Before the British Protectorate, Boralani was governed by a network of village chiefs and district leaders. The most influential among them was the Ariki of Maretasi, whose family traditionally oversaw relations between the major settlements and convened island councils during times of dispute or crisis.
When Britain established the Protectorate in 1887, colonial administrators found it more practical to work through existing local leadership than to replace it. Over time, the Maretasi family became recognized as the senior chiefly house of the islands, though it did not possess absolute authority.
Throughout the Protectorate era, the Ariki of Maretasi served as a bridge between local communities and colonial authorities. While formal powers remained limited, the position carried considerable prestige and moral influence.
As independence approached in the 1980s, constitutional debates considered several options, including a republic and a rotating council of chiefs. Ultimately, the Constitutional Convention of 1986 recommended retaining the Maretasi line as a constitutional monarchy, arguing that it provided continuity, political neutrality, and a distinctly Boralani institution around which citizens could unite.
Upon independence in 1987, the then-Ariki of Maretasi became King Tui Maretasi I, the first constitutional monarch of the independent Kingdom of Boralani.
Succession
Ariki Tevita Maretasi (1887–1919)
First recognized by the British Protectorate administration as senior chief of Boralani.
Ariki Jone Maretasi (1919–1948)
Ariki Sione Maretasi (1948–1976)
Ariki Tui Maretasi (1976–1987)
Led constitutional discussions during the final years of the Protectorate.
King Tui Maretasi I (1987–2012)
First King of Independent Boralani.
King Tui Maretasi II (2012–present)