The House of Keōua Nui ''(Hale O Keōua Nui)'', or simply House of Keōua, is the extended royal family of

Ancient Hawaii Ancient Hawaii is the period of Hawaiian history preceding the unification in 1810 of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great. Traditionally, researchers estimated the first settlement of the Hawaiian islands as having occurred sporadicall ...

from which the reigning family of

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 ...

and

Lunalilo Lunalilo (William Charles Lunalilo; January 31, 1835 – February 3, 1874) was the sixth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from his election on January 8, 1873, until his death a year later. Born to Kekāuluohi and High Chief Charles Kanaʻina, ...

were descended.

Origins

A younger branch of the reigning family of

Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku Keaweīkekahialiiokamoku (c. 1665 – c. 1725) was the king of Hawaii Island in the late 17th century. He was the great-grandfather of Kamehameha I, the first king of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was a progenitor of the House of Keawe. Biography He ...

(from the

Big Island of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the List of islands of the United States by area, largest island in the United States, located in the U.S. state, state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of High island, volcanic ...

), the dynastic line was established by Keōua Kalanikupuapaikalaninui Ahilapalapa, who was the father of

. He was the only son of Keeaumoku the Great and High Chiefess Kamakaīmoku. Keōua's paternal lineage derives from a branch of the royal family of Hawaii Island. His father, High Chief Keeaumoku-nui of Kohala and Kona, was the second son of

, King of Hawaii Island and his half-sister bride,

Kalanikauleleiaiwi Kalanikauleleiaiwi was a Chiefess on the island of Hawaii in the late 17th century and early 18th century. She was considered to be the co-ruler of the island of Hawaii with her half-brother, Keaweʻīkekahialiʻiokamoku, the 21st King of Hawaii. ...

. He was known as a ''pio'' chief of the highest rank since both his mother and father were pure royal blood. He even outranked his elder brother

Kalaninuiamamao Kalaninuiamamao (sometimes called Ka-I-i-Mamao or Kaeamamao) was a prince of the Big Island of Hawaii, or 1st Alii Nui of Kaū, an ancestor of the Queen Liliuokalani.House of Kalākaua The House of Kalākaua, or Kalākaua Dynasty, also known as the Keawe-a-Heulu line, was the reigning family of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi between the assumption of King David Kalākaua to the throne in 1874 and the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokala ...

and

House of Kawānanakoa The House of Kawānanakoa, or the Kawānanakoa Dynasty, are descendants to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Origins A collateral branch of the reigning House of Kalākaua (from Kauaʻi island) and descendants of chiefs of areas such as ...

. It was because of these two brothers, who contested for the succession to the kingship of the island of Hawaii after Keaweīkekahialiiokamoku's death, that the island was dissolved into a handful independent warring factions. The ancestry of Keōua's mother, High Chiefess

Kamakaʻīmoku Kamakaʻīmoku was a chiefess in ancient Hawaii in the early 18th century. She married three powerful men of the time, was mother of the King who would unite the island of Hawaii and meet the first known visitors from Europe, and grandmother of t ...

, daughter of Kua Nuuanu, Oahu district chief descended from the nobility of

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

who were descendants of King Umi-a-Līloa's youngest son Kumalae, ruler of Hilo. His mother was also mother of Kalaniōpuu, by Kalaninuiamamao, making him half-brother of Kalaniōpuu and uncle of

Kīwalaʻō Kīwalaʻō (1760 – July 1782) was the aliʻi nui of the island of Hawaii in 1782 when he was defeated in battle and overthrown by Kamehameha I. Early life Kīwalaʻō was born in 1760 to Aliʻi Nui, Kalaniʻōpuʻu and his queen consort Kalol ...

. Kamakaimoku was also the half-sister of Heulu (through their mother Umiula-a-kaahumanu), the father of

Keawe-a-Heulu Keaweaheulu Kaluaʻapana (sometimes Keawe-a-Heulu, died 1804) was a Hawaiian high chief and maternal great-grandfather of King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani. He was among Kamehameha I's council of chiefs and was one of the Five Kona chiefs. ...

