Andriana

{{Short description|Historical noble class and title in Madagascar}} {{other uses}}[[File:Radama I, portrait by Ramanankirahina.jpg|thumb|Radama I was from the Andriana strata of Merina people.]] '''Andriana''' ({{IPA|mg|ˈanˌɖʐianə̥}}) was both the noble class and a title of nobility in Madagascar. Historically, many Malagasy ethnic groups lived in highly stratified caste-based social orders in which the Andriana were the highest strata. They were above the Hova (free commoner castes) and Andevo (slaves).<ref>{{cite book|author1=Anthony Appiah|author2=Henry Louis Gates|title=Encyclopedia of Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0XNvklcqbwC |year=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-533770-9|page=104}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last = Ottino | first = Paul | year = 1973 | title = La hiérarchie sociale et l'alliance dans le royaume de Matacassi | journal = Bulletin de l'Académie malgache | volume = IV | issue = 4 | pages = 55, 74 | url = https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_5/b_fdi_06-07/07183.pdf|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=John A. Shoup|title=Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SPBfnT_E1mgC&pg=PA181|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-362-0|page=181}}</ref>

The Andriana strata originally constituted the Merina society's nobility, warrior, and land-owning class.<ref name=gwyn623/> They were endogamous, and their privileges were institutionally preserved.<ref>{{cite book|author=Gwyn Campbell|title=An Economic History of Imperial Madagascar, 1750-1895: The Rise and Fall of an Island Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=13Yt9jLuKzsC&pg=PA120|year=2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-83935-8|pages=120–121}}</ref> While the term and concept of ''Andriana'' is associated with the Merina people of Madagascar, the term is not limited to them. The use of the word "Andriana" to denote nobility occurs among numerous other Malagasy ethnic groups such as the Betsileo, the Betsimisaraka, the Tsimihety, the Bezanozano, the Antambahoaka, and the Antemoro. "Andriana" often traditionally formed part of the names of Malagasy kings, princes, and nobles. Linguistic evidence suggests its origin is traceable back to an ancient Javanese nobility title, although alternate theories have been proposed.

==Etymology== [[File:Andriantsoly.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Andriana is a prefix for the noble strata in many Malagasy ethnic groups, such as Andriantsoly (above) of Sakalava people.]] In Malagasy, the term became ''Rohandryan'' and later ''Roandriana'', mainly used in the Southeastern part of the island among the Zafiraminia, Antemoro, and Antambahoaka ethnic groups.<ref name="Ottino">{{cite journal | last = Ottino | first = Paul | year = 1973 | title = La hiérarchie sociale et l'alliance dans le royaume de Matacassi | journal = Bulletin de l'Académie malgache | volume = IV | issue = 4 | pages = 53&ndash;89 | url = https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_5/b_fdi_06-07/07183.pdf|language=fr}}</ref> In the central Highlands, among the Merina, Betsileo, Bezanozano, and Sihanaka, the term became ''Randryan'' and later ''Randriana'' or simply ''Andriana''.<ref name="Callet">{{cite book | last = Callet | first = F. | year = 1908 | title = Tantara ny Andriana (Histoire des rois) | publisher = Imprimerie Catholique}}</ref>

Other proposed etymologies for ''Andriana'' includes the root ''Handrina'', which means "head or forehead" in Malagasy.<ref name="Richardson">{{cite book|author=James Richardson|title=A New Malagasy-English Dictionary|url=https://archive.org/details/anewmalagasyeng01richgoog|year=1885|publisher=London Missionary Society|pages=[https://archive.org/details/anewmalagasyeng01richgoog/page/n110 44], 226}}</ref>

In Madagascar, the name of a Malagasy sovereign, prince, or nobleman was often historically composed by placing "Andriana" as a prefix to the remainder of the name. For example, the name of Merina king Andrianampoinimerina is a composite of "Andriana" and "Nampoinimerina", while that of the celebrated Sakalava warrior Andriamisara is formed from "Andriana" and "Misara".{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

