Binao facts for kids
Binao (1867–1927) was an important queen of the Sakalava people in Madagascar. She ruled from 1881 to 1927. Binao was the granddaughter of King Andriantsoly of the Boina Kingdom. She became queen in 1881 after her mother, Safy Mozongo, passed away. Binao ruled a smaller area on the northwest coast of Madagascar. This area included the island of Nosy Be and a part of the mainland coast nearby. Early in her reign, she faced challenges from the powerful Merina Kingdom on the mainland.
Alliance with France
Binao decided to team up with France. This happened when France got involved in Madagascar's politics during the first Franco-Hova Wars (1883–1885). The war ended with France taking control of Madagascar's foreign policy. This meant France decided how Madagascar would deal with other countries. France also recognized the Merina Kingdom as the main power on the island. This was a big disappointment for Queen Binao.
French Control of Madagascar
Later, in 1894–1895, France launched another military action against the Merina Kingdom. This led to France taking full control of Madagascar. They set up the Malagasy Protectorate. The Merina queen, Ranavalona III, was sent away to French colonies. She first went to Réunion and then to Algeria.
Queen Binao supported France's actions. She also opposed the Menalamba rebellion, which was a fight against French rule a couple of years later. The French then confirmed Binao as the main ruler of Nosy Be. Nosy Be became like a special area within French colonial Madagascar. This was part of France's "politique des races," which was a way to control people by using differences between groups.
Challenges with French Rule
Relations between Queen Binao and the French became much worse in 1918. A serious disagreement came up about forced labor, called corvée. This was part of a traditional practice called fanompoana. During fanompoana, Sakalava people showed respect to their ancestors and loyalty to their queen.
Binao needed French permission to do work on the royal tombs. But she tried to avoid this rule. She sent her request so that it would arrive after the work had already started. Her plan failed. As a result, people who helped with the fanompoana were punished. Queen Binao herself was also punished. She was forced to leave her doany (royal palace). Her half-brother Amada was made to take over her palace. Binao had to live in the town of Hellville (now Andoany). This was a very humiliating blow to her royal power. Amada became king after Binao's death and ruled until 1963.
