Tonga: History History Tonga History Archaeological evidence indicates that the islands of Tonga were settled c.830 B.C., but the Polynesians are believed to have arrived some 400 years after that. The current ruling dynasty traces its rise to power to the 10th cent. Dutch navigators sighted the northern islands in 1616 and the rest of the group in 1643. Capt. James Cook visited the islands in 1773 and 1777 and named them the Friendly Islands. English missionaries arrived in 1797 and helped to strengthen British political influence. Internal wars in the early 19th cent. ended with the accession of King George Tupou I (1845–93), who unified the nation and gave it a constitution (1862), a legal code, and an administrative system. His successor, King George Tupou II (1893–1918) concluded a treaty making Tonga a British protectorate in 1900. Tonga remained self-governing, with the British responsible for foreign and defense affairs.

Queen Salote Tupou III ruled from 1918 to 1965, when she was succeed by her son, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. A new treaty in 1968 reduced British controls, and complete independence was attained on June 4, 1970. Since the late 1980s, Tongans have agitated for democratic reforms, but the king has generally opposed any change that would dilute the monarchy's power. In 2001 it was revealed that as much as $37 million in government funds had disappeared as a result of investment in a Nevada asset management company, and corruption within the royal family and government remains a problem. Amendments in 2003 to the constitution permit the restriction of freedom of speech, a move that was used to silence publications critical of the government, but parts of the amendments (and restrictive media laws passed in 2003) were subsequently declared void. In 2005 two commoners were selected to join the cabinet for the first time, and in 2006 one (Fred Sevele) was appointed prime minister, also a first.

In July–Sept., 2005, the nation experienced a civil service strike that turned into a call for democratic reform, but the strike was settled without any addressing of the broader political issues. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV died in 2006, and George Tupou V succeeded him. Frustration over the failure of the legislature to enact reforms led to rioting in the capital in Nov., 2006; many government offices and businesses were destroyed. Following the rioting, the government imposed a state of emergency that was not rescinded until Feb., 2011, and announced that there would be new legislative elections in 2008 and that a majority of the members of the legislature would be popularly elected. Subsequently, the government arrested a number of prodemocracy legislators on charges relating to the riots and moved to set back legislative reform to as late as 2010. In the 2008 legislative elections, prodemocracy candidates, including incumbent legislators facing sedition charges dating from the 2006 riots, won two thirds of the popularly elected seats.

In July, 2008, prior to the king's formal coronation, he announced that he would yield much of his power as part of a move toward democracy, but progress toward that goal was slow. The five legislators accused of seditious conspiracy had all their indictments dismissed in Sept., 2009, except for a seditious speech charge against one representative. A tsunami the same month devastated the northern island of Niuatoputapu. In Nov., 2009, the constitutional commission issued its recommendations, which called for reducing the king's power, making the head of government answerable to the Legislative Assembly, and increasing the people's legislative representatives; in Apr., 2010, legislation increased the number of the people's representatives in future elections. In July, however, the judicial independence was undermined when the king was given control over the appointment of judges. In November, a prodemocracy party won a majority of the popularly elected seats, but an alliance of the noble representatives and independent representatives chose the new prime minister, Lord Tuivakano. In Mar., 2012, the king died; his brother succeeded him as Tupou VI.

A number of Tonga's islands suffered damage, in some cases devastation, from a cyclone (hurricane) in Jan., 2014. Sections in this article: Tonga Country history and economic development, Information about Country history and economic development in Tonga Tonga - Country history and economic development 1140 B.C. Evidence of human habitation and Lapita pottery. 950 A.D. Tuíi Tonga is the dominant leader. 1643. First European (Dutch) sighting of Tonga by Schouten and Le Maire. 1643-1800s. Many European contacts include visits by "explorers" from the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, and Spain, who introduce many new trade goods and diseases. 1777. British Captain James Cook explores what he calls the "Friendly Isles." 1822. First Christian conversions, by Wesleyan missionaries; Tonga becomes nominally Christian over the next 20 years. 1845. After civil wars, King Taufa'ahau Tupou I (George Tupou I) of the Ha'apai group becomes first ruler of a united Tonga.

