King Siaosi I, is the Tongan name for George Tupou I, King of Tonga who was originally known as Stâufaʻâhau I. He took the name George, after King George III of England. King Siaosi Tupou I, is known as the founder of modern Tonga. His desire was to be the 17th Tuʻi Kanokupolu, but the high chiefs of Tongatapu did not want to recognised him because, as a baby his mother had taken him to live in Haʻapai for his safety, and they referred to him as a low ranking usurper from Haʻapai. Before the death of his father in 1820, he was already established as the Tuʻi Haʻapai, and he was a very ambitious and determined young man. At his baptism in 1831 he had already declared himself as King George of Tonga. He reigned over this new dynasty from December 4, 1845 until his death. He made Nukuʻalofa the capital of his realm in 1845. On November 4, 1875 the constitution was adopted and Tonga officially became a kingdom. He was an effective leader who united Tonga politically and adopted Christianity. Because of him the history of Tonga is quite different from that of other Polynesian islands. He was adept to talking to foreign powers on an equal level, and was able to protect Tonga against colonization. During a trip to Australia and New Zealand in 1853 he saw men begging, and asked about them. He was told that these poor men could not work, because they had no land. So he included in the constitution that land in Tonga could only be given to born Tongans and not sold to outsiders, and that law still applies. He died after a swim in the sea in front of the palace, in 1893, and was buried in the new royal cemetery, Malaʻekula. He had outlived his sons so his successor, George Tupou II, was the son of a daughter.