House of Kalakaua
Encyclopedia
Kingdom of Hawaii
The 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...
between the assumption of King David Kalākaua
Kalakaua
Kalākaua, born David Laamea Kamanakapuu Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and sometimes called The Merrie Monarch , was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaii...
to the throne in 1874 and the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani in 1893. Liliuokalani died in 1917, leaving only cousins as heirs. The House of Kalākaua was descended from chiefs on the island of Kauai, and ascended to the royal throne by election when the males of the House of Kamehameha
House of Kamehameha
The House of Kamehameha , or the Kamehameha Dynasty, was the reigning family of the Kingdom of Hawaii between the unification of the islands by Kamehameha I in 1810 and the death of Kamehameha V in 1872...
died out.
Origin of the House
The dynasty was founded by Kalākaua but included his brothers and sisters who were children of High Chiefess Analea KeohokāloleKeohokalole
Analea, Ane or Annie Keohokālole was a Hawaiian chiefess and matriarch of the Kalākaua Dynasty that ruled Hawaii from 1874 to 1893.-Life:...
and High Chief Caesar Kaluaiku Kapaakea. Through Kapaakea's paternal grandmother Alapa'iwahine he was great-great-grandson of Chief Keaweikekahiali`iokamoku the great-grandfather (through another son) of Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha 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...
. Through Kapaakea's paternal grandfather Kepookalani
Kepookalani
Kepookalani was a High Chief during the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii.Two of his grandchildren would marry, and two of his great-grandchildren would be the last two ruling monarchs of the Kingdom.-Life:Kepookalani was born around 1760...
(who was also Analea's grandfather) he was descended from one of the ninau pio royal twins Kameeiamoku. Analea was great-great-granddaughter of Chief Keaweikekahiali`iokamoku on her mother Kamaeokalani's side and on her father Aikanaka's father and mother's side she was descended from High Chief Haae-a-Mahi, the father of Kekuiapowa (the mother of Kamehameha). Also on her father's side she was descended from Keaweaheulu. Many of their ancestors were collateral cousins of King Kamehameha I.
Rise to Power
At the time of Kamehameha VKamehameha V
aloghaKamehameha V , born as Lot Kapuāiwa, reigned as monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipa`a": immovable, firm, steadfast or determined; he worked diligently for his people and kingdom and was described as the last great traditional chief...
's death in 1872 the male line of Kamehameha had gone extinct leaving Lunalilo
Lunalilo
Lunalilo, born William Charles Lunalilo , was king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 8, 1873 until February 3, 1874...
and Kalākaua the only male relatives of the Kamehameha Dynasty. Lunalilo who had higher blood was victorious in the 1873 election. But by 1874 after Lunalilo's death Kalākaua was the closest male relative to Kamehameha, since the only remaining Kamehamehas were Ruth Keelikolani and Bernice Pauahi Bishop
Bernice Pauahi Bishop
Bernice Pauahi Bishop , born Bernice Pauahi Pākī, was a Hawaiian princess, philanthropist, alii, and direct descendant of the royal House of Kamehameha. She was the great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha I and last surviving heir...
and the only remaining descendants of Kamehameha's brothers Emma Rooke, Elizabeth Kekaaniau
Elizabeth Kekaaniau
Elizabeth Kekaaniau Laanui Pratt or Elizabeth Kekaikuihala Kekaaniauokalani Kalaninuiohilaukapu Laanui was a great grandniece of Kamehameha I, being a great granddaughter of Prince Kalokuokamaile, the older brother of Kamehameha I, founder of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:She was born September 12,...
and Theresa Owana Laanui were all female.