1875. New constitution proclaims Tonga an independent constitutional monarchy. 1900. Great Britain declares Tonga a "protected state" but does not impose full colonial rule. 1918. Queen Salote Tupou III is crowned, and rules until 1965. 1960s. Large-scale migrations to New Zealand and elsewhere begin. 1965. King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, the current monarch, is crowned. 1990s. Rise of republican movement proposing full democracy and end of monarchy; squash becomes primary export, to Japanese market. Also read article about Tonga from Wikipedia User Contributions: The 20th Century in Tonga, South Pacific Tweet The 20th Century Tonga (along with Japan, Thailand, Nepal, and a few Middle Eastern states) is one of the few countries in the world never to experience colonization by a European power. Germany had strong influence in Tonga during the late 19th century and wanted to include it in its colonial empire, but bowed out to the British in exchange for a free hand in Samoa.

In 1900, Tupou I's grandson, King George Tupou II (ruled 1893-1918), signed a new Treaty of Friendship with Britain, which gave the latter control of Tonga's foreign affairs as a means of forestalling encroachments by other colonial powers. The British protection remained in effect until 1970, but the rule of the royal family continued unbroken. Although just short of his mother Queen Salote's two-meter height, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, the present monarch's father, looked every bit the absolute Polynesian monarch he was. As crown prince during WW II, he studied at the University of Sydney, becoming the first Tongan to earn a university degree. He served as prime minister from 1949 until his coronation in 1967. Tupou IV initiated a cautious modernization program, opening Tonga to the world by having the airport upgraded for jet aircraft and approving the construction of the first large hotels. On June 4, 1970, he reestablished Tonga's full sovereignty, which allowed Tonga to receive aid money from other countries.

For almost four decades, Tupou IV steered Tonga on a conservative course. Yet way back in 1976, Tonga became the first South Pacific country to establish diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, leading to an absurd panic over alleged Soviet expansionism in the Pacific. This worked to Tonga's advantage, as overdue aid money from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States came pouring in. Unlike Samoa, which has had diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China for decades, Tonga recognized the Taiwan-based Republic of China until 1998. Then it abruptly switched recognition to Beijing, which facilitated Tonga's admission to the United Nations in 1999. Queen Salote Magnificent, much-loved Queen Salote Tupou III ruled Tonga from 1918 until her death in 1965. Her achievements included the reunification of part of the Wesleyan church and the development of public health and education services. In 1953, she won the hearts of millions by riding through London in an open coach, despite torrential rain, at Queen Elizabeth's coronation.

In fact, she was only observing the Tongan custom of showing respect for royalty by appearing before them unprotected in bad weather. (Actor Noel Coward quipped that the diminutive Asian sultan riding next to Salote in the carriage was "her lunch."). TONGA TONGA BRIEF HISTORY The ancient regal system of Tonga (or the Friendly Islands) evolved into a tri-partite system of three rulers, styled the Tu'i Tonga, the Tu'i Ha-a Takala'ua and the Tu'i Kanokupolu. All three shared the same descent from the creation through the Tu'i Tonga line, they branched out later. The Tu'i Tonga was the lord of the soil, and enjoyed divine honours. He took no part in the civil government of the country and could not arbitrate in any civil quarrel, but could absolve sinners who had broken the taboo. The Tu'i Kanokupolu held temporal power, wielding absolute power over the life and death of the people. Only a son, or grandson of a Tu'i Tonga, by a daughter of the Tu'i Kanokupolu, could succeed as Tu'i Tonga.

The Tu'i Tonga could only have two children by one wife, she being taken away from him after the birth of their second child. The eldest daughter of the Tu'i Tonga, held a higher spiritual rank than her father and was styled the Tu'i Tonga Fefine. She was forbidden from marrying any mortal, but may if she chose, have children by irregular unions. Her eldest daughter was styled the Tamaha, the highest dignity on earth, to whom both her mother and grandfather, had to pay homage. Tonga was once a powerful Empire ruling faraway lands, including Samoa, parts of Fiji and the Cook islands, Niue and Fotuna. The people of Fotuna breached convention by killing the sacred Tu'i Tonga Takala'ua ca. 1535. This act of sacrilege was a watershed in Tongan history. His son and successor, Tu'i Tonga Kau'-ulu'-fonua, decided to separate the religious and secular functions of his office by dividing power between himself and his half-brother. Mo'ungamotu'a, accordingly became the first Tu'i Ha-a Takala'ua, responsible for military and civil affairs, and government of the people.

