The people of Tonga will today be celebrating King Tupou I Day. This public holiday captured my imagination to do a little research. What I found was a fascinating history of a man who changed the course of this Islands history to a very different to it's neighbours. Thanks to Wikipedia and Online Brittanica. First a little background history. Tonga was first inhabited about 3,000 years ago by Austronesian-speaking people, who made elaborately decorated Lapita ware.

From at least the 10th century AD Tonga was ruled by a line of sacred kings and queens, the Tu'i Tonga. About 1470 the reigning Tu'i Tonga transferred his temporal powers to his brother under the title of Tu'i Ha'a Takalaua. A similar transfer of power about 1600 resulted in the creation of a third line of monarchs, the Tu'i Kanokupolu, who eventually became the rulers. Although some islands were visited by the Dutch navigators Jakob Le Maire and Abel Janszoon Tasman in 1616 and 1643, respectively, effective European contact dates from Captain James Cook's visits between 1773 and 1777. Cook called the Tonga islands the Friendly Islands because the native inhabitants had provided him with necessary supplies and had given him a warm welcome. The London Missionary Society and a mission of Methodists made unsuccessful attempts to introduce Christianity to Tonga in 1797 and 1822, respectively.

A renewed attempt by the Methodist mission in 1826 was successful, and a Roman Catholic mission was established by the Marists in 1842. Between 1799 and 1852 Tonga went through a period of war and disorder. This was finally ended by Taufa'ahau, who had been converted to Christianity in 1831 by the Methodist missionaries. He became Tu'i Kanokupolu and subsequently took the title King George Tupou I in 1845. During the king's long reign (1845–93), Tonga became a unified and independent nation with a modern constitution (1875), legal code, and administrative structure. With Taufa'ahau as its most important convert, Christianity spread rapidly.

In separate treaties, Germany (1876), Great Britain (1879), and the United States (1888) recognized Tonga's independence. George I was succeeded by his great-grandson George II, who died in 1918. During his reign the kingdom became a British protectorate (1900) to discourage German advances. Under the treaty with Great Britain (amended in 1905), Tonga agreed to conduct all foreign affairs through a British consul, who had veto power over Tonga's foreign policy and finances. George II was followed by Queen Salote Tupou III, who ruled from 1918 to 1965. She was succeeded by her son Prince Tungi, as Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. In 1970 Tonga regained full control of domestic and foreign affairs and became a fully independent nation within the Commonwealth. George Tupou I, King of Tonga, originally known as Tāufaʻāhau I with some extra names: Tupou Maeakafaua Ngininginiofolanga (in modern spelling, originally Tubou Maeakafaua Giniginiofolaga), but took the name Siaosi (in modern spelling, originally Jiaoji, the Tongan version of George, after king George III of England) when baptised in 1831. His nickname was Lopa-ukamea (or Lopa-ʻaione) iron cable. The exact place and date of his birth are unknown.

The often quoted date of 4 December, a public holiday in Tonga, is for his installation as Tuʻi Kanokupolu in 1845, when he took the name Tupou; not for his birthday. The year 1797 is only a good guess. The often quoted place Tongoleleka, more precisely the place were currently Niuʻui hospital was located (until its destruction in the 2006 Tonga earthquake), is only a later invention to pump up his importance. Most likely born in Koloua, Tongatapu from Tupoutoʻa, who tried to be the 17th Tuʻi Kanokupolu, but was not recognised by the high chiefs of Tongatapu, as he was seen as a low ranking usurper from Haʻapai. His mother Hoamofaleono felt not sure of her life on Tongatapu, and went with the child to Haʻapai probably within the year after birth. He was established as the Tuʻi Haʻapai (H. king) already before the death of his father in 1820.

He also inherited from him the conflicts with the overlords of Tongatapu, in particular Laufilitonga, the last Tuʻi Tonga to be, who tried to extend his role as spiritual leader into a more political one and contested Tāufaʻāhau in Haʻapai. The final answer on this struggle was the battle of Velata, near Tongoleleka, in 1826 in which Laufilitonga was defeated. An important ally at that battle was the chief of Haʻafeva. It was now clear that Tāufaʻāhau was very ambitious and wanted more than Haʻapai only. In order to stop him the chiefs of Tongatapu made in 1827 Laufilitonga into the Tuʻi Tonga, and Tāufa's uncle Aleamotuʻa into the Tuʻi Kanokupolu, preventing him to invade the island, as fighting against family is a disgrace in Tonga. Still at his baptism in 1831 he had already declared himself as king George of Tonga. The next acquisition was due to his relationships with Fīnau ʻUlukālala III, the ruler of Vavaʻu. That made him becoming the Tuʻi Vavaʻu after the death of the other in 1833. He dedicated Tonga (Pouono in Vavaʻu that was) to the Christian god in 1839, assuring the support of the missionaries.

During the 1830's, when he resided in Vavaʻu, in Veitatalo, which is now ʻUlukālala's residence, Vava'u was the best place to be. It was in peace and it prospered. Tongatapu, on the other hand, suffered under a cruel civil war with the local chiefs fighting each other. Tāufaʻāhau intended to do something about that. Although he made some raids on Tongatapu with his fierce warriors from Haʻapai and Vavaʻu, the Tautahi (seawarriors), before 1845, it was not until Aleamotuʻa's death that year, that he had an excuse to conquer Tongatapu. The chiefs had no other choice than to obey him, and he was installed as Tuʻi Kanokupolu in Kolovai on 4 December. Niuafoʻou and Niuatoputapu would still follow later. 'Eua was never conquered by the new King of Tonga but they provided him with guns and amunitions for his war throughout Tonga. In 1852 the last independent chief, of Pea, fell for him and only then he was the undisputed leader of whole Tonga. His rule saw many changes in Tongan politics. He abolished serfdom in Vavaʻu in 1835, and published the Vavaʻu Code in 1838, the first written laws in Tonga. Still it would not be until 4 June 1862 when he officially abolished serfdom everywhere in Tonga and opened the first parliament. 4 June is still a public holiday, emancipation day, in Tonga. He made Nukuʻalofa the capital of his realm in 1845 (although resided in Lifuka from 1847 to 1851) On 4 November 1875 (another public holiday) the constitution was promulgated and Tonga officially became a kingdom. Siaosi then took the name George Tupou I, king of Tonga. For this reason both 1845 and 1875 are quoted as the start of his reign.

He died in 1893 after a swim in the sea in front of the palace, which was one thing too much for the almost 100 year old. He was buried in the new royal cemetery, Malaʻekula. He had become so old that his children had already died before him, and his successor, George Tupou II, was the son of a daughter (Fusipala) of his son (Tēvita ʻUnga). On one hand, King Siaosi I was such a great man that the history of Tonga is completely different from that of any other Polynesian island. He was a man with whom the foreign powers could talk on equal level, and as such he saved Tonga from colonisation. On the other hand, it is not least due to his reign that a stifling and unjust class system prevails in Tonga to this day. During his trip to Australia and New Zealand in 1853 he saw beggars, and when asking about it, it was told to him that these poor men could not work, because they had no land. This became the source in the constitution that land in Tonga could only be given to born Tongans and not sold to outsiders. As it still is.