Timeline of Tongan history
Encyclopedia
Early history
- c.800 BC: Estimated arrival of the first LapitaLapitaLapita is a term applied to an ancient Pacific Ocean archaeological culture which is believed by many archaeologists to be the common ancestor of several cultures in Polynesia, Micronesia, and some coastal areas of Melanesia...
settlers in Tonga. - c.200: Explorers set out from Tonga, SamoaSamoaSamoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
and FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
to discover and settle eastern PolynesiaPolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
.
Rise and fall of the Tongan Empire
- early 10th century: ʻAhoʻeitu'Aho'eituIn Tongan mythology, or oral history, Ahoeitu is a son of the god Tangaloa Eitumātupua and a mortal woman, Ilaheva Vaepopua. He became the first king of the Tui Tonga dynasty in the early 10th century, dethroning the previous one with the same name but originating from the uanga instead of...
founds the Tuʻi Tonga EmpireTu'i Tonga EmpireSome 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,...
. Tongan rule gradually extends over neighbouring island groups, to establish the most expansive pre-European colonial empire in the Pacific. - 11th century: The Empire expands, under Tuʻi TongaTu'i TongaThe 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...
MomoMomo (Tonga)Momo was the 10th Tui Tonga, a dynasty of mighty kings in Tonga, and lived somewhere in the 11th, maybe 12th century AD. He was named after one of the original gods of Tonga, a trio known as Kohai, Koau, mo Momo...
, to include Samoa and parts of Fiji. - 12th century: MuʻaMu'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...
becomes the capital of the Tongan Empire. - 13th century: The Haʻamonga ʻa MauiHa'amonga 'a MauiHaamonga a Maui - is a stone trilithon located in Tonga, in the north of the island of Tongatapu, near the village of Niutōua, in Heketā....
is built during the rule of Tuʻi Tonga TuʻitātuiTu'itatuiTui-tā-tui was the 11th Tui Tonga, a dynasty of mighty kings in Tonga, and lived somewhere in the 12th century AD...
. - c.1250: Samoa rebels and casts off Tongan rule; foundation of the MalietoaMalietoaMalietoa is a state dynasty and chiefly title in Samoa. Literally translated as "great warrior," the title's origin comes from the final words of the Tongan warriors as they were fleeing on the beach to their boats, "Malie To`a, Malie tau"....
dynasty in Samoa. Beginning of the Empire's decline. - c.1470: The Tongans are driven out of ʻUveaWallis IslandWallis is an island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the French overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna....
and FutunaFutuna Island, Wallis and FutunaFutuna is an island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the French overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna. It is one of the Hoorn Islands or Îles Horne, nearby Alofi being the other...
. Tuʻi Tonga Kauʻulufonua I cedes temporal authority to his brother Moʻungāmotuʻa: the Tuʻi Tonga dynasty is replaced by the Tu'i Ha'atakalauaTu'i Ha'atakalauaThe Tui Haatakalaua was a dynasty of Tongan kings, which originated in the 15th century by taking over the power from the Tui Tonga line. Lost the power in 16th century to the Tui Kanokupolu dynasty, and disappeared into nothingness by the end of the 18th century.#Moungāmotua – around 1470; might...
dynasty.
17th century
- c.1600: ascension of the Tuʻi KanokupoluTu'i KanokupoluThe 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. - April 1616: Willem SchoutenWillem SchoutenWillem Cornelisz Schouten was a Dutch navigator for the Dutch East India Company. He was the first to sail the Cape Horn route to the Pacific Ocean.- Biography :Willem Cornelisz Schouten was born in c...
and Jacob Le MaireJacob Le MaireJacob Le Maire was a Dutch mariner who circumnavigated the earth in 1615-16. The strait between Tierra del Fuego and Isla de los Estados was named the Le Maire Strait in his honor, though not without controversy...
visit the NiuasNiuasNiuas is a division of Tonga. It consists of three islands:*Niuafoʻou*Niuatoputapu*Tafahi... - January 1643: Abel TasmanAbel TasmanAbel Janszoon Tasman was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the VOC . His was the first known European expedition to reach the islands of Van Diemen's Land and New Zealand and to sight the Fiji islands...
visits TongatapuTongatapuTongatapu is the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga and the location of its capital Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with approximately 71,260 residents , 70.5% of the national population...
and Haʻapai. - c. 1650: Mataelehaʻamea, the Tuʻi Kanokupolu, establishes the supremacy of his dynasty after a war against the Tuʻi Haʻatakalaua, Vaea.
18th century
- 1773: First visit by Captain James CookJames CookCaptain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
. Cook calls Tonga the "Friendly Isles", and returns the following year. - 1777: James Cook visits Tonga for the third time, and meets the Tuʻi Kanokupolu, Tuʻihalafatai.
- 1782: Tuʻihalafatai renounces power and moves to Fiji.
- 1793: Tupoumoheofo, first woman to hold the title Tuʻi Kanokupolu, is overthrown by her cousin Tukuʻaho.
- 1797: Arrival of the first ChristianChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
missionariesMissionaryA missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
from London. - 1799: Tukuʻaho, the Tuʻi Kanokupolu, is murdered; beginning of half a century of civil war.
19th century
- 1806-1810: William MarinerWilliam Mariner (writer)William Mariner was an Englishman who lived in the Tonga Islands from 29 November 1806 to 8 November 1810. He wrote an account of his experiences, Tonga Islands, that is now one of the major sources of information on pre-Christian Tonga.-Mariner's sojourn in Tonga:William Mariner was a teenage...
