Taufa'ahau Tupou IV
Encyclopedia
Tāufaāhau Tupou IV, King of Tonga, GCMG
, GCVO
, KBE
, KStJ
(4 July 1918 – 10 September 2006) 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. He was married to Queen Halaevalu Mataaho Ahomee, born in 1926, and the couple had four children:
The King's full baptismal name was Siaosi Tāufaāhau Tupoulahi, but he was soon better known by the traditional title reserved for Crown Princes: Tupoutoa, (bestowed in 1937) later replaced by the title he inherited from his father: Tungī (or using both: Tupoutoa-Tungī, in that time written as Tuboutoa-Tugi). He kept the Tungī title until his death. From a traditional point of view he was not only the Tungī, which is the direct descendent from the Tui Haatakalaua
, but he was also, on becoming king, the 22nd Tui Kanokupolu
. The link with the Tui Tonga
, was more indirect. He was not a Tui Tonga too (as that office has gone over into the Kalaniuvalu line), but his grandmother Lavinia Veiongo (wife of George Tupou II) was the great-granddaughter of Laufilitonga
, the last Tui Tonga, and his wife Halaevalu Mataaho (not to be confused with the King's wife of the same name and same family), who was the daughter of Tupou Ahomee, who was the daughter of Lātūfuipeka, the Tamahā
(sister of the Tui Tonga). By consequence, the King's daughter, Pilolevu, was the first woman in Tongan culture
to really have the blood of the three major Royal dynasties in her veins and become the highest ranking person ever.
The King was a keen sportsman and religious preacher in his youth, he was educated at Newington College
and studied Law at Sydney University while resident at Wesley College in Sydney
, Australia
. He was appointed Minister of Education by Queen Sālote in 1943, Minister of Health in 1944, and in 1949, Premier
. He remained a lay preacher
of the Free Wesleyan Church
until his death, and in some circumstances, was empowered to appoint an acting church president. In the 1970s, he was the heaviest monarch in the world, weighing in at over 200 kg (440 pounds or 31 stones). For his visits to Germany
, the German Government used to commission special chairs that could support his weight. The King used to take them home, considering them as state presents. In the 1990s, he took part in a national fitness campaign, losing a third of his weight.
The King was also quite tall, standing .
He wielded great political authority and influence in Tonga's essentially aristocratic system of government, together with the country's nobles, who control 70% of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga
. His involvement in an investment scandal, however, involving his appointed court jester
Jesse Bogdonoff
, had in his last years embroiled the King in controversy, and led to calls for greater government transparency and democratisation. In 2005, the government spent several weeks negotiating with striking civil service workers before reaching a settlement. The king's nephew, Tui Pelehake (Uluvalu)
, served as mediator. A constitutional commission presented a series of recommendations for constitutional reform to the King a few weeks before his death.
On 15 August 2006, Tongan Prime Minister Feleti Sevele
interrupted radio and television broadcasts to announce that the King was gravely ill in the Mercy Hospital in Auckland
and to ask the 104,000 people of the island chain to pray for their King, but he died almost a month later, at 23:34 on 10 September 2006 (New Zealand time: it was just after midnight on 11 September in Tongan time). He was 88 and had reigned for 41 years.
Tāufaāhau Tupou IV was buried on 19 September 2006 at Malae Kula
(the Royal cemetery) in the Tongan capital, Nukualofa
. Thousands of Tongans watched the funeral and mourners included many foreign dignitaries, including Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito
, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark
, Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase
, Vanuatu president Kalkot Mataskelekele
, the American Samoan
Governor Togiola Tulafono
, Niue
Premier Vivian Young, and the Duke of Gloucester
, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II
. The funeral blended Christian and ancient Polynesian burial rites. The funeral was overseen by the Royal undertaker Lauaki and his men of the Haatufunga (clan), also known as the nima tapu (sacred hands).http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060919/wl_asia_afp/tongaroyalking
According to the International Herald Tribune
, "Tupou IV's 41-year reign made him one of the world's longest-serving sovereigns, after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II
and Samoa's head of state Malietoa Tanumafili II."
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, GCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, KStJ
KSTJ
KSTJ may refer to:* KFRH, a radio station licensed to Boulder City, Nevada, United States, which used the call sign KSTJ from September 1998 to October 2007...
