High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Ranavalona I (born Rabodoandrianampoinimerina (Ramavo); c. 1778—August 16, 1861), also known as Ranavalo-Manjaka I, was a sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861. After positioning herself as queen following the death of her young husband, Radama I, Ranavalona pursued a policy of autarky (self-sufficiency) and isolationism, diminishing economic and political ties with European powers, repelling a French attack on the coastal town of Foulepointe, and taking vigorous measures to eradicate the small but growing Malagasy Christian movement initiated under Radama I by members of the London Missionary Society. She made heavy use of the traditional practice of fanompoana (forced labor in lieu of tax payments in money or goods) to complete public works projects and build a standing army of between 20,000 and 30,000 Merina soldiers, whom she deployed to pacify outlying regions of the island and further expand her realm. The combination of regular warfare, disease, difficult forced labor and harsh measures of justice throughout the island resulted in a high mortality rate among soldiers and civilians alike during her 33-year reign.