History of the Hawaiian Monarchy

At this point I think it is important to know a little about the Hawaiian monarchs before Lili’uokalani, in order to understand her claim to the throne. Kamehameha the Great was the first true King of Hawaii, for he united the separate island tribes into one nation. He was a triumphant warrior and a strong leader for his people. Knowing that his son would be a weak leader, he instituted kahuna-nui, or joint leadership. He appointed his favorite wife as kahuna-nui.[1]

While Kamehameha II may have been weak, Kaahumanu, the kahuna-nui issued edicts that broke with traditions, and caused turmoil among the chiefs. Kamehameha II took to drinking while he tried to decide what to do about the situation. Ultimately civil war broke out. In the end the king’s forces won. The king himself went among the people to grieve with them over their losses. He showed a great love for them, which engendered a love and total devotion from his subjects. He then became a good and greatly loved king. He and his Queen tragically died while on a visit to London in 1824.

The King’s ten year old brother was proclaimed Kamehameha III. He had no training to be a ruler, and was not much interested in government. He spent much time in drunkenness. He was king from 1825 to 1854. It is heartening to read that he eventually gained wisdom and became a good and kind king. He, like his predecessor, had to deal with increasing involvement of haoles in his government. One of the legislative acts during his reign had disastrous results in the long term. He granted the haoles (foreigners) full rights to own and purchase land. This enabled haoles to gain a strong foothold of power in Hawaii, which eventually would bring its downfall as a sovereign nation.[2]

His successor, Alexander Liholiho, reigned as Kamehameha IV, until his untimely death in 1863. He was everything his predecessor was not. He was brilliant, educated, energetic, and charming. He and his queen, Emma, were very much in love. The birth of their son, Crown Prince Albert Edward was a cause of great joy to the Hawaiians. Alexander worked energetically for causes to help his people. During his reign the first hospital was established. Interestingly, he went house to house himself, gathering funds to build the hospital. Leprosy became rampant in the islands, becoming yet another threat to lives of his people. The native Hawaiian population had steadily dwindled from 350,000 in the time of Kamehameha the Great, to 70,000 by 1855.[3] This was of great concern to Kamehameha IV. Tragically the four year old crown prince died suddenly from “brain fever” in 1862. The king blamed himself for the child’s death, and drowned in sorrow, he retreated from public life. He himself died a little over a year later.

Prince Lot became Kamehameha V, and the last of the Kamehamehas. Lot was an autocratic ruler. He abrogated the constitution of 1852, replacing it with his own in 1864. He embarked upon a project of modernizing Honolulu, as befitted the capitol city of a sovereign nation. The first hotel was built. He firmly believed in “Hawaii for Hawaiians” and his sole interest was for the “preservation and well-being of his people.”[4] He started the famous Royal Hawaiian Band. Finally, he became so obese he couldn’t move, so he took to his bed. He chose Bernice Pauahi Bishop (foster sister of Lili’uokalani) as his successor, but she adamantly refused. This brought the monarchy to a turning point.
      

The next monarch was chosen by election of genealogically suitable alii. One 

such candidate was his cousin, William Lunalilo. He was the grandson of a half brother of Kamehameha the Great. Lot had pointedly ignored Lunalilo, perhaps as a sign of disapproval or awareness that he didn’t possess the qualities of a monarch.[5] The only other suitably pure alii was David Kalakaua. The powerful missionary party backed Lunalilo, believing he could easily be manipulated. He became the next king of Hawaii.

Lunalilo’s reign was only a year long, 1873-1874. During this period the United States and Great Britain were both vying for power in Hawaii, due to its strategic position in the Pacific, both militarily and economically. Lunalilo was apparently unable to cope with the pressing demands from foreign nations. He retreated into seclusion and alcohol. He died in February of 1874, without naming a successor.[6]

This time, David Kalakaua was elected king. He immediately appointed his brother, Prince Leleiohoku as crown prince. When the prince died on April 10, 1877, David appointed his sister, Lydia Paki to rule after his death. Thus, she would become Queen Lili’uokalani, the last monarch of the nation of Hawaii. Some very important things happened during Kalakaua’s reign. He signed a treaty of reciprocity with the United States, which allowed Hawaiian imports to be duty free. While this treaty probably saved the floundering Hawaiian economy, it also gave the U.S. dominance. Kalakaua became the first monarch to visit the United States. He was well received. Kalakaua came under the influence of the flamboyant and ambitious Walter Murray Gibson, who influenced the king to build and furnish a sumptuous palace. Iolani Palace still stands today, a graceful and beautiful reminder of Hawaii’s golden days. The palace cost $350,000, which further strained an almost bankrupt treasury.[7] The king also refurbished the business district of downtown Honolulu. Because of the enormous strain the debt placed upon the taxpayers, a band of four hundred haole businessmen confronted the king with arms, dismissed his cabinet, and forced him on point of death to accept a new constitution. The new constitution was known as the Bayonet Constitution for that reason.[8]

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[1] Paul Bailey, Those Kings and Queens of Old Hawaii, A Mele to Their Memory (Westernlore Books, Los Angeles, 1975) 61.  

2 Bailey, 200.

3Bailey, 217.

4 Bailey, 242.

5 Bailey, 246.

[6] Bailey, 260.

[7] Bailey, 287.

[8] Bailey, 296.