The 1845 attack arose from worsening relations between the Malagasy government and European powers. In May, Madagascar proclaimed a law requiring foreigners to obey the laws of the land. British authorities claimed that this exposed foreigners to public works, enslavement, and the ordeal of tangena. French and British authorities in Réunion and Mauritius respectively treated the law as a pretext for military action against Tamatave.

An Anglo-French naval squadron attacked the eastern port on the orders of the colonial authorities. Malagasy forces succeeded in repulsing the assault, compelling surviving attackers to evacuate Tamatave. The episode demonstrated the capacity of Ranavalona’s government to resist a combined European expedition, although the treatment of the dead and the display of severed heads left the conflict particularly brutal.

The French and British governments later disowned the attack, but the political consequences remained severe. Ranavalona responded by expelling foreign traders and suspending overseas trade, especially the export of beef and rice to Mauritius and Réunion. Trade with the United States continued, while Malagasy authorities placed greater emphasis on domestic production and controlled relations with foreign powers.