Kamehameha III (1813–1854) was the
King of HawaiiThe Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was
Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to
Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau Iokikilo Kiwalao i ke kapu Kamehameha when he ascended the throne.
Under his reign Hawaii evolved from an absolute monarchy to a
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
constitutional monarchyConstitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
with the signing of both the
1840 ConstitutionThe 1840 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii titled Ke Kumukānāwai a me nā Kānāwai o ko Hawai’i Pae ‘Āina, Honolulu, 1840 was the first fully written constitution for the Kingdom of Hawaii...
and
1852 ConstitutionThe Constitution of 1852 served as the Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1852 through 1864. It was passed during the reign of King Kamehameha III...
. He was the longest reigning monarch in the history of the Kingdom, ruling for 29 years and 192 days, although in the early part of his reign he was under a
regencyA regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
by Queen Kaahumanu and later by
Kaahumanu IIPrincess Kalani Ahumanu i Kaliko o Iwi Kauhipua o Kīnau, also known as Elizabeth Kīnau was Kuhina Nui of the Kingdom of Hawaii as Kaahumanu II, Queen regent and Dowager Queen.-Life:...
.
His goal was the careful balancing of modernization by adopting Western ways, while keeping his nation intact.
Early life
Kauikeaouli was born at
Keauhou BayKeauhou Bay is a historic area in the Kona District of the Big Island of Hawaii.The name comes from ke au hou which means "the new era" in the Hawaiian Language.-Kamehameha III's Birthplace:...
, on
Hawaii islandThe Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
, the largest island in the
Hawaiian IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
archipelago. He was the second son of King
Kamehameha IKamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
and his highest ranking wife,
Queen KeōpūolaniKalanikauikaalaneo Kai Keōpūolani-Ahu-i-Kekai-Makuahine-a-Kama-Kalani-Kau-i-Kealaneo was a queen consort of Hawaii and the highest ranking wife of King Kamehameha I.-Early life:...
of Maui. The precise date is not known. Early historians suggested June or July 1814, but the generally accepted date is August 11, 1813.
He was of the highest
kapu lineage. Kauikeaouli was about 16 years younger than his brother Liholiho, who ruled as
Kamehameha IIKamehameha II was the second king of the Kingdom of Hawaii. His birth name was Liholiho and full name was Kalaninui kua Liholiho i ke kapu Iolani...
starting in 1819. He was named
Kauikeaouli (placed in the dark clouds)
Kaleiopapa Kuakamanolani Mahinalani Kalaninuiwaiakua Keaweaweulaokalani (the red trail or the roadway by which the god descends from heaven).
He was promised to Kuakini in
hānai, but at birth he appeared to be delivered stillborn, Kuakini did not wish to take him. But Chief Kaikioewa summoned his
kaula (prophet) Kapihe who declared the baby would live.
Kauikeaouli was cleansed, laid on a rock, fanned, prayed over and sprinkled with water until he breathed, moved and cried. The prayer of Kapihe was to
Kaōnohiokalā, "Child of God". The rock is preserved as a monument at Keauhou Bay. Kamehameha III chose to celebrate his birthday on March 17 in honor of his admiration for
Saint PatrickSaint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
of
IrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He was given to Kaikioewa to raise.
Kauikeaouli had a troubled childhood. He was torn between the Puritan Christian guidelines imposed on the kingdom by the
kuhina nuiKuhina Nui was a powerful office in the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1819 to 1864. It was usually held by a relative of the king and was the rough equivalent of the 19th century European office of Prime Minister or sometimes Regent.- Origin of the office :...
(Queen Regent) who was his stepmother Kaahumanu, and the desires to honor the old traditions. Under the influence of Oahu governor Boki, who owned a liquor store, and a young Tahitian named Kaomi Kauikeaouli turned to alcohol.
Reign
Kauikeaouli was only about 11 when he ascended to the throne on June 6, 1825. It had been 11 months after the death of Liholiho, who died in
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. For the next seven years, from 1824 to 1832, real political power was in the hands of his stern stepmother and regent, Queen Kaahumanu. When Kaahumanu died in 1832, she was replaced as regent by Kauikeaouli’s half-sister, Elizabeth Kīnau, who took the title
Kaahumanu IIPrincess Kalani Ahumanu i Kaliko o Iwi Kauhipua o Kīnau, also known as Elizabeth Kīnau was Kuhina Nui of the Kingdom of Hawaii as Kaahumanu II, Queen regent and Dowager Queen.-Life:...
. On March 15, 1833 he declared the regency ended, but retained Kīnau in the kuhina nui office as more of a Prime Minister.
Kīnau 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, due to a series of epidemics.
