Siaosi Tupou I | |
---|---|
King of Tonga | |
Reign | 4 December 1845 – 18 February 1893 |
Coronation | 4 November 1875 |
Predecessor | Laufilitonga (as Emperor) |
Successor | Siaosi Tupou II |
Prime Ministers | Tēvita ʻUnga Shirley Waldemar Baker |
Born | Tāufaʻāhau 4 December 1797 Kahoua, Tuʻi Tonga Empire |
Died | 18 February 1893 Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, Polynesia | (aged 95)
Burial | |
Spouse | Sālote Lupepauʻu |
Issue | Tēvita ʻUnga Sālote Mafileʻo Pilolevu Tuʻukitau Vuna Takitakimālohi |
House | Tupou |
Father | Tupoutoʻa |
Mother | Hoamofaleono |
Religion | Tongan religion (former) Free Church of Tonga |
George Tupou I (4 December 1797[1] – 18 February 1893),[2] 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 United Kingdom, when he was baptized in 1831. His nickname was Lopa-ukamea (or Lopa-ʻaione), meaning iron cable.