In Madagascar today, names beginning with the "Andria" prefix are common. However, unlike in Western cultures, where children automatically inherit the family name of a parent, Malagasy parents are free to choose their child's first and last names as they please. Following the end of the monarchy in Imerina, many parents have chosen to give their children names that include the "Andriana" prefix, despite lacking any family connection to the former aristocracy.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

==History== Austronesian people settled in Madagascar between 200 and 500 CE, arriving by boat from various Southeast Asian regions.<ref>{{cite book|author=Gwyn Campbell|title=An Economic History of Imperial Madagascar, 1750-1895: The Rise and Fall of an Island Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=13Yt9jLuKzsC&pg=PA120|year=2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-83935-8|pages=49–51}}</ref> Mainland Africans began migrating to the island by the 9th century. Portuguese traders were the first Europeans to arrive in the 15th century, soon followed by other European powers.<ref name="Shoup2011p180"/> Andriana in the southeast of the island claim descent from a legendary figure called Darafify.<ref name=":0">{{cite thesis |last=Hooper |first=Jane |title=An Empire in the Indian Ocean: the Sakalava Empire of Madagascar |publisher=Emory University |url=https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/fj2362203?locale=en |year=2010}}</ref>{{Reference page|pages=51-2}}

This influx of diverse people led to various Malagasy sub-ethnicities by the mid-2nd millennium. The Merina were probably the early arrivals, though this is uncertain, and other ethnic groups on Madagascar consider them relative newcomers to the island.<ref>{{cite book|author=Gwyn Campbell|title=David Griffiths and the Missionary "History of Madagascar"|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Va8yAQAAQBAJ |year=2012 |publisher=BRILL Academic|isbn=978-90-04-19518-9|pages=409–410}}</ref> The Merina people's culture likely mixed with the Madagascar natives named ''Vazimba,'' about whom little is known.<ref name="Green1997p16">{{cite book|author=Rebecca L. Green|title=Merina (Madagascar)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z7-0RScquTIC&pg=PA16|year=1997|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8239-1991-8|pages=16–18}}</ref> According to the island's oral traditions, the "most Austronesian looking" Merina people reached the interior of the island in the 15th century. They established their society there because of wars and migrant pressure at the coast.<ref name="LeaRowe2001p258">{{cite book|author1=David Lea|author2=Annamarie Rowe|title=A Political Chronology of Africa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ROR1xreEJTsC&pg=PA258 |year=2001|publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-85743-116-2|page=258}}</ref><ref name="Shillington2013p872">{{cite book|author=Kevin Shillington|title=Encyclopedia of African History 3-Volume Set|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=umyHqvAErOAC&pg=PA872 |year=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-45670-2|pages=872–874}}</ref> Merina people were settled in the central Madagascar and formed one of the three major kingdoms on the island by the 18th century, the other two being the Swahili-Arab influenced Sakalava kingdom in the northwest and the Austronesian Betsimisaraka kingdom in the northeast.<ref name="Shoup2011p180">{{cite book|author=John A. Shoup|title=Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SPBfnT_E1mgC&pg=PA180|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-362-0|pages=180–181}}</ref><ref name=britmerina>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Merina Merina] people, [https://www.britannica.com/place/Madagascar/Ethnic-groups Ethnic Groups of Madagascar], Encyclopædia Britannica</ref>

The term ''Hova'' originally applied to all members of the Merina people who arrived in the central highlands around the 15th century and absorbed the existing population of Vazimba.<ref name="RAISON">Raison-Jourde (1983), ''Les Souverains de Madagascar.'' Karthala Editions, pp. 141–142</ref> Andriamanelo (1540–1575) consolidated the power of the Hova when he united many of the Hova chiefdoms under his rule.<ref>de la Vassière & Abinal (1885), p. 62</ref> The term Hova remained in use through the 20th century. However, some foreigners transliterated that word to be ''Ankova''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Gwyn Campbell|title=David Griffiths and the Missionary "History of Madagascar"|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Va8yAQAAQBAJ |year=2012 |publisher=BRILL Academic|isbn=978-90-04-19518-9|page=410}}</ref>

