Fort Alexander (russian: форт Александра) was one of the three forts built by

Georg Anton Schäffer Georg Anton Schäffer (rarely russified as ''Yegor Nikolayevich'' or ''Egor Antonovich'' ''Sheffer''; ''von Schaeffer'' in Portuguese sources; 27 January 1779 – 1836) was a German physician in the employ of the Russian-American Company who ...

on island of

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

in the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

. It was named after

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...

, and built in October 1816 near Hanalei River. It was an earthwork fort.

Schäffer affair

Schäffer made an alliance with Kaumualii against

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; – May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. T ...

. Schäffer built the Russian forts between 1816–1817. Fort Alexander had low earthwork walls and may have had palisades too. One account might refer to the Fort Alexander as a breastwork that had been mounted with a few cannons, but it is unclear whether the account refers to both or only one of the forts in Hanalei. It was built mainly with

Russian-American Company The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс� ...

's labor unlike Fort Elizabeth that was built partially by

Hawaiian native Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...

s. Most of the Schäffer's employees were

Native Alaskan Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entertai ...

s. On 17 June 1817 Schäffer proclaimed himself a chief of Hanalei at Fort Alexander, after ordering a Russian flag to be raised and a three cannon

salute A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Sco ...

. He also proclaimed a formal Russian claim for island of Kauai on the same occasion. Forts Alexander and

Barclay Barclay may refer to: People * Barclay (surname) * Clan Barclay Places * Barclay, Kansas * Barclay, Maryland, a town in Queen Anne's County * Barclay, Baltimore, Maryland, a neighborhood * Barclay, Nevada, a town in Lincoln County * Barclay, ...

were destroyed when the Hawaiians revolted in Hanalei. A distillery was also burnt down, and one

Aleut The Aleuts ( ; russian: Алеуты, Aleuty) are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleut people and the islands are politically divided between the U ...

ian worker was killed. On 8 May 1817 the Russians were expelled from Hawaii.

Legacy

Fort Alexander was one of the two Russian forts built in Hanalei River Valley. The other fort situated nearby was known as Fort Barclay. However, only

Fort Elizabeth Pā'ula'ula State Historical Park (Russian Fort Elizabeth) is a National Historic Landmark and is administered as the Pā'ula'ula State Historical Park just southeast of present-day Waimea on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. It is located at the s ...

has been partially preserved. the location of Fort Alexander is occupied by a hotel (at 5520 Ka Haku Road), and a general outline of part the fort could still be noticed.

References

{{coords, 22, 13, 17, N, 159, 29, 49, W, display=title European colonisation in Oceania Russian-American Company Russian America Colonial United States (Russian) Russian forts in the United States Hawaiian Kingdom History of Kauai

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

Buildings and structures in Kauai County, Hawaii 1816 establishments in Hawaii 1817 disestablishments

Schäffer affair

Legacy

See also

References