View source for Kamehameha I

[[File:Kamehameha I.png|thumb|300px|Kamehameha I]]
'''Kamehameha I''' (about 1736–1819) was the first [[king]] of [[Kingdom of Hawaii|Hawaii]]. 

{{anchor|History|Biography}}
==Life==
===Early life===
Kamehameha was born about 1736, probably during the winter. His parents were [[Keoua]] and [[Keku'iapoiwa II|Keku‘iapoiwa II]]. They were [[cousin]]s. Their grandfather was [[Keawe'ikekahiali'iokamoku|Keawe‘ikekahiali‘iokamoku]], who had been the boss (''ali‘i nui'') of the [[Hawaii Island|big island of Hawaii]]. When Keawe‘ikekahiali‘iokamoku died, there was a [[civil war]]. Keoua and his brother [[Kalani'opu'u|Kalani‘opu‘u]] lost, and [[Alapa'inui|Alapa‘inui]] won. Keoua lived with Alapa‘inui for a while, but he died when Kamehameha was still a little boy. Kamehameha left and lived with his uncle Kalani‘opu‘u. 

===Leader on Hawaii Island===
When Kamehameha's uncle died in 1782, his cousin [[Kiwala'o|Kiwala‘o]] became the new boss of the [[Hawaii Island|big island of Hawaii]]. Kamehameha became the head [[priest]] for the [[Hawaiian mythology|Hawaiian god]] of [[war]] [[Kuka'ilimoku|Kuka‘ilimoku]] and the leader of the [[Waipi'o|Waipi‘o Valley]]. He and his cousin started to fight because Kamehameha showed more respect to the gods than to his cousin. Some leaders in [[Kona]] joined him. They beat Kiwala‘o at the [[Battle of Moku'ohai|Battle of Moku‘ohai]], and Kamehameha became the leader of Kona, [[Kohala]], and [[Hamakua]] on Hawaii Island.

At that time, there were people who said that they could [[prognostication|see the future]]. They told a [[prophecy]] that Kamehameha would bring Hawaii together and even unite the people of [[Polynesia]] as far away as the [[Maori]]s in [[New Zealand]]. Kamehameha began to plan to unite all the [[kingdom]]s of the different islands. He started buying [[firearms|guns]] and [[ammunition|bullets]] from [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[United States of America|American]] [[sailor]]s who came to Hawaii while they [[whaling|hunted whales]]. Captain Brown began to bring him [[gunpowder]] from [[China]] and taught him how to it from [[sulfur]], [[saltpeter]], and [[charcoal]] on Hawaii. [[Isaac Davis]] and [[John Young]] stayed on Hawaii, [[marriage|married]] Hawaiian women, and taught Kamehameha's [[soldier|men]] how to use and fix [[firearms|guns]].

Kamehameha took [[Puna]] from its leader [[Keawema'uhili|Keawema‘uhili]] in 1790. [[Keoua Ku'ahu'ula|Keoua Ku‘ahu‘ula]] tried to take over his land while he was busy fighting, but Kamehameha was able to come back with his men in time. Keoua Ku‘ahu‘ula ran away past the [[volcano]] [[Kilauea]] and lost many men because of [[poison]] [[gas]]. The next year, Kamehameha invited him to visit. When Keoua Ku‘ahu‘ula came, he and his [[bodyguard|protectors]] were all killed. Kamehameha was now the boss of the [[Hawaii Island|big island of Hawaii]].

===War with other islands===
Kamehameha now had 960 [[canoe|war canoes]] and about 10,000 [[warrior|men]]. He took [[Maui]] and [[Molokai]] at the [[Battle of Kawela]] in 1795. 

Kamehameha then attacked [[Oahu]], landing his men at [[Wai'alae|Wai‘alae]] and [[Waikiki]]. His helper [[Ka'iana|Ka‘iana]] was really [[treason|helping his enemy]] [[Kalanikupule]]. He helped make [[gunport|special safe place]]s for Kalanikupule's [[cannon]] on top of the [[Pali Mountains]]. This caused Kamehameha to lose many men until he sent many to climb the other side of the mountains and hit the cannon from behind. 400 Oahu men were forced over the side of the mountains' {{convert|1000|ft|sp=us|abbr=on}} cliff. Ka‘iana was killed in the battle, and Kalanikupule was caught and [[sacrifice|given as a gift]] to the war god [[Kuka‘ilimoku]].

Kamehameha got [[Kaumuali'i|Kaumuali‘i]], the leader of [[Kauai]], to work for him in April 1810 and, in this way, at last became the only leader of all the [[Hawaiian Islands]]. Other angry leaders wanted to kill Kaumuali‘i with [[poison]] at a big dinner but [[Isaac Davis]] heard about their plan and told him ahead of time.

===Leader of the Hawaiian Islands===
Kamehameha made [[Kamakahonu]] in [[Kona]] his home after about 1812. He wanted the [[Hawaiian Islands]] to stay together after he died. He made all the islands use the same [[law]]s. He used his [[tax]]es to increase the islands' [[trade]] with [[Europe]] and the [[United States]]. He thought about bringing in [[Christianity]] to the islands, but decided that the [[Hawaiian mythology|Hawaiian gods]] that he had followed so far were [[mana|strong in spirit]] and had brought him his success. He had somewhere between 20 and 30 wives and about 35 children, including 17 sons and 18 daughters. 

===Death===
Kamehameha died on May 8 or 14, 1819. No one is sure where his body was put, because the Hawaiians thought people could use the [[mana|spiritual power]] of the dead and the king's close friends [[Hoapili]] and [[Ho‘olulu]] hid his body carefully. His children by his wife [[Keopuolani]] followed him as the leaders of Hawaii and are known as the [[House of Kamehameha]].

{{Hawaii Monarchs}}

[[Category:1730s births]]
[[Category:Kings and Queens of Hawaii]]
[[Category:1819 deaths]]
[[Category:Native Hawaiians]]