The Crown of Tonga was made in 1873 for George Tupou I at the behest of his prime minister, The Reverend Shirley Waldemar Baker. [1] The crown was fashioned by the jewellery firm of Hardy Brothers of Sydney, Australia. [2] The gold crown of Tonga is reputedly the largest and heaviest crown in the world. [3]
For some time, Tonga's independence had been threatened by France. [4] Since 1872 the German Empire also posed a threat to Tonga's independence with threats of annexation. [5] The King and Reverend Baker composed the Constitution of 1875, which is still in effect today. [6] At this time, Tonga also adopted a national flag, a coat-of-arms and a national anthem. [7]
The first king to be crowned with the historic crown was King George Tupou I, the great-grandson and successor Tupou. Tupou II was crowned on 17 March 1893. [8] His daughter and successor Queen Sālote Tupou III was crowned on 11 October 1918. [9] Queen Sālote was succeeded by her eldest son, who became King Tāufa'āhau Tupou IV. He was crowned on his 49th birthday, 4 July 1967. King Tāufa'āhau was succeeded by his eldest son, who became King George Tupou V. He was crowned on 1 August 2008.
Tupou V died in March 2012, and was succeeded by his youngest brother, who now reigns as King 'Aho'eitu Tupou VI. King Tupou VI donned the historic crown at his own coronation on 4 July 2015.
Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV was the King of Tonga, from the death of his mother, Queen Sālote Tupou III, in 1965 until his own death in 2006.
Sālote Tupou III was Queen of Tonga from 1918 to her death in 1965. She reigned for nearly 48 years, longer than any other Tongan monarch. She was well known for her height, standing 6 ft 3 in tall in her prime.
George Tupou II was the King of Tonga from 18 February 1893 until his death. He was officially crowned at Nukuʻalofa, on 17 March 1893. He was also the 20th Tuʻi Kanokupolu.
George Tupou I, originally known as Tāufaʻāhau I, was the first king of modern Tonga. He adopted the name Siaosi, the Tongan equivalent of George, after King George III of the United Kingdom, when he was baptized in 1831. His nickname was Lopa-ukamea, meaning iron cable.
Fīnau ʻUlukālala was a dynasty of six important hereditary chiefs from Vavaʻu, currently in the kingdom of Tonga. The dynasty began sometime in the 18th century and died out in 1960. The chief's original estate was Tuʻanuku, and his nickname and that of the village is Tavakefaiʻana.
The order of succession to the throne of Tonga is laid down in the 1875 constitution. The crown descends according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture. Only legitimate descendants through legitimate line of King George Tupou I's son and grandson, Crown Prince Tēvita ʻUnga and Prince ʻUelingatoni Ngū, are entitled to succeed. A person loses their right of succession and deprives their descendants of their right of succession if he or she marries without the monarch's permission.
Viliami Tungī Mailefihi CBE was a Tongan high chieftain and Prince consort of Tonga as the husband of Queen Sālote Tupou III. He served as Prime Minister of Tonga from 1923 until his death in 1941.
This is a timeline of Tongan history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Tonga and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Tonga. See also the list of monarchs of Tonga and list of prime ministers of Tonga.
Sione Lātūkefu was a Tongan academic and historian, and the author of several significant works on Tongan history.
Prince Fatafehi Tuʻipelehake was the youngest son of Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga. He was the prime minister of Tonga from 1965 to 1991, a record term of over 25 years, serving under his brother King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV.
ʻElisiva Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku was the mother of King George Tupou II of Tonga.
Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho, is Queen of Tonga as the wife of King Tupou VI.
Tēvita ʻUnga was the first Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Tonga.
Siaosi Vuna Takitakimālohi was a Prince of Tonga, the only legitimate son and heir to King George Tupou I.
The King George Tupou V Royal Family Order was an order conferred as a sign of personal esteem from King George Tupou V to female members of the Royal family of Tonga.
Nalesoni Laifone was the third Crown Prince of Tonga from 1885 to 1889. He died before succeeding to the throne.
ʻUiliamu ʻUelingatoni Ngū Tupoumālohi was the second Crown Prince of Tonga from 1879 to 1885. He is also commonly referred by his Anglicized name as "Wellington Ngu".
Sālote Lupepauʻu was Queen of Tonga from 1845 to 1889 as the wife of George Tupou I. She was the namesake of the Queen Salote College.
Rodger Clarence George Page was an Australian missionary and religious leader in Tonga. He was royal chaplain and advisor to Queen Sālote for over 20 years and a long-serving president of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, the de facto state church.
The Crown Prince of Tonga is the heir to the throne of Tonga.