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The Vunivalu of Bau, lithograph portrait in the possession of Henry Mangles Denham, c. 1858.. Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau (pronounced [ˈseru epeˈniːsa ðakomˈbau]; occasionally spelled Cacobau or phonetically Thakombau) (c.1815 – 1 February 1883) [1] was a Fijian chief, monarch, and warlord who united part of Fiji's warring tribes under his leadership, establishing a united Fijian kingdom.
In 5 June 1871, John Bates Thurston, the British honorary consul, forged a "marriage of convenience" between Cakobau and the settlers, and persuaded the Fijian chiefs to accept a constitutional monarchy with Cakobau as king, but with real power in the hands of a cabinet and Legislature dominated by settlers. The Legislative Assembly met for the ...
The monarchy of Fiji arose in the 19th century, when native ruler Seru Epenisa Cakobau consolidated control of the Fijian Islands in 1871 and declared himself king, or paramount chief, of Fiji (Fijian: Tui Viti). Three years later, he voluntarily ceded sovereignty of the islands to Britain, making Fiji a crown colony within the British Empire.
Cakobau was the Vunivalu (Warlord or Paramount Chief) of the island of Bau. His father, Tanoa Visawaqa , had conquered the Burebasaga Confederacy but never subdued western Fiji. Cakobau controlled most of the eastern parts of the Fijian Islands and declared himself King of Fiji ( Tui Viti ).
Cakobau eventually succeeded to the title himself. He created much of its prestige by styling himself King of Fiji; he led the process that culminated in cession of the islands to the United Kingdom in 1874. [7] The position fell vacant with the death of Ratu Sir George Cakobau, in 1989. For the next decade, there was a search for a successor.
He is the son of former Governor-General of Fiji and Vunivalu Ratu Sir George Cakobau, and a great-great grandson of Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the warlord who established the first unified Fiji and became its king in 1871. [1] Cakobau has been involved in politics; he was elected to the House of Representatives of Fiji in the 1999 Fijian ...
This time though Cakobau was supported by a strong fleet from Tonga, sent by Tu'i Tonga (King) Taufa'ahau (George I) of Tonga and Enele Ma'afu, governor of the Tongan population in Fiji. The battle was a major victory for Cakobau, thanks mainly to his Tongan allies, and cemented his leadership over Fiji.
Ratu Sir George Kadavulevu Cakobau GCMG GCVO KStJ OBE (6 November 1912 – 25 November 1989) was a Fijian statesman and athlete.A great-grandson of Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the paramount chief of Bau who had unified all the tribes of Fiji under his reign in the mid-1800s, Ratu Sir George held the traditional titles of Vunivalu of Bau and Tui Levuka and thus was considered by many as Fiji's ...