The Year of Queen Sālote Tupou III – The Treaty of Friendship

Tonga now has formal relations with many countries, but perhaps its longest-running formal relationship is with the United Kingdom.

Expeditions to Tonga were led by the British explorer James Cook in 1773, 1774 and 1777. Missionaries travelled to Tonga, which led to conversions to Christianity – more specifically, Wesleyan Methodism – and strong religious ties to the United Kingdom. King George Tupou I was baptised by the English missionary Shirley Baker in 1831, and he established the constitutional monarchy of Tonga in 1875. This was followed by mutual diplomatic recognition in 1879.

On 18 May 1900, Tonga became a British-protected state under the so-called Treaty of Friendship. They did remain independent. The future Queen Sālote had only just been born, and the Kingdom was still in turmoil from the opposition to the King’s wedding to Sālote’s mother. When Basil Thomson, an envoy of the British government, visited Tonga, he took advantage of the “impulsive, faction-ridden little kingdom” to pressure Sālote’s father into signing the treaty.¹ Thomson also managed to kiss the forehead of the three-week-old Princess Sālote.

The Treaty of Friendship gave “Britain most-favoured-nation status and allowed Britain to control Tonga’s relations with foreign countries, and also to exercise jurisdiction over all non-Tongan residents.” This clause of the treaty was initially not signed by the King but became a silent clause when the treaty was ratified the following year.²

In 1927, an amendment was made to the treaty. The so-called Papālagi (usually white foreigners) and other foreigners were previously not subject to Tongan law. The amendment meant that these two groups could now be tried for crimes and misdemeanours punishable by less than two years in prison. Any draft legislation that affected all non-Tongans would now also be submitted to the Agent & Consult for advice.³

During the 1950s, the relations between the two countries were strengthened when Queen Sālote went to Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in London, and Queen Elizabeth II made a return visit in 1954.

The treaty was revised in 1958, which gave less power to the Agent & Consul, who now could only advise when advice was sought. Financial control over Tonga also came to an end. Britain would still be consulted on foreign relations, and it continued to be responsible for the defence of Tonga. Queen Sālote wanted more focus on the word friendship.⁴

During the closing of the 1959 session of parliament, Queen Sālote said, “Our hearts are full of gratitude when we consider how Tonga has been protected through turbulent periods of the past by the Treaty of Friendship. This should create in us a greater desire to give thanks to the Almighty God for making the Treaty of Friendship an instrument whereby His mercy and loving kindness are vouchsafed to us.”⁵

The Treaty held strong until 1968 when it ended with several arrangements.

1. Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900–1965 by Elizabeth Wood-Ellem p.8
2. Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900–1965 by Elizabeth Wood-Ellem p.24
3. Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900–1965 by Elizabeth Wood-Ellem p.134
4. Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900–1965 by Elizabeth Wood-Ellem p.256
5. Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900–1965 by Elizabeth Wood-Ellem p.257