The Tu'i Tonga thereafter retreated from civil government by becoming the divine head of state, a position not unlike that of a constitutional monarch who was also head of a state church. The Tu'i Kanokupolu dynasty springs from Ngata, son of the 6th Tu'i Ha-a Takala'ua Moungatonga. Ngata was appointed as the first Tu'i Kanokupolu by his father and delegated with temporal rule over the people ca. 1610. The office was not strictly hereditary, but was usually assumed by the nominee of the previous holder, and then confirmed by the nobles. Appointments seem to have alternated between members of the Tu'i Kanokupolu and Tu'i Ha-a Takala'ua lines. At first, authority was divided on a regional basis between the Tu'i Kanokupolu and Tu'i Ha-a Takala'ua. However, by the later eighteenth century, the Tu'i Kanokupolu completely eclipsed the latter. During the late eighteenth century, a regional nobleman entitled Finau-'Ulukalala made himself supreme on Vav'au, establishing his own independent kingdom on that island.

He deposed or expelled several successive Tu'i Tonga and Tu'i Kanokupolu. Eventually, his position became so strong that he refused to pay even nominal obeisance to the Tu'i Tonga. He then refused to a any successor to be installed after the death of the incumbent in 1810. The sacred Tu'i Tonga title was left vacant for seventeen years. This state of affairs continued until the ruler of Ha'apai Taufa'ahau' Tupou', began to extend his authority over the other islands. On the death of his father-in-law, Finau-'Ulukalala in 1833, Taufa'ahau' became ruler of Vava'u. He was converted by Wesleyan missionaries and was baptised as Sia'osi (George), in honour of King George III of Great Britain. He repudiated all but his favourite wife, who took the name of Salote (Charlotte) in honour of George III's Queen. Succeeding his uncle as Tu'i Kanokupolu in 1845, he then began to consolidate his position over Tongatapu and the other outlying islands.

This was a long and painful process, which pitted Christians against tradistionalists and Protestants versus Roman Catholics. George persuaded the hereditary ruler of Niu'atuputapu to cede his sovereignty in 1862. Three years later he had himself installed as Tu'i Tonga on the death of his longtime adversary. George then set about melding the islands into a single kingdom, formally merging the ancient titles of Tu'i Tonga and Tu'i Kanokupolu with the Crown, along with his other titles of Tu'i Ha'apai and Tu'i Vava'u. He converted all his people to Christianity, outlawed serfdom and slavery, promulgated a constitution, established parliament, implemented land reforms, expanded education and negotiated treaties with the major European powers. Towards the end of the century the wars and revolutions that had plagued Tonga were a distant memory. The King reigned over a realm at complete peace, crime was rare and murder unknown. The only public forces were a ceremonial guard without ammunition and an unarmed police force. His long and glorious reign ended in 1893 with the old King mourned throughout the Pacific, as its very own 'Grand Old Man'.

King George Tupou II, succeeded on the death of his great grandfather. Although a gifted composer and lyricist, with wide ranging artistic and aesthetic interests, he was no statesman. He left the cares of state in the hands of a Wesleyan missionary called The Rev Shirley Baker. Baker soon made himself a virtual dictator, energetic and inventive, but prone to drive sane bureaucrats to distraction. Ever short of funds, his native inventive genius devised a special brand of accountancy to manage the kingdom's financial affairs. Administrative chaos, financial mismanagement, dissaffection and baying creditors resulted with an inevitable British intervention. Baker was forcibly removed from the islands in 1899, government expenditure curtailed, the size of the cabinet and parliament trimmed. When these reforms still failed to restore financial calm, the King was persuaded into accepting a British Protectorate in 1900. These were grim days for Tonga, a series of natural disasters compounding made-made ones and devastating the population. George II expired in 1918, leaving his throne to his eldest surviving daughter, Queen Salote. She was to reign for forty-seven glorious years.

