Protected state of the United Kingdom in Polynesia
This article is about the former status of the island country. For the country in its current form, see
Tonga
.
The
Kingdom of Tonga
was a
protected state
of the
United Kingdom
from 1900 to 1970, when its protectorate status was removed.
History
[
edit
]
Tonga became a
British protected state
under a
Treaty of Friendship
on 18 May 1900, when European settlers and rival Tongan chiefs tried to oust the second King. The Treaty of Friendship and protected state status ended in 1970 under arrangements established prior to her death by the third monarch, Queen
S?lote
.
An unspoken agreement of the treaty that was common in British protected states was a new British monopoly on Tonga's thriving vanilla industry, and their small deposits of minerals.
On 18 May 1900, to discourage German advances,
[1]
the
Kingdom of Tonga
became a
Protected State
with the United Kingdom under a Treaty of Friendship signed by
George Tupou II
after European settlers and rival Tongan chiefs attempted to overthrow him.
[2]
[3]
Foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Tonga were conducted through the British
Consul
. The United Kingdom had veto power over foreign policies and finances of the Kingdom of Tonga.
[1]
Tonga was affected by the
1918 flu pandemic
, with 1,800 Tongans killed, around eight per cent of the residents.
[4]
For most of the 20th century
Tonga
was quiet, inward-looking, and somewhat isolated from developments elsewhere in the world. Tonga's complex social structure is essentially broken into three tiers: the
King
, the nobles, and the commoners. Between the nobles and commoners are Matapule, sometimes called "talking chiefs," who are associated with the King or a noble and who may or may not hold estates. Obligations and responsibilities are reciprocal, and although the nobility are able to extract favours from people living on their estates, they likewise must extend favours to their people. Status and rank play a powerful role in personal relationships, even within families.
On 4 June 1970, protected state status of the Kingdom of Tonga ended. The end of the Kingdom of Tonga protected state status was arranged by
Salote Tupou III
prior to her death in 1965.
Tonga remains a member state of the
Commonwealth of Nations
.
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Tomb of King
George Tupou I
, 1900
-
Tomb of King George Tupou I, 1900
-
King
George Tupou II
going to the opening of the Tongan Parliament in 1900
-
Richard Seddon
and his wife at the opening of the Tongan parliament, 1900
-
The royal throne of Tonga, 1900.
-
-
Members of the Tonga Defence Force of the 2nd
NZEF
on parade in Tonga celebrating the capitulation of Italy in 1945
-
Bishop
John Rodgers
, P?sila (wife of Lord
Fusitu'a
(Tevita Tu'iniua),full name Pisila Fotofili Fusitu’a) and Suli Seuli (mat?pule of Fusitu'a) watching dancing. Inauguration of the Catholic church in
Kolofo'ou
. 1967
References
[
edit
]