Kingdom of Hawai‘i

Kingdom of Hawaiʻi
Aupuni Mōʻī o Hawaiʻi
1795–1893
Top: Flag (1816-1845) Bottom: Flag (1845-1893) Coat of arms
Motto Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness"
Anthem God Save the King (Until 1860) E Ola Ke Aliʻi Ke Akua (1860–1866) He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi (1866–1876) Hawaiʻi Ponoʻi (1876–1898)
Kingdom of Hawaii
Capital		Waikīkī (1795–1796) Hilo (1796–1803) Honolulu (1803–1812) Kailua-Kona (1812–1820) Lāhainā (1820–1845) Honolulu (1845–1893)
Languages		Hawaiian, English
Religion		Church of Hawaii
Government		Absolute monarchy (until 1840) Constitutional monarchy (from 1840)
Monarch
•	1795–1819	Kamehameha I (first)
•	1891–1893	Liliʻuokalani (last)
Kuhina Nui
•	1819–1832	Kaʻahumanu I (first)
•	1863–1864	Kekūanāoʻa (last)
Legislature		Legislature
•	Upper house	House of Nobles
•	Lower house	House of Representatives
History
•	Inception	May, 1795
•	Unification	March/April 1810
•	Constitutional monarchy	October 8, 1840
•	Occupation by the United Kingdom	February 25 – July 31, 1843
•	Anglo-Franco Proclamation	November 28, 1843
•	Monarchy overthrown	January 17, 1893
•	Defunct	January 24, 1895
Population
•	1800 est.	250,000
•	1832 est.	130,313
•	1890 est.	89,990
Currency		Hawaiian dollar, U.S. dollar
Preceded by Succeeded by Ancient Hawaii Paulet Affair (1843) Paulet Affair (1843) Provisional Government of Hawaii
Today part of		United States  ∟ Hawaii

 United States

The Kingdom of Hawaiʻi originated in 1795 with the unification of the independent islands of Hawaiʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi under one government. In 1810 the whole Hawaiian archipelago became unified when Kauaʻi and Niʻihau joined the kingdom voluntarily and without bloodshed or war. Two major dynastic families ruled the kingdom: the House of Kamehameha and the House of Kalākaua.

The kingdom won recognition from major European powers. The United States became its chief trading partner. The kingdom was watched jealously by the United States against the possibility of another power (such as Britain or Japan) threatening to seize control. Hawaii adopted a new constitution in 1887 to reduce the absolute power of King Kalākaua. Queen Liliuokalani, who succeeded Kalākaua in 1891, tried to restore the old order, but was overthrown in 1893, largely at the hands of United States citizens. Hawaii became a republic until the United States annexed it in 1898.

Before the founding of a formal, united kingdom, the islands were all ruled by independent aliʻi nui or "supreme executives". All of these rulers were believed to come from a hereditary line descended from the first Polynesian, Papa, who would become the earth mother goddess of the Hawaiian religion. Captain James Cook was the first Westerner to discover the Hawaiian Islands, discovering them on his fourth voyage. He was killed in a dispute over the taking of a longboat. Three years later the Island of Hawaii was passed to Kalaniʻōpuʻu's son, Kīwalaʻō, while religious authority was passed to the ruler's nephew, Kamehameha.