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House of Kamehameha

The House of Kamehameha (Hale O Kamehameha), or the Kamehameha dynasty, was the reigning royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, beginning with its founding by Kamehameha I in 1795 and ending with the death of Kamehameha V in 1872 and Lunalilo in 1874.[1] The kingdom continued for another 21 years, until its overthrow in 1893 with the fall of the House of Kalakaua.[2]

Kamehameha

House of Keoua

Kingdom of Hawai‘i

1795

Kamehameha I

Survives only through collateral lines

Kamehameha V

King of Hawai‘i
King of the Hawaiian Islands
Joint King of Hawai'i
Kuhina Nui

Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma[edit]

Alexander ʻIolani Liholiho was the nephew of Kamehameha II and grandson of Kamehameha I. He reigned as Kamehameha IV. Along with his wife Queen Emma, Kamehameha IV would establish the Queen's Medical Center.[53][54] He was the son of Kīnaʻu, daughter of Kamehameha I and Kekūanaōʻa, a high ranking warrior chief from the conquest of the islands who became Governor of Oahu.[55][56] He ascended the throne at the age of 21. He was a tall man often described as handsome.[56] His wife was, Emma Naea Rooke, granddaughter of John Young.[57] The couple had one child, a son named Albert Edward Kauikeaouli who died at the age of 4 years old leaving the throne to pass to his uncle.[36]

Kamehameha V and the last Kamehameha king[edit]

Lot Kapuāiwa became king in 1863 styled as Kamehameha V. Lot was a bachelor up to his death in 1872 bringing to an end the Kamehameha Dynasty.[36][58]: 269–  However, Lot had an illegitimate daughter Keanolani by his classmate Abigail Maheha at the Chiefs' Children's School.[59][60][61][62]


On his deathbed, before his passing, he offered the throne to Elizabeth Keka'aniau and Bernice Pauahi Bishop but they both refused it. Finally, Kamehameha V stated: "The throne belongs to Lunalilo; I will not appoint him, because I consider him unworthy of the position. The constitution, in case I make no nomination, provides for the election of the next King; let it be so." He would die the following morning.[63] This enabled an election from the original stock of ali'i who were groomed for the position to rule by royal decree of King Kamehameha III. The Princes and Chiefs of rank, eligible to be rulers who were groomed at the original Chiefs' Children's School.

Lunalilo[edit]

William Charles Lunalilo was the highest chief in the Hawaiian Kingdom of his time.[64] He became the first elected monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom[58]: 270–  and would be the last of the Kamehameha dynasty.[64] Lunalilo was the son of Charles Kanaʻina and Miriam Auhea Kekauluohi, a niece of Kamehameha I through her father Kalaimamahu, Kamehameha I's half-brother. However, she was a formal member of the House of Kamehameha as a wife of the founding monarch in his last years. Lunalilo was also a member of the House of Keōua[65] and the House of Moana.[21]: 64  His mother was taken by Kamehameha, after her birth and given to Kaʻahumanu because she could not conceive. Kekauluohi was a punalua child, having dual parentage. Lunalilo was the last Kamehameha monarch.[66]

Legacy[edit]

The British name of the "Sandwich Islands" was replaced with "Hawaiʻi" due to the influence of the House of Kamehameha.[67]


A good portion of the legacy of the Kamehamehas' lies in the lands and fortunes passed down to Bernice Pauahi Bishop.[68] After her death in 1884, her husband, Charles Bishop, acting as one of five trustees and a co-executer of Pauahi's will, began the process of establishing the Kamehameha Schools which was founded in 1887.[69] Charles Bishop would serve as president of the Board of trustees for the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, a perpetual trust with Kamehameha Schools the sole beneficiary, and gave back to the estate all lands deeded to him during his life and helped fund the first structures of the school out of his own money. In 1889, the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum was founded and endowed by Charles Bishop as a repository for the priceless Hawaiian artifacts from Pauahi's family.[69] Princess Ruth Ke'elikōlani was the daughter of Pauahi and Mataio Kekūanaōʻa, and a governess of the Big Island of Hawai'i.[70]

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