Beginning in the 16th century, slaves were brought into Madagascar's various kingdoms, and social strata emerged in Merina kingdom. The Hova emerged as the free commoners' caste below the noble's hierarchy. During the rule of King Andriamanelo, a subset of Hova related to the king by blood gained the title ''Andriana''.<ref name = KUS95>{{Cite book | last = Kus | first = Susan | chapter = Sensuous human activity and the state: towards an archaeology of bread and circuses | year = 1995 | title = Domination and Resistance | editor1-last = Miller | editor1-first = Daniel | editor2-last = Rowlands | editor2-first = Michael | location = London | publisher = Psychology Press | isbn = 978-0-415-12254-2 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rQzW77L_GlgC}}, pp. 140–154</ref><ref name="Miller, D 1995">Miller, D. and Rowlands, M. ''Domination and Resistance.'' Psychology Press, 1995.</ref>

===Sub-castes among the Merina=== King Andriamanelo<ref name="Miller, D 1995"/> is credited with establishing the Andriana as a separate class in early Merina society. This class was subdivided into four groups by his son, the King Ralambo<ref name="Raison-Jourde">Raison-Jourde, Françoise. ''Les Souverains de Madagascar.'' Karthala Editions, 1983. {{in lang|fr}}</ref> (1575&ndash;1600):

* ''Andriantompokoindrindra'', the Eldest son of King Ralambo and his direct descendants * ''Andrianamboninolona'', the son of Andriamananitany, brother of King Andriamanelo, and his direct descendants * ''Andriandranando'', the uncle of the King Ralambo and his direct descendants * ''Zanadralambo amin'Andrianjaka'', the other sons of the King Ralambo The descendants of these three princes (Andriantompokoindrindra, Andrianamboninolona and Andriandranando) were called ''Andrianteloray''.

The caste was further divided into six groups by Ralambo's great-great-grandson King Andriamasinavalona<ref name="UNESCO">Ogot, B.A. ''Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century.'' UNESCO, 1992.</ref> (1675&ndash;1710), based on locality and genealogical proximity to the ruling family. The Andriana class was divided again into seven groups by King Andrianampoinimerina (1778–1810). In rank order, these groups were:<ref name=Standing>Standing, H.F. (1885). "The Tribal Divisions of the Hova Malagasy," in ''The Antananarivo Annual and Madagascar Magazine, (3)''12, pp.354&ndash;363.</ref><ref>Revue Mensuelle. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Jp3FAAAAMAAJ&dq=andriana+case+bois+madagascar&pg=PA897 Notes, reconnaissances et explorations, Vol. 4.] Imprimerie officiel de Tananarive, 1898. {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

* ''Zazamarolahy'' (or ''Marolahy''): Direct male descendants of the sovereign; it was from the small, elite sub-group called the ''Zanakandriana'' that the next ruler was selected * ''Andriamasinavalona'': Noble descendants of the four sons of King Andriamasinavalona who were not assigned to rule one of the four sub-divisions of Imerina that had been made the fiefs of his other four sons * ''Andriantompokoindrindra'': Descendants of Andriantompokoindrindra, the eldest son of King Ralambo * ''Andrianamboninolona'' ("Princes Above the People") or ''Zanakambony'' ("Sons Above"): Descendants of those who accompanied King Andrianjaka on his conquest of Antananarivo{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} * ''Andriandranando'' (or ''Zafinandriandranando''): Descendants of the uncle of King Ralambo * ''Zanadralambo amin'Andrianjaka'': Descendants of Ralambo's other children who did not accede to the throne

=== Occupations and privileges === The Andriana caste was originally the source of nobility, and specialized in the rituals and warrior occupations in the Merina society. In the 19th century, when Merina conquered the other kingdoms and ruled most of the island, a much larger army was needed; soldiers in this time were drawn from the Hova caste as well.<ref name=gwyn623>{{cite book|author=Gwyn Campbell|title=David Griffiths and the Missionary "History of Madagascar"|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Va8yAQAAQBAJ |year=2012 |publisher=BRILL Academic|isbn=978-90-04-19518-9|pages=623–624}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last = Ottino | first = Paul | year = 1973 | title = La hiérarchie sociale et l'alliance dans le royaume de Matacassi | journal = Bulletin de l'Académie malgache | volume = IV | issue = 4 | pages = 53–56, 74 | url = https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_5/b_fdi_06-07/07183.pdf|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Gwyn Campbell|title=An Economic History of Imperial Madagascar, 1750-1895: The Rise and Fall of an Island Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=13Yt9jLuKzsC&pg=PA120|year=2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-83935-8|pages=121–123}}</ref>

