Aaron Kealiʻiahonui (1800–1849) was member of the nobility of the Kingdom of Kauaʻi and the Kingdom of Hawaii. He is often called Keliʻiahonui, a