Kamehameha II

Infobox Hawaiian Royalty
name =Kamehameha II
title =King of the Hawaiian Islands


imgw =290
reign =20 May 1819 — 14 July 1824
(age in years and days|1819|5|20|1824|7|14)
predecessor =King Kamehameha I
kuhina nui =Kaahumanu I
successor =Kauikeaouli King Kamehameha III
spouse =Victoria Kamamalu
Elizabeth Kinau
Miriam Auhea Kekauluohi
Kalanipauahi
Anna Keahikuni-i-Kekauonohi
issue =
full name =Kalani Kalei`aimoku o Kaiwikapu o La`amea i Kauikawekiu Ahilapalapa Keali`i Kauinamoku o Kahekili Kalaninui i Mamao `Iolani i Ka Liholiho
titles ="HM" The King
"HRH" The Prince
royal house =House of Kamehameha
royal anthem =
father =King Kamehameha the Great
mother =Queen Keopuolani
date of birth =c.1797
place of birth =Hilo, Hawaiokinai
date of death =death date|1824|7|14|df=y
place of death =London, England
place of burial =Mauna Ala Royal Mausoleum|

Kamehameha II (1797 - 1824) was the second king of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. His full Hawaiian name was Kalaninui kua Liholiho i ke kapu `Iolani. It was lengthened to Kalani Kalei`aimoku o Kaiwikapu o La`amea i Kauikawekiu Ahilapalapa Keali`i Kauinamoku o Kahekili Kalaninui i Mamao `Iolani i Ka Liholiho when he took the throne.

Early life

He was born in Hilo, on the island of Hawaiokinai, the eldest son of Kamehameha the Great and his highest-ranking consort Keopuolani, he was groomed to be heir to the throne from age five. It was originally planned that he would be born at the Kukaniloko Birthstone on Oahu but because of the Queen's sickness this never occurred. He was put in the care of Kaahumanu who was appointed as the LIholiho's official guardian. He was trained to become a warrior like his father which later proved useful.

Ascession

Liholiho was to succeed to the throne upon Kamehameha I's death in May 1819 Queen Kaahumanu prepared for young Liholiho's appearance as King. She had no intention to give him leadership. When Liholiho sailed toward the shores of Kailua Kona (the capital at the time), she greeted him wearing Kamehameha's royal red cape, and she announce to the people on shore and to the surprised Liholiho, "We two shall rule the land." Liholiho, young and inexperienced, had no other choice. Ka'ahumanu became the first kuhina nui (co-leader) of Hawaii. He was forced to take on merely a ceremonial role; administrative power was to be vested in Ka‘ahumanu.

Reign

Kamehameha II is best remembered for the 'Ai Noa, the breaking of the ancient "kapu" (taboo) system of religious laws six months into his reign when he sat down with Kaahumanu and his mother Keopuolani and ate a meal. What followed was the disbanding of the social class of priest and the destruction of temples and images.

This resulted Liholiho meeting on the field of battle his cousin Kekuaokalani, to whom Kamehameha I had bequeathed, in addition to his war god Ku-ka'ili-moku, co-responsibility for the care of the gods, their temples, and the support of their worship. Kekuaokalani demanded that Liholiho withdraw his edicts against the priesthood, which traditionalists believed should still be preserved; permit rebuilding of the temples; and dismiss both Kalanimoku and Ka'ahumanu. Kamehameha II refused. At a battle fought at Kuamo'o on the island of Hawai'i, the king's better-armed forces, led by Kalanimoku, not only defeated the last defenders of the Hawaiian gods, of their temples and priesthoods, and of the ancient organized religion, but also effectively weakened belief in the power of the gods and the inevitability of divine punishment for those who opposed them.

It was also during his reign that the first Christian missionaries arrived in the Hawaiian Islands. He never fully converted to Christianity because he refused to give up four of his five wives and his love of alcohol.

He (like his father Kamehameha) married many woman of high rank and he was the last Hawaiian king to practice polygamy. Everyone of them were his relatives. His favorite wife was his half-sister Victoria Kamamalu Kekuaiwaokalani. Elizabeth Kinau (Kamamalu's full-blood sister) was his second wife who would later remarry and become Kuhina Nui. Princess Kalanipauahi was his niece by his half-brother Pauli and would later remarried and give birth to Princess Ruth Keelikolani. High Chieftess Miriam Auhea Kekauluohi who was the half sister of Kamamalu and Kinau through their mother Kalakua Kaheiheimaile, and she was his one of his father's wife. Princess Anna Keahikuni-i-Kekauonohi who was Liholiho's niece and granddaughter of Kamehameha I and would later become royal governor of the island of Maui and Kauai.

Visit to Great Britain

On November 1823 Kamehameha II and his queen, Victoria Kamamalu, commissioned Capt Valentine Starbuck of the British whaler "Aigle", to carry them to London seeking to complete negotiations for an alliance between Hawaii and Great Britain. Going along were High Chief Boki, High Chieftess Kuini Liliha, High Chief Kanehoa, and High Chief Mataio Kekuanaoa. Dunmore, p 238] "Liholiho, King Kamehameha II, refused to step in there, because he wasn’t blood-connected. These were the kings, and he felt he had no right, to walk around their caskets. He didn’t even step foot in there, he didn’t want to desecrate their burial places with his presence or his feet stepping in that area."

They toured London, visiting Westminister Abbey (where he refused to enter because he didn't wanted to desecrate their burial place with his presence) and the Theatre Royal. He and Kamamalu were a sight to the British people who had never before seen a Hawaiian, and added on to that Kamamalu was said to stand over six-feet tall. However, before he could meet with King George IV, he and his queen caught measles, to which they had no immunity. Kamamalu died on July 8, 1824. The grief-sjtricken Kamehameha II died six days later on July 14, 1824. The royal bodies were returned to Hawaii on a Royal Navy boat under the command Captain George Anson Byron. They were buried on the grounds of the Iolani Palace in a coral house meant to be the Hawaiian version of the tombs Liholiho had seen in London. Due to lack of space they were eventually moved to Mauna Ala.

Kamehameha II was succeeded by his younger brother, Kauikeaouli, who became Kamehameha III.

Notes

References

* Dunmore, John (1992); "Who's Who in Pacific Navigation", Australia:Melbourne University Press, ISBN 052284488X

External links

* [http://oahuxyz.com/ROUTES/HISTORY/HS_GALLERY_HTML/016.htm Liholiho]
* [http://www.hawaiihistory.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&PageID=399 Kamehameha II (Liholiho) 1797-1824]
* [http://www.keouanui.org/Kamehameha2.html Biography from the Hawaiokinai Royal Family's official site ]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10956 Kamehameha II] at Find a Grave
* [http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/hawaii/kamehameha+ii/ Aloha-Hawaii.com]
* [http://www.picturehistory.com/product/id/9412 PictureHistory Kamehameha II]