Siaosi Tupou II/en
The succession of Tāufaʻāhau to the throne is a story on itself. He succeeded Tāufaʻāhau Siaosi Tupou I, who was his greatgrandfather, since the latter had outlived his children and grandchildren when he died about 96 years old. He had forcefully married with the highest ranking woman of the land, Sālote Lupepauʻu in 1834 and had without much ado all previous wives and their children declared illegitimate (as good Christians are supposed to have only one wife).
But he had no luck. The first son Tuʻuakitau died in 1842, only 3 years old. His pet and hope for the future, Vuna, followed the road to Pulotu or heavens in 1862. None had yet married. Only then Tāufaʻāhau looked at his other, illegitimate, sons. One of them ʻIsileli Tupou disappeared at sea. That then left only Tēvita ʻUnga. He died in 1875, but at least left 2 sons behind. Unfortunately the first, Uelingatoni Ngū Tupoumālohi died in 1885 and the second, Nalesoni Laifone ʻUnga in 1889. In despair Tāufaʻāhau then, in 1885, nominated Viliami Tungī Halatuituia to take over in case ʻUnga's line would fail completely.
But it never came that far. In fact Tēvita ʻUnga had had a daughter too ʻElisiva Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku (also died in 1889, a few months after her last brother), who had been married with Siaosi Fatafehi Toutaitokotaha a son of Sālote Mafileʻo Pilolevu (Tupou), who had been Tāufaʻāhau I's oldest daughter. Crooked as it seemed, but according to the letter of the constitution, their son, Tāufaʻāhau (Siaosi II) was considered the next in line. In fact it was old Tāufaʻāhau himself who announced in his will of 24 November 1889: Since Fusi is dead, who should have succeeded Laifone, then Tāufaʻāhau should inherit.
Possibly with this wish he tried to bypass all envying chiefs, convinced as he was that they would tear apart the country anyway after his death.
- N. Tukuʻaho, M. Taumoefolau, E. Wood-Ellem, A. Kaeppler; Songs & poems of Queen Sālote; ISBN 978-982-213-008-9
- E. Wood-Ellem; Queen Sālote, the story of an era
