Falakika Seilala (died 20 February 1869), was a Queen of Uvea, ruling from 1858 until 1869. She introduced the title ''

Lavelua The King of Uvea is known as the Lavelua. This is a list of the rulers of the polity of Uvea, which is also known as Wallis Island of the Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands. First Dynasty from Tu'i Tonga The first dynasty reigned from a ...

'' for all the kings and queens of Uvea. She succeeded her brother

Soane-Patita Vaimua Lavelua Soane-Patita Vaimua Lavelua (1799 — 21 November 1858) was a king of Uvea in the 19th century. He was named king in 1829 at the age of thirty) and reigned until his death in 1858. During his reign, Marist missionaries landed in Wallis in 1837 and ...

, and was succeeded by her paternal niece Amelia Tokagahahau Aliki.

Biography

A member of the Takumasiva dynasty, she acceded to the throne on 5 December 1858, a few weeks after the death of her brother

, who chose her to succeed him. The Catholic mission played an important role in her nomination, with Jean-Claude Roux saying they "pushed erto the throne". In 1859, she encountered difficulties with a French merchant, who had to leave Wallis. Her coming to power revived conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, converted by Wesleyan missionaries (Methodists) from Tonga. Thus, in 1866, she refused to grant the islanders religious freedom, as requested by the captain of a Royal Navy ship who had come to support the Protestants, and also refused the request of a Wesleyan pastor the following year. Her niece Amelia Tokagahahau Aliki succeeded her on February 19, 1869 and she died the next day.

Comparison with other sovereigns of Oceania

Falakika Seilala was the first Wallisian sovereign to introduce the name Lavelua as a royal title. She is one of four women to have held royal office in Uvea, along with

Toifale Toifale (died 1829), was a ruling Queen of Uvea between 1825 and 1829.Bernard Vienne et Daniel Frimigacci, « Les fondations du royaume de ’Uvea. Une histoire à revisiter », Journal de la Société des Océanistes, nos 122-123, 1er décembre 20 ...

, Amelia Tokagahahau Aliki and

Aloisia Brial Aloisia Brial (died 1972) was a queen of Uvea, ruling from 1953 until 1958.Guillaume Lachenal, Le médecin qui voulut être roi. Sur les traces d'une utopie coloniale, Editions du Seuil, 9 février 2017 (ISBN 978-2-02-114258-7 She was preceded b ...

. She also fits among other queens of Polynesia , such as Salote Tupou III in

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

(1918-1965),

Liliʻuokalani Liliʻuokalani (; Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha; September 2, 1838 – November 11, 1917) was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of the Haw ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

(1891-1893) or

Pōmare IV Pōmare IV (28 February 1813 – 17 September 1877), more properly ʻAimata Pōmare IV Vahine-o-Punuateraʻitua (otherwise known as ʻAimata – "eye-eater", after an old custom of the ruler to eat the eye of the defeated foe), was the Queen of ...

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

(1827-1877).

Biography

Comparison with other sovereigns of Oceania

References

Further reading