. She created this to make her seat herself seem more Godlike. She was referred to her subjects as referred to by her subject as Madhu, or my god, which definitely seems French. During this ritual, the Queen herself would take a public bath on her balcony, she would stand on the balcony with a crimson cloak, drape Tibet draped about her. And then her attendants would carry her behind the screen. And sounds a splashing could be heard at this point when she was taking a bath. And the light burning in the Queen's room was the only light anywhere all the other lights in the city were extinguished. So you know your eyes were supposed to be trained on this balcony and then she

Matthew: 26:56

does shadow puppetry. Yeah,

Marissa: 26:58

she probably knows maybe she did. But no, she would emerge with an ivory tusks that was filled with bath water from her bath and she would then pour this off the balcony spraying the huge crowd that would come from miles around to watch this so she's cleansing them of their sins whether you bath bath water use

Matthew: 27:17

bath water you know you there's there's a market for that still these days.

Marissa: 27:21

There's a market for a lot of stuff you

Matthew: 27:24

ain't got to be a queen it could just be some I

Marissa: 27:27

don't know some influencers sell their farts or something stupid yeah, there's

Matthew: 27:30

there's influencers that sell their bathwater literally.

Marissa: 27:34

Hey, hey, go Yeah,

Matthew: 27:37

if that needs to be sorted, put on Patreon. If you like my bathwater, we can. We can we can figure that out.

Marissa: 27:44

So meanwhile, random Ilona turned her attention to slavery. She followed the tradition of phantom Poiana, which is forced labor labor in place of tax payments and money or goods. She hoped to kind of boost the economy of Madagascar by selling slaves, usually from other ethnic groups within the country, especially those of black African origin, she would sell them to other countries. When the British abolished slavery and freed all of their slaves in 1834, she announced that no one was to follow Christianity which describes slavery as barbaric. She was always very against Christianity, but this was another reason. And for random, Ilona, this because this involved a brutal labor conditions, staying way away from your own home malnutrition, which would cause death. These people were considered traitors, victims of war non taxpayers, or Christians who secretly practice their religion. These people could all be sold into slavery. If they didn't die. Random Alona conducted a purge to wipe out the so called traitors who would ally with her enemies. And over time, the Queen became increasingly paranoid, and used in him inhumane trials for even minor offenses. She even made her disgraced subjects lick her feet, which she covered in a bright pink poisonous powder. I mean, this is just a degradation in her sanity in a lot of ways.

Matthew: 29:09

Yeah. I mean, I guess it's only poisonous if you ingest it rather than just subjecting your your feet to it for a long time.

Marissa: 29:21

Yeah, that's what I'm guessing she didn't. She didn't die from itself and maybe

Matthew: 29:25

because of the maybe cause a little bit of irritation more I'm thinking a little bit of a Oh, Insanity, insanity. Mercury.

Marissa: 29:35

Laborde, meanwhile, who was not super keen on this persuaded her son, Prince Makoto to write to the French government, asking them to take over and seek sovereignty of the island and to install Rikolto as ruler. But the French were occupied elsewhere with a bunch of wars and stuff. And so they didn't really have a particular interest in Madagascar at that time, so they ignored the plea. Wherever Luna was unaware of this plot I'm more interested at the time in repelling Western ideas and destroying Christianity. So she was pretty much preoccupied. She didn't really notice this going on under her nose. In 1857, she continued with this and launched a more savage persecution than before targeting the Europeans who lived on the island at first, but then moving on to our own people. Christianity was there to stay, as the previous missionaries had done a great job at teaching Christianity. And, you know, people just kind of took to it.

Matthew: 30:31

Well, yeah, also Christianity has a built in level of you're going to be persecuted for this. Yeah. So I mean, it makes it by persecuting them and it helps cement it in so

Marissa: 30:42

yeah, and she kept on she encouraged crowds to gather and watch the punishments for those suspected of clinging on to their Christian faith. People were beheaded, boiled alive, thrown from high cliffs on to sharp volcanic rocks. Others were forced to drink poison, which would cause a slow and agonizing death. And when she couldn't eradicate Christianity entirely, her efforts ramped up, the punishments got worse and worse. She went on to annihilate a third, like I said, In the beginning, a third to a half of our entire country's population like this cannot be overstated. This is an insane number of people. I mean, it's really amazing that she didn't get deposed or murdered herself. You know, I mean, this is an

Matthew: 31:24

Yeah, I'm sure she if she's gonna put herself in a position where she's godlike in some ways and stuff like that and making sure that it doesn't seem like she's hesitates in the slightest to taking out any rivals. It sounds to me like she's building up a, an army of zealots around her, you know, that would keep her pretty well safe. Yeah, absolutely.

Marissa: 31:46

She had the support of the traditionalists. The priests, you know, everybody who was around her fully supported her.

