History of Fiji
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The timeline below shows a thumbnail sketch of Fijian history, from ancient times to the present day. For a more detailed analysis, follow the links under each heading to the related articles.
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Prehistory to 1820
- See main article: History of Fiji:Discovery
| Date | Event |
| 1500 BC | Fiji settled by Polynesian seafarers. |
| 500 BC | Melanesian seafarers reach Fiji and intermarry with the Polynesian inhabitants, giving rise to the modern Fijian people. |
| 1643 AD | Abel Tasman sights Vanua Levu Island and northern Taveuni. |
| 1774 | James Cook visits Vatoa in the southern Lau archipelago. |
| 1789 | William Bligh, the scuttled captain of the HMS Bounty, passes the Yasawas and sails between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu en route to Batavia. |
| 1804 | Sandalwood discovered on Vanua Levu. |
| 1808 | Swedish mercenary Charlie Savage arrives on Bau Island and supplies weapons to Ratu Tanoa, Vunivalu of Bau. |
| 1820 | Beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) trade begins. |
1820 to 1874
- See main article: History of Fiji:The rise and fall of Cakobau
| Date | Event |
| 1822 | European settlement begins at Levuka, Fiji's first modern town. |
| 1830 | The first Christian missionaries from Tahiti arrive in southern Lau. |
| 1835 | Methodist missionaries arrive in Lakeba. |
| 1840 | First visit from an American exploring expedition commanded by Captain John Wilkes. |
| 1847 | Prince Enele Ma'afu of Tonga invades Lau, establishing himself in Lakeba by 1848. |
| 1849 | Trading store of United States Consul and settler, John Brown Williams, accidentally destroyed by stray cannon fire and subsequently looted by Fijian natives. |
| 1851 | First threatening visit from the United States Navy, demanding US$5000 for Williams's losses. |
| 1853 | Warlord Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau installed as Vunivalu (Paramount Chief) of Bau, and claims the title of Tui Viti (King of Fiji). |
| 1854 | Cakobau converts to Christianity. |
| 1855 | Cakobau crushes Rewa revolt. John Brown Williams's home destroyed by arson. Visit from warship USS John Adams, demanding almost $44,000 compensation; seizes some islands as mortgage. |
| 1858 | Arrival of the first British Consul. Hostile visit from USS Vandalia. Cakobau offers to ceded the islands to the United Kingdom for US$40,000. |
| 1862 | The United Kingdom refuses to annex Fiji, claiming to have ascertained from Cakobau's fellow-chiefs that he was not universally accepted as King of Fiji and that he did not have the authority to cede the islands. |
| 1865 | Confederacy of Fijian chiefs formed. |
| 1867 | Threats to shell Levuka from an American warship. Amid increasing unrest, Cakobau crowned King of Bau by European settlers. |
| 1868 | The Australian-based Polynesia Company acquires land near Suva, in return for promising to pay Cakobau's debts. |
| 1871 | Establishment of the Kingdom of Fiji as a constitutional monarchy, with Cakobau as King but with real power in the hands of a Cabinet and Legislature dominated by settlers from Australia. |
| 1872 | Lavish overspending saddles the new kingdom with debt. John Thurston, a government official, approaches the United Kingdom on Cakobau's behalf with an offer to cede the islands. |
| 1874 | 10 October - Fiji becomes a British colony. |
1874 to 1970
- See main article: History of Fiji:Colonial Fiji
| Date | Event |
| 1875 | An outbreak of measles leaves a third of the Fijian population dead. |
| 1876 | Great Council of Chiefs established. |
| 1879 | 14 May - arrival of 463 indentured labourers from India - the first of some 61,000 to come over the ensuing 37 years. |
| 1881 | First large sugar mill built at Nausori. Rotuma Island annexed to Fiji. |
| 1882 | Capital moved from Levuka to Suva. |
| 1904 | Legislative Council reconstituted as a partially elected body, with European male settlers enfranchised and Fijian chiefs given an indirect input. Most seats still filled by nomination rather than election. |
| 1916 | End of the importing of indentured labourers from India. First Indian appointed to Legislative Council. |
| 1917 | Count Felix Von Luckner arrested on Wakaya Island. |
| 1928 | First flight from Hawaii lands at Suva. |
| 1929 | Wealthy Indians enfranchised for the first time; Indian representation in the Legislative Council made elective. |
