| Kamehameha V | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Photographc. 1865 | |||||
| King of the Hawaiian Islands (more...) | |||||
| Reign | November 30, 1863 – December 11, 1872 | ||||
| Predecessor | Kamehameha IV | ||||
| Successor | Lunalilo | ||||
| Kuhina Nui | Victoria Kamāmalu, Kaʻahumanu IV Kekūanaōʻa | ||||
| Born | Lot Kapuāiwa (1830-12-11)December 11, 1830 Honolulu,Oahu | ||||
| Died | December 11, 1872(1872-12-11) (aged 42) Honolulu, Oahu | ||||
| Burial | January 11, 1873[1] | ||||
| Issue | Keanolani (illegitimate) | ||||
| |||||
| House | House of Kamehameha | ||||
| Father | Kekūanaōʻa Ulumāheihei Hoapili(hānai) | ||||
| Mother | Kīnaʻu Nāhiʻenaʻena(hānai) Kalākua Kaheiheimālie(hānai) | ||||
| Religion | Church of Hawaii | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Kamehameha V (Lota Kapuāiwa Kalanimakua Aliʻiōlani Kalanikupuapaʻīkalaninui;[2] December 11, 1830 – December 11, 1872[3]), reigned as the fifthmonarch of theKingdom of Hawaiʻi from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipaʻa": immovable, firm, steadfast, or determined; he is said to have worked diligently for his people and kingdom, being described as the last great traditional chief.[4]
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He was born and given the name Lot Kapuāiwa December 11, 1830. His mother wasElizabeth Kīnaʻu and father wasMataio Kekūanaōʻa. His siblings includedDavid Kamehameha,Moses Kekūāiwa,Alexander Liholiho, andVictoria Kamāmalu.[5] He also was a grandson of Kamehameha I.Kapu āiwa means mysteriouskapu or sacred one protected by supernatural powers. He was adopted using the ancient Hawaiian tradition calledhānai byPrincess Nāhiʻenaʻena, but she died in 1836. He was then adopted by his grandmotherQueen Kalākua Kaheiheimālie and step-grandfather High ChiefUlumāheihei Hoapili.[6] His childhood was difficult; he felt that hishānai parents treated him as a stranger in their house, and that the adoption had deprived him the love of his mother. Throughout his life he would have a deep dislike for this tradition as it could be later seen by his anger at his half-sisterRuth Keelikolani giving away her second son Keolaokalani toBernice Pauahi Bishop.[7]
It was planned that he would be Hoapili's heir asGovernor of Maui, although this never happened.[8] Since KingKamehameha III declared him eligible for the throne, he was educated at theRoyal School like his cousins and siblings. He was betrothed toBernice Pauahi at birth, but she chose to marry AmericanCharles Reed Bishop instead.[9]
After leaving school, he traveled abroad with his brother Alexander Liholiho. With the supervision of their guardian Dr. Judd, Lot and his brother sailed toSan Francisco in September 1849. After their tour ofCalifornia, they continued on toPanama,Jamaica,New York City andWashington, D.C. They touredEurope and met with various heads of state including French presidentLouis Napoleon, British prince consortAlbert, and US presidentZachary Taylor and vice presidentMillard Fillmore.[citation needed]
From 1852 to 1855 he served on thePrivy Council of State, and from 1852 to 1862 in theHouse of Nobles. He was Minister of the Interior from 1857 to 1863, chief justice of the supreme court from 1857 to 1858, and held other offices.[10] His more charismatic younger brother Prince Alexander Liholiho was chosen to become King Kamehameha IV in 1854.[11] In 1862, he was officially added to the line of succession in an amendment to the1852 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Lot and his heirs, followed by his sister Princess Victoria and her heirs, would succeed in the case his brother died without any legitimate heirs.[12] The change was made shortly before the death of PrinceAlbert Kamehameha, the only son of Kamehameha IV, on August 23, 1862.[6]
He came to power on November 30, 1863, after his brother's death, but refused to uphold theprevious constitution of 1852. He objected, in particular, to that constitution's grant of universal male suffrage in elections for the lower House of Representatives.[13] In May 1864 he called for a constitutional convention. On July 7, 1864, he proposed a new constitution rather than amending the old one. The convention ran smoothly until the 62nd article. It limited voters to being residents who passed a literacy test and possessed property or had income qualifications. On August 20, 1864, he signed the1864 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii and took an oath to protect it.