Matthew: 31:53

So as well, they also help her probably come up with these ideas too. Yeah. And

Marissa: 31:57

there were attempted coups, which did leave a mark on her but they weren't successful. Well, there was one by her lover, her favorite Laborde and fellow Frenchman John Francois Lambert, I mean, this is not the first one they attempted, but this one this one's more important. So they had plotted with another with another visiting explorer whose name was Pfeiffer, Ida Pfeiffer and Laborde is old plantation friend remember the guy he'd washed up on his on his at his beach de la Estelle. So these guys all were kind of conspiring to place prints for Koto on the throne. However, they had some breakdowns in their communication and never quite came to fruition, and then spent days after their, you know, attempt trying to figure out if she knew had she uncovered the plot, or were they safe? They wanted to know they wanted to know what would happen if she knew they knew her well enough to know probably not great. However, the Queen seemed unusually cheerful. So they began to relax a little bit. They figured, oh, maybe we're okay.

Matthew: 33:02

Yeah, she's happy because she found a plot. She's like, Oh, I'm gonna bake these dudes into pies. What? Let's go.

Marissa: 33:09

Yes. So she demanded that all of the Europeans gather in the marketplace.

Matthew: 33:15

I would know why that people even stayed on this. I don't know what in the hell?

Marissa: 33:21

No, no, it's not that easy to get off of it and can sometimes in some cases, but anyway, turns out random Alona had in fact uncovered the plots, but she intended to merely banish them rather than kill them. So the men set out on a seven day journey to the coast or a ship waited to take them away. What was supposed to be seven days actually ended up being 53 days. Because on the way there, they were deliberately slowed down by the Queen's men. And the Europeans in the group began to die off one by one victims of hunger and fever. I mean, it wasn't a great show. She

Matthew: 33:54

can't wait, wait. So she calls all the Europeans to her house. Yes, this works on all on a boat.

Marissa: 34:01

While she tells them they have to be they're gonna be banished, right. So they're the ones who then take off to go to this boat on shore, which is going to be a seven day journey

Matthew: 34:10

across land to the ship or to the ship. Yeah,

Marissa: 34:13

yeah. But this, the journey doesn't take seven days. It takes 53 days, because her men keep trying to sabotage then, okay. I went between ambush and sabotage like eight times, sorry. So this is this is what she was trying to do. I mean, she was trying to do but she was also quite successful at stopping them, and a lot of ways. I mean, lista de la Estelle Laborde and Pfeiffer did actually make it to the ship eventually. So these three didn't make it. They were exhausted by the time that they got there, but they didn't make it. Pfeiffer, however, who was the Explorer died a few months later from fever that had contracted during this time. So it was probably malaria. The Queen it turned out had devised a way to get rid of the Europeans and teach them a lesson while also Making sure that the foreign powers could not hold her directly responsible for their deaths or demand justice directly from her.

Matthew: 35:08

Okay, so that's why she was just kind of like harassing them while they were going as opposed to just being like,

Marissa: 35:13

just directly killing them. Gotcha.

Matthew: 35:14

Gotcha. Gotcha below. Man. There's buffalo out there. I can't speak for them buffalo you know, you know how wily they get.

Marissa: 35:22

When the Europe with the Europeans Golan, she continued to persecute the Christians and her nation being worse and worse in her savagery free free from even the judgmental foreign eyes who were there before. Each year became worse and worse. And never really stopped. So random Alana, she did die eventually, though,

Matthew: 35:42

as most humans do.

Marissa: 35:44

She died in her sleep on August 15 1861.

Matthew: 35:48

justice served.

Marissa: 35:49

Yeah, I know, right. This says she was 79 years old. Again, a little bit of discrepancy on the ages. But yeah, again, she had wiped out so much of her population between 20 and 30,000 people died every year of her reign. And that's a lot of people. That's a lot of people. She had, however, successfully resisted colonization for the last three decades of her reign. So she was successful in that way at least. Yeah, she also really

Matthew: 36:17

depending on how you measure success.

Marissa: 36:19

Yeah, exactly. But

Matthew: 36:21

coast is full of Frenchmen regardless.

Marissa: 36:25

Her savagery, anger and madness really characterized her reign and later years worse, but it was it was there the whole time. Actually, at her funeral, a spark ignited an explosion that killed 1000s of people and destroyed nearby Boyle buildings.

Matthew: 36:39

Yeah, she's still still got still got one more.

Marissa: 36:42

She still got her bang. People mourned her death in great honor for about nine months. I mean, she wasn't it wasn't just a complete. Yeah, I'm so glad she's gone. It was it was some morning involved as well. The aftermath rituals involved slaughtering the animals and distributing the meats to the people. And her son Prince rocoto, then became king Makoto. And he withdrew most of his mother's policies, putting it into the persecutions. He rolled for six years, until he was assassinated. And the new queen came to power. And her she was a Christian. And her name was Ron Ilona, the second but she was a Christian. So, you know, you can imagine random Alana The first was turning over in her grave. Some claim that she had been demonized since she was a strong female ruler. And she certainly was more successful than most rulers of her time, like in resisting colonization, because a lot of times, they weren't very successful in their their country fell to that. But she did maintain her country's independence. And so I'm, you know, good for her on that one, I guess. But reports from explorers who had come to the island actually support the idea that she if she had been Queen much longer, she would have eradicated nearly the entire population of the island. And maybe she would have, she was certainly insane by the end of her reign, which may explain some of it. She persisted until the end with the belief that she was Madagascar Savior, and will be elevated to the status of God. But it's not really in dispute that she committed genocide against her own people. I mean, she claimed to love them and she tried to she was saying she was trying to protect them, but then she murdered so many of them. So this is Ron Ilona. Good and bad. I

Matthew: 38:31

guess. I don't see a lot of good.