, another ancestor of the

House of Kalākaua The House of Kalākaua, or Kalākaua Dynasty, also known as the Keawe-a-Heulu line, was the reigning family of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi between the assumption of King David Kalākaua to the throne in 1874 and the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokala ...

. Kamehameha I of the House of Keōua Nui conquered the separate islands in 1795, uniting them under a single

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 ...

. His direct descendants area called the

House of Kamehameha The House of Kamehameha ''(Hale O Kamehameha)'', or the Kamehameha dynasty, was the reigning Royal Family of the Kingdom of Hawaii, beginning with its founding by Kamehameha I in 1795 and ending with the death of Kamehameha V in 1872 and Lunalilo ...

. His siblings' houses were then also considered a part of the royal family.

Branches of the House of Keōua Nui

Male Line

* House of Laanui-Kalokuokamaile **Through Prince Kalokuokamaile, eldest son by Kahikikala ***Survives today *

(reigned 1795-1872) **Through

, second son and first son by Kekuiapoiwa II ***Descendants were Ruth Keelikolani, Bernice Pauahi, and Albert Kunuiakea (illegitimate) * House of Kealiimaikai **Through Kealiimaikai, his third son, second son by Kekuiapoiwa II ***Descendants were Peter Young Kaeo, Emma Kaleleonalani, wife of

Kamehameha IV Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title ''Ke Aliʻi ...

; and Albert Kunuiakea, also of the House of Kamehameha. * House of Kalaimamahu (reigned 1873-1874) **Through

Prince Kalaimamahu A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, his fourth son, by Kamakaeheikuli ***Descendants were King

William Charles Lunalilo Lunalilo (William Charles Lunalilo; January 31, 1835 – February 3, 1874) was the sixth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from his election on January 8, 1873, until his death a year later. Born to Kekāuluohi and High Chief Charles Kanaʻina, ...

and

Kuhina Nui Kuhina Nui was a powerful office in the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1819 to 1864. It was usually held by a relative of the king and was the rough equivalent of the 19th-century European office of Prime Minister or sometimes Regent. Origin of the offic ...

Miriam Auhea Kekāuluohi ***Survives through line of

Miriam Auhea Kekāuluohi Crowningburg Miriam Auhea Kekāuluohi Crowningburg Kamai (c. 1839–1899) was a Hawaiian high chiefess (''aliʻi'') during the Hawaiian Kingdom. She was a cousin of King Lunalilo and namesake of his mother Kekāuluohi who ruled as Kuhina Nui (premier) under ...

Female Line

*Kekuiapoiwa Liliha, daughter by Kalola, **Descendant,

Keōpūolani Kalanikauikaalaneo Kai Keōpūolani-Ahu-i-Kekai-Makuahine-a-Kama-Kalani-Kau-i-Kealaneo (1778–1823) was a queen consort of Hawaii and the highest ranking wife of King Kamehameha I. Early life Keōpuolani was born around 1778 at an area known as ...

, married Kamehameha I and mother of

Kamehameha II Kamehameha II (November 1797 – July 14, 1824) was the second king of the Kingdom of Hawaii. His birth name was Liholiho and full name was Kalaninui kua Liholiho i ke kapu ʻIolani. It was lengthened to Kalani Kaleiʻaimoku o Kaiwikapu o Laʻ ...

and

Kamehameha III Kamehameha III (born Kauikeaouli) (March 17, 1814 – December 15, 1854) was the third king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name is Keaweaweula Kīwalaō Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula K� ...

*Kiilaweau, daughter by Manona **Descendant,

Kekuaokalani Keaoua Kekua-o-kalani (sometimes known as Kaiwi-kuamoo Kekua-o-kalani) was a nephew of the king Kamehameha I, the chief from Hawaii (island), Hawaii Island who unified the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian islands. Family He was the son of Kamehameha' ...

, also of the House of Kealiimaikai

Website

Official Website of the Royal Houses of Keōua Nui

References

{{Reflist Royalty of the Hawaiian Kingdom House of Līloa Hawaii (island)