Everything about King Kamehameha Iii totally explained
Kamehameha III (born
Kauikeaouli) (
August 11,
1813?–
December 15,
1854) was the king of the
Kingdom of Hawaii from
1824 to
1854. He was Hawaii's longest reigning monarch. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweawe`ula Kiwala`o Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweawe`ula Kiwala`o Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau Iokikilo Kiwala`o i ke kapu Kamehameha when he ascended the table
Early Life
Born as on August 11, 1813 on the Big Island of Hawaii, Kauikeaouli was the second son of
Kamehameha the Great and the high Chiefess
Keopuolani. Kauikeaouli was 11 years younger than his brother
Liholiho, who ruled as
Kamehameha II. He was born Kauikeaouli (placed in the dark clouds) Kaleiopapa Kuakamanolani Mahinalani Kalaninuiwaiakua Keaweawe`ulaokalani (the red trail or the roadway by which the god descends from heaven). He was delivered stillborn at birth but Kapihe, the kaula (prophet) of Chief Kaikio`ewa was summoned and he revived him declaring the baby "alive". Kauikeaouli was cleansed, laid on a consecrated place, fanned, prayed over and sprinkled with water until he breathed, moved and cried. The prayer of Kapihe was to Ka`öhohiokalä, "Child of God". Kamehameha III chose to celebrate his birthday on
March 17, in honor of his admiration for
St. Patrick of
Ireland.
It’s said that Kauikeaouli had a troubled childhood. He was torn between the Christian guidelines imposed on the kingdom by the kuhina nui (prime minister) Kaahumanu and the desires to return to the ways of old Hawaii. Under the influence of Oahu governor
Boki, Kauikeaouli turned to alcohol in a clear rejection of the Christian standards of morality.
Reign
Kauikeaouli was only 11 when he ascended to the throne in June 6
1825, 11 months after the death of Liholiho. For the next seven years, he was guided by Kaahumanu and the high chief
William Pitt Kalanimoku. From
1824 to
1832, real political power was in the hands of his stern mother and regent,
Ka'ahumanu. When Kaahumanu died in 1832, she was replaced by Kauikeaouli’s half-sister, Kina'u.
Elisabeta Kinau died when Kauikeaouli was only 25, and the young king found himself consumed by the burdens of kingship.
When Kauikeaouli came to the throne, the native population numbered about 150,000, which was already less one third of the Hawaiian population at the time of
Captain Cook’s arrival to Hawaii in
1778. During his reign, that number would be halved again, thanks in part to a
smallpox epidemic.
In
1839, under a French threat of war,
Roman Catholicism was legalized and the first statutory law code was established. He also enacted the
Constitution of 1840, Hawaii's first. Two years later, he moved the capital from
Lahaina to
Honolulu.
In 1843, a British commander named
George Paulet pressured Kauikeaouli into surrendering the Hawaiian kingdom to the British crown, but Kamehameha III alerted
London of the captain's rogue actions which eventually restored the kingdom's independence. It was during this brief period of uncertainty that the king uttered the phrase that eventually became Hawaii’s motto: "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono"—"The life/sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." Less than five months later, on July 29th, British Admiral Thomas rejected the commander’s actions and the kingdom was restored to Kauikeaouli. This date November 28 was celebrated thereafter as Ka La Ho'iho'i Ea, Sovereignty Restoration Day, an official national holiday of the kingdom.
One of his most important acts was the
Great Mahele of
1848 which redistributed land between the government, king, nobles, and commoners. Most commoners were ignorant or unaware of the program and lost out on the distribution. Foreigners were also allowed to own land in Hawaii for the first time. In
1849, French admiral
Legoarant de Tromelin sacked and looted Honolulu after the king refused his demands. Kamehameha III's last major act was the
Constitution of 1852 which greatly liberalized politics
In May 16, 1853 King Kamehameha III, proclaimed the Hawaiian Kingdom as a Neutral Country as to
Crimean War in Europe.
Marriage
Kauikeaouli married Kalama a chieftess of no relation to him. Previous Hawaiian kings and queens practiced
incest in the royal court. His brother Liholiho and his half-sister Kamamalu were the half-sister and brother couples. This practice was to preserve
mana or spiritual power within the family. He had loved his sister
Nahienaena but the union was opposed by the missionaries. After his sister's death, he married Kalama. He and Kalama had two children
Prince Keaweaweulaokalani I and
Prince Keaweaweulaokalani II who both died while infants. He and his
mistress Jane Lahilahi, a daughter of
John Young his father's advisor had twin illegitimate sons; Keoua, who died young, and Albert, who live to adulthood.
Later Years
As the years passed, Kauikeaouli found himself resigned to the changing landscape of Hawaii. His rebellious nature softened as his authority was compromised by outside influences. In 1854, he'd his foreign minister, Robert Wyllie, "ascertain the views of the United States in relation to the annexation thereto of these Islands."
Kauikeaouli died on December 15 of that same year. He was 41.
He was succeeded by his nephew and adopted son, Alexander Liholiho as
Kamehameha IV.
Further Information
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