Her long reign would witness two World Wars and saw the islands steadily making progress in all fields. The population slowly recovered and expanded to the point where it became a burdon. Economic growth, good government and financial regularity became the envy of far larger realms. For half her reign, her constant helpmate and partner being the unflappable Prince Tungi, Prime Minister and Prince Consort. The Queen's government was personal and she was widely interested in all things. She took a close personal interest in the welfare of all her subjects as individuals, noble or commoner, rich or poor, young and old. During this time, through her wonderful charm, kindness and serene dignity, Tonga became famed the world over. The tiny realm, becoming the "Friendly Islands" in name, as well as, in fact. The old Queen died universally lamented at home, throughout the islands of the Pacific, indeed throughout the world. King Taufa'ahau' Tupou' IV, Queen Salote's eldest son, inherited her enviable mantle in 1965. Highly educated in Tonga, New Zealand and Australia, he served his mother as a Minister of the Crown and as Prime Minister for over two decades.

Five years later he steered his country to full independence, free of British protection and into a hostile world. Tonga's years since 1970 have not been easy ones. A burgioning population has placed immense pressure on resources and forced many to emigrate. Falling commodity prices have affected revenues and forced the country to look to other means of generating income. Relations with Taiwan were abandoned in favour of the PRC and with Cuba, both in the hope of attracting more foreign aid. Foreign investors from Hong Kong and the US have been invited to the country with generous incentives. Yet many of these ventures have proved illusory, sharp-witted foreign business types taking advantage of the more easygoing Tongans. The traditional system of government has come under fire, though mostly from abroad. These troubles have not been helped by an almost continuous barrage of vicious criticism and mocking superiority spewed out from certain sections of society in Australasia. Often, these have been delivered with a veiled undercurrent of that ugly haughtiness now mercifully unfashionable in other Western democracies. A Commonwealth friend, even a small erring one, deserves to be treated with sympathy and undertanstanding.

Her problems should be discussed friend to friend, not by harranging from the rooftops or by bullying by powerful neigbours. Tonga's contribution during the great struggle of the Second World War was greater, per head of population, than any other. Those loudly claiming that honour for themselves should be reminded of that. Blessed in abundance with very lucrative natural resources of all kinds, they ought to also sympathise with the problems of one who has been given none. RULES OF SUCCESSION: The 1875 Constitution specifies that the succession is confined to the descendants of King Sia'osi Taufa'ahau' Tupou' [George Tupou' I], through his son Crown Prince Tevita 'Unga, his son Prince 'Uelingatoni Ngu and through their legitimate issue. It established primogeniture, males succeeding before females. In the event of failure of lawful descendants, the succession passes to the lawful heirs of Ratu Enele Ma'afu'o-Tu'itonga, cousin and brother-in-law of King George Tupou' I. A Prince Regent may be appointed in the event that the sovereign has not reached the age of eighteen.

STYLES AND TITLES: King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV - Telegraph King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV 12:01AM BST 11 Sep 2006 His Majesty King Taufa'Ahau Tupou IV of Tonga, who died yesterday aged 88, was the benign feudal ruler of the South Pacific kingdom known since the days of Captain Cook as the Friendly Islands. The son of Queen Salote, who endeared herself to Londoners when she came over for the Coronation in 1953 and drove smiling through the rain in an open carriage, the King was the world's only Methodist sovereign and for many years, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the world's heaviest. A jovial man-mountain of energy, he was 6ft 4in tall and at his peak weighed some 35 stone. Although he belonged to a people famous for feasting, he was sometimes troubled by his size: "In his heart," as one of his aides once put it, "His Majesty is a thin man." But cutting down did not come easily. "My doctor's put me on a diet," the King said in 1999.

"I'm only allowed to eat three yams a day. But a yam can be 6ft long." When the King, who succeeded his mother in 1965, came on visits to London he would sometimes decline the use of his Embassy's Mercedes (number plate TON 1), preferring a more commodious Rolls-Royce — with, as he explained, "more leg room". The kingdom of Tonga is a group of some 150 palm-fringed, coral-decked Polynesian islands in the South Pacific about 1,000 miles north-east of New Zealand. Captain Cook first visited Tonga in the 1770s, and until gaining independence in June 1970 the islands constituted a self-governing British protected State under the terms of a Treaty of Friendship concluded in 1900. In a foreword to The Friendly Islanders (1967) by Kenneth Bain, the King described how Tongans have trouble with time.

