- Original name:
- Lydia Kamakaeha
- Also called:
- Lydia Liliuokalani Paki or Liliu Kamakaeha
- Born:
- September 2, 1838, Honolulu, Hawaii [U.S.]
- Died:
- November 11, 1917, Honolulu (aged 79)
- Notable Family Members:
- brother Kalakaua
Liliuokalani
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Who was Liliuokalani?
Liliuokalani (born Lydia Kamakaeha, 1838-1917) was the first and only queen and the last sovereign of Hawaii, who fought against the annexation of the islands by the United States.
Liliuokalani received a modern education and married John Owen Dominis in 1862. After her brother, King David Kalakaua, died in 1891, she ascended the throne. Liliuokalani tried to restore power to the monarchy, which put her at odds with foreign businessmen. In 1893, the Missionary Party, led by Sanford Dole, deposed her and requested annexation by the United States.
To prevent bloodshed, Liliuokalani surrendered but appealed to President Grover Cleveland for reinstatement. Although Cleveland rejected the annexation treaty, Dole defied him. Liliuokalani was later arrested for treason but agreed to formal abdication to pardon her supporters. She fought against annexation as head of the âOnipaâa movement. In 1898, she published Hawaiiâs Story by Hawaiiâs Queen and composed âAloha Oeâ.
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What role did Liliuokalani have in Hawaii's history?
Liliuokalani (born Lydia Kamakaeha) was the first and only reigning queen and the last sovereign of Hawaii, governing until the islands' annexation by the U.S. in 1898.
After her brother, King David Kalakaua, was chosen as king in 1874, Liliuokalani was named heir presumptive in 1877. During King Kalakauaâs world tour in 1881, she served as regent and organized schools for Hawaiian youth. Upon King Kalakaua's death in January 1891, she ascended the throne.
Liliuokalani sought to restore power to the monarchy, opposing the Reciprocity Treaty of 1887 that granted commercial concessions to the United States and ceded Pearl Harbor. In January 1893, the Missionary Party, led by Sanford Dole, deposed her and established a provisional government. Although she surrendered to avoid bloodshed and appealed to President Cleveland for reinstatement, her efforts were unsuccessful, and Hawaii was annexed by the United States in July 1898.
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How did Liliuokalani become queen of Hawaii?
Liliuokalani became the queen of Hawaii in January 1891 after the death of her brother, King KalÄkaua. Prior to ascending to the throne, she was known as Lydia Kamakaeha and was named heir presumptive in 1877, after the death of her other brother, W. P. Leleiohoku. During King KalÄkauaâs world tour in 1881, she served as regent and was active in organizing schools for Hawaiian youth, preparing her for her future role as queen. She was the first and only queen of Hawaii, and the last Hawaiian sovereign to govern the islands.
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What changes did she try to make as queen?
As queen, Liliuokalani sought to restore power to the Hawaiian monarchy, which had diminished under King Kalakaua. She opposed the Reciprocity Treaty of 1887, which granted commercial concessions to the United States and ceded Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor. These actions alienated her from foreign businessmen, who then sought to remove her from power. Led by Sanford Dole, they requested her abdication in 1893 and established a provisional government, seeking annexation by the United States. To prevent bloodshed, Liliuokalani surrendered but appealed to President Cleveland for reinstatement, though her efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.
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Why was Liliuokalani overthrown as queen?
Queen Liliuokalani was overthrown due to her attempt to restore power to the Hawaiian monarchy, which threatened the interests of foreign businessmen. Led by Sanford Dole, the Missionary Party, composed of foreign businessmen, demanded her abdication in January 1893. With the help of U.S. Marines, they seized power and established a provisional government, seeking annexation by the United States. To prevent bloodshed, Liliuokalani surrendered, but she appealed to President Cleveland for reinstatement. Although Cleveland acknowledged the unlawful overthrow, Dole defied his order. Despite her efforts to resist annexation, Hawaii was annexed by the U.S. in July 1898.
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How is Liliuokalani remembered in Hawaiian history today?
