Kamehameha I

Kamehameha I, or Kamehameha the Great, (1758?–1819), the first king of the Hawaiian Islands. He reigned 1795–1819. Kamehameha conquered and united the Hawaiian Islands and ruled successfully by adapting Western ideas to Hawaiian culture. The dynasty he established ruled the islands for nearly a century.

Kamehameha was born in Kohola on the island of Hawaii, the nephew of Kalaniopuu, the hereditary chief of Hawaii. When his uncle died in 1782, civil war followed and Kamehameha seized power. He then waged war to bring the entire island group under his sovereignty. By 1795 he had united all the islands under his rule except Kauai and Niihau. (Both were ceded by their ruler in 1810.) Kamehameha centralized the government, kept the kingdom at peace, and encouraged trade with foreign nations.