House of Kalākaua

Royal house
surname =Kalākaua
estate =
coat of arms =
country =Hawaii
parent house =House of Keawe
titles =King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Aliokinai
founder =Kalakaua I
final ruler =Liliuokalani
current head =extinct
founding year =1874
dissolution =1917
nationality =Native Hawaiian

The House of Kalākaua, or the Kalākaua Dynasty, was the reigning family of the Kingdom of Hawai'i between the assumption of David Kalākaua to the throne in 1874 and the overthrow of Liliokinauokalani in 1893. (Liliokinauokalani died in 1917, leaving only cousins.) The House of Kalakaua was originally a family of chiefs on the island of Kauai, and ascended to the royal throne by election when the males of House of Kamehameha died out.

Origin of the House

The dynasty was founded by Kalakaua but consisted of his brothers and sisters who were children of High Chieftess Analea Keohokalole and High Chief Caesar Kaluaiku Kapa'akea. On Kapa'akea paternal grandmother Alapa'iwahine side he was great-great-grandon of Chief Keaweikekahiali`iokamoku the great-grandfather (through another son) of Kamehameha the Great. On Kapa'akea paternal grandfather Kepo'okalani's (who was also Analea grandfather) side he was descendant from the one of the nian pio royal twins Kame'eiamoku. Analea was great-great-granddaughter of Chief Keaweikekahiali`iokamoku on her mother Kama'eokalani's side and on her father Aikanaka's father and mother's side she was and descendant of High Chief Ha'ae-a-Mahi the father of Keku'i'apowa (the mother of Kamehameha). Also on her father side she is descendant of Keaweaheulu from which the family line belongs to. They were descendant from many of the collateral cousins of the Kamehameha the Great.

Rise to Power

At the time of Kamehameha V's death in 1872 the male line of the Kamehameha had gone extinct leaving Lunalilo and Kalakaua the only male relatives of the Kamehameha Dynasty. Lunalilo who had higher blood was victorious in the 1873 election. But by 1874 , after Lunalilo's death Kalakaua was the closest relative to the Kamehamehas that was a male since the only remaining Kamehamehas were Ruth Keelikolani and Bernice Pauahi Bishop and the only remaining descendants of Kamehameha's brothers Emma Rooke, Elizabeth Kekaaniau and Theresa Owana Laanui were all female.

Choosing an heir

King Kalakaua had frustrated feelings from royal elections of 1873 and 1874 and wanted to avoid such, wherefore he firstly appointed his youngest brother Prince Leleiohoku as his successor. William Leleiohoku, however, died in 1877, after which king Kalakaua appointed several heirs, in order to avoid royal election in the foreseeable future: He elevated several (though not all) members of Hawaiian alii to Princes and Princesses, Royal Highnesses, and decreed an order of succession that comprised several royals. His first heir was to be his elderly sister, the then princess Liliokinauokalani, then secondly their sister princess Likelike, then her daughter princess Kaiulani, then their cousin princess Kuhio Kinoike Kekaulike (governess of Kauai), and her three sons, all royal highnesses.

The most important events during the reign of the House of Kalakaua were the promulgation of the Bayonet Constitution, and the overthrow of the kingdom by the Committee of Safety led by former Interior Minister Lorrin A. Thurston.

Fall of the House of Kalakaua

With the deposition of queen Liliokinauokalani in 1893 the House of Kalakaua ceased to reign, and the death of the Princess Victoria Kaiulani in 1899 meant the loss of the last direct heir of the siblings of the reigning monarchs of House of Kalakaua. The proper House of Kalakaua thus ceased to exist when the deposed Queen Liliokinauokalani (who also afterwards had abdicated and renounced) died in 1917 - and was replaced by their cousins, i.e the House of Kawananakoa (as such of course a branch of House of Kalakaua, as they were relatives and appointed heirs of the original king Kalakaua), descended from the royal heir Prince Kawananakoa, eldest son of the princess Kuhio Kinoike Kekaulike aforementioned, who himself had died in 1908. The House of Kawananakoa survives today and at least two of its members have claims to the throne should the Hawaiian monarchy be revived in some form.

Kalakaua Members

* King David Kalakaua (1836-1891)
* Queen Liliokinauokalani (1839-1893)
* Crown Princess Victoria Kaiulani (1875-1899)
* Crown Prince William Pitt Leleiohoku (1854- 1877)
* Princess Miriam Likelike (1851-1887)
* Princess Kaiminaauao (1844-1848)
* Prince James Kaliokalani (1835-1852)
* Prince Kinini (? - died young)
* Prince Moses (1834 - died young)
* High Chief Kapaakea ( [1815] - [1866] )
* High Chief Keohokalole (1816 - 1869)

External links

* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/pac/lku/lku18.htm KALAKAUA AND LILIUOKALANI'S GENEALOGY]
* [http://www.keouanui.org/KalakauaRoyalChart1.html The Royal Family of Hawaii Official Site Kalakaua Chart ]