GALLIENI, JOSEPH SIMON (1849 )

This article appears in Volume V11, Page 419 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: GAG-GEO

GALLIENI, JOSEPH SIMON (1849 ) , French soldier and colonial administrator, was born at Saint-Beat, in the department of Haute-Garonne, on the 24th of April 1849. He left the military academy of Saint-Cyr in July 187o as a second lieutenant in the

Marines

MARINES (from Lat. mare, sea)

, becoming lieutenant in 1873 and captain in 1878. He saw service in the Franco-German War, and between 1877 and 1881 took an important part in the explorations and military expeditions by which the French dominion was extended in the basin of the upper Niger. He rendered a particularly valuable service by obtaining, in March 1881, a treaty from Ahmadu, almany of Segu, giving the French exclusive rights of commerce on the upper Niger. For this he received the gold medal of the Societe de Geographic. From 1883 to 1886 Gallieni was stationed in Martinique. On the 24th of June 1886 he attained the rank
of lieutenant-colonel, and on the loth of December was nominated

governor

GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

of Upper

Senegal

SENEGAL

. He obtained several successes against Ahmadu in 1887, and compelled Samory to agree to a treaty by which he abandoned the left bank of the Niger (see

SENEGAL

SENEGAL

: History). In connexion with his service in West Africa, Gallieni published two worksMission d'exploration du Haut-Niger, 1879-1881 ( Paris, 1885), and Deux Campagnes au Sudan francais (Paris, 1891)which, besides possessing great narrative

interest

INTEREST

, give information of considerable value in regard to the resources and topography of the country. In 1888 Gallieni was made an officer of the Legion of Honour. In 1891 he attained the rank of colonel, and from 1893 to 1895 he served in Tongking, commanding the second military division of the territory. In 1899 he published his experiences in Trois Colonnes au Tonkin. In 1896 Madagascar was made a French colony, and Gallieni was appointed

resident

RESIDENT

-general (a title changed in 1897 to

governor

GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

-general) and

commander

COMMANDER

-in-

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

. Under the weak administration of his predecessor a widespread revolt had broken out against the French. By a vigorous military system Gallieni succeeded in completing the subjugation of the island. He also turned his attention to the destruction of the political supremacy of the Hovas and the restoration of the autonomy of the other tribes. The execution of the queen's uncle, Rafsimamanga, and of Rainandria.nampandry, the minister of the interior, in October 1896, and the

exile

EXILE (Lat. exsilium or exilium, from exsul or exul, which is derived from ex, out of, and the root sal, to go, seen in salire, to leap,
consul
- CONSUL
- CONSUL (in Gr. generally ihraros,ashortened form of errpavgybs 8hraeos, i.e. praetor maximus)
, &c.; the connexion with solum, soil, country is now generally considered wrong)

of Queen Ranavalo III. herself in 1897, on the charge of fomenting rebellion, broke up the Hova hegemony, and made an end of Hova intrigues against French rule. The task of government was one of considerable difficulty. The application of the French customs and other like measures, disastrous to British and American trade, were matters for which Gallieni was not wholly responsible. His policy was directed to the development of the economic resources of the island and was conciliatory towards the non-French European population. He also secured for the Protestants religious liberty. In 1899 he published a Rapport d'ensemble sur la situation generale de Madagascar. In 1905, when he resigned the governorship, Madagascar enjoyed peace and a considerable measure of prosperity. In 1906 General Gallieni was appointed to command the XIV. army corps and military government of Lyons. He reviewed the results of his Madagascar administration in a book entitled Neuf Ans d Madagascar (Paris, 1908).

End of Article: GALLIENI, JOSEPH SIMON (1849 )

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/GAG_GEO/GALLIENI_JOSEPH_SIMON_1849_.html">
GALLIENI, JOSEPH SIMON (1849 )
</a>

(Previous)
GALLICANISM

(Next)
GALLIENUS, PUBLIUS LICINIUS EGNATIUS

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email