in 1810 until the overthrow of the
monarchy in 1893:
King Kamehameha, Kam. II, Kam.III, Kam. IV
Kamehameha V, King Lunalilo, King Kalakua, Queen Liliuokalani
King Kamehameha I
Reigned 1810-1819
(called Kamehameha the Great)
(b. 1737- d. 1819)
As a young man of about twenty-five, he was present at Kealakekua when Captain Cook's ships anchored there. At the time, various kings had attempted to unite the entire island chain under one command. Kamehameha proceeded to establish his rule of the entire island of Hawaii. With the Big Island, Hawaii, safely in his hand, he set out to conquer the leeward islands, moving through Maui, Lanai and Molokai. To take O'ahu, he built an immense fleet of canoes to transport his warriors. They landed in a two-pronged attack with half the fleet coming ashore at Waialae and half at Waikiki. The united force drove Oahu's defenders into Nuuanu Valley. Trapped in the valley, the Oahuans were forced to surrender or be pushed over the precipitous Nuuanu Pali.
The King of Kauai and Niihau accepted Kamehameha as his sovereign. At this time, foreign ships began arriving in increasing numbers, bringing domestic animals, trees, fruits and plants never before seen in Hawaii. They also brought diseases, alcohol and firearms. With little immunity to new diseases, the Hawaiians soon began to die in alarming numbers while the destruction of their traditional way of life brought on (okuu) a melancholy loss of the will to live.
King Kamehameha II
Reigned 1819-1824
(also called Liholiho)
(b. 1797, d. 1824)
A great contrast from his father, Liholiho (Kamehameha II) was 22 years old when he became King. Kaahumanu, Kamehameha I's chief wife, confronted the King and said that it had been his father's wish for her to share rulership of the land. Had anyone attempted such audacity in front of Kamehameha I, the culprit might well have been slain on the spot. Liholiho offered no objection and split his power in half with Kaahumanu. Early in his reign, Kaahumanu and his mother, Keopuolani, talked him into publicly breaking Kapu by sitting down to eat with a group of noble women in view of onlooking commoners.
The signal had unmistakenly been given that the ancient religion of Hawaii was dying. Shortly thereafter, Liholiho ordered god images burned and heiaus demolished throughout the islands. The missionaries who came to Hawaii beginning in 1820 were nearly all from puritan New England, which explains much about their character. The missionaries devised a written form for the Hawaiian language, enabling the Hawaiian people to read and write in their native language. Schools were established throughout the islands as rapidly as possible.
In 1823, Kamehameha II, Queen Kamamalu and a few chiefs and women sailed to England. They toured London and joined in entertainments arranged in their honor by the British aristocracy. While there, the King and Queen contracted measles. Kamehameha II and Queen Kamamalu died of measles while visiting London The unhappy news of their death reached Hawaii in 1825.
Queen Kaahumanu
(b. 1772, d. 1832)
Kamehameha III's mother, Queen Kaahumanu, was Hawaii's regent from 1823 until 1832. She was Kamehameha the Great's favorite wife. A bold and intelligent woman, she served as kuhina-nui (premier sharing of kingly power) with Kamehameha II and as regent for Kamehameha III. She played a leading role in the overthrow of the ancient kapu system. In league with the King's mother, Keopuolani, she convinced Kamehameha II to sit down and eat with the women in violation of one of ancient Hawaii's most serious prohibitions. In old Hawaii, women were second-class citizens, more severely handicapped by endless kapus than the men of any class. With the overthrow of the kapu system, she was enabled to exercise political authority.
King Kamehameha III
Reigned June 1825 - December 1854
(b. 1814, d. 1854)
Kauikeaouli, the last son of Kamehameha I to be King, ascended the throne when he was ten years old, upon the death of his older brother. Queen Kaahumanu governed as regent during Kauikeaouli's boyhood with the assistance of a council of chiefly advisors. He was King at a very difficult period in Hawaii's history. He proclaimed the Hawaiian Declaration of Rights and provided the Hawaiian Kingdom with its first constitution in 1840. The influx of large numbers of foreign residents brought new problems concerning trade, credit, land titles and a plague of complications unknown to the simple Hawaii of just a few decades earlier. His reign of twenty-nine years was the longest of any Hawaiian monarch.
During his young manhood, personal troubles worthy of a Greek tragedy embittered his life. Prince Kauikeaouli and his sister, Princess Nahienaena, were very much in love. Such unions were desirable among the nobles of ancient Hawaii, conferring higher rank to the children of the union, just as they were among Egyptian pharaohs. Close relatives often married to keep the chiefly bloodlines pure and to assure children with powerful "mana." This word describes a Polynesian concept in which certain persons possess supernatural power and authority derived from ancestors who held mana. Tortured by love of her brother and guilt from new-found Christian beliefs that had made inroads into traditional Hawaiian ways, Princess Nahienaena drifted into despondency and died at the age of twenty-one. Long after Prince Kauikeaouli became King Kamehameha III, he regularly visited her grave in Lahaina, Maui.
