Queen Liliʻuokalani, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii; Credit – Wikipedia

The Hawaiian Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean, were originally divided into several independent chiefdoms. The Kingdom of Hawaii was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great of the independent island of Hawaii, conquered the independent islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, and unified them under one government and ruled as Kamehameha I, King of the Hawaiian Islands.. In 1810, the whole Hawaiian archipelago became unified when Kauai and Niihau voluntarily joined the Kingdom of Hawaii. Two major dynastic families ruled the kingdom: the House of Kamehameha and the House of Kalākaua.

Credit – Wikipedia

In 1778, British explorer James Cook visited the islands. This led to increased trade and the introduction of new technologies and ideas. In the mid-19th century, American influence in Hawaii dramatically increased when American merchants, missionaries, and settlers arrived on the islands. Protestant missionaries converted most of the native people to Christianity. Merchants set up sugar plantations and the United States Navy established a base at Pearl Harbor. The newcomers brought diseases that were new to the indigenous people including influenza, measles, smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, and whooping cough. At the time of James Cook’s arrival in 1778, the indigenous Hawaiian population is estimated to have been between 250,000 and 800,000. By 1890, the indigenous Hawaiian population declined had to less than 40,000.

In 1893, a group of local businessmen and politicians composed of six non-native Hawaiian Kingdom subjects, five American nationals, one British national, and one German national overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani, her cabinet, and her marshal, and took over the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii. This led to the 1898 annexation of Hawaii as a United States territory. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States.

In 1993, one hundred years after the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown, the United States Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed the Apology Resolution which “acknowledges that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States and further acknowledges that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their national lands, either through the Kingdom of Hawaii or through a plebiscite or referendum”. As a result, the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, a grassroots political and cultural campaign to reestablish an autonomous or independent nation or kingdom in Hawaii, was established along with ongoing efforts to redress the indigenous Hawaiian population.

House of Kamehameha (1795 – 1874)

• Kamehameha I the Great, King of the Hawaiian Islands (reigned 1795 – 1819), had 21 – 30 wives and about 35 children
• Keōpūolani, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands, the highest-ranking wife of Kamehameha I, had eleven children, all but three died young
  • Notable Issue: Liholiho, later Kamehameha II, King of the Hawaiian Islands (see below)
  • Notable Issue: Kauikeaouli, later Kamehameha III, King of the Hawaiian Islands (see below)
• Kamehameha II, King of the Hawaiian Islands (reigned 1819 – 1824), had nine wives and was the last king to practice polygamy
• Kamāmalu, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands, the favorite wife of Kamehameha II, had five children
• Kamehameha III, King of the Hawaiian Islands (reigned 1825 – 1854)
• Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands, wife of King Kamehameha III, had two sons who died in infancy
• Kamehameha IV, King of the Hawaiian Islands (reigned 1855 – 1863)
• Emma Kalanikaumakaʻamano Kaleleonālani Naʻea Rooke, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands, wife of King Kamehameha IV, had one son who died in childhood
• Kamehameha V, King of the Hawaiian Islands (reigned 1863 – 1872), unmarried
• Lunalilo, King of the Hawaiian Islands (reigned 1873 – 1874), unmarried

House of Kalākaua (1874 – 1893)

• Kalākaua, King of the Hawaiian Islands (reigned 1874 – 1891)
• Kapiʻolani, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands, wife of King Kalākaua, no children
• Liliʻuokalani, Queen of the Hawaiian Islands (reigned 1891 – 1893, deposed)
• John Owen Dominis, Prince Consort of the Hawaiian Islands, husband of Queen Liliʻuokalani, no children