predecessor successor death_date birth_place death_place title birth_date image article_title name reign
aloisia brial council of ministers council of ministers kapiliele faupala 7 may 2007 ha'afuasia , wallis island , wallis and futuna mata'utu , wallis 50th lavelua of uvea -lrb- wallis island -rrb- 26 july 1918 king tomasi kulimoetoke.jpg tomasi kulimoetoke ii
 tomasi kulimoetoke ii 12 march 1959 - 7 may 2007
tomasi kulimoetoke ii

tomasi kulimoetoke ii -lrb- 26 july 1918 -- 7 may 2007 -rrb- was the 50th lavelua -lrb- king -rrb- of wallis island , which is known as uvea in the wallisian language , one of the three traditional kingdoms in the french overseas territory of wallis and futuna .
he was born in ha'afuasia in the hahake district on wallis island .
he was elected king on 12 march 1959 , after a 6 month-rule by a council of ministers .
in early years , he supported closer links with france , recognising that wallis was economically dependent on subsidies .
after a national referendum , he signed treaty to make wallis a french overseas territory -lrb- `` territoire d'outre-mer '' -rrb- in 1961 .
he had six children .
in 2002 , the king riled many of his countrymen , as well as france , by shutting down the island 's only newspaper because it had carried an editorial criticising him for giving refuge to a family friend , after she was sentenced to jail for embezzling public funds .
reformists also mocked the king 's insistence that wallisians dismount from their bicycles when passing his palace .
in 2005 , the king nearly lost his throne after his grandson , tomasi tuugahala , was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of a pedestrian who was killed in a drunk-driving accident on new year 's eve .
the king invited his grandson to take refuge in the royal palace , where he hid for four months before surrendering to the french gendarmes .
the king 's prime minister , holder of the title `` kalae kivalu '' urged the high administrator of the french government xavier de fürst to `` quit the territory '' .
the king also claimed that the incident was dealt with according to customary tribal law and that the french penal law should be abolished in uvea .
reformists wished to depose the king and install sosefo mautamakia ahau halagahu , son of the late halagahu as his successor in the northern district `` hihifo '' .
local riots occurred and the coronation did not take place .
the king retained the throne and would be further recognised as such by france .
several hundred of the king 's supporters marched and built roadblocks on the island during the crisis .
his daughter etua took over his ceremonial duties in later years , when he suffered from poor health .
he died in mata-utu .
a six-month mourning period was observed , during which it was taboo to mention a possible successor .
