Editing Radama II (section)

== Assassination plot ==
[[File:William Ellis, The Prince and Princess Royal of Madagascar.jpg|thumb|right|upright|alt=Engraving of Malagasy couple in 19th-century elegant European dress, walking arm in arm|King Radama II walks with his wife Rabodo, who would become Queen Rasoherina after the coup against her husband.]]
The legalization of dueling was ultimately the issue that brought to a head the tension between King Radama II's entourage (mostly friends and some established political figures, known collectively as the ''menamaso'' or "red-eyes") and representatives of the opposition led by Radama's prime minister Rainivoninahitriniony.{{sfn|Oliver|1886|p=}}  On May 7, 1863, Radama II announced his intention to allow disputes to be settled by a duel, much to the disapproval of many of his advisers at court who feared the practice would lead to anarchy. The prime minister prevented the law from being publicly declared at the ''Zoma'' (Friday) market the following day.  Friday afternoon, the prime minister's younger brother, Rainilaiarivony, who was head of the army, called several thousand troops into the city to besiege a number of the ''menamaso'' and members of the royal family at the [[Rova of Antananarivo|Rova palace compound]], and by Saturday morning the decision had been made and carried out to execute eleven of the ''menamaso'' and other key political figures who had counseled Radama to legalize dueling. On Sunday, May 10, Rainivoninahitriniony demanded that Radama hand over the ''menamaso'' he was sheltering in the palace, which he refused to do until the prime minister agreed to spare their lives; they were handed over but by Monday morning had all been speared to death.{{sfn|Oliver|1886|p=}}

The drama ended on Tuesday morning, May 12, 1863, when a group of officers and soldiers forced their way into the Rova and seized the king. His wife, Queen Rabodo, pleaded for his life to be spared and attempted to stop them but was forcibly removed. The soldiers threw a [[lamba (garment)|lamba]] over Radama's head and strangled him with a silk sash until he was believed to be dead, thereby avoiding the shedding of royal blood as was the custom for royal executions in Imerina.{{sfn|Oliver|1886|p=}}

The nobles informed Rabodo that she would have their support as queen on the condition that she would accept to abide by certain articles that would form a new contract between rulers and ruled in Madagascar:{{sfn|Prout|1863|p=}}

{{quote|text="For the future the word of the sovereign alone was not to be law, but that the sovereign, the nobles and the heads of the people were to unite in making the laws; that the friendship with foreigners was to be maintained; that no one was to be put to death on the word of the sovereign alone, but that the nobles and the heads of the people must concur in the sentence before it could be inflicted; that religion and worship were to be equally free to all – to natives and foreigners, to Christians and non-Christians – excepting in [[Ambohimanga]] where there should be no public worship. The ordeal of ''tangena'' was not to be used, but death should be inflicted for great crimes."|sign = Ebenezer Prout |source=Madagascar: Its Mission and Its Martyrs (1863){{sfn|Prout|1863|p=}}}}

Rabodo agreed to these conditions. The next morning, it was publicly announced in the marketplace that Radama had taken his own life due to grief over the deaths of his compatriots the ''menamaso'' and that Rabodo would succeed him as Queen [[Rasoherina]]. To cement the new power-sharing agreement between the ruler, the nobles and the heads of the people, a political marriage was contracted between the queen and Prime Minister Rainivoninahitriniony, who had been instrumental in her first husband's death.{{sfn|Prout|1863|p=}} Radama's name was struck from the list of kings and it was declared illegal to mourn his death.{{sfn|De La Vaissière|1884|p=}}