While their days of the week are calculated on the 180° meridian, so that the same days are maintained as in Australia and other parts of the eastern hemisphere, the hours of the day are based on 165° west longitude. Instead of Tongan time being 11 hours behind GMT, it is 13 hours ahead. "All this tends to confuse strangers," the King wrote, "but it is the normal Tongan way of life." While other South Sea island groups have experienced political turmoil this century, Tonga has remained stable; in 1990 there was widespread consternation in the islands over rumours of a plot to topple the King. And the King, who ruled through his Privy Council and whose family occupied a third of the seats in the legislative assembly, realised that the system of Tonga's government appeared archaic. "Some might think that our constitution seems at first sight a trifle unfair," he once conceded. "But you have to remember." he went on, "that when our first King George united the islands in 1845, he was doing so on behalf of the people themselves. He was not grabbing power on behalf of other aristocrats.

He was ridding the islands of the despots and the villains and the robber-barons. And he installed a kindly and caring royal line, of which I have the honour to be the latest. My people love me. I love them and care for them. It is as simple as that." The King was born Crown Prince Tupouto'a Tungi on July 4 1918 at the Royal Palace in Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa on the sacred island of Tongatapu. He was the eldest son of Queen Salote Tupou III and Prince Uiliami Tupoulahi Tungi, prime minister of Tonga from 1923 until his death in 1941. The Crown Prince belonged to the 43rd generation of direct descendants of Aho'eitu, the first Tui Tonga (supreme ruler) who lived in the 10th century. More distantly, he descended from the sky god Tangeroa.

But it was his great-great-great grandfather King George Tupou I who, in the 19th century, gathered the Tongan tribes together and, with the help of Methodist missionaries (who converted him in 1831), founded the kingdom in 1845. As a small boy Crown Prince Tungi attended Tupou College, where he was influenced by a Methodist missionary minister, Dr AH Wood. He then went to Newington College, a Methodist school in New South Wales, where he showed himself a fine sportsman and broke the pole-vault record. After school he went to Sydney University, graduating with a Law degree. He introduced surfing to Tonga and became a keen diver. After the Second World War, during which he leased tracts of his land to the British Government for airfield construction, the Crown Prince married, in 1947, the beautiful Princess Mata'aho. Two years later Queen Salote appointed him prime minister of Tonga, and also assigned to him the portfolios of foreign affairs, agriculture, education and works.

Subsequently, he also served as ministerial head of the justice and auditing department, minister of radio and telephonic communications, chairman of the Broadcasting Commission, and chairman of the Copra and Produce Boards, established to oversee the marketing of the country's principal products. "I'm a bit of a Pooh-bah, you know," said the Crown Prince in 1962, "except that I don't cut off any heads." He was crowned King on his 49th birthday, July 4 1967, in the royal chapel in Nuku'alofa. The ceremony, the first coronation in Tonga since Queen Salote's in 1918, was part Methodist and part Tongan, with elements derived from the Coronation his mother had famously attended at Westminster Abbey in 1953. The King was crowned by the royal chaplain, the Reverend George Harris. The crown was adorned with a carved, six-pointed star cut from the koka tree under which all the old Kanokupolu kings, Taufa'ahau's tribal ancestors, were installed.

Originally, the King had wished to be crowned wearing the traditional tapa (tree bark) clothes of his country, but his advisers persuaded him that European dress would be more appropriate. Under his European-style coronation robes he wore a uniform, based on a British general's full-dress uniform, made by Gieves, of Savile Row. The Queen wore a dress of cream and gold brocade with a short train, made by the two sisters who ran the Bond Street salon Madame Raie. In the days beforehand islanders poured into the capital, bringing pigs of all sizes, crates of chickens, and tons of yams and kava roots for the week-long feasting. The daily menu consisted of around 1,000 pigs and 1,000 chickens, saddles of mutton, barons of beef, turtle steaks, fish, crayfish and crabs — all cooked in vast earthenware ovens. The food was served on woven palm stretchers — called polas — each one 14ft long and 4ft wide and piled nearly 3ft deep with food. As well as the feasting, there was tremendous dancing and music-making.

