Empire · 1795–1893 · Australasia & Oceania
Kingdom of Hawaii
Polynesian voyagers settled the Hawaiian islands many centuries ago, and by the 18th century they were divided among rival chiefdoms. Kamehameha I, a chief from the island of Hawaii, used European ships and guns to conquer Maui, Oahu and the others, winning the decisive battle of Nuʻuanu in 1795; Kauai submitted peacefully in 1810.
His successors abolished the old kapu religious laws in 1819, and American missionaries brought Christianity and literacy. Kamehameha III issued a constitution in 1840 and carried out the Great Mahele land reform, which let foreigners buy land. Sugar plantations owned by Americans grew powerful while new diseases cut the native population sharply. In 1893 American businessmen, backed by US Marines, overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani, and the United States annexed the islands in 1898. Hawaii became the 50th US state in 1959.
- Years
- 1795–1893
- Capital
- Moved with Kamehameha I (Waikīkī, Honolulu, Kailua-Kona); Lahaina 1820–1845; Honolulu from 1845
- Greatest extent
- 1810, about 16,600 km²
- Region
- Australasia & Oceania
Land area of all the Hawaiian islands, after Kauai submitted
Legacy
The Hawaiian language and hula traditions have revived since the 1970s, and in 1993 the US Congress formally apologised for the overthrow.
Rulers
- Kamehameha I 1795–1819
Unified the islands
- Kamehameha II 1819–1824
Abolished the kapu system
- Kamehameha III 1825–1854
Issued the first constitution and land reform
- Kalākaua 1874–1891
The Merrie Monarch who revived hula
- Liliʻuokalani 1891–1893
Last monarch, overthrown in 1893
Realms on the map
- Kingdom of Hawaï'i 1791–1892
- Allegiance of Kingdom of Hawaï'i to British Empire 1811–1819
- Republic of Hawai'i 1894–1897