The Andriana benefited from numerous privileges in precolonial Madagascar. Land ownership in Imerina was reserved for the Andriana class, who ruled over fiefs called ''menakely''. The populace under the rule of an Andriana lord owed him, as well as the king, a certain amount of free labor each year (''fanompoana'') for public works such as the construction of dikes, rice paddies, roads and town walls. Posts of privilege within the government, such as judges or royal advisers, were likewise reserved for certain groups of Andriana.<ref name="Kent">Kent, R.K. "Madagascar and Africa II: The Sakalava, Maroserana, Dady and Tromba before 1700." ''The Journal of African History, 9''(4), 1968, 517&ndash;546.</ref>

The ''valiha'', the national instrument of Madagascar, was originally played by all classes of society, but became affiliated with the noble class in the 19th century.<ref name="Musical Standard">{{Cite journal | last = Shaw | first = Geo | title = Music among the Malagasy | journal = The Musical Standard | volume = 17 | issue = 797| page = 297 | date = November 8, 1879 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rQAtAAAAYAAJ&q=Music+among+the+Malagasy+musical+standard&pg=PA297}}</ref> The valiha featured heavily in the music of the Merina royal court performed at palaces such as Ambohimanga or the Rova at Antananarivo. The strings of the valiha were more easily plucked with the fingernails, which were commonly grown long for this purpose; long fingernails became fashionable and symbolic of belonging to the Andriana class within the Kingdom of Imerina.<ref name="Musical Standard"/>

At Antananarivo, only Andriana tombs were allowed to be constructed within town limits. Hovas (freemen) and slaves were required to bury their dead beyond the city walls. The highest ranks of Andriana were permitted to distinguish their tombs by the construction of a small, windowless wooden tomb house on top of it, called a ''trano masina'' (sacred house) for the king and ''trano manara'' (cold house) for the Zanakandriana, Zazamarolahy and Andriamasinavalona.<ref name=Standing/> This tradition may have originated with King Andriantompokoindrindra, who is said to have ordered the first ''trano masina'' to be built on his tomb in honor of his memory.<ref name="Rasamimanana">{{cite book | last1 = Rasamimanana | last2 = Razafindrazaka | year = 1930 | title = Ny Andriantopokoindrindra: Fanasoavana ny tantaran'i Madagasikara | publisher = Librairie Mixte |language=fr}}</ref>

===Marriage=== Andriana were also subjected to certain restrictions. Marriage outside the caste was forbidden by law among the lowest three ranks of Andriana. A high-ranking woman who married a lower-ranking man would take on her husband's lower rank. Although the inverse situation would not cause a high-ranking man to lose status, he could not transfer his rank or property to his children. For these reasons, intermarriage across Andriana caste divisions was relatively infrequent.<ref name=Standing/>

The Andriana, the Hova, and the Andevo strata were endogamous in the Merina society. According to the colonial era missionary William Ellis's memoir of 1838, an Andriana in the Malagasy society was prohibited from marrying a Hova or an Andevo.<ref name="Ellis1838p164">{{cite book|author=William Ellis|title=History of Madagascar |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmadagas01elli_0|year=1838|publisher=Fisher|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmadagas01elli_0/page/n195 164] with footnote}}</ref> The exception, stated Ellis, was the unmarried Queen, who could marry anyone from any strata including the Hova, and her children were deemed to be royal.<ref name="Ellis1838p164"/> In contrast, Sandra Evers states that the social taboo on intermarriage was weaker between the Andriana and Hova, but remained strong between Andriana and Andevo.<ref name="Evers2002">{{cite book|author=Sandra Evers|title=Constructing History, Culture and Inequality: The Betsileo in the Extreme Southern Highlands of Madagascar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EgAUbW_qmU8C&pg=PA57 |year=2002|publisher=BRILL Academic|isbn=90-04-12460-8|pages=57–58, 40–47}}</ref> The social mores and restrictions on inter-marriage between social strata were historically present among other Malagasy ethnic groups.<ref name="Evers2002"/>