For weeks before, dancers had been rehearsing the laka-laka (a conga-style dance) to produce a display, in supple body and hand movements, telling the story of the coronation. Nose flautists had been practising the haunting melodies with which they awoke the King and Queen in a dawn serenade on coronation day. On the day after the coronation (at which the Duke of Kent represented the Queen), there was a sacred kava — the taumafa kava — at which the 33 nobles of Tonga installed their monarch as the 21st Tu'i Kanokupolu. For this, a seven-hour ceremony, the King wore a 700-year old ta'ovala, the traditional Tongan grass or tree-bark mat worn around the waist. Like his mother the King was a passionate believer in education, and helped to ensure that his people were among the most literate people in the South Pacific. He was also a great believer in the use of the abacus to teach mathematics. "I teach my own children on the abacus," he once said.

"They enjoy it and are far ahead of their fellow pupils." He himself enjoyed reading Western literature — preferring scientific works to fiction — and was always interested in new technology. He even wrote a textbook of music which was for many years used in Tongan schools. He considered the monarch's right to appoint one third of the legislature as the only certain means of ensuring that the better-educated Tongans got into the government. "The intelligentsia," he said some years after ascending the throne, "are not the best campaigners. We have not had one person with a degree elected — they have all been appointed by me." The King was careful, too, to protect his other rights. In 1969 he was swift to annul the marriage of his daughter, Princess Siulikutapu, to a Tongan commoner, Siosiva (Joshua) Liaivaa. It was, the King declared, unlawful for a member of the royal family to marry without his consent. Shortly afterwards, the Princess married the King's ADC, Major Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. In recent years the King had been seen as increasingly autocratic, and a pro-democracy movement had formed in Tonga calling for constitutional reform.

The King had great admiration and friendship for Britain and the Royal Family. After his and Queen Mata'aho's first trip to London after Queen Salote's death in 1967, they became regular visitors. The Queen and Prince Philip and Princess Anne visited Tonga in March 1970, and in 1981 the King came to England for the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer, bringing presents of dumb valets made to his own design and a bedspread worked by Queen Mata'aho. The King had four sons and a daughter. His eldest son and successor, Crown Prince Tupouto'a, passed out of Sandhurst in 1968 and for a time studied Economics at Oxford University. h2g2 - King Tupou IV of Tonga - Edited Entry King Tupou IV of Tonga Content from the guide to life, the universe and everything King Tupou IV of Tonga Created 0 Conversations Born on 4 July, 1918, Tāufa'āhau Tupou was the son of Queen Salote Tupou III 1 , who had succeeded the throne of the Kingdom of Tonga from her father King George Tupou II earlier that year.

The fourth ruler in a monarchy covering the entire country, King Tupou IV's mother died in 1965 and he was crowned in 1967 after a protracted period of mourning. He reigned for over forty years before passing away at the age of 88 on 10 September, 2006, leaving the throne to his eldest son, King George Tupou V. During his life he had absolute power over 170 islands, and he received several awards as well as an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. At his most obese , King Tupou IV weighed over 200 kilograms, making him officially the heaviest monarch in the world. Life As A Prince Born as Crown Prince Tupouto'a Tungī, during his childhood Tāufa'āhau Tupou was anything but overweight. He was a keen sportsman and was into cricket, rugby, tennis and rowing. At the age of fourteen he became one of the country's top pole-vaulters and was able to clear a height of three metres. He also took up various instruments, ranging from the piano and guitar to the balalaika and the Tongan nose flute.

He studied at the University of Sydney in Australia and gained Bachelor's degrees in both Law and the Arts, becoming the first Tongan to graduate from a university. He was appointed Minister of Education by his mother in 1943. The following year he became Minister of Health, and by 1949 his family saw fit to make him Tonga's Prime Minister. Meanwhile, the Tongan monarchy gained fame when Queen Salote visited the UK for Queen Elizabeth II 's coronation in 1953 2 . Children Having married his consort Halaevalu Mata'aho 'Ahome'e in 1947, Tāufa'āhau fathered four children between 1948 and 1959, with his eldest son succeeding him in 2006. His other children consisted of a daughter and two sons, though his second son married a 'common' woman and was stripped of his title. His third son was later made Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defence, becoming Prime Minister in 2000. However, he resigned this position in early 2006, appointing an elected politician to take his place.