Choosing an heir
King Kalākaua was frustrated by royal elections of 1873 and 1874 and wanted to avoid them in the future. He first appointed his youngest brother Prince Leleiohoku as his successor. William Leleiohoku, however, died in 1877. Kalākaua then appointed several heirs, in order to avoid royal election: He elevated several (though not all) members of Hawaiian nobility to titles of Prince and Princess, and decreed an order of succession that comprised several royals. His first heir was his elder sister, then princess Liliuokalani, then their sister princess LikelikeLikelike
Miriam Kapili Kekāuluohi Likelike was a Princess of the Kingdom of Hawaii, sister of the last two ruling monarchs, mother of Princess Kaiulani, last heir to the throne, and mistress of the [[ʻĀinahau]] estate.-Life:...
, then her daughter princess Kaiulani, then their cousin princess Kuhio Kinoike Kekaulike (governor of Kauai), and her three sons, all royal highnesses.
The most important events during the reign of the House of Kalākaua were the promulgation of the Bayonet Constitution, and the overthrow of the kingdom by the Committee of Safety
Committee of Safety (Hawaii)
The Committee of Safety, formally the Citizen's Committee of Public Safety, was a 13-member group of the Hawaiian League also known as the Annexation Club...
led by former Interior Minister Lorrin A. Thurston
Lorrin A. Thurston
Lorrin Andrews Thurston was a lawyer, politician, and businessman born and raised in the Kingdom of Hawaii. The grandson of two of the first Christian missionaries to Hawaii, Thurston played a prominent role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom that replaced Queen Liliuokalani with the...
.
Fall of the House of Kalākaua
With the deposition of queen Liliuokalani in 1893 the House of Kalākaua ceased to reign, and the death of the Princess Victoria Kaiulani in 1899 meant the loss of the last direct heir of the siblings of the reigning monarchs of House of Kalākaua. The main line of the dynasty thus ended when the deposed Queen Liliuokalani (who had abdicated and renounced) died in 1917. Their cousins came to be known as the House of KawananakoaHouse of Kawananakoa
The House of Kawānanakoa, or the Kawānanakoa Dynasty in Waiting, are presumptive heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Origins:...
, a branch of the House of Kalākaua, since they are relatives and appointed heirs of King Kalākaua, descended from the royal heir Prince David Kawananakoa
David Kawananakoa
Prince David Laamea Kahalepouli Kinoiki Kawānanakoa Piikoi , was the patriarch of the House of Kawānanakoa. He was in the line of succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii around the time of the kingdom's overthrow.-Life:...
, eldest son of the princess Kuhio Kinoike Kekaulike, who had died in 1908. The House of Kawananakoa survives to modern times and at least two of its members have claims to the throne should the Hawaiian monarchy be revived.
House of Kalākaua Members
- King David Kalākaua (1836–1891)
- Queen Liliuokalani (1839–1893)
- Crown Princess Victoria Kaiulani (1875–1899)
- Crown Prince William Pitt Leleiohoku (1854–1877)
- Princess Miriam LikelikeLikelikeMiriam Kapili Kekāuluohi Likelike was a Princess of the Kingdom of Hawaii, sister of the last two ruling monarchs, mother of Princess Kaiulani, last heir to the throne, and mistress of the [[ʻĀinahau]] estate.-Life:...
(1851–1887) - Princess KaiminaauaoKaiminaauaoKaiminaauao was a Hawaiian princess by adoption to Queen Kalama and King Kamehameha III. She died of the measles at the age of four. She was a member of the House of Kamehameha and the House of Kalākaua ....
(1844–1848) - Prince James Kaliokalani (1835–1852)
- Prince Kinini (?–died young)
- Prince Moses (1834–died young)
- High Chief Caesar KapaakeaKapaakeaCaesar Kaluaiku Kapaakea was a Hawaiian chief who was the patriarch of the House of Kalākaua that ruled the Kingdom of Hawaii during the last of its days.-Biography:...
(1815–1866) - High Chiefess Analea KeohokāloleKeohokaloleAnalea, Ane or Annie Keohokālole was a Hawaiian chiefess and matriarch of the Kalākaua Dynasty that ruled Hawaii from 1874 to 1893.-Life:...
(1816–1869)