| 1939 | Nadi Airport built as an Allied air base. |
| 1940 | Native Land Trust Board established under the chairmanship of Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna. |
| 1951 | Founding of Fiji Airways (now Air Pacific). |
| 1953 | Visit of Queen Elizabeth II. Legislative Council expanded - but elective seats still a minority. |
| 1954 | Ratu Sukuna appointed first Speaker of the Legislative Council. |
| 1963 | Indigenous Fijians enfranchised. Indigenous representation in the Legislative Council made elective, except for 2 members chosen by the Great Council of Chiefs. Women enfranchised. |
| 1964 | Member System introduced, with Legislative Council members appointed to oversee government departments. This was the first step towards the establishment of a Cabinet system. |
| 1965 | Constitutional conference in London fails to agree on a timetable for a transition to internal self-government, but subsequent negotiations lead to compromises. |
| 1967 | Responsible government instituted; Ratu Kamisese Mara appointed first Chief Minister. |
| 1968 | University of the South Pacific established. |
| 1970 | April - Constitutional conference in London; Mara and Sidiq Koya agree on a compromise constitutional formula. 10 October - Fiji attains independence, ending 96 years of British rule. |
1970 to present
- See main article: History of Fiji:The modern nation
| Date | Event |
| 1972 | First post-independence election won by Ratu Mara's Alliance Party. |
| 1973 | Sugar industry nationalized. |
| 1977 | Constitutional crisis in which Governor-General Ratu Sir George Cakobau overturns election results, following the failure of the winning National Federation Party to put together a government. The election held to resolve the impasse results in a landslide for the Alliance Party. |
| 1978 | Fijian peacekeeping troops sent to Lebanon. |
| 1981 | Fijian peacekeeping troops sent to the Sinai following Israel's withdrawal. |
| 1987 | General election won by the Labour-National Federation Party coalition. On 13 April, Timoci Bavadra becomes Prime Minister for a month. 14 May - Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka carries out a coup d'état. 25 September - Rabuka stages a second coup to consolidate the gains of the first. 7 October - Rabuka proclaims a republic, severing the 113-year link to the British Monarchy. Fiji expelled from the Commonwealth of Nations. 5 December - Rabuka appoints Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau as Fiji's first President. |
| 1990 | New Constitution instutionalises ethnic Fijian domination of the political system. |
| 1992 | Rabuka becomes Prime Minister following elections held under the new constitution. |
| 1994 | Election results force Rabuka to open negotiations with the Into-Fijian-dominated opposition. |
| 1995 | Rabuka establishes the Constitutional Review Commission. |
| 1997 | Constitutional conference leads to a new Constitution, supported by most leaders of the indigenous Fijian and Indo-Fijian communities. |
| 1999 | First general election held under the 1997 Constitution won by Fiji Labour Party. Mahendra Chaudhry becomes first Prime Minister of Indian descent. |
| 2000 | May 19 - civilian coup d'état instigated by George Speight effectively topples the Chaudhry government. 29 May - Commodore Frank Bainimarama assumes executive power after the resignation, possibly forced, of President Mara. 2 November - Mutiny at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks. 15 November - High Court orders the reinstatement of the constitution. |
| 2001 | March 1 - Court of Appeals upholds High Court order reinstating constitution. September - General election held to restore democracy; a plurality won by interim Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's United Fiji Party. |
| 2005 | May - Amid much controversy, the Qarase government proposes Reconciliation and Unity Commission, with power to recommend compensation for victims of the 2000 coup, and amnesty for its perpetrators. |
See also:
- History of Fiji:Discovery
- History of Fiji:The rise and fall of Cakobau
- History of Fiji:Colonial Fiji
- History of Fiji:The modern nation
External link
- U.S. State Department Background Note: Fiji (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1834.htm)
- Frommer's Destinations (http://www.frommers.com/destinations/fiji/0208020044.html)