[The following is in relation to Queen Ranavalona of Madagascar, during the mid-1800s.]
Ranavalona thought along much the same lines, and yet despite her intense hatreds it is said that she tolerated the [Christian] missionaries due to the fact that she coveted various skills they possessed. In particular she was fascinated by the idea of soap, and told the missionaries that if they could teach her people to make it then they could stay on indefinitely.
Her obsession with cleansing materials stemmed no doubt from a custom she had begun shortly after assuming the throne. Queen Ranavalona I used to take baths in full view of the public on a balcony overlooking the city. Naked except for a hat, she enjoyed nothing more than to sit in a tub being washed by her slaves before a fully appreciative audience who would stand below and clap and cheer. Nor was this the only one of her eccentricities. Despite her hatred of the French, Ranavalona enjoyed collecting Napoleonic paintings with which she would adorn the walls of her palace; her clothes were more often than not an eclectic mix of fashions and fabrics (taffeta and tartan being two of her favourites), and she also loved throwing parties.
Source:
Klein, Shelley. “Queen Ravalona I.” The Most Evil Women in History. Barnes & Noble Books, 2003. 84. Print.
Further Reading:
Ranavalona I (born Rabodoandrianampoinimerina)
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Sounds like a typical woman.