Sālote Tupou III (born Sālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu; 13 March 1900 – 16 December 1965) was Queen of Tonga from 1918 to her death in 1965. She reigned for nearly 48 years, longer than any other Tongan monarch. She was well known for her height, standing 6 ft 3 in (1.91 metres) tall in her prime.

Early life

Sālote (Charlotte) was born on 13 March 1900 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 ...

as the eldest daughter and heir of King

George Tupou II George Tupou II ( to, Siaosi Tupou II; 18 June 1874 – 5 April 1918) was the King of Tonga from 18 February 1893 until his death. He was officially crowned at Nukuʻalofa, on 17 March 1893. He was also the 20th Tuʻi Kanokupolu. Life Siao ...

of Tonga and his first wife, Queen Lavinia Veiongo. She was baptized and named after her great-grandmother Sālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu (daughter of

George Tupou I George Tupou I (4 December 1797 – 18 February 1893), originally known as Tāufaʻāhau I, was the first king of modern Tonga. He adopted the name Siaosi (originally Jiaoji), the Tongan equivalent of '' George'', after King George III of the ...

). She was not popular, as she was perceived as being born from the 'wrong mother' because of her mother's lower rank and was disliked so much that it was not safe for her to go outside the palace. Her mother, Queen Lavinia, died from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

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 ʻAnaseini 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: 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 Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, to start five years of education.Queen Salote Tupou (1900–1965)
Tepapa.govt.nz, Retrieved 2 August 2016 She returned 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 instruction in Tongan history and customs.

Personal history

In 1917, Sālote married Viliami Tungī Mailefihi, an adult noble then 30 years old, 13 years her senior. At the age of 18, she became a mother for the first time. Her children were: * Prince Siaosi Tāufaʻāhau Tupoulahi (4 July 1918 – 10 September 2006), later known as ''King Tāufa‘āhau Tupou IV'', * Prince Uiliami Tuku‘aho (5 November 1919 – 28 April 1936), who died young, * Prince Sione Ngū Manumataongo (7 January 1922 – 10 April 1999), later known as 5th '' Tu'ipelehake'' (Fatafehi), *Three pregnancies ended in miscarriages. Queen Sālote died on 16 December 1965 at Auckland City Hospital, after a long illness. Her body was flown back to Tonga.

Achievements

Her marriage to Tungī Mailefihi had been a political masterstroke by 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 Edward Winslow Gifford (August 14, 1887 – May 16, 1959) devoted his life to studying California Indian ethnography as a professor of anthropology and director of the Museum of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. Born in Oakl ...

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, published in 2004, edited by her biographer, Elizabeth Wood-Ellem. Salote led Tonga through

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, with the islands declaring war on Germany in 1940 and on Japan in 1941 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. She put Tonga's resources at the disposal of Britain and supported the Allied cause throughout the war. Tongan troops saw battle against the Japanese in the

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, ...

, including on Guadalcanal. She brought Tonga to international attention when, during her sole visit to Europe, she attended the 1953

coronation of Queen Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. 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 persons one is honouring, she refused a hood and rode through the pouring rain in an open carriage with

Sultan Ibrahim IV of Kelantan Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Muhammad IV, , (9 October 1897 – 9 July 1960) was the Sultan of Kelantan from 1944 to 1960. He was born at Istana Balai Besar in Kota Bharu to Sultan Muhammad IV ibni Almarhum Sultan Muhammad III, Sultan ...

, endearing herself to spectators. She served as Chairman of the Tonga Traditions Committee 1954–1965 and patronised the Tonga Red Cross Society.

Depictions in popular culture

Trinidadian-Venezuelan musician

Edmundo Ros Edmundo Ros OBE, FRAM (7 December 1910 – 21 October 2011), born Edmund William Ross, was a Trinidadian-Venezuelan musician, vocalist, arranger and bandleader who made his career in Britain. He directed a highly popular Latin American orchestr ...

composed, recorded, and performed a calypso song titled "The Queen of Tonga" whose lyrics refer to Queen Salote attending the coronation of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

Honours

* : Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George * : Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

Archive
/ref> * : Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

* : Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St John * : Recipient of the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal * : Recipient of the

King George VI Coronation Medal The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir of King George VI's coronation. It was awarded to t ...

* : Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal

Notes

References

*, (1967), ''The Friendly Islanders: a story of Queen Salote and her people,'' London: Hodder & Stoughton. * (1998): Tongan Archaeology and the Tongan Past, 2850-150 B.P. ''Journal of World Prehistory'' 12 (3): 337–392. (HTML abstract) * * (2004): ''Songs and poems of Queen Salote''. * (1954), ''Queen Salote & Her Kingdom'', London: Putnam. *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tupou 03, Salote 1900 births 1965 deaths Tongan monarchs Tongan women in politics Tongan people of World War II Queens regnant World War II political leaders Honorary Dames Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Honorary Dames Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Honorary Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Dames Grand Cross of the Order of St John Tongan Methodists People from Tongatapu Deaths in New Zealand Protestant monarchs 20th-century Tongan women 20th-century women rulers 20th-century monarchs in Oceania