The Martyrdom of King Radama II and Malagasy Religious Conflict

Record summary

The overthrow and killing of Madagascar’s King Radama II in 1863, followed by religious and political reaction, generated competing accounts involving royal ritual, Christian influence, sorcery accusations, and sacred authority. This episode is valuable for comparing possession-like or occult explanations with documented struggles over monarchy, conversion, and factional power. It is identifiable through Radama II, Queen Rasoherina, and contemporary missionary histories. The surviving narratives disagree about motives and details, and later European writers often interpreted Malagasy politics through religious stereotypes.