A Story of the Kingdom of Hawai'i
Prologue: Foundation & Foreign Entanglement
A history of modern Hawai'i must begin with the unification of these isolated islands by the nation's first monarch. King Kamehameha I, alternately Kamehameha the Great, is considered to be the father of the Kingdom. He is also the man who set Hawai'i on its path towards rapid modernization, utilizing Western advisers and weapons to aid his unification of the island chain under one rule. Some of these advisers were captured, but treated well and elected to become Hawai'ian citizens. By 1810 unification had been achieved and a new state established under the rule of the Kamehameha dynasty.
His Majesty Kamehameha I, first King of Hawai'i
Kamehameha I died in 1819, but left a fairly large if still poorly (and often traditionally) equipped military in the command of his son Lohiliho. Occasionally diseases threatened to become lethally serious, but by luck or the grace of God, the native population was not decimated as it had been in so many other places. The Kingdom pursued modernization to become more civilized in the eyes of outsiders, and its royal family even adopted Christianity. Problems still abounded, however.
Still a relatively weak nation, Hawai'i's proud warriors were unable to stop a French sacking of Honolulu in 1849. In response, Kamehameha III sought an agreement with the British Empire and the United States for protectorate status. While remaining neutral over the next half century, Hawai'i continued to develop and modernize, especially militarily. No repeat of the 1849 disaster would be allowed to occur. With British weapons and training, the Royal Hawai'ian Army became a disciplined, well-trained force.
Another crisis came about when Kamehameha V died without having named an heir. Two candidates to succeed him emerged - Prince David and Princess Emma - and the winner of this conflict would determine the future of Hawai'i itself. David favored stronger ties with the United States, despite recent tendencies towards flaunting Hawai'ian authority. Emma favored Britain and had close ties with Queen Victoria. When the vote came up in the parliament, Emma was selected to head the Hawai'ian state. America was stung but continued maneuvering to try and seize the islands for themselves as an important forward base for their growing naval power.
Her Majesty Queen Emma I
Soon industry was starting to develop in Hawai'i, under a push for self-sufficiency by the new government. Queen Emma I continued to solidify ties to the United Kingdom, and sought out a treaty that would gurantee her nation's sovereignty amid the continual spectre of American expansionism. Britain proved reluctant to even discuss the matter until Hawai'i would be open to the possibility of a naval base. Emma would die in 1888, succeeded by Queen Liliuokalani - who would face the greatest threat yet to Hawai'ian independence.
Egged on by American businessmen in the islands, the USS Boston was secretly sent to the islands to try and force a landing by Marines. The plan was to depose the new queen and secure the islands for America, rather than allow Britain to do so. On the morning of January 17, 1893, the USS Boston arrived off the coast of Oahu. After that, nothing went right for the Americans. First, word had reached the queen of the ship's impending arrival, and she ordered the army to mobilize. When Marines began to climb into ships to go ashore, warning shots were fired from the beach by the Royal Hawai'ian Army. Then just as the Boston's commander contemplated returning fire, a pair of British cruisers were spotted heading in to intervene. Caught so off guard, the American ship retreated and Hawai'i preserved as a kingdom.
In the aftermath, a treaty was signed that granted Hawai'i a British guarantee of independence and mutual defense. Hawai'i, for its part, granted Britain use of Pearl Harbour as a major naval base in order to curtail further efforts by foreign powers to invade. This effectively ended Hawai'ian neutrality, but the islands were allowed to remain a sovereign kingdom, though dependant to the British.
The national flag of Hawai'i, with a Union Flag in the corner to signify its place as a British protectorate and ally.
1910 saw massive celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, but storm clouds were brewing slowly over Europe. As a minor, yet important, ally of Britain - and, by now, France and Japan - Hawai'i was about to be forced into the uncomfortable proposition of war with a European power. At the helm of the Kingdom was another new leader, King John Kalaina, who began to contemplate just how Hawai'i might contribute to its benefactors' cause in the event of war..
