The kingdom of Hawaii last less than 100 years but the monarchy ruled over a pivotal time in Hawaii’s history. These were turbulent years in Hawaii and the changes that took place were astounding.
The first monarch was Kamehameha I also known as Kamehameha the great. King Kamehameha established the kingdom of Hawaii in 1795. Kamehameha was able to unite all the islands except Kauai by force. His warriors were unable to achieve victory in Kauai due to storms and disease. The ruling chief, reading the writing on the wall joined the rest of the monarchy in1810 and Hawaii was finally united. This was a huge step forward in the history of Hawaii. Peace would come to the islands as there no longer needed to be battles to establish power among the chiefs.
King Kamehameha ruled from 1795-1819. King Kamehameha instituted the “law of the broken paddle” that remains in the Hawaiian constitution to this day. The King had established a direct line of succession with his sons. Liholiho, the King’s oldest son, became King Kamehameha II upon his father’s death and ruled until 1824. But he did not get to rule alone. Queen Ka’ahumanu had raised young Liholiho most of his life although she was not his mother but another wife of King Kamehameha I. Liholiho’s mother was too ill to raise an heir to the throne.
As Liholiho came to the throne for his coronation, Queen Ka’ahumanu announced to him and the surprised on lookers that they would rule together. That is exactly what happened. Liholiho became King Kamehameha II and the Queen became the Kuhina Nui or co-leader of the kingdom. King Kamehameha is known for abolishing the kapu system. He would eat meals with women which until this time was kapu or forbidden. This action leads to the elimination of priests and temples, although not without a fight. King Kamehameha II had a cousin that was placed in charge of the family war god. He demanded that the old ways be reestablished and battle ensued. King Kamehameha II was victorious and the kapu system was gone.
After King Kamehameha II died, his younger brother Kauikeouli was crowned King Kamehameha III. Kauikeouli has the distinction of being the longest reigning monarch of the Hawaiian monarchy. Kauikeouli was only 11 when his brother died and Queen Ka’ahumanu continued on as the Kuhina Nui. These were troubled times in Hawaii. The islands were receiving numerous visitors from around the world, whom the Hawaiians welcomed with their usual warm and loving way. They could not have possible known about the threat that the visitors brought. By the time King Kamehameha III came to the throne the population of Hawaii was being devastated by diseases that the islanders had never seen so had absolutely no immunity to.
Queen Ka’ahumanu died but instead of King Kamehameha III being allowed to assume the throne solely, the Queen’s half sister claimed her title and took the name Ka’ahumanu II. Her co-reign lasted less than 10 years and finally King Kamehameha III was truly King. However, his authority was challenged by a British commander who said that the islands really belonged to Britain. The British government did overturn his claim, but for a few months the monarchy was up in the air. It was during this time that King Kamehameha said the words that were to become the state motto in years to come, “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono” which means “The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness”.
Those were very tough times for a very young monarch. During his reign he also enacted two constitutions, one in 1840 and 1852. King Kamehameha died at the young age of 41 and was succeeded by his nephew and adopted son, Alexander Liholiho. Alexander ascended to the throne at the young age of 20. He had been schooled by Calvinist missionaries and traveled extensively before he took the throne. During his travels he was exposed to racism directed towards him in America. He married Emma Rooke who became know as Queen Emma. They had one son who died at an early age. King Kamehameha and Queen Emma worked tirelessly to improve the education and health conditions for their subjects. You can still see the fruits of their labors at the “Queen’s Medical Center” on Oahu. King Kamehameha died very young at age 29 from asthma. He was succeeded by his brother, Lot who took the name Kamehameha V.
When King Kamehameha took the throne he did not take the usual oath to uphold the constitution. He felt too much power was given to the legislature and not enough to the monarch. He was able to get a new constitution passed that did give more power to the king.
King Kamehameha V fell in love at a very early age, but the liaison was not approved of by the families. The object of his love was shipped of and the King swore off marriage forever. When King Kamehameha died very early in his reign, he did not name a successor. The legislature called for an election to fill the vacancy. The Kamehameha dynasty was at an end. But what an accomplished reign it was!
