Salima Machamba

Salima Machamba (November 1874 – Pesmes, Haute-Saône, France, August 1964) was sultan of Mohéli (Mwali) (1888–1909). Her official paternal name was Salima Machamba bint Saidi Hamadi Makadara. And her Christian name was Ursule. She was a relative of Ranavalona I, Queen of Madagascar.

Life

She was born out of wedlock as the daughter of Jumbe Fatima bint Abderremane Queen (Sultan) of Mohéli (Mwali) and Émile Fleuriot de Langle in 1874 but officially she bore the name of her mother's husband and was recognised as Salima Machamba bint Saidi Hamadi Makadara.^[1] She was chosen as puppet queen of Mohéli by French who made Comoros French protectorate. She married a French gendarme, Camille Paule, with whom she fell in love, in 1901 in Réunion. In 1909 she was deposed by the French government and Comoros was annexed by France. She was departured with her family to France. She gave birth to three children. The French government provided her a yearly allowance of 3,000 gold francs. She lived as a simple farmer in Haute-Saône. She died in Pesmes in 1964. She was buried at L'église Saint-Hilaire, Pesmes on 10 August 1964.^[2] Her granddaughter, Anne Etter represents the royal family of Mohéli in Comoros as the president of Association Développement des Iles Comores.^[3]

Children

• From her marriage to Camille Paule (–1946), three children:
  • Louise, Princess of Mohéli, she has a daughter:
    • Anne Etter, President of Association Développement des Iles Comores
  • Louis, Prince of Mohéli
  • Fernand, Princ of Mohéli

Notes

Bibliography

• Nivois, Julienne: A Pesmes, en Franche-Comté..., Une Reine oubliée par l'Histoire, Éditions Dominique Guéniot, Paris, 1995.

External links

• Histoire des Comores/Ursule Salima Machamba 1ère, Dernière reine de Mohéli – 3 August 2011
• Rulers/Salima Machamba – 3 August 2011