Seru Epenisa Cakobau
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Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau (1815-1883) was a Fijian chief and warlord who united his country's warring tribes under his leadership and reigned as Tui Viti (King of Fiji) from 5 June 1871 to 10 October 1874, when he ceded his country to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Cakobau succeeded his father, Ratu Tanoa Visawaqa, as the Vunivalu (Paramount Chief) of Bau on 8 December 1852. Claiming that Bau had suzerainty over the remainder of Fiji, he asserted that he was in fact the King of Fiji. However, Cakobau's claim was not accepted by other chiefs, who regarded him as merely the first among equals, if that, and he engaged in constant warfare for almost nineteen years to unify the islands under his authority. In 1865, a Confederacy of Independent Kingdoms of Viti was established, with Cakobau as Chairman of the General Assembly. Two years later, however, the confederacy split into the Kingdom of Bau and the Confederation of Lau, with Cakobau assuming kingship of the former. Supported by foreign settlers, he finally succeeded in creating a united Fijian kingdom in 1871, and established Levuka as his caital. He decided to set up a constitutional monarchy, and the first legislative assembly met in November of that year. Both the legislature and the Cabinet were dominated by foreigners.
The United States government had recognized Cakobau's claim to kingship over a united Fijian nation, long before his claims were accepted by his fellow chiefs. In the long term, however, this was not to count in his favour. The American government held him responsible for an arson attack against the Nukulau Island home of John Brown William, the American Consul, in 1849 (before Cakobau was even the Vunivalu, let alone King), and demanded $44,000 compensation. Unable to pay the debt, and fearing an American invasion and annexation, Cakobau decided to cede the islands to the United Kingdom. He was also motivated partly by the hope that British rule would bring civilization and Christianity to Fiji. Cakobau, a former cannibal, had himself converted to Christianity and renounced cannibalism in 1854. He retained his position as Fiji's paramount chief as Vunivalu of Bau, and lived quietly until his death in 1883.
The Cakobau name is an honoured one in Fiji today, as many of the country's leading figures have been direct descendants of Cakobau's. His great-grandson, Ratu Sir George Cakobau, served as Fiji's first native-born Governor-General from 1973 to 1983. Another descendant, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, is the present Speaker of the Fijian House of Representatives. Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, modern Fiji's founding father, is also a descendant of Cakobau's, though not through the male line. Fiji's political, academic, and military elites are dotted with high-achieving Cakobau descendants.
| Preceded by: Ratu Tanoa Visawaqa | Vunivalu of Bau 1852 - 1883 | Succeeded by: Ratu Epeli Nailatikau |
| Preceded by: none (new office) | Chairman, Viti Confederacy 1865 - 1867 | Succeeded by: none (office abolished) |
| Preceded by: none (new throne) | Tui Bau (King of Bau) 1867 - 1869 | Succeeded by: none (throne abolished) |
| Preceded by: none (new throne) | Tui Viti (King of Fiji) 1871 - 1874 | Succeeded by: Queen Victoria of England |