==Contemporary society== The Andriana, along with the other castes, played an important part in the independence of Madagascar. For instance, Joseph Ravoahangy-Andrianavalona, a Merina nationalist and deputy, was an Andriana of the Andriamasinavalona sub-caste.<ref name="ravoahangy">{{cite web|url=https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/histoire/biographies/IVRepublique/ravoahangy-joseph-28101893.asp|title=Biographie de Joseph Ravoahangy |accessdate=2010-11-23|language=fr}}</ref> The secret nationalist organization V.V.S. (''Vy Vato Sakelika'') was composed of some Andriana of the intelligentsia. A 1968 study showed that 14% of the population of Imerina was Andriana.

The Andriana have been key players in Madagascan political and cultural life after independence as well. The Andriana were deeply affected by the 1995 destruction of the royal palace, the Rova, in Antananarivo. Their approval and participation were periodically solicited throughout the reconstruction process.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

In 2011, the Council of Kings and Princes of Madagascar promoted the revival of a Christian Andriana monarchy that would blend modernity and tradition.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royal-house-of-madagascar.blogspot.com/ |title=Home |website=royal-house-of-madagascar.blogspot.com}}</ref>

== Genealogy: ''Tantara ny Andriana'' == Much of the known genealogical history of the Andriana of Imerina comes from Father François Callet's book ''Tantara ny Andriana eto Madagasikara'' ("History of the Nobles"). This collection of oral tradition about the history of the Merina Dynasty was originally written in Malagasy and published between 1878 and 1881. Callet summarized and translated it in French under the title ''Tantara ny Andriana (Histoire des rois)'' in 1908.<ref name="Callet"/> ''Tantara ny Andriana'' constitutes the core material for the historians studying the Merina history and has been commented, criticised, and challenged ever since by historians from Madagascar, Europe, and North America. For examples, refer to Rasamimanana (1930),<ref name="Rasamimanana" /> Ravelojaona ''et al.'' (1937),<ref name="Ravelojaona">{{cite book | last = Ravelojaona | first = Randzavola, Rajaonah G. | year = 1937 | title = Firaketana ny Fiteny sy ny Zavatra Malagasy | publisher = Antananarivo:Imprimerie Tanananarivienne}}</ref> Ramilison (1951),<ref name="Ramilison">{{cite book | last = Ramilison | first = Emmanuel | year = 1951 | title = Ny loharanon'ny andriana nanjaka teto Imerina : Andriantomara-Andriamamilazabe | publisher = Imprimerie Ankehitriny }}</ref> Kent (1970),<ref>{{cite book | last = Kent | first = Raymond K. | year = 1970 | title = Early Kingdoms in Madagascar, 1500&ndash;1700 | publisher = Holt, Rinehart and Winston | isbn = 0-03-084171-2 }}</ref> Berg (1988),<ref name="Berg">{{cite journal | last = Berg | first = Gerald M. | year = 1988 | title = Sacred Acquisition: Andrianampoinimerina at Ambohimanga, 1777&ndash;1790 | journal = The Journal of African History | volume = 29 | issue = 2 | pages = 191&ndash;211 | doi=10.1017/S002185370002363X| s2cid = 153668345 }}</ref> or Larson (2000).<ref name="Larson">{{cite book | last = Larson | first = Pier M. | year = 2000 | title = History and Memory in the Age of Enslavement. Becoming Merina in Highland Madagascar, 1770&ndash;1822 | publisher = Social History of Africa Series. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann |page = 414| isbn = 0-325-00217-7 }}</ref> The work is complemented by oral traditions of other tribes collected by Malagasy historians.