's sojourn in Tonga. - 1808: TupoumālohiTupou MalohiTupoumālohi was the 16th Tui Kanokupolu of Tonga from the death of his uncle Maafuolimuloa, the 15th Tui Kanokupolu on 22 April 1799, until his own death in 1812.According to:...
is appointed Tuʻi Kanokupolu after a nine-year interregnum, but resigns within less than a year. - 1820: AleamotuʻaAleamotu'aAleamotu’a...
takes the throne as Tuʻi Kanokupolu, amidst ongoing conflict. - 1826: Aleamotuʻa converts to Christianity and allows WesleyanWesleyanismWesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
Methodist missionaries to settle on TongatapuTongatapuTongatapu is the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga and the location of its capital Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with approximately 71,260 residents , 70.5% of the national population...
. - 1831: Tāufaʻāhau proclaims himself "King George Tupou I of TongaGeorge Tupou I of TongaGeorge 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...
". - 1845: Tāufaʻāhau completes his conquest and unification of Tonga. Foundation of the modern Kingdom of Tonga. NukualofaNukuʻalofaNukualofa is the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the southern most island group of Tonga.-Mythological origins:...
becomes the capital. - 1875: King George Tupou I makes Tonga a constitutional monarchyConstitutional monarchyConstitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
, emancipates all 'serfSERFA spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
s' and guarantees freedom of the pressFreedom of the pressFreedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
and the rule of lawRule of lawThe rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
. - 1893: Death of George Tupou I; George Tupou IIGeorge Tupou II of TongaSiaosi Tupou II, King of Tonga was the King of Tonga from February 18, 1893 until his death. He was officially crowned at Nukualofa, on 17 March 1893. He was also the 20th Tui Kanokupolu...
becomes King. - 1900: Treaty of FriendshipTreaty of FriendshipThe Treaty of Friendship is a common generic name for any treaty establishing close ties between countries. For example:* 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship* Élysée Treaty...
: Tonga becomes a British protected State, but remains essentially self-governing.
20th century
- 1918: Death of George Tupou II; Salote Tupou IIISalote Tupou III of TongaSālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu Tupou III, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, DStJ , but usually named only Sālote, was Queen of Tonga from 5 April 1918 to her death in 1965.-Personal history:...
becomes Queen. - 1965: Death of Salote Tupou III; Taufa'ahau Tupou IVTaufa'ahau Tupou IVTāufaāhau Tupou IV, King of Tonga, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, KStJ son of Queen Sālote Tupou III and her consort Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi, was the king of Tonga from the death of his mother in 1965 until his own death in 2006...
becomes King. - 1970: Tonga regains full sovereignty and independence from the United Kingdom, and joins the Commonwealth of NationsCommonwealth of NationsThe Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
. - 1999: Tonga joins the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
21st century
- 30 March 2006: Feleti SeveleFeleti SeveleFeleti Vakaʻuta Sevele , styled Lord Sevele of Vailahi was the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga from 30 March 2006 to 22 December 2010.-Early life:Sevele was born in Ma’ufanga, Nuku’alofa...
is appointed as the first non-noble Prime Minister of TongaPrime Minister of TongaThis is a list of Prime Ministers of Tonga from the establishment of that office in 1876 until the present day.-List of Premiers/Prime Ministers of Tonga :-External links:*...
since Shirley BakerShirley Waldemar BakerShirley Waldemar Baker was a missionary and premier of Tonga.-Early life:Baker was born in London, England of a Devonshire family. He studied medicine, went to Australia in 1852 as a stowaway. He worked as a farm hand, miner and apothecary's assistant on the goldfields in Victoria...
in the 19th century. - 11 September 2006: Death of Taufa'ahau Tupou IV; George Tupou VGeorge Tupou VGeorge Tupou V , is the current King of Tonga.-Early life:...
becomes King. - 16 November 2006: Riots2006 Nuku'alofa riotsThe 2006 Nukualofa riots started on 16 November, in the Tongan capital of Nukualofa. The Legislative Assembly of Tonga was due to adjourn for the year and despite promises of action, had done little to advance democracy in the government. A mixed crowd of democracy advocates took to the streets in...
hit NukualofaNukuʻalofaNukualofa is the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the southern most island group of Tonga.-Mythological origins:...
, as protestors demand a faster transition to democracy. Some rioters burn down and loot Chinese-Tongan shops and businesses. Eight looters die in a burning building. - 17 November 2006: George Tupou V promises democratic legislative elections for 2008. They eventually take place in 2010.
- 25 November 2010: Following significant reforms, the 2010 general electionTongan general election, 2010Early general elections under a new electoral law were held in Tonga on 25 November 2010. They determined the composition of the 2010 Tongan Legislative Assembly....
produces a Parliament in which an absolute majority of representatives are elected by the people. This new Parliament, rather than the King, was to appoint the next Prime Minister (Lord TuʻivakanoSialeʻataongo Tuʻivakanō-Descent and naming:Siaosi Kiu Ngalumoetutulu Kaho and his wife Fatafehi-ʻo-Lapaha Liku in 1952 baptised their second child and oldest son as Siale ʻAtaongo Kaho. When his father died in January 1986, Siale ʻAtaongo succeeded him to the traditional Tongan noble title of Tuʻivakanō...
), the King having relinquished to the Prime Minister the bulk of his political powers.
Sources / further reading
- Queen Salote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900-1965 (ISBN 1-86940-205-7)
- Latukefu, S. (1974), Church and State in Tonga, ANU Press, Canberra
- Campbell, Ian C., Island Kingdom: Tonga Ancient and Modern, 2001, ISBN 0-908812-96-5
- "Brief history of the Kingdom of Tonga", on the website of the Tongan Parliament