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 (). Three years later, he voluntarily ceded sovereignty of the islands to Britain, making Fiji a crown colony within the British Empire.
On 10 October 1970, and after nearly a century of British rule, Fiji became a Commonwealth realm — an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations with Elizabeth II as Queen of Fiji and head of state. Fiji was titled the Dominion of Fiji.
Following a second military coup in 1987, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, Fiji became a republic.
Nevertheless, the Great Council of Chiefs recognised Elizabeth II as Tui Viti, or the traditional Queen of Fiji. The position was not constitutional, nor otherwise legal in nature. The Council was disestablished in 2012, by decree of President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau. Elizabeth II did not use the title, nor did the Fijian government recognise it.
History
Reign of Seru Epenisa Cakobau (1871–1874)
Seru Epenisa, known as "Cakobau", or "destroyer of Bau", ruled the short lived Kingdom of Fiji as Tui Viti, which translates as "King of Fiji" or "paramount chief of Fiji". On 8 December 1852, Cakobau succeeded as Vunivalu of Bau. Claiming that Bau had suzerainty over the remainder of Fiji, he asserted that he was the king of Fiji. However, Cakobau's claim was not accepted by other chiefs, who regarded him, at best, as the first among equals. Cakobau consequently engaged in constant warfare for almost nineteen years to unify the islands under his authority.
Supported by foreign settlers, he finally succeeded in creating a united Fijian kingdom in 1871, and established Levuka as his capital. 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. He gave his war club to Queen Victoria on 10 October 1874, when he signed the Deed of Cession, that granted the British Empire sovereignty over the islands in 1874.
Reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1970–1987)
Ninety-six years of British rule came to an end in 1970,and Fiji became a Commonwealth realm titled the Dominion of Fiji—a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations, though the then-Leader of the Opposition, Sidiq Koya had envisioned an independent Fiji as a republic. The official name of the country was the Dominion of Fiji. Fiji's head of state was Elizabeth II, who was represented by a governor-general and was also queen of other countries, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The Queen's realms were all independent from one another and the Queen acted independently in each realm; but, they shared the same person as monarch. As a constitutional monarchy, executive power was held by a prime minister, usually the leader of the majority party in an elected legislature. The prime minister was appointed by the governor-general.
Republic
On 14 May 1987, a coup led by Sitiveni Rabuka resulted in the overthrow of the government of Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra, who had been appointed following the general election that year. The Supreme Court of Fiji ruled the coup unconstitutional and Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, with the public support of the Queen, unsuccessfully attempted to assert executive power. He opened negotiations—known as the Deuba Talks — with both the deposed government and the Alliance Party, which most indigenous Fijians supported. These negotiations culminated in the Deuba Accord of 23 September 1987, which provided for a government of national unity, with both parties represented under the leadership of the Governor-General.