Sālote Tupou III

Queen Sālote Tupou III
Queen of Tonga

Queen Salote in London at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
Queen of Tonga
Reign 5 April 1918 – 16 December 1965
Coronation 11 October 1918, Nukuʻalofa
Predecessor King George Tupou II
Successor King Tāufa‘āhau Tupou IV
Prime Ministers
Born (1900-03-13)13 March 1900
Royal Palace, Tonga
Died 16 December 1965(1965-12-16) (aged 65)
Aotea Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
Burial Mala‘e Kula
Spouse Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi (m. 1917–1941; his death)
Issue King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga
Prince Uiliami Tuku‘aho
Prince Fatafehi Tu'ipelehake
Full name
Sālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu
House House of Tupou
Father King George Tupou II
Mother Lavinia Veiongo
Religion Methodism

Sālote (Mafile‘o Pilolevu; 13 March 1900 – 16 December 1965) Tupou III, was the first Queen regnant and third Monarch of the Kingdom of Tonga from 1918 to her death in 1965. She reigned for nearly 48 years, longer than any other Tongan Monarch.

Early life

Sālote was born on 13 March 1900 in Tonga as the only child and heir of King George Tupou II of Tonga and his second wife Queen Lavinia. She was not popular, as she was perceived as being born from the 'wrong mother' because of her mother's low rank and was disliked so much that it was not safe for her to go outside the palace garden.[1]

Crown Princess Sālote as a child.

Her mother, Queen Lavinia died from tuberculosis on 25 April 1902. After her death, the Chiefs in Tonga urged King George Tupou II for many years to remarry to produce a male heir. On 11 November, 1909, when the King finally married the 16-year-old Anaseini Takipō, (half-sister of the rejected candidate 'Ofakivava'u', from the first search of a wife for the King), the chiefs were jubilant. Queen Anaseni gave birth twice, both girls:[2] Princess ʻOnelua (born 20 March 1911; died of convulsions aged six months, on 19 August 1911) and Princess ʻElisiva Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku (born 26 July 1912; died from tubercular peritonitis on 21 April 1933 aged 20).

Education

In December 1909 Sālote was sent to Auckland, New Zealand to start her education; there she remained for 5 years although she did return to Tonga every Christmas holiday. After December 1914 the King ordered her to stay home in Tonga as hopes for Queen Anaseni giving birth to a male heir were low. She later began a course of intensive instruction in Tongan history and customs.

Personal history

Married to Viliami Tungī Mailefihi, she became the mother of Siaosi Tāufa‘āhau Tupoulahi – later King Tāufa‘āhau Tupou IV –, Uiliami Tuku‘aho (5 November 1919 – 28 April 1936), and Sione Ngū Manumataongo – later Tu‘i Pelehake (Fatafehi) –, plus three miscarriages. She died 16 December 1965 at Aotea Hospital, Auckland, after a long illness. Queen Salote was well known for her height at 6 ft 3 in (1.91 metres) tall.[3]

Achievements

Tongan 1 paʻanga coin depicting Salote Tupou III.

She was the 21st Tu‘i Kanokupolu and as such only grudgingly accepted by followers of the Tu‘i Tonga, that is the people of Mu‘a. The first years of her reign she spent a lot of effort in reducing their suspicions.

Her marriage to Tungī Mailefihi had been a masterstroke of her father, as Tungī was a direct descendant of the Tu‘i Ha‘atakalaua, which at that time was seen as belonging to the Tu‘i Tonga's kauhala‘uta. Their children therefore combined the blood of the three grand royal dynasties in Tonga.

In 1920–1921, she assisted the Bernice P. Bishop Museum's Bayard Dominick Expedition with their mapping of Tongan archaeological sites by providing access to localities and information. The expedition's reports on the Tongan past—including a large volume of material which still remains unpublished even today—were primarily compiled by Edward Winslow Gifford and provided the groundwork for comprehensive studies of the pre-contact history of the Tongans (Burley 1998). She was also a keen writer and author of dance songs and love poems.

She brought Tonga to international attention when, during her sole visit to Europe, she attended the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London. During the coronation procession, it began to rain and hoods were placed on the carriages in the procession. As Tongan custom dictates that one should not imitate the actions of person they are honoring,[4] she refused a hood and rode through the pouring rain in an open carriage, endearing herself to spectators.[4] She served as Chairman of the Tonga Traditions Committee 1954–1965 and patronised the Tonga Red Cross Society.

Titles, styles and honours

Titles

Honours

National honours

Foreign honours

Notes

  1. ↑ Wood-Ellem, Elizabeth (1999). Queen Sālote of Tonga: the story of an era, 1900–1965. Auckland, NZ: Auckland University Press. ISBN 978-1-86940-205-1. OCLC 262293605.
  2. ↑ "Tupou9". Royalark.net. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  3. ↑ "GREAT BRITAIN: Reunion in Paradise". TIME. 28 December 1953. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  4. 1 2 "In the Court of the King of Tonga". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "ROYALTY/NOBILITY". mic.gov.to. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  6. ↑ name="pinterest">"Sālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu Tupou III, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, DStJ (13 March 1900 – 16 December 1965) Late Queen Salote of Tonga | Royalty | Pinterest". pinterest.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ "Image: new-QueenSalote1.jpg, (237 × 323 px)". Tonganz.net. 15 April 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Tupou10". Royalark.net. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  10. ↑ "Die Koenigsgraeber - Royal Tombs". Kingdomoftonga.de. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  11. ↑
  12. ↑
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ "Tonga profile - Timeline - BBC News". M.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "Queen Salote's Cloak - Picture of Tonga National Cultural Centre, Tongatapu Island". Tripadvisor.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "Image: lotte-meitner-graf-salote-tupou-iii-1900-65-of-tonga.jpg, (366 × 488 px)". Imgc.allpostersimages.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.

References

External links

Regnal titles
Preceded by
King George Tupou II		 Queen of Tonga
1918–1965 		Succeeded by
King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV
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