==Andriana gallery== <gallery> File:Tombeaux antimerina.jpg|Ancient Andriana tomb with ''trano manara'' or ''trano masina'' File:Fancy Malagasy Brick House in Antananarivo Madagascar.JPG|The former Ratsimamanga palace in Antananarivo once belonged to a great Andriana family </gallery>

==See also== {{Portal|Monarchy|Madagascar}} *History of Madagascar *History of the Merinas *History of the Betsileos *History of the Sakalavas *List of Malagasy monarchs

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography=== {{refbegin}}

*Rabarioelina, Ndriana (Rev. Dr.) (2010), "Biblical Relations between Israel and Madagascar", Doctoral Thesis of Theology, SAHTS, États-Unis, 2010, 458 pages. Abstract in Saint-Alcuin House Journal, Volume 8, N°1, USA, 2011. And in the Library of Congress, number ISSN 1548-4459, USA. *Charlotte Liliane Rabesahala-Randriamananoro, Ambohimanga-Rova : approche anthropologique de la civilisation merina (Madagascar), Paris, Le Publieur, 2006, 393 p. {{ISBN|2-85194-307-3}}. Texte remanié d’une thèse soutenue à l’Université de La Réunion en 2002. {{in lang|fr}} *Rajaonarimanana, Narivelo (1990), Savoirs arabico-malgaches : la tradition manuscrite des devins Antemoro Anakara (Madagascar), Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales. {{in lang|fr}} *Ramamonjy, Georges (1952), "De quelques attitudes et coutumes merina", dans Mémoires de l'Institut scientifique de Madagascar (Tananarive), série C, Sciences humaines, 1 (2), 1952, p.&nbsp;181-196. {{in lang|fr}} *Ramilison, Emmanuel (Pastor) (1951), Andriantomara-Andriamamilazabe. Loharanon' ny Andriana nanjaka eto Imerina, Imprimerie Ankehitriny. {{in lang|mg}} *Randrianja Solofo, Ellis Stephen (2009), Madagascar. A short history, London, Hurst & Company, 2009. *Raombana (l'historien) (1809-1855), "Histoires", Edition Ambozontany, Fianarantsoa, 3 Volumes. {{in lang|fr}} *Rasamimanana, Joseph (Dr.) (1909) et Louis de Gonzague Razafindrazaka (Governor), Ny Andriantompokoindrindra, Antananarivo, 50 pages. {{in lang|mg}} *Ravelojaona (Pastor) (1937-1970), Firaketana ny Fiteny sy ny Zavatra Malagasy, Encyclopedic Dictionary, Antananarivo, 5 Volumes. {{in lang|mg}} *Razafindrazaka, Harilanto, et alii (2009) "A new deep branch of eurasian mtDNA macrohaplogroup M reveals additional complexity regarding the settlement of Madagascar", BMC Genomics. *Rombaka, Jacques Philippe (1963), Tantaran-drazana Antemoro-Anteony, Antananarivo, Imprimerie LMS, pp.&nbsp;10–11. {{in lang|fr}} *Rombaka, Jacques Philippe (1970), Fomban-drazana Antemoro - usages et coutumes antemoro, Ambozontany, Fianarantsoa, 121 p. {{in lang|fr}} * Ratsivalaka, Ranaivo Gilbert (Gal) (1995): "Madagascar dans le Sud-Ouest de l’Océan Indien", Thèse de Doctorat d’Etat en Histoire-Paris, Antananarivo, 1995, 1083 p. {{in lang|fr}} * Grandidier, Alfred et Guillaume (1903-1958): "Histoire de Madagascar", 39 volumes, Paris, 1903–1958. {{in lang|fr}} {{refend}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120510054351/http://users.cwnet.com/zaikabe/merina/ The Merina Nation] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20180921191307/http://www.wildmadagascar.org/history/ A Historical Timeline for Madagascar] * [https://www.royal-house-of-madagascar.blogspot.com/ Royal House of Madagascar]

{{Nobility by nation}}

Category:Social classes Category:Royal titles Category:African noble titles Category:Castes Category:Social history of Madagascar