George Tupou V Tupou V on 11 September 2006, which also made him, from a traditional viewpoint, the 23rd Tuʻi Kanokupolu (the overlords of Tongatapu). The ceremonial aspects of Tupou V's accession took place in July and August 2008. These were initially to be held in 2007 after the six-month official mourning period for his father (as required of close relatives) and his own birthday. They were also deferred after the 2006 Tonga riots as he decided to focus instead on reconstruction of the damaged capital. During the week of celebrations, two key ceremonies took place to mark Tupou V's coronation. On 30
Taliai Tupou have induced him to finally and publicly accept the Christian faith in 1849. From this point forward Christianity gradually replaced the old religion and gained hold in Lau and the rest of Fiji. David Cargill describes Taliai Tupou in his journals as a “however reluctant, tributary monarch”. As he did not have the reserves of manpower like the Tui Cakau or Vunivalu of Bau he could never risk confrontation with his adversaries and the alternative was to maintain friendly relations over as wide a field as possible. In this sense he can he stated as an astute diplomat, having somewhat