King John Kalaina, monarch on the eve of the Great War
Prologue: Foundation & Foreign Entanglement
A history of modern Hawai'i must begin with the unification of these isolated islands by the nation's first monarch. King Kamehameha I, alternately Kamehameha the Great, is considered to be the father of the Kingdom. He is also the man who set Hawai'i on its path towards rapid modernization, utilizing Western advisers and weapons to aid his unification of the island chain under one rule. Some of these advisers were captured, but treated well and elected to become Hawai'ian citizens. By 1810 unification had been achieved and a new state established under the rule of the Kamehameha dynasty.
His Majesty Kamehameha I, first King of Hawai'i
Kamehameha I died in 1819, but left a fairly large if still poorly (and often traditionally) equipped military in the command of his son Lohiliho. Occasionally diseases threatened to become lethally serious, but by luck or the grace of God, the native population was not decimated as it had been in so many other places. The Kingdom pursued modernization to become more civilized in the eyes of outsiders, and its royal family even adopted Christianity. Problems still abounded, however.
Still a relatively weak nation, Hawai'i's proud warriors were unable to stop a French sacking of Honolulu in 1849. In response, Kamehameha III sought an agreement with the British Empire and the United States for protectorate status. While remaining neutral over the next half century, Hawai'i continued to develop and modernize, especially militarily. No repeat of the 1849 disaster would be allowed to occur. With British weapons and training, the Royal Hawai'ian Army became a disciplined, well-trained force.
Another crisis came about when Kamehameha V died without having named an heir. Two candidates to succeed him emerged - Prince David and Princess Emma - and the winner of this conflict would determine the future of Hawai'i itself. David favored stronger ties with the United States, despite recent tendencies towards flaunting Hawai'ian authority. Emma favored Britain and had close ties with Queen Victoria. When the vote came up in the parliament, Emma was selected to head the Hawai'ian state. America was stung but continued maneuvering to try and seize the islands for themselves as an important forward base for their growing naval power.
Her Majesty Queen Emma I
Soon industry was starting to develop in Hawai'i, under a push for self-sufficiency by the new government. Queen Emma I continued to solidify ties to the United Kingdom, and sought out a treaty that would gurantee her nation's sovereignty amid the continual spectre of American expansionism. Britain proved reluctant to even discuss the matter until Hawai'i would be open to the possibility of a naval base. Emma would die in 1888, succeeded by Queen Liliuokalani - who would face the greatest threat yet to Hawai'ian independence.
Egged on by American businessmen in the islands, the USS Boston was secretly sent to the islands to try and force a landing by Marines. The plan was to depose the new queen and secure the islands for America, rather than allow Britain to do so. On the morning of January 17, 1893, the USS Boston arrived off the coast of Oahu. After that, nothing went right for the Americans. First, word had reached the queen of the ship's impending arrival, and she ordered the army to mobilize. When Marines began to climb into ships to go ashore, warning shots were fired from the beach by the Royal Hawai'ian Army. Then just as the Boston's commander contemplated returning fire, a pair of British cruisers were spotted heading in to intervene. Caught so off guard, the American ship retreated and Hawai'i preserved as a kingdom.
In the aftermath, a treaty was signed that granted Hawai'i a British guarantee of independence and mutual defense. Hawai'i, for its part, granted Britain use of Pearl Harbour as a major naval base in order to curtail further efforts by foreign powers to invade. This effectively ended Hawai'ian neutrality, but the islands were allowed to remain a sovereign kingdom, though dependant to the British.
The national flag of Hawai'i, with a Union Flag in the corner to signify its place as a British protectorate and ally.
1910 saw massive celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, but storm clouds were brewing slowly over Europe. As a minor, yet important, ally of Britain - and, by now, France and Japan - Hawai'i was about to be forced into the uncomfortable proposition of war with a European power. At the helm of the Kingdom was another new leader, King John Kalaina, who began to contemplate just how Hawai'i might contribute to its benefactors' cause in the event of war..
King John Kalaina, monarch on the eve of the Great War