Marriage and children
In
ancient HawaiiAncient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
, upper classes considered a marriage with a close royal family member to be an excellent way to preserve pure bloodlines. His brother Liholiho (King Kamehameha II) and his Queen
KamāmaluKamāmalu Kalani-Kuaana-o-Kamehamalu-Kekuaiwa-o-kalani-Kealii-Hoopili-a-Walu was Queen consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii as the wife of King Kamehameha II. She is not to be confused with Princess Victoria Kamāmalu who was her niece...
were a half-sister and brother couple. He had loved his sister
NāhienaenaHarriet or Harrieta Keōpūolani Nāhienaena was a high ranking princess during the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the conversion of its royalty to Christianity.-Life:...
and planned to marry her since childhood, but the union was opposed by the missionaries as sinful
incestIncest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
.
It was proposed in 1832 that Kamanele, the daughter of Governor
John Adams KuakiniJohn Adams Kiiapalaoku Kuakini was an important adviser to Kamehameha I in the early stages of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was responsible for much building and other changes in the Kona District during this era.-Family life:...
, would be the most suitable in age, rank, and education for his queen. Kamanele died in 1834 before the wedding took place.
Instead Kamehameha III chose to marry
Chiefess Kalama Hakaleleponi KapakuhailiKalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili, Queen Consort of Hawaii was Queen Consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii alongside her husband, Kauikeaouli, who reigned as King Kamehameha III.-Early life:...
, of no relation, much to the anger of Kīnau. Kalama's father was harbor pilot
NaihekukuiNaihe-Kukui Kapihe , known as "Captain Jack" or "Jack the Pilot" to visitors, served as Honolulu harbor master and admiral of the royal fleet in the early Kingdom of Hawaii. His daughter would become a Queen consort.-Life:...
, giving her a much lower-ranking family background.
After his sister's death in late 1836, he married Kalama February 14, 1837 in a Christian ceremony.
Kamehameha III and Kalama had two children:
Prince Keaweaweulaokalani IKeaweaweulaokalani is a name shared by two short-lived princes and heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Earlier:Keawe Aweula-o-Kalani I, Prince of Hawaii was the eldest son of Kamehameha III and his queen consort Kalama Hakaleleponi-i-Kapakuhaili...
and
Prince Keaweaweulaokalani IIKeaweaweulaokalani is a name shared by two short-lived princes and heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Earlier:Keawe Aweula-o-Kalani I, Prince of Hawaii was the eldest son of Kamehameha III and his queen consort Kalama Hakaleleponi-i-Kapakuhaili...
who both died while infants. He and his
mistressA mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
Jane LahilahiJane Lahilahi Young Kaeo was a Hawaiian high chiefess and a daughter of John Young Olohana royal advisor of Kamehameha I.-Early life:She was born in May 1813, in Kawaihae, in the Kohala District, on the Island of Hawaii...
, a daughter of his father's advisor
John YoungJohn Young was a British subject who became an important military advisor to Kamehameha I during the formation of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was left behind by Simon Metcalfe, captain of the American ship Eleanora, and along with a Welshmen Isaac Davis became a friend and advisor to Kamehameha...
, had twin illegitimate sons: Keoua, who died young, and Albert Kunuiakea, who lived to adulthood (1853–1902).
Government
In 1838, senior advisor
HoapiliUlumāheihei Hoapili was a member of the nobility during the formation of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was a trusted military and political advisor to King Kamehameha I, known as "Kamehameha the Great"...
convinced former missionary
William RichardsWilliam Richards was a missionary and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Family life:William Richards was born in Plainfield, Massachusetts on August 22, 1793. His father was James Richards and mother was Lydia Shaw. He was schooled under Moses Hallock in Plainfield, attended Williams College...
to resign from the church and become a political advisor. Richards (although he had no legal training himself) gave classes to Kamehameha III and his councilers on the Western ideas of rule of law and economics. Their first act was a declaration of human rights in 1839.
In 1839, under a French threat of war, Roman Catholicism was legalized in the
Edict of TolerationAn Edict of Toleration was issued by King Kamehameha III of Hawaii on June 17, 1839, which allowed for the establishment of the Hawaii Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church was suppressed in the Kingdom of Hawaii during the reigns of Kamehameha and Kamehameha II.During their administrations,...
and the first statutory law code was established. He also enacted the Constitution of 1840, Hawaii's first. Over the next few years, he moved the capital from Lahaina to Honolulu.
In September 1840
Charles WilkesCharles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
arrived on the
United States Exploring ExpeditionThe United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
. Kamehameha III was happy to support the explorers, and appointed missionary doctor
Gerrit P. JuddGerrit Parmele Judd was an American physician and missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii who later became a trusted advisor and cabinet minister to King Kamehameha III.- Life :...
to serve as translator. Judd treated many of the sailors who suffered from altitude sickness on their ascent of
Mauna LoaMauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, and the largest on Earth in terms of volume and area covered. It is an active shield volcano, with a volume estimated at approximately , although its peak is about lower than that...
