King Kamehameha the Great - A Short Biography (Pt. 3 of 3)

King Kamehameha is perhaps the best known and most revered figure in Hawaiian history. This is the third and final part of my short biography on this revered Hawaiian monarch. Part one of my short steemit biography on Kamehameha is here. Part two can be found here.

Painting of King Kamehameha the Great (Source: nextshark.com)

During the 1790s, many foreign trading ships started to make the trip to Hawaii. Kamehameha seized this opportunity to amass large quantities of firearms and to learn Western ways. However, after nearly a decade of fighting, Kamehameha had yet to conquer all of his enemies. So it was at this time that he had built a great new temple (heiau) at Pu'ukohola to worship and honor the war god Ku.

Pu'ukohola Heiau Temple in Kawaihae on Hawai'i Island (Source: Wikipedia)

By building this heiau, Kamehameha sought to gain the spiritual support that would allow him to conquer the reminder of the island. His rival Keoua was either then invited or induced to surrender himself at Pu'ukohola to negotiate peace, but instead was killed and sacrificed on the temple's altar. The death of Keoua meant that Kamehameha was now ruler of the entire island of Hawai'i.

Meanwhile, the opportunist Kahekili (then ruler of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Oahu islands) assembled an army that included trained dogs, pahupu'u (tattoed warriors reputed for their ferocity) and even a foreign gunner.

Kahekili's group raided villages and defiled graves along the coasts of Hawaii until challenged by Kamehameha. The ensuing sea battle resulted in a stalemate, and Kahekili withdrew safely to the island of Oahu.

Shortly after that, an English merchant by the name of William Brown discovered Honolulu harbor. Brown was captain of a thirty-gun frigate named Butterworth. Kahekili quickly made an agreement with Brown. In exchange for military aid the chief "ceded" the island of Oahu (and possibly Kauai).

At the time, Kamehameha also saw the virtues of foreign aid and sought assistance from the famed Captain George Vancouver. Similarly to Brown on Oahu, Vancouver promised British protection in exchange for Kamehameha ceding the Island of Hawaii.

Famous Navigator Captain George Vancouver of the Royal British Navy (Source: youtube)

Kamehameha then spent the next three years learning warfare from visiting foreigners while rebuilding the island's economy.

Upon Kahekili's death in 1794, the island of Oahu went to his son Kalanikupule, while his half-brother Ka'eokulani ruled over Kauai, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai islands. These two went to war, each seeking to control all of the islands. After a series of battles on Oahu and heavy bombardment from Brown's ships, Ka'eokulani along with most of his men were killed.

Emboldened and inspired by his victory, Kalinikupule made the decision to acquire English ships and military hardware to help with his attack on Kamehameha. Kalinikupule then made a misguided decision to kill Brown and abducted the remainder of his crew. The British seamen quickly regained control and unceremoniously sent Kalinikupule and his group back to shore in canoes.

Sensing weakness, Kamehameha used his fleet of canoes and small ships to liberate Maui and Molokai from Kalanikupule's control.

Kamehameha set his sights on Oahu. As he prepared for war, a chief named Kaiana, one of his former allies, switched sides and joined forces with Kalanikupule. Nevertheless, Kamehameha's warriors killed both rival chiefs and overran Oahu.

Makapu'u Lookout on the island of O'ahu (Source: Pixabay)

Kamehameha could now lay claim to the rich fishponds and farmland of Oahu, which would help support his final assault on the island of Kauai. By mid-1796, Kamehameha's English carpenters had built a forty-ton ship for him at Honolulu, and once again he equipped his warriors for battle and an advance on Kauai. However, bad weather forced him to give up his invasion plans.

Meanwhile yet another upstart Namakeha, Kaiana's brother, led a bloody revolt on Hawaii, depopulating the area and forcing Kamehameha to return to quell the uprising.

The next few years of peace were used by Kamehameha to build a sizable armada of new war canoes and cannon-armed schooners. He also equipped his soldiers with modern muskets. He sailed this armada to Maui where he spent the next year engaged in psychological warfare, sending threats to Ka'umu'ali'i, Kaua'i's ruler. This proved unsuccessful, so early in 1804 Kamehameha re-positioned his fleet to Oahu and prepared for war.

On Oahu Kamehameha's war preparations were undone by a cholera or typhoid fever epidemic that killed a large portion of his men. He remained on Oahu for several more years, recovering from this defeat and pondering the conquest of Kauai. Preparing for what seemed like an inevitable attack from Kamehameha, Ka'umu'ali'i sought the help of a Russian agent, Dr. Georg Schaffer. Schaffer and the Russians gave Ka'umu'ali'i guns as well as helped in building a fort in exchange in exchange for sandalwood.

Fort Elisabeth on Kauai, now a Hawaii State Historical Park. (Source: Flickr, user: wallyg)

The anticipated battle never came. Kamehameha was convinced by an American trader to negotiate a compromise with Ka'umu'ali'i. The agreement was that Kamehameha would be acknowledged as sovereign while Ka'umu'ali'i continued as ruler of Kauai, with his son kept hostage in Honolulu.

After nine years on Oahu, Kamehameha made a lengthy victory tour of sorts of the Hawaiian kingdom and finally settled at Kailua-Kona on Hawaii island, where he lived for the next seven years. His rise to power had been based on superior strategy and force, while also on political machinations. His successful conquests, were of course also highly influenced by the adoption of Western technology and Western interests represented by men like Captains Cook and Vancouver.

Kamehameha passed away in May of 1819. He had accomplished what no man in Hawaii's history had ever done. He had united the Hawaiian Islands into a viable and recognized political entity while also securing his people's place in a rapidly changing world.

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