Queen Sālote of Tonga: the story of an era, 1900-1965

When Queen Salote of Tonga attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London in 1953, she was greeted as the tallest queen of the smallest kingdom and gained universal admiration by her natural dignity and the warmth of her personality. This event reinforced Queen Salote's reputation as a universally beloved monarch.Vulnerable at the beginning of her reign, Queen Salote succeeded to her titles under threat of annexation and with the enmity of a powerful clique of chiefs who perpetuated dynastic quarrels and resisted centralized government. Queen Salote soon won the confidence and loyalty of significant people, not least the representatives of the British government in the Western Pacific, and profoundly influenced the opinion and behaviour of her subjects by personal example. This account of Queen Salote's life and times is more than a biography, for it also describes the politics and social structure of a small kingdom that was a world in microcosm. Frontmatter Preface (page ix) Notes on Tongan Spelling and on Chiefly Titles (page xiii) List of Illustrations (page xvii) List of Figures (page xix) 1. Her Mother's Daughter (page 1) 2. Ancestors and Antecedents (page 17) 3. A Dynastic Marriage (page 34) 4. The First Year of a Reign (page 46) 5. At Home at the Palace (page 59) 6. The British Connection (page 70) 7. Aristocrats, Nobles, and Lesser Chiefs (page 84) 8. God and Tonga Are My Inheritance (page 102) 9. Problems with Judges (page 124) 10. The Queen's Sister: Princess Fusipala (page 141) 11. The Queen's Consort: Tungi Mailefihi (page 155) 12. The Chief Justice Plays the Champion (page 170) 13. The Greatest Loss of All (page 191) Queen Salote of Tonga gave her people a strong sense of identity, which was tested by internal dissension, occupation by US forces in WWII, and the challenges of a modern world. This account of her life describes the politics and social structure of a small kingdom that was a world in microcosm. This biography of Queen Salote of Tonga is also a political & social history of the kingdom of Tonga between 1900 & 1965. It looks at aspects of Tongan society, especially the role of rank, status & of the leading families & the Queen's skill in keeping the loyalty of her people Elizabeth Wood-ellem. Reprint Of 1999 Ed. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 350-357) And Index.