(4 July 1918 – 10 September 2006) son of Queen Sālote Tupou III and her consort Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi
Viliami Tungi Mailefihi
Viliami Tungī Mailefihi was a Tongan chief and consort of Queen Sālote Tupou III.He was the son of Tukuaho who was the son of Tungī Halatuituia. The line of Tungī chiefs from Tatakamotonga was descending from the then defunct Tui Haatakalaua which in that time was more or less seen as an...
, was the king of 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...
from the death of his mother in 1965 until his own death in 2006. He was married to Queen Halaevalu Mataaho Ahomee, born in 1926, and the couple had four children:
- Siaosi Tāufaāhau Manumataongo Tukuaho TupouGeorge Tupou VGeorge Tupou V , is the current King of Tonga.-Early life:...
, while as Crown Prince, better known by the hereditary title: Tupoutoa (once his father did not need it any longer). He succeeded him later as George Tupou VGeorge Tupou VGeorge Tupou V , is the current King of Tonga.-Early life:...
. - Princess Royal Sālote Mafileo Pilolevu Tuita (born Tukuaho)
- Prince Fatafehi Alaivahamamao Tukuaho (stripped of his title after marrying a commoner, later bestowed with the hereditary title of Māatu, deceased 2004)
- Prince Ahoeitu Unuakiotonga Tukuaho better known by his traditional titles: Tupoutoa Lavaka (until the death of his father known as: Ulukālala Lavaka Ata).
The King's full baptismal name was Siaosi Tāufaāhau Tupoulahi, but he was soon better known by the traditional title reserved for Crown Princes: Tupoutoa, (bestowed in 1937) later replaced by the title he inherited from his father: Tungī (or using both: Tupoutoa-Tungī, in that time written as Tuboutoa-Tugi). He kept the Tungī title until his death. From a traditional point of view he was not only the Tungī, which is the direct descendent from the Tui Haatakalaua
Tu'i Ha'atakalaua
The 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...
, but he was also, on becoming king, the 22nd 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...
. The link with the 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...
, was more indirect. He was not a Tui Tonga too (as that office has gone over into the Kalaniuvalu line), but his grandmother Lavinia Veiongo (wife of George Tupou II) was the great-granddaughter of Laufilitonga
Laufilitonga
Fatafehi Laufilitonga was the 39th and last Tui Tonga, a dynasty of kings in Tonga during the Tui Tonga Empire.-Biography:Only little is known about Laufilitonga's life....
, the last Tui Tonga, and his wife Halaevalu Mataaho (not to be confused with the King's wife of the same name and same family), who was the daughter of Tupou Ahomee, who was the daughter of Lātūfuipeka, the Tamahā
Tamaha (Tonga)
Tamaha is the ceremonial name of the daughter of the Tuʻi Tonga's sister. The eldest sister of the Tuʻi Tonga is usually called the Tuʻi Tonga Fefine....
(sister of the Tui Tonga). By consequence, the King's daughter, Pilolevu, was the first woman in Tongan culture
Culture of Tonga
The Tongan archipelago has been inhabited for perhaps 3000 years, since settlement in late Lapita times. The culture of its inhabitants has surely changed greatly over this long time period. Before the arrival of European explorers in the late 17nd and early 18th centuries, the Tongans were in...
to really have the blood of the three major Royal dynasties in her veins and become the highest ranking person ever.
The King was a keen sportsman and religious preacher in his youth, he was educated at Newington College
Newington College
Newington College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
and studied Law at Sydney University while resident at Wesley College in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He was appointed Minister of Education by Queen Sālote in 1943, Minister of Health in 1944, and in 1949, Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
. He remained a lay preacher
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
of the Free Wesleyan Church
Free Wesleyan Church
The Free Wesleyan Church is the largest Methodist denomination in Tonga. The royal family of the country are prominent members, and the late king was a lay preacher....
until his death, and in some circumstances, was empowered to appoint an acting church president. In the 1970s, he was the heaviest monarch in the world, weighing in at over 200 kg (440 pounds or 31 stones). For his visits to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the German Government used to commission special chairs that could support his weight. The King used to take them home, considering them as state presents. In the 1990s, he took part in a national fitness campaign, losing a third of his weight.
The King was also quite tall, standing .
He wielded great political authority and influence in Tonga's essentially aristocratic system of government, together with the country's nobles, who control 70% of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga
Legislative Assembly of Tonga
The Legislative Assembly of Tonga has 30 members, 9 members elected for a three year term in multi-seat constituencies via the single non-transferable vote system, 9 members elected for a three year term by the 33 hereditary nobles of Tonga, 10 members of the Privy Council and 2 governors. The...
