Fatafehi Laufilitonga (24 August 1797 - 9 December 1865) was the 39th and last Tui Tonga

Tu'i Tonga

The Tui Tonga is a line of Tongan kings, which originated in the 10th century with the mythical Ahoeitu; withdrew from political power in the 15th century by yielding to the Tui Haatakalaua; and died out with Laufilitonga in 1865...

, a dynasty of kings in Tonga

Tonga

Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...

 during the Tui Tonga Empire

Tu'i Tonga Empire

Some early European commentators have propagated the notion of a pre-historic "Tui Tonga Empire" or "Tongan Empire" in Oceania.This idea has long been a source of cultural pride among some Tongans even though it has been seriously challenged and generally discounted by modern archaeologists,...

.

Biography

Only little is known about Laufilitonga's life.

Laufilitonga was the only son of king Fatafehi Fuanunu'iava and his wife Veiongo Moheofo.

He succeeded his father in 1810 as head of the House of Tonga but was considered too young to become "Tui Tonga". The title had by that time also declined in power and prestige and the real power lay with the Tui Kanokupolu

Tu'i Kanokupolu

The Ha'a Tu'i Kanokupolu is the most junior of the Ha'a Tu'i in Tonga. They are generally refer to as the Kau Halalalo The Ha'a Tu'i Tonga, the most senior and Sacred Ha'a Tu'i in Tonga are generally refer to as the Kauhala'uta, The inland side of the roads...

 dynasty.

Laufilitonga, however, had ambitions to restore the power of the Tui Tonga and tried to extend his role as spiritual leader into a more political one. He contested Tāufaāhau (later to be George Tupou I

George Tupou I of Tonga

George Tupou I, King of Tonga , originally known as Tāufaāhau I with some extra names: Tupou Maeakafaua Ngininginiofolanga , but took the name Siaosi when baptised in 1831...

) residing in the Haapai Islands

Ha'apai

Haapai is a group of islands, islets, reefs and shoals in the central part of the Kingdom of Tonga, with the Tongatapu group to the south and the Vavau group to the north. Seventeen of the Haapai islands are populated....

.

The final resolution of this struggle was the "Battle of Velata", near Tongoleleka on Lifuka

Lifuka

Lifuka is an island in the Kingdom of Tonga. It is located within the Haapai Group in the centre of the country, to northeast of the national capital of Nukualofa...

, in 1826 in which Laufilitonga was defeated. An important ally at that battle was the chief of Haafeva

Ha'afeva (Ha'apai)

Haafeva is a small island in the Haapai group of Tonga, but still the main island of the Lulunga archipelago. Kolongatata is the name commonly given to the village on Ha'afeva and is a reference to Ha'afeva's exposure to strong winds. The inhabited area of Ha'afeva can be divided into Hahake,...

 who had taken side against Laufilitonga.

Although Laufilitonga was installed as Tui Tonga in 1827, the holder of the title no longer had either political or spiritual power.

On November 7, 1851 Laufilitonga converted to catholicism

Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....

 and was baptised with the name Samuelio Fatafehi Laufilitonga.

After his death in 1865 he was buried in the langi Tuofefafa i in Mua

Mu'a (Tongatapu)

Mua is a small city in the Hahake district on the island of Tongatapu, and it was for centuries the ancient capital of Tonga. It is divided in the villages Lapaha and Tatakamotonga, is close to Talasiu and famous for the ancient langi .-Geography:Mua is situated along the eastern side of the...

and the title Tui Tonga was abolished.