Ka‘ahumanu served as Queen Regent of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i during the terms of Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III.

Ka‘ahumanu, formally Elizabeth Ka‘ahumanu, (1768-1832), Queen Regent of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. She was born on 17 March 1768 on the Hawaiian island of Maui to Ke‘eaumoku and Namahana. Ke‘eaumoku was a royal advisor and friend of Kamehameha I, to whom Ka‘ahumanu was arranged to be married at the age of 13. Kamehameha had numerous wives but Ka‘ahumanu would become his favorite. She was the one who encouraged her husband's war of unification of Hawai‘i. Portrait of Queen Kaahumanu provided by the Hawaii State Archives and is released into the public domain for historical, educational purposes. ... Portrait of Queen Kaahumanu provided by the Hawaii State Archives and is released into the public domain for historical, educational purposes. ... 1768 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Princess Kaiulani, a member of the Kalākaua Dynasty, was in line to become Queen of Hawaii when her kingdom was overthrown by a small group of Hawaiian citizens (primarily of European descent) and United States citizens. ... March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... 1768 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727 square miles (1883 km²). Native Hawaiian tradition gives the origin of the islands name in the legend of Hawaiiloa, the Polynesian navigator attributed with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. ... Kamehameha the Great established his dynasty in 1810 upon unifying the islands of Hawaii to become the Kingdom of Hawaii. ...

Queen Regent

Upon Kamehameha's death on 5 May 1819, Ka‘ahumanu asserted that it was deemed the late king's wish that she share governance over the Kingdom of Hawai‘i with her 22 year-old son Liholiho, who took the name of Kamehameha II. The parliamentary body agreed and created the post of kuhina nui, or prime minister. Her power base grew and she eventually ruled with the title of Queen Regent during the reigns of both Kamehameha II and Kauikeaouli, who assumed the throne as Kamehameha III. May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Kamehameha II succeeded the throne of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i upon the death of his father, Kamehameha I. He and his Queen Consort died in London from the measles. ... Kamehameha II succeeded the throne of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i upon the death of his father, Kamehameha I. He and his Queen Consort died in London from the measles. ... Kuhina Nui was the name of an office in the Kingdom of Hawaii. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister A prime minister is a politician who serves as the head of the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Categories: Stub | 1814 births | 1854 deaths | Royal Family of Hawaii ... Categories: Stub | 1814 births | 1854 deaths | Royal Family of Hawaii ...

Hawai‘i's First Feminist

Ka‘ahumanu was ahead of her time and championed the rights of native Hawaiian women. She removed the taboos that were forced on Hawaiian women. She conspired with Keopuolani, Queen Regent under Kamehameha II, to eat at the same table with the young king, breaking the rules of native society.

Kaumuali‘i of Kaua‘i

When her husband died, Kaahumanu feared the island of Kaua‘i, which because was never conquered forcibly by Kamehameha, would end its relationship with the united kingdom. On 9 October 1821, Ka‘ahumanu kidnapped the governor of Kaua‘i, Kaumuali'i, and married him by force. Kauai (usually called Kauai outside the Hawaiian Islands) is the oldest and fourth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands, having an area of 1,446 km² . Known also as the Garden Isle, Kauai lies 105 miles (170 kilometers) across the Kauai Channel, northwest of Oahu. ... October 9 is the 282nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (283rd in Leap years). ... 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Kaumualii was the last independant alii, or ruler, of the islands of Kauai and Niihau before becoming a vassal of King Kamehameha I of Hawaii in 1810. ...

Embracing Christianity

In April of 1824, Ka‘ahumanu publicly acknowledged her embrace of Protestant Christianity and encouraged her subjects to be baptized into the faith. That same year, she presented Hawai‘i with its first codified body of laws modeled after Christian ethics and values. Ka‘ahumanu was baptised on 5 December 1825 at the site where Kawaiahao Church stands today. 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus as recounted in the New Testament. ... December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Kawaiahao Church is known as the Westminster Abbey of Hawaii, the site of coronations, royal christenings and funerals. ...

Missionaries persuaded Ka‘ahumanu that the Roman Catholic Church should be abolished from the island nation. On 7 July 1827, she ordered the first Catholic missionaries to leave. In 1830, Ka‘ahumanu signed legislation that forbade Catholic teachings and threatened to deport whoever broke the law. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1827 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Establishing American Relations

Ka‘ahumanu, not her son the king, negotiated the first treaty between the Kingdom of Hawai‘i and the United States administration of President John Quincy Adams in 1826. The treaty assumed responsibility on behalf of native Hawaiians with debts to American traders and paid the bill with $150,000 worth of sandalwood. The same document was also a free trade treaty, ensuring Americans had the right to enter all ports of Hawai‘i to do business. Americans were also afforded the right to sue in Hawaiian courts and be protected by Hawaiian laws. A treaty is a binding agreement under international law concluded by subjects of international law, namely states and international organizations. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... John Quincy Adams (July 11, 1767–February 23, 1848) was an American lawyer, diplomat, politician, and President of the United States (March 4, 1825–March 3, 1829). ...

End of Reign

In 1827, Ka‘ahumanu fell ill and her health steadily declined. She died on 5 June 1832. In her honor, missionaries printed a copy of the New Testament in the Hawaiian language. Her funeral was held at Kawaiahao Church, which she commissioned as the Westminster Abbey of Hawai‘i. Services were presided by Hiram Bingham. She was laid to rest on Iolani Palace grounds but was later moved to the Royal Mausoleum. 1827 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Kawaiahao Church is known as the Westminster Abbey of Hawaii, the site of coronations, royal christenings and funerals. ... The Abbeys western façade The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to as Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral, in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. ... Bingham is in reference to several Wikipedia topics; for other uses click here. ... The construction of the Royal Mausoleum was overseen by Thomas Nettleship Staley, first Anglican Bishop of Honolulu (1823-1898) in service to King Kamehameha IV of Hawaii and Queen Victoria of England. ...

Further Reading

• Rosemary I. Patterson, Kuhina Nui: A Novel Based on the Life of Ka‘ahumanu, the Queen Regent of Hawai‘i (1819-1832), Pine Island Press, 1998
• Jane L. Silverman, Ka‘ahumanu: Molder of Change, Friends of the Judiciary History Center of Hawai‘i, 1995

External links

• Find-A-Grave profile for Queen Ka'ahumanu