. Wilkes vastly underestimated the task, and did not leave until March 1841.
In February 1843, British Captain
Lord George PauletAdmiral Lord George Paulet CB was a officer of the Royal Navy.He entered the navy shortly after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and after some years obtained his own command. He served off the Iberian Peninsula during the Portuguese Liberal Wars and the Spanish First Carlist War, protecting British...
pressured Kamehameha III into surrendering the Hawaiian kingdom to the British crown, but Kamehameha III alerted
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
of the captain's rogue actions which eventually restored the kingdom's independence. Less than five months later, British Admiral
Richard ThomasAdmiral Richard Darton Thomas was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station.-Naval career:...
rejected Paulet's actions and the kingdom was restored on July 31. It was at the end of this period of uncertainty that the king uttered the phrase that eventually became
Hawaii’s mottoThe Great Seal of the State of Hawaii was designated officially by Act 272 of the 1959 Territorial Legislature and is based on the territorial seal. Modifications to the territorial seal included the use of the words "State of Hawaii" at the top and "1959" within the circle...
:
Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Āina i ka Pono — "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." July 31 was celebrated thereafter as
Lā Hoihoi Ea, Sovereignty Restoration Day, an official national holiday of the kingdom. Later that year, on November 28, Britain and France officially recognized the independence of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and that too became a national holiday,
Lā Kūokoa — Independence Day.
Through the 1840s a formal
legislature of the Hawaiian KingdomThe Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom was the bicameral legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term "Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom", and the first to subject the monarch to...
and
cabinet (government)A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
replaced the informal council of chiefs. The chiefs became the House of Nobles, roughly modeled on the British
House of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. Seven elected representatives would be the start of democratic government.
The cabinet consisted of a
Privy CouncilA privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
and five powerful government ministers. Judd was appointed to the most powerful post of Minister of Finance. Frontier lawyer
John RicordJohn Ricord whose birth name was probably Jean Baptiste Ricord-Madianna II, was a lawyer and world traveler. He was involved in cases in Texas, Oregon, Hawaii, and California.-Life:...
was
Attorney GeneralIn most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
,
Robert Crichton WyllieRobert Crichton Wyllie was a Scottish physician and businessman. He also served two decades as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Early life:...
was Minister of Foreign Affairs, Richards Minister of Public Instruction, and
Keoni AnaJohn Kaleipaihala Young II sometimes called Keoni Ana Opio was a politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, serving as Kuhina Nui of the Hawaiian Islands and Minister of Interior.-Early life:...
was Minister of the Interior.
Kamehameha III also presided over formalization of the court system and land titles. Cases such as those of
Richard CharltonRichard Charlton was the first diplomatic Consul from Great Britain to the Kingdom of Hawaii 1825–1843. He was surrounded by controversies that caused a military occupation known as the Paulet Affair, and real estate claims that motivated the formalization of Hawaiian land titles.-Life:Richard...
and
Ladd & Co.Ladd & Company was an early business partnership in the Kingdom of Hawaii.Its founders were William Ladd , Peter Allen Brinsmade , and William Northey Hooper...
had prompted the incidents of 1843 and subsequent litigation.
Lorrin AndrewsLorrin Andrews was an early American missionary to Hawaii and judge. He opened the first post-secondary school for Hawaiians called Lahainaluna Seminary, prepared a Hawaiian dictionary and several works on the literature and antiquities of the Hawaiians. His students published the first newspaper,...
became a judge for foreign cases in 1845.
William Little LeeWilliam Little Lee was an American lawyer who became the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:...
(the first to actually graduate from law school) became first Chief Justice.
A commission to
Quiet Land TitlesAn action to quiet title is a lawsuit brought in a court having jurisdiction over land disputes, in order to establish a party's title to real property against anyone and everyone, and thus "quiet" any challenges or claims to the title....
was formed on February 10, 1846.
This led to what is called the
Great MaheleThe Great Mahele or just the Mahele was the Hawaiian land redistribution act proposed by King Kamehameha III in the 1830s and enacted in 1848.-Overview:...
of 1848 which redistributed land between the government, king, nobles, and commoners. Foreigners were allowed to own land
fee simpleIn English law, a fee simple is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. It is the most common way that real estate is owned in common law countries, and is ordinarily the most complete ownership interest that can be had in real property short of allodial title, which is often reserved...
in Hawaii for the first time.
Many commoners were unaware of the program and lost out on the distribution. The domination of his cabinet by Americans (balanced only by Scot Wyllie and half-Hawaiian Keoni Ana) also discouraged the people.
This was not the end of foreign conflicts either.
