 British claims to Madagascar were withdrawn in 1885 after the signing of the Treaty of Berlin, placing Madagascar solely within the colonial dominion of France.France invaded the island of Madagascar in 1883, setting off the first engagement of a series of armed conflicts that would come to be known as the Franco-Hova Wars which ultimately ended in 1897 with the deposition of Queen Ranavalona III and the creation of the Malagasy Protectorate.The protectorate would soon become French Madagascar.