Marissa: 38:34

She was able to resist colonization that was big. But yeah,

Matthew: 38:39

yeah, no, no, it but good. I don't think it's good. Like I mean, like sure I'm, this is not this is not a matter of like, arguing for one culture over another or anything, but the way I mean, this is very much ends and means justification. And I don't know, I don't know if just being like, well, there's an AI killed everyone on the island. So no one's being converted anymore. That's not necessarily good.

Marissa: 39:06

Yeah, I mean, I don't know. She was successful doing that, that that. But I mean, that's all I can give to her because she was definitely like a very cruel and evil woman. So I don't know. But anyway, that is Queen runable. Ona and hopefully I didn't butcher these names too bad. Anyway, I think we have McCobb minutes.

Matthew: 39:25

Yeah, this week's McCobb minute comes. Inspired by our recent the recent release of Neil Gaiman's Sandman. on Netflix, there is a character who is in there who is known as Fiddler's Green. And we had to edit that because Marissa just gave a spoiler for the show. This is not supposed to be a spoiler for the show. Sorry. It is recently released. This isn't like

Marissa: 40:00

It wasn't that big of a spoiler but it's

Matthew: 40:02

it's a pretty big spoiler you know that the you know the sources anyways, Fiddler's Green is a character in Neil Gaiman's Sandman. And he the name Fiddler's Green is from a maritime its maritime folklore that the Fiddler's Green is a place where the Fiddler's always there's always a fiddler playing and it's a place where dancers never tire and it's kind of like endless shore leaves but it's like the afterlife for sailors nice and then it but

Marissa: 40:41

there's no water I'm sorry and it's not on the water no man shore

Matthew: 40:47

leave okay well surely if you don't want to be on a boat you sit on a boat all the damn I want to be not on the boat. Nice beautiful green pastures I don't know there are there are a lots of pieces of literature and cinema and whatnot that were that referenced this but it's not something that's like I've been in my experience as somebody who knows a lot of snippets of folklore it was never said the one when they said Fiddler's Green I never realized what that was but in trigger a memory free Yeah. And then later well, the from that sailors folklore then also is a belief that like if enough people believe in one particular thing that it becomes reality, like kind of in that same theme of the dreaming and whatnot. But that's not that McCobb other than it being a you know, an afterlife kind of a thing. But there is a Calvary mins poem called Fiddler's Green are entitled Fiddler's Green. It was published in the US Army's cavalry journal in 1923. And it became associated with the First Cavalry Division and this poem is halfway down the trail to hell. In a shady meadow green are the souls of all dead troopers camped near a good old time canteen, and this eternal resting place is known as Fiddler's Green, marching past straight through to hell the infantry are seen accompanied by engineers, artillery and marine, for none but the shades of Calvary men dismount at Fiddler's Green, though some go curving down the trail to seek a warmer scene. No Trooper ever gets to hell. Here he's emptied his canteen, and so rides back to drink again with friends at Fiddler's Green. And so when man and horse go down beneath a saber keen, or in a roaring charge, fierce melee, you stop a bullet clean and the hostiles come to get your scalp. Just empty your canteen and put your pistol to your head and go to Fiddler's Green.

Marissa: 43:12

Oh, that's quite McCobb.

Matthew: 43:15

Yeah. Basically says don't surrender, you ain't gonna go to Hell, no matter what you do. cavalrymen. But interesting. That was one that was something that I stumbled upon and trying to research Fiddler's Green. But I figured that was pretty, pretty grim.

Marissa: 43:30

That's a good one. Yeah.

Matthew: 43:33

And that'll do it for this week's entry. Thank you, as always for joining us. And you can support the show over on Patreon if you so like, if you like what we do here. We have recently taken the psychopathy test on there, which some people seem to enjoy and take along with us. reports that I am clearly the most psychotic of, well, we knew that other people were in a nice way. But But yeah, so you can go over there. It's $5 supports the show. We thank you greatly for all of you who listen. And for those who support us. You can also reach us on Twitter and Facebook at Macabrepedia.

Marissa: 44:17

And we're also on Instagram at Macabrepediapod at gmail. Sorry, we're on we're on Instagram at Macabrepediapod. And you can also reach us at Macabrepediapod gmail.com. And of course you can leave us a review. Podcast argument. No, I can't.

Matthew: 44:34

Of course you can, you know leave give us five star review and whatever. But you have to comment. Well if it's available like Apple allows you to comment. That is how the algorithm picks us up. You can say whatever you want in those reviews, leave five stars and a comment and you can say whatever you like about me and when you can also let me know what your if you take the psychopathy test and let us know what your score was. So I can really actually feel a little a little crazier. But anyways, thank you so very much and join us next week as we add another entry into this our Macabrepedia