In 1849 admiral
Louis TromelinLouis-François-Marie-Nicolas Le Goarant de Tromelin was a nineteenth-century French Naval captain, sent to the Pacific Ocean on political and military missions, and credited with the discovery of Phoenix Island in the Phoenix group and Fais Island in the Carolines...
led a
French invasion of HonoluluThe French Invasion of Honolulu was an attack on Honolulu by Louis Tromelin for the persecution of Catholics and repression on French trade.-Prelude:...
. The French sacked and looted the city after the king refused his demands.
In September 1849 Judd was sent with the heir apparent
Prince Alexander LiholihoKamehameha IV, born Alexander Iolani Liholiho Keawenui , reigned as the fourth king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 11, 1855 to November 30, 1863.-Early life:...
and Kamehameha V on a diplomatic mission. They returned with a new treaty with the United States, but failed in visits to
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
The Constitution of 1852 and subsequent legislation continued to liberalize politics.
The court system was unified, instead of having separate courts for Hawaiians and foreigners. Local Hawaiian magistrates became Circuit Judges, and a Supreme Court was formed with Lee, Andrews, and
John Papa Īī as members.
Voting rules were formalized and the role of the House of Representatives was stengthened.
Later years
The
California Gold RushThe California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
brought increased trade, but also some unwelcome visitors. Previously the long trips around
Cape HornCape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
or from Europe meant infected salors were either recovered or buried at sea by the time they arrived. The short voyage from
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
brought several waves of diseases that decimated the
native HawaiiansNative Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
who had no immunity.
In the summer of 1853 an epidemic of
smallpoxSmallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
caused thousands of deaths, mostly on the island of Oahu. Judd, always at odds with Wyllie, lost the backing of others who blamed him for not containing the disease (or had other political reasons to want him out of power). Judd was forced to resign on September 3, and was replaced by
Elisha Hunt AllenElisha Hunt Allen was an American congressman, lawyer, diplomat, and judge and diplomat for the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Elisha Hunt Allen was born January 28, 1804 in New Salem, Massachusetts. His father was Massachusetts minister, lawyer, and politician Samuel Clesson Allen and mother was Mary...
as Minister of Finance.
Hawaii became a popular winter destination for frustrated prospectors in the 1850s. Some were rumored to be
filibusterA filibuster, or freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution...
s hoping to profit from a rebellion. One of the first was a group led by
Samuel BrannanSamuel Brannan was an American settler, businessman, and journalist, who founded the "California Star" newspaper in San Francisco, California...
, who did not find the popular support an uprising they expected.
By the end of 1853 the threats, whether real or imagined, caused petitions for the king to consider annexation to the United States. Wyllie and Lee convinced the king to insist that annexation would only be acceptable if Hawaii became a
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
.
On May 16, 1854 King Kamehameha III proclaimed the Hawaiian Kingdom neutral in the
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
in Europe.
The present crises had passed, but the king's health declined, often attributed to his renewed drinking. The annexation question also did not go away. The British minister William Miller and French representative Louis Emile Perrin objected to the plan.
New U.S. Commissioner David L. Gregg received instructions from Secretary of State
William L. MarcyWilliam Learned Marcy was an American statesman, who served as U.S. Senator and the 11th Governor of New York, and as the U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State.-Early life:...
and negotiated a treaty of annexation with Wyllie by August 1854. It was never signed, and might not have been ratified by the
SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
Although there was some support in the U.S., it would take 105 more years before full statehood of
HawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Kamehameha III died on December 15, 1854. Author
Herman MelvilleHerman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
in his book
TypeeTypee is American writer Herman Melville's first book, a classic in the literature of travel and adventure partly based on his actual experiences as a captive on the island Nuku Hiva in the South Pacific Marquesas Islands, in 1842...
painted an unsympathetic portrait, although this is widely seen as reflecting the racist views of the time.
He was succeeded by his nephew and adopted son Alexander Liholiho, who was styled as King
Kamehameha IVKamehameha IV, born Alexander Iolani Liholiho Keawenui , reigned as the fourth king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 11, 1855 to November 30, 1863.-Early life:...
.
In 1865 Kamehameha III was re-buried in the
Royal Mausoleum of HawaiiThe Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii, known as Mauna Ala in the Hawaiian language, is the final resting place of Hawaii's two prominent royal families: the Kamehameha Dynasty and the Kalākaua Dynasty.-Description:...
known as Mauna Ala.
The access to his birthplace at Keauhou Bay is via Kamehameha III Road from the north from Hawaii Belt Road, at 19°34′7"N 155°57′41"W and Kaleiopapa Street from the south at 19°33′31"N 155°57′41"W.
His successor described his reign:
The age of Kamehameha III was that of progress and of liberty—of schools and of civilization. He gave us a Constitution and fixed laws; he secured the people in the title to their lands, and removed the last chain of oppression. He gave them a voice in his councils and in the making of the laws by which they are governed. He was a great national benefactor, and has left the impress of his mild and amiable disposition on the age for which he was born.
External links