The constitution was based on the original draft, but 20 articles were deleted. When he appointedCharles de Varigny, a French national, as minister of finance in December 1863,[14] Americans in Hawaiʻi were convinced that he had adopted an anti-American policy. In reality, his foreign policy remained the same. Later de Varigny became minister of foreign affairs from 1865 to 1869.
He was the first king to encourage revival of traditional practices. Under his reign, the laws against "kahunaism" were repealed. A Hawaiian Board of Medicine was established, with kahuna members, and la'au lapa'au or Hawaiian medicine was again practiced.[15] He brought kahuna practitioners to Honolulu to document their remedies.[16]
In 1865, a bill was brought before the legislature giving foreign merchants the right to sell liquor directly to Native Hawaiians. Kamehameha V surprised supporters of the bill by refusing to grant his assent, saying: "I will never sign the death warrant of my people."Alcoholism was one of the many causes of the already declining population of thenative Hawaiians.[17][18]
Growth in travel to the islands increased during Kamehameha's reign.Mark Twain came in March 1866 aboard the merchantmanAjax. He stayed for four months under his real name, Samuel Clemens, writing letters back to theSacramento Union describing the islands. Twain described the king:
He was a wise sovereign; he had seen something of the world; he was educated & accomplished, & he tried hard to do well by his people, & succeeded. There was no trivial royal nonsense about him; He dressed plainly, poked about Honolulu, night or day, on his old horse, unattended; he was popular, greatly respected, and even beloved.[19]
Queen Victoria sent her second sonPrince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh on a state visit in 1869. He appealed to KaiserWilhelm I of Germany, who sentHenri Berger to organize theRoyal Hawaiian Band, a gift of music from the king to his people.[20]
His sister and only namedHeir Apparent to the throne, Crown PrincessVictoria Kamāmalu had died childless in 1866 and through the remainder of his reign, Kamehameha V did not name a successor. He died on December 11, 1872, while the preparations for his birthday celebration were underway. As Lot lay bedstricken, he answered those that came to visit him: "It is hard to die on my birthday, but God's will be done".[21] He offered the throne to his cousinBernice Pauahi Bishop who refused, and died an hour later without designating an heir.[22] Lot Kapuāiwa had a daughterKeanolani (July 7, 1847 – June 30, 1902) withAbigail Maheha. However, her illegitimate birth prevented her from succeeding to the Hawaiian throne. Lot was buried in theRoyal Mausoleum of Hawaii at Mauna ʻAla.[23]
He was the last ruling monarch of theHouse of Kamehameha styled under the Kamehameha name. Before his death Kamehameha V stated:
The throne belongs to Lunalilo; I will not appoint him, because I consider him unworthy of the position. The constitution, in case I make no nomination, provides for the election of the next King; let it be so.
With no heir at his death, the next monarch would be elected by the legislature. Kamehameha V's cousinWilliam Charles Lunalilo, a Kamehameha by birth from his mother, demanded a general election and won. The legislature agreed and Lunalilo became the first elected king of the Hawaiian Kingdom.[24]
He founded theRoyal Order of Kamehameha I society on April 11, 1865, named to honor his grandfather.[25]
The Prince Lot Hula Festival is named for him. It was held the third Saturday in July since 1977 at his former home calledMoanalua Gardens.[26]
In February 1847, a female student at the Royal School,Abigail Maheha, was expelled and wed in a hastily arranged marriage due to a scandalous pregnancy.[27] Some speculate that the sixteen year-old Kamehameha V or his seventeen-year-old brotherMoses Kekūāiwa was the father of Abigail's daughterKeanolani, who left living descendants. Evidence to support this claim include his financial support of Abigail's husband Keaupuni, veiled conversations the Cookes had with Abigail and Lot dated months before the pregnancy was discovered, and entries from the period which were torn out of his school journal.[28][29][30][31]
Kingdom of Hawaii: Founder of theOrder of Kamehameha I,April 11, 1865[25]
Mexican Empire: Grand Cross of theOrder of Guadalupe,1865[32]
Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of theOrder of Philip the Magnanimous,December 1, 1869[33]PAUAHI, BERNICE (83): Great-granddaughter of Kamehameha I. Adopted by Kīnaʻu and Kekūanaōʻa. Early betrothed to Lot Kamehameha. Married Charles R. Bishop at Royal School on 4 June 1850.
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| Preceded by | King of Hawaiʻi 1863–1872 | Succeeded by |
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