. His involvement in an investment scandal, however, involving his appointed court jester
Court jester
A jester, joker, jokester, fool, wit-cracker, prankster, or buffoon was a person employed to tell jokes and provide general entertainment, typically for a European monarch. Jesters are stereotypically thought to have worn brightly colored clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern...
Jesse Bogdonoff
Jesse Bogdonoff
Jesse Bogdonoff , was financial advisor to the government of Tonga and court jester of Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, the king of Tonga. He was embroiled in a financial scandal.-Scandal:...
, had in his last years embroiled the King in controversy, and led to calls for greater government transparency and democratisation. In 2005, the government spent several weeks negotiating with striking civil service workers before reaching a settlement. The king's nephew, Tui Pelehake (Uluvalu)
Tu'ipelehake
The Tuipelehake is the 2nd highest ranking traditional chiefly title in Tonga, in the absence of the Tui Faleua title, Tuipelehake is second only to the King in rank...
, served as mediator. A constitutional commission presented a series of recommendations for constitutional reform to the King a few weeks before his death.
On 15 August 2006, Tongan Prime Minister Feleti Sevele
Feleti Sevele
Feleti 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...
interrupted radio and television broadcasts to announce that the King was gravely ill in the Mercy Hospital in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and to ask the 104,000 people of the island chain to pray for their King, but he died almost a month later, at 23:34 on 10 September 2006 (New Zealand time: it was just after midnight on 11 September in Tongan time). He was 88 and had reigned for 41 years.
Tāufaāhau Tupou IV was buried on 19 September 2006 at Malae Kula
Mala'ekula
Malaekula or Malae Kula is the proper name of the royal burial grounds in central Nukualofa in Kingdom of Tonga in the southern Pacific Ocean. The kings of Tonga and their very close relatives are buried there...
(the Royal cemetery) in the Tongan capital, Nukualofa
Nukuʻalofa
Nukualofa 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:...
. Thousands of Tongans watched the funeral and mourners included many foreign dignitaries, including Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito
Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan
is the eldest son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, which makes him the heir apparent to the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan.-Early life and education:...
, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...
, Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase is a Fijian political figure. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on 9 June 2000, until his appointment...
, Vanuatu president Kalkot Mataskelekele
Kalkot Mataskelekele
Kalkot Mataskelekele Mauliliu was President of Vanuatu from 16 August 2004 to 16 August 2009.He was educated at Scotch College Melbourne the University of Papua New Guinea. He is a lawyer from the national capital, Port Vila, and is the first Head of State of Vanuatu to have a university degree...
, the American Samoan
American Samoan
American Samoan may refer to:* Something of, or related to American Samoa* A person from American Samoa, or of American Samoan descent. For information about the American Samoan people, see Demographics of American Samoa, Samoans, and Culture of Samoa. For specific American Samoans, see List of...
Governor Togiola Tulafono
Togiola Tulafono
Togiola Talalelei A. Tulafono is the Governor of American Samoa. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He had previously served as Lieutenant Governor, taking this position on January 3, 1997....
, Niue
Niue
Niue , is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. It is commonly known as the "Rock of Polynesia", and inhabitants of the island call it "the Rock" for short. Niue is northeast of New Zealand in a triangle between Tonga to the southwest, the Samoas to the northwest, and the Cook Islands to...
Premier Vivian Young, and the Duke of Gloucester
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester is a member of the British Royal Family. Prince Richard is the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. He has been Duke of Gloucester since his father's death in 1974. He is currently 20th in the line of succession...
, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. The funeral blended Christian and ancient Polynesian burial rites. The funeral was overseen by the Royal undertaker Lauaki and his men of the Haatufunga (clan), also known as the nima tapu (sacred hands).http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060919/wl_asia_afp/tongaroyalking
According to the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
, "Tupou IV's 41-year reign made him one of the world's longest-serving sovereigns, after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and Samoa's head of state Malietoa Tanumafili II."
External links
- Obituary of Tāufaāhau Tupou IV with historical context
- Official announcement of Tāufaāhau Tupou IV's passing away
- Website of the Tongan Monarchy
- New Zealand Herald Feature Article
- Recent Visit of HM King Tāufaāhau Tupou IV to Hong Kong
- The 1993 Silver Jubilee of Tāufaāhau Tupou IV
- Pacific Magazine: Thousands Turn Out For King's Funeral