Life As King After the death of his mother in 1965, Tāufa'āhau Tupou and the Tongan nation grieved, wearing black and following other mourning traditions for two years. Tupou IV was crowned in 1967 during a nation-wide ceremony which involved 71,000 roast suckling pigs, a mildly narcotic drink and a party which lasted five days. The ceremony itself was rather British, with the Duke and Duchess of Kent attending Tupou IV's crowning on 4 July in the Royal Palace of the capital, Nuku'alofa. At one point he acquired a leather jacket which he became rather fond of, as he wore it to many state functions during his reign. Through adopting an easy lifestyle and eating Tongan staples such as coconut, steaks and fatty sheep tails, by the 1970s Tupou IV weighed up to 209.5kg, making him the heaviest monarch in the world.

He was also the only one to carry a bottle of Tabasco sauce wherever he went, and was also quite tall at 6'5" (1.95 metres), making him the sort of monarch that even Henry VIII might think twice about offending. Although traditional Tongan ideals value obesity, the king soon learnt his lesson and organised a diet and exercise regime for his entire country. Tupou IV managed to lose 70 kilograms during this time, mostly through 'eating lots of soup '. He was also known for having an airport runway closed one day each week so that he could ride a custom-built bicycle along it while six bodyguards ran alongside. However, his weight wasn't the only number he was having problems with. Financial Scandals Having taken over of most of the country's assets, Tupou IV had the opportunity to take control of many businesses and made quite a few mistakes while profiteering. These included using the taxpayer's money to start Royal Tongan Airlines, a company which soon failed. However, Tupou IV then sold the country's only airline licence to one of the princes so as to keep hold of the monopoly.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Tonga also sold passports and citizenship to various Asians; those living in Hong Kong were drawn to buy passes to Tonga through worries about the transfer back to Chinese control. By 1999 this market had disappeared, but in 2002, Tupou IV's court jester Jesse Bogdonoff was revealed to have been involved in an investment scandal, allowing the Millennium Asset Management Company to swindle millions through false accounting. Awards Before all this happened, Tupou IV had received several awards from the British Empire . Tonga became part of the British Commonwealth in 1970 after it ended its days as a protectorate, although unlike many Commonwealth countries, Tonga still had its own monarchy and remained more or less untouched during colonial times. He had been made a Knight of the British Empire in 1958, and then became a Knight Grand Cross of the The Royal Victorian Order when Tonga entered the Commonwealth in 1970. In 1977, Tupou was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, an award given to those rendering important services to the Commonwealth.

Apparently, Tupou IV once said that his 'knowledge of foreign affairs came entirely from BBC radio, to which he listened all day long'. Ukuleles During his reign, Tupou IV accumulated a collection of at least a hundred ukuleles. Apparently, a captain in the Soviet Navy came to visit and asked Tupou IV what he would like as a gift on the captain's next visit, and he replied that he wanted an example of the tiny Hawaiian guitar. This information was somehow recorded in a KGB information file on the Tongan king, and since then the ukuleles have flooded into the country. Death Tupou IV remained a Methodist lay preacher throughout his reign, making him the world's only Methodist monarch. In fact, he was baptised in the River Jordan with his wife in 1990. By 2006, he had reigned for 41 years and had reached 88, a reasonable age for someone who had suffered from health problems during his later life. However, in August 2006 it was announced that he was suffering from an unspecified illness, and he died a month later. The entire country, who had until then been praying for their king, began the process of mourning.

In 2006, there were 26 different descendants of Queen Salote with claims to Tupou IV's throne, with his son King George Tupou V being first in line and therefore taking over control. Calls For Democracy Tonga had previously been proud of their monarchy, which represented a country almost completely inhabited by its indigenous population, but with the financial failures of Tupou IV's reign came calls for devolution of power to parliament. In 2005, the government spent several tense weeks in talks with unions while many of the country's workers went on strike for better pay. At the same time many of the country's citizens took to the streets to demand democracy, and in 2006 parliament was taken over by the elected politician Feleti Sevele, the first Prime Minister of Tonga not to be a member of the aristocracy. It is likely that the death of Tupou IV will bring more calls for change, and that Tupou V will have to tread carefully during his first years as the Tongan monarch. 1 The numbers simply follow the order of the Tupou monarchs, so that the first of their line was Tupou I, while the fifth is Tupou V.

2 When his friends wondered out loud who the small man accompanying the 181 kilogram Queen Salote was, Noël Coward is said to have replied 'Her lunch.'

Question: Queen Salote Tubou ruled over which country from 1918 to 1965?
Answer: Tonga