kingdom · North America and Oceania
Kingdom of Raiatea
Origins
Raiatea, called Havaiʻi in older traditions, was a religious and voyaging centre of eastern Polynesia, and its marae of Taputapuatea at Opoa drew chiefs from across the region. The cult of the war god ʻOro spread from there. By the 18th century the high chiefs of the Tamatoa line ruled Raiatea and neighbouring Tahaʻa, though warriors from Bora Bora conquered the island around the 1760s.
Rule and society
Kings ruled through a chiefly hierarchy, with priests of ʻOro wielding great influence. The priest-navigator Tupaia, who sailed with James Cook in 1769, came from Raiatea. Missionaries of the London Missionary Society arrived in 1818, Christianity spread quickly, and the kingdom adopted written law codes. Breadfruit, coconut and fishing sustained the islanders, and Raiatea traded with visiting ships.
Decline and legacy
The Jarnac Convention of 1847 between Britain and France guaranteed the independence of the Leeward Islands. France annexed Raiatea in 1888, but a resistance led by the chief Teraupoʻo lasted until 1897. The island became part of French Polynesia, and Taputapuatea is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Raiatea. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-raiatea
- MLA
- “Kingdom of Raiatea.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-raiatea. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Raiatea.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-raiatea.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Raiatea’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-raiatea (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