The Hawaiian royal family, Kamehameha III c.1853
left-right:
Victoria Kamāmalu, later Kuhina Nui/Premier, Lot Kapuaiwa, later King Kamehameha V,
Kauikeaouli, King Kamehameha III, Alexander Liholiho, later King Kamehameha IV,
and Queen Kalama. whole plate daguerreotype
King Kamehameha IV
Reigned January 1855 - November 1863
(b. 1834, d. 1863) (also called Alexander Liholiho)
Kamehameha IV, born Alexander 'Iolani Liholiho Keawenui, reigned as the fourth king of the united Kingdom of Hawai‘i from 11 January 1855 to 30 November 1863. He served alongside Emma, Queen Consort of Hawai‘i. Alexander was born on 9 February 1834 in Honolulu on the island of O'ahu to Mataio Kekuanaoa, Governor of Hawai'i, and Kīna'u, the Kuhina Nui or Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. He was the grandson of Kamehameha the Great. When Alexander was born, his uncle, Kamehameha III came to visit and left a message on the door saying "This child is mine" He decreed Alexander heir to the throne and raised him as a prince. Alexander was the younger brother of Lot Kapuaiwa, who later became King Kamehameha V. He was the first grandson of Kamehameha the Great to become King of Hawaii. During Kamehameha IV's reign and that of his successor, there was a growing agitation on the part of the sugar planters for annexation to the United States. Many foreign residents did not wish to become citizens of Hawaii but wanted to be able to vote in elections. They wanted political power to safeguard their own interests and would have preferred that common Hawaiians remain voteless.
Princess Victoria Kamamalu
Queen for a day
Kamehameha IV died without a confirmed successor to the throne. Section II Article 47 of the 1852 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom provided that the Kuhina Nui, in absence of a Monarch, would fill the vacant office. "Whenever the throne shall become vacant by reason of the King's death, or otherwise, and during the minority of any heir to the throne, the Kuhina Nui, for the time being, shall, during such vacancy or minority, perform all the duties incumbent on the King, and shall have and exercise all the powers, which by this Constitution are vested in the King." Princess Victoria Kamamalu was the Kuhina Nui during the reign of Kamehameha IV and upon his death, ascended to the role of Monarch. As the Head of State to the Hawaiian Kingdom, she immediately named Lot Kapuaiwa (her other brother) to the Office of Monarch. Hawaiian Kingdom law permitted her to do this. Princess Victoria Kamamalu is often overlooked in Hawaiian history and rarely recognized as a Queen of Hawai'i. She was literally a "Queen for a day."
King Kamehameha V
Reigned November 1863 - December 1872
(also called Lot Kapuaiwa) (b. 1830, d. 1872)
Brother to Kamehameha IV, Lot Kamehameha was the final direct descendant of Kamehameha the Great to sit on Hawaii's throne and the last Hawaiian monarch to reign in the old style. After him, Hawaii's rulers were elected by the Hawaiian Legislature. Problems with the United States continued as they had during his brother's reign. Agitation by certain elements in favor of annexation by the U.S. threatened Hawaii's independence. The King tried to defuse relations by promoting a treaty of reciprocity that would allow Hawaiian sugar to enter the American market duty-free. The Civil War had cut the Union off from Southern sugar and so there was a great demand from the North for sugar. Racial troubles increased in Kamehameha V's era due to well-founded suspicions that white immigrants were trying to take over the Kingdom. In 1866, a fist fight broke out in the Legislature between white and Hawaiian members. Such an incident was probably long overdue for it was a most peculiar legislature wherein white legislators refused to speak Hawaiian, the kingdom's official language, and native Hawaiian members refused to use English. Kamehameha V never married and had no child, and died without naming a successor.
Mataio Kekuanaoa was Kuhina Nui after Princess Victoria Kamamalu, he was the birth father of Kings Kamehameha IV and V.
KING WILLIAM LUNALILO
Reigned January 8, 1873 until February 3, 1874
Prince William Lunalilo, grand-nephew of King Kamehameha the Great, became King Jan 8 1873 by vote of the people. King William was the highest living Chief. William Lunalilo was confirmed as King of Hawaii by the Hawaiian Legislature after an informal popular vote. Lunalilo was more liberal than his predecessor and made serious efforts to democratize the constitution. Once again, the question of the treaty of reciprocity with the U.S. surfaced. The Hawaiian sugar industry needed a natural market like the United States to absorb its increasing production. King Lunalilo allowed himself to endorse the cession of Pearl Harbor, though he felt it was an unwise accommodation to the powerful American giant. Once the news reached the Hawaiian public, they were outraged. Widespread disapproval of the idea forced its eventual abandonment. He died without naming a successor.He was a well educated man of high intelligence. His reign lasted only one year and twenty-five days. He passed away February 3, 1874.