Liliuokalani, Hawaii's first and only queen, is remembered as a symbol of Hawaiian sovereignty and a staunch defender of her people. Born Lydia Kamakaeha, she ascended the throne in 1891 and strived to restore power to the monarchy, opposing U.S. commercial concessions and the cession of Pearl Harbor.
In 1893, she was deposed by foreign businessmen, leading to the establishment of a provisional government. Although she surrendered to avoid bloodshed, she appealed to President Cleveland for reinstatement, but her efforts were unsuccessful. As head of the \u2018Onipa\u2018a movement, Liliuokalani fought against the annexation of Hawaii by the United States, which occurred in 1898. Today, she is celebrated for her resolute stance and is beloved for her song, \u201cAloha Oe,\u201d which remains an iconic symbol of Hawaiian culture.
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Liliuokalani (born September 2, 1838, Honolulu, Hawaii [U.S.]âdied November 11, 1917, Honolulu) was the first and only reigning Hawaiian queen and the last Hawaiian sovereign to govern the islands, which were annexed by the United States in 1898.
Lydia Kamakaeha was of a high-ranking family. Her mother, Keohokalole, was an adviser of King Kamehameha III. Reared in the missionary tradition deemed appropriate for Hawaiian princesses, she received a thoroughly modern education, which was augmented by a tour of the Western world. After a time as a member of the court of Kamehameha IV, she was married in September 1862 to John Owen Dominis, son of a Boston sea captain and himself an official in the Hawaiian government. In 1874 her brother David Kalakaua was chosen king, and in 1877, on the death of a second brother, W.P. Leleiohoku, who was heir apparent, she was named heir presumptive. She was known from that time by her royal name, Liliuokalani.
Over the next 14 years she established herself firmly in that role. She served as regent during King Kalakauaâs world tour in 1881, and she was active in organizing schools for Hawaiian youth. During a world tour in 1887 she was received by U.S. Pres. Grover Cleveland and by Britainâs Queen Victoria. On the death of King Kalakaua in January 1891, Liliuokalani ascended the throne, becoming the first woman ever to occupy it.
Liliuokalani regretted the loss of power the monarchy had suffered under Kalakaua and tried to restore something of the traditional autocracy to the Hawaiian throne. She had earlier made her position clear by opposing the renewed Reciprocity Treaty of 1887, signed by Kalakaua, granting privileged commercial concessions to the United States and ceding to them the port of Pearl Harbor. This attitude forever alienated her from Hawaiiâs haoleâforeign businessmenâwho, after her accession, tried to abrogate her authority.
Led by Sanford Dole, the Missionary Party asked for her abdication in January 1893 and, declaring the queen deposed, announced the establishment of a provisional government pending annexation by the United States. To avoid bloodshed, Liliuokalani surrendered, but she appealed to President Cleveland to reinstate her. Cleveland ordered the queen restored and rejected the treaty of annexation sent to Congress by his predecessor, Pres. Benjamin Harrison. In his message to Congress withdrawing the treaty from consideration, Cleveland stated that,
but for the lawless occupation of Honolulu under false pretexts by the United States forces, and but for Minister Stevensâ recognition of the Provisional Government when the United States forces were its sole support and constituted its only military strength, the queen and her government would never have yielded to the Provisional Government.
Dole, however, defied the order, claiming that Cleveland did not have the authority to interfere. In 1895 an insurrection in the queenâs name, led by royalist Robert Wilcox, was suppressed by Doleâs group, and Liliuokalani was kept under house arrest on charges of treason. On January 24, 1895, to win pardons for her supporters who had been jailed following the revolt, she agreed to sign a formal abdication.
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As head of the âOnipaâa (meaning âimmovable,â âsteadfast,â âfirm,â âresoluteâ) movement, whose motto was âHawaii for the Hawaiians,â Liliuokalani fought bitterly against annexation of the islands by the United States. Annexation nonetheless occurred in July 1898. In that year she published Hawaiiâs Story by Hawaiiâs Queen and composed âAloha Oe,â a song ever afterward beloved in the islands. Thereafter she withdrew from public life, enjoying a government pension and the homage of islanders and visitors alike.