List of monarchs of Tonga

Last updated

King of Tonga
Coat of arms of Tonga.svg
Incumbent
Dinner for His Majesty King Tupou VI of the Kingdom of Tonga and Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau'u 04.jpg
Tupou VI
since 18 March 2012
Details
Style His Majesty
Heir apparent Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala
First monarch George Tupou I
FormationDecember 4, 1845;178 years ago (1845-12-04)
Residence Royal Palace, Nukuʻalofa

This is a list of monarchs of Tonga since 1845, after the Constitution of Tonga established the role of the monarch. The first constitutional monarch of Tonga was George Tupou I.

Contents

2008 cession of powers

Three days before his coronation on 1 August 2008, then-King George Tupou V announced that he would relinquish most of his powers and be guided by the Prime Minister of Tonga's recommendations on most matters. [1]

Budget allocation to monarchy

Annual budget allocation to monarchy is T$ 4,894,900 (c. US$2,116,799). [2]

Lists of earlier monarchs of Tonga

List of monarchs of Tonga (1845–present)

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
George Tupou I (1797-12-04)4 December 1797 – 18 February 1893(1893-02-18) (aged 95)4 December 184518 February 1893Son of Tupoutoʻa, 17th Tuʻi Kanokupolu Tupou George Tupou I, c. 1880s.jpg
George Tupou II (1874-06-18)18 June 1874 – 5 April 1918(1918-04-05) (aged 43)18 February 18935 April 1918Double Great-grandson of George Tupou ITupou George Tupou II, photograph by Herman John Schmidt (Flipped and Cropped).jpg
Sālote Tupou III (1900-03-13)13 March 1900 – 16 December 1965(1965-12-16) (aged 65)5 April 191816 December 1965Daughter of George Tupou IITupou Salote Tupou III of Tonga in coronation robe-crop.jpg
Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV (1918-07-04)4 July 1918 – 10 September 2006(2006-09-10) (aged 88)16 December 196510 September 2006Son of Sālote Tupou IIITupou Taufa`ahau Tupou IV - ETH-Bibliothek Com LC1500-0777-001.tif
George Tupou V (1948-05-04)4 May 1948 – 18 March 2012(2012-03-18) (aged 63)11 September 200618 March 2012Son of Tāufaʻahau Tupou IVTupou George Tupou V of Tonga, 2011 (cropped).jpg
Tupou VI (1959-07-12) 12 July 1959 (age 64)18 March 2012IncumbentSon of Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV & Brother of George Tupou VTupou Dinner for His Majesty King Tupou VI of the Kingdom of Tonga and Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau'u 04.jpg

Timeline

Tupou VIGeorge Tupou VTāufaʻāhau Tupou IVSālote Tupou IIIGeorge Tupou IIGeorge Tupou IList of monarchs of Tonga

Royal standards

Family tree

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Tonga</span> Aspect of history

The history of Tonga is recorded since the ninth century BC, when seafarers associated with the Lapita diaspora first settled the islands which now make up the Kingdom of Tonga. Along with Fiji and Samoa, the area served as a gateway into the rest of the Pacific region known as Polynesia. Ancient Tongan mythologies recorded by early European explorers report the islands of 'Ata and Tongatapu as the first islands having been hauled to the surface from the deep ocean by Maui.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Tonga</span> Political system of Tonga

The politics of Tonga take place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the King is the Head of State and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Tonga's Prime Minister is currently appointed by the King from among the members of Parliament after having won the support of a majority of its members. Executive power is vested in the Cabinet of Ministers. Legislative power is vested in the King in Parliament, and judicial power is vested in the supreme court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nukuʻalofa</span> Capital of Tonga

Nukuʻalofa is the capital and largest city of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the country's southernmost island group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV</span> King of Tonga from 1965 to 2006

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Tupou II</span> King of Tonga from 1893 to 1918

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Tupou I</span> King of Tonga from 1845 to 1893

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.

Tuʻi Kanokupolu (chiefs) are a junior rank of the Haʻa Tuʻi in Tonga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Tupou V</span> King of Tonga from 2006 to 2012

George Tupou V was the King of Tonga from the death of his father Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV in 2006 until his own death six years later.

The Tuʻi Tonga is a line of Tongan kings, which originated in the tenth century with the mythical ʻAhoʻeitu, and withdrew from political power in the fifteenth century by yielding to the Tuʻi Haʻatakalaua. The title ended with the death of the last Tuʻi Tonga, Sanualio Fatafehi Laufilitonga, in 1865, who bequeathed the ancient title and its mana to his nephew, Fatafehi Tu'i Pelehake, who was the Tu'i Faleua, or Lord of the Second House. Tu'i Pelehake surrendered the title and its privileges to his father-in-law, King George Tupou I, who united its power and prestige with that of the Tu'i Kanokupolu, Tu'i Vava'u, and Tu'i Ha'apai titles to establish the modern-day institution of the Tongan Crown. Though the title is no longer conferred, the ancient line remains unbroken and is represented by the noble title of Kalaniuvalu.

Kolonga is a village and the most populated settlement located on the northeast coast of Tongatapu in the Hahake District, Kingdom of Tonga. Kolonga is a hereditary estate of Lord Nuku.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viliami Tungī Mailefihi</span> Prince consort of Tonga

Viliami Tungī Mailefihi CBE was a Tongan high chieftain and Prince Consort of Queen Sālote Tupou III. He served as Prime Minister of Tonga from 1923 until his death in 1941.

The Tuʻipelehake is the second highest ranking chiefly title in Tonga. In the absence of the ancient Tuʻi Faleua title, the Tuʻipelehake title is second in rank after the King's title, Tuʻi Kanokupolu. There have been several holders of the title mainly from the ruling royal family, from princes to prime ministers. It is Tongan custom to refer to the holder by his customary title, only adding his given name if confusion may arise. For example, Tuʻi Pelehake (ʻUluvalu).

Roko Taliai Tupou (17??-1875) was a Fijian nobleman. He is considered to be the progenitor of the noble household Vatuwaqa in the chiefly Vuanirewa clan and as such, was the first member of this noble household to hold the title Tui Nayau. His reign marked the growth of Christianity in Lau and the slow expansion of Tongan ambitions in Fiji, led by Enele Ma'afu. As this period marked increasing contact with Europeans, records from this point forward in regard to the history of Lau are well documented.

The Battle of Velata was fought at Tau'akipulu, Haʻapai, Tonga in September 1826, between Laufilitonga, monarch of the Tuʻi Tonga dynasty, and Taufa'ahau, heir apparent to the Tu'i Kanokupolu dynasty and then monarch of Tonga.

Aleamotuʻa was the 18th Tu'i Kanokupolu of Tonga, the third lineage of Tongan Kings with the political and military power who ruled in support of the Tu'i Tonga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laufilitonga</span>

Fatafehi Laufilitonga was the 39th and last Tuʻi Tonga, a dynasty of kings in Tonga during the Tuʻi Tonga Empire.

Tongan kava ceremonies play an integral part of Tongan society and governance. Ranging from informal “faikava” or kava “parties” to the highly stratified, ancient, and ritualized Taumafa Kava, or Royal Kava Ceremony, Tongan kava ceremonies continue to permeate Tongan society both in Tonga and diaspora, strengthening cultural values and principles, while solidifying traditional ideals of duty and reciprocity, reaffirming societal structures, and entrenching the practice of pukepuke fonua, or tightly holding on to the land, a Tongan cultural ideal to maintain, preserve, and live traditional Tongan culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tēvita ʻUnga</span> Crown Prince of Tonga

Tēvita ʻUnga was the first Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Tonga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lavinia Veiongo</span> Queen Consort of Tonga from 1899–1902

Lavinia Veiongo Fotu was the Queen consort of Tonga from 1899 to 1902, and the first wife of George Tupou II.

References

  1. "Tonga's king to cede key powers" Archived 8 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine , BBC, 29 July 2008
  2. "King Of Tonga Assents To Parliament's $170 Million Budget - Pacific Islands Report". www.pireport.org. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2020.