KING KALAKUA I
Reigned February 12, 1874 until January 20, 1891
High Chief David Kalakua, by vote of the Legislature became King of Hawaii February 12, 1874. King David Kalakaua was elected by the Hawaiian Legislature of 1874 amid scenes of violence and indignity. His rival for the throne was the dowager Queen Emma. King Kalakaua was concerned with the well-being of his native Hawaiian people. He maintained a policy of filling administrative posts with Hawaiians wherever possible, a practice that did little to calm the fears of American businessmen who had supported him against Queen Emma. While favoring his people, Kalakaua repeatedly and sincerely insisted that there was room in Hawaii for all kinds of people. King Kalakaua became known in Hawaiian history as the "Merry Monarch." He loved parties, balls and entertainment. He enjoyed talking to such noted visitors as Robert Louis Stevenson. He included mass dances of the ancient sacred hulas in his parties. Toward the end of his reign, his cabinet was overthrown, a new constitution deprived him of almost all his power, and an ill-fated insurrection took place favoring the abdication of Kalakaua and his replacement by Princess Lili'uokalani. King Kalakaua I, died without children and appointed his sister as his heir. She succeeded to the throne when he died in 1891.
Queen Julia Kapiolani
1834 - 1899
Kapiolani, formally Julia Kapiolani or Julia Kapi'olani Napelakapuokakae, was married to King David Kalakaua and reigned as Queen Consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii. She was the granddaughter of Kaumualii, the last king of the island of Kauai before being ceded to the unified Hawaiian Islands governed by Kamehameha the Great. She was also the step-daughter of Queen Regent Kaahumanu. Queen Julia Kapiolani's principal legacy was her establishment of the Kapi'olani Maternity Hospital for native Hawaiian mothers. It survives today as the Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children. The premier park in Waikiki also bears her name.
QUEEN LILIUOKALANI
REIGNED 1891 until 1893
(b. 1838- d. 1917)
Queen Lydia Kamehameha Liliu-o-kalani, Queen Liliu-o-kalani was the last ruler of an independent Hawai'i, She succeeded to the throne in 1891 but was forced to abdicate in 1893 in a coup d-état by American colonists. Queen Liliuokalani was the sister of King David Kalakua and the adopted daughter of Prince Mataio Kekuanaoa.
She was already leading the nation as regent when King Kalakaua died in San Francisco. At the time that she became Queen, the political and economic climate was extremely complicated. Rivalry was intense between white businessmen who dominated the economy and native politicians who still retained the power to get things accomplished. The annexationists were badly outnumbered, and certainty the majority of the Hawaiian people, as well as many white residents, were against annexation. But the economic power structure was not intimidated by mere lack of popular support. On the whole, these businessmen were those who considered Hawaiians incapable of self-government. And, as businessmen, the annexationists believed that the monarchy was too inept to safeguard the interests of property and profits.
Lili'uokalani announced her intention to promulgate a new constitution which would restore the power of the monarchy. A Committee of Safety was formed by prominent annexationists. They took it upon themselves to create a provisional government and a militia. The Queen could have declared martial law and arrested the conspirators, but she felt that this would begin armed conflict which would result in loss of innocent lives. The Committee of Safety then made its move and armed companies of militia took over government buildings and offices. The evening before, marines and sailors from the U.S.S. Boston were landed to keep order in Honolulu and their commander, Captain G.C. Wiltse, openly supported the Provisionals. The Queen was powerless.
Finally on January 17, 1893, the Queen faced the inevitable and surrendered under protest. On January 31, Minister Stevens, at the request of the Provisional Government's advisory council, raised the U.S. flag over Honolulu. Annexation was thought to be a mere formality. President Cleveland's administration, however, concluded that the monarchy had been overthrown by force with the complicity of the U.S. minister and annexation was not accepted.
In 1895, Hawaiians loyal to the Queen staged a revolt in an attempt to restore Lili'uokalani to the throne. The revolt was soon crushed and the Queen was arrested and placed under detention in an apartment of her own I'olani Palace. She was also forced to relinquish any claim to the throne as a condition to obtain amnesty for the Hawaiian rebels.
In the United States things had changed, there was war with Spain and a new ascendence for imperialism, President McKinley signed the resolution of annexation on July 7, 1898. It may have been a happy day for businessmen and new ruling classes of Hawaii, but for many others it was a day of sadness. Large numbers of royalists and common Hawaiians gathered quietly at the home of deposed Queen Lili'uokalani and Crown Princess Kaiulani to silently console them and pay homage to the last monarch of the forever-lost kingdom.
A "post-script" to the Hawai'ian monarchy:
Princess Victoria Kaiulani
1875 - 1899 was never Queen although she was Crown Princess
Victoria Ka‘iulani, formally Victoria Kawekiu Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Ka‘iulani Cleghorn (October 16, 1875–March 6, 1899), was heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i and held the title of crown princess. Ka‘iulani became known throughout the world for her intelligence, beauty and determination. During the overthrow of her kingdom in 1893, she spearheaded a campaign to restore the monarchy by speaking before Congress and pleading with the President of the United States Benjamin Harrison and later Grover Cleveland. Her life story grew to legendary proportions after her untimely death.
Early Years
Victoria Ka‘iulani was born in Honolulu to Princess Miriam K. Likelike, sister to the reigning monarch of Hawai‘i, King David Kalakāua. It is through her mother that Ka‘iulani is descended from High Chief Kepo‘okalani, the first cousin of Kamehameha the Great. Ka‘iulani's father was a Scottish financier from Edinburgh and former Royal Governor of O‘ahu Archibald Cleghorn. Ka‘iulani was named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, whose help restored the sovereignty and independence of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i during the reign of Kamehameha III. The name Ka‘iulani translates from the Hawaiian language as the highest point of heaven. Upon her birth, Ka‘iulani was gifted the estate of ‘Āinahau in Waikīkī by her godmother, Princess Ruth Ke‘elikolani. Ka‘iulani became mistress of ‘Āinahau at the age of 12 upon the death of her mother.
Education
Because Princess Ka‘iulani was second in line to the throne after her aunt, Princess Lili‘uokalani, it was predicted that the young girl would eventually become Queen. King Kalākaua, Queen Kapi‘olani, Cleghorn, and Princess Lili‘uokalani talked about the issue and it was determined that it would be in the young Princess's best interests that she be given a British education. In 1889, at the age of 13, Ka‘iulani was sent to Northamptonshire, England to be given a private education. She excelled in her studies there. She continued to study in England for the next several years, despite the fact that she had originally been told that she would only be studying in Britain for one year.
Overthrow
During her absence, much turmoil occurred back in Hawai‘i. King Kalākaua passed away in 1891 and Princess Lydia Lili‘uokalani became Queen. Lili‘uokalani immediately appointed Ka‘iulani as her heir, and Ka‘iulani became the Crown Princess. In 1893, a revolution occurred and the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown. The news arrived to Ka‘iulani on January 30, 1893 in a short telegram that said: "'Queen Deposed', 'Monarchy Abrogated', 'Break News to Princess'".
Ka'iulani decided to take action and traveled to the United States the following month. She traveled through New York City and Boston where she attended numerous press conferences and banquets. She then went to Washington DC where she met with President Cleveland and his wife at the White House. She made a good impression and Cleveland promised to help her cause. Ka‘iulani felt satisfied that something would be done and returned to England. However, when Cleveland brought forth Ka‘iulani's case to Congress, the United States Senate refused to help. The situation in Hawai‘i did not improve, and Ka‘iulani grew impatient. Over the next few years, Ka‘iulani remained in Europe. There, she received news in 1894 that her childhood friend and famed author, Robert Louis Stevenson, had passed away and that Hawai‘i had become a republic. Her health slowly began to deteriorate. Ka‘iulani's health worsened when she learned that her half-sister, Annie Cleghorn, had passed away in 1897.
Late Years
Ka‘iulani returned to Hawai‘i in 1897. The return to a warmer climate did not help her health at all, as she had spent more than seven years in Europe. Her health continued to deteriorate as she struggled to readjust to the subtropical climate of the Hawaiian islands. However, she continued to make public appearances at the urging of her father.
Ka‘iulani was famous for her love of peacocks, and she kept the animals on her estate. For this reason, another name for her is the Peacock Princess.
In 1898, while on a horse ride in the mountains of Hawai‘i Island, she got caught in a storm and shortly came down with a fever. Ka‘iulani was brought back to the Island of O‘ahu where her health continued to decline. She passed away on March 6, 1899 at the age of 23.
After Death
Scottish poet Robert Louis Stevenson memorialized Ka‘iulani in an often quoted poem. "Forth from her land to mine she goes, the island maid, the island rose; light of heart and bright of face: the daughter of a double race. Her islands here, in southern sun, shall mourn their Kaiulani gone, and I, in her dear banyan shade, look vainly for my little maid. But our Scots islands far away shall glitter with unwonted day, and cast for once their tempests by to smile in Kaiulani's eye."
In 1999, a bronze statue cast by Jan Gordon Fisher was dedicated in the triangle park at Kanekapolei and Kuhio Avenues in Waikiki, Honolulu.
