Friendship treaty between the German Empire and Tonga

Original of the German-Tonga friendship treaty from 1876 in the Reichsgesetzblatt

The friendship treaty between the German Empire and Tonga is a treaty between the German Kaiser Wilhelm I on behalf of the German Empire and the King of Tonga , George Tupou I. It was concluded on November 1, 1876 and renewed on June 1, 1977.

signing

Group picture after the signing of the German-Tongan friendship treaty, 1876

The contract was signed on the German side by the then sea captain Eduard von Knorr and the consul for the Tonga and Samoa Islands, Theodor Weber . On the Tongan side, the contract was signed by Uiliami Tugi, President of the Legislative Assembly, and Shirley Waldemar Baker , ordained minister of the Wesleyan Church and later Prime Minister, as interpreters.

From 1874 von Knorr was on a journey in the Pacific Ocean . A political background was the rivalry between the great powers Germany, Great Britain and the USA for colonial claims in this Pacific region. The place of signature was the German warship SMS Hertha in the port of Nukuʻalofa on Tongatapu .

Content of the contract (extract)

The main points of the contract are or were:

Peace and "everlasting friendship" between the states of the German Empire and Tonga (Article 1)
Protection of the person and their property for Tongans in Germany and Germans in Tonga, exemption from office and military service (Article 2)
Mutual freedom of worship, religion and conscience (Article 3)

Mutual freedom of trade and security of seaports (Article 4)

Free use of the land for a German coal station in the Vavaʻu group of islands, without prejudice to Tongan sovereign rights (Article 5)

Freedom of travel and movement (Article 6)

Reservation of a special consular agreement (Article 7)

Waiver of monopolies , compensation and privileges to the detriment of the respective contracting party (Article 8)

Concession as many rights as will be granted to most-favored nations in the future (Article 9)

Signature, entry into force and ratification (Articles 10 and 11)

Further development

In the Samoa Treaty of 1899 , the German Empire renounced colonial claims on the Tonga Islands in favor of the United Kingdom . The waiver was a concession for the establishment of the "protected area" German Samoa . Instead, Tonga became a British protectorate and has been independent since 1970. The German-Tongan friendship treaty continues. It was renewed in 1977: "In memory of the friendship treaty of November 1, 1876, which laid the foundation for the friendly relations between the German and the Tongan people ...".

literature

Karl Sapper : Tonga , in: Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon , Volume III, Leipzig 1920, p. 529.
Johannes H. Voigt : Tonga and the Germans or: Imperialist Obstetrics for a Nation in the Pacific. In: Hermann Joseph Hiery (ed.): Die Deutsche Südsee 1884–1914. A manual. 2nd revised and improved edition. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2002, ISBN 3-506-73912-3 , pp. 712-724.

Web links

Wikisource: Friendship treaty between the German Empire and Tonga - sources and full texts

Foreign Office: Relations between Tonga and Germany

Individual evidence

↑ Johannes H. Voigt: Tonga and the Germans or: Imperialist Obstetrics for a Nation in the Pacific. In: Hermann Joseph Hiery (ed.): Die Deutsche Südsee 1884–1914. A manual. 2nd revised and improved edition. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2002, ISBN 3-506-73912-3 , p. 718.
↑ Treaty on friendly relations and cooperation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Tonga ( Federal Law Gazette 1978 II p. 136 )

[1] Johannes H. Voigt: Tonga and the Germans or: Imperialist Obstetrics for a Nation in the Pacific. In: Hermann Joseph Hiery (ed.): Die Deutsche Südsee 1884–1914. A manual. 2nd revised and improved edition. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2002, ISBN 3-506-73912-3 , p. 718.

[2] Treaty on friendly relations and cooperation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Tonga ( Federal Law Gazette 1978 II p. 136 )