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Great Hawaiian Rulers

King Kamehameha I (Kamehameha the Great): 1782-1819
In 1780, King Kalaniopuu, ruler of Hawaii Island, named Kiwalao, his son, as his heir and successor and Kamehameha, his nephew, as custodian of Kukailimoku (the god of war).

Kamehameha, who had great ambitions, fought Kiwalao for control of the land and people. Kiwalao was slain, making Kamehameha king of Hawaii Island. Kamehameha then conquered the islands of Maui, Lānai, Molokai, and then Oahu, another center of power. His last and greatest battle on the island of Oahu occurred in 1795. With Oahu under his domain, the king of the islands of Kauai and Niihau acquiesced to King Kamehameha’s sovereignty. As king of the Hawaiian Islands, King Kamehameha ruled his kingdom from Oahu, the gathering place until several years before his death, when he moved his court back to Kailua, Kona on the island of Hawaii.

Kamehameha II (Liholiho): 1819-1824
Kamehameha II was the first Hawaiian king to test the power of the ancient gods by violating the kapu of men and women eating together. His rule over the islands was short. In 1824 during a visit to England, Kamehameha II and Queen Kamamalu contracted a fatal case of the measles. No expense was spared by the British Crown to return them to their island home in a manner befitting royalty.

Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli): 1825-1854
Kamehameha III was crowned king at the age of 10. He successfully ruled in a time of change, when traditional laws governing Hawaii were replaced by more complex laws governing trade. It was during his reign that chiefs and commoners alike were first given a chance to own land in fee simple title.

Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho): 1854-1863
King Kamehameha IV and his wife, Emma Rooke, are best remembered for their elegance and style. The pair founded The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu in 1859 to help stop the rapid decline of the native Hawaiian population from disease. They also established the Episcopal Church in Hawaii, which later sponsored a school for boys (Iolani) and one for girls (St. Andrew’s). The Queen Emma Summer Palace, an Oahu landmark in Nuuanu Valley, was their summer retreat in the mid-1800s.

Kamehameha V (Lot Kapuaiwa): 1863-1872
Like Kamehameha IV, Kamehameha V was a grandson of King Kamehameha the Great. He also was the last king directly from this bloodline to rule over the Hawaiian Islands.

Lunalilo: 1873-1874
King William Lunalilo was crowned king by the Legislature of Hawaii in 1873. His reign was short as he died 13 months after he assumed the throne.

Kalākaua: 1874-1891
After the death of Lunalilo, the Legislature of Hawaii selected David Kalākaua as the next monarch. King Kalākaua ruled in a time of change and unrest. He was known for his love of parties and fine things, and was referred to as the “Merry Monarch.” It was during his reign that the beautiful and majestic Iolani Palace on Oahu was constructed.

Liliuokalani: 1891-1893
Kalākaua’s sister became Hawaii’s last reigning monarch. During her rule, much strife resulted in the Queen’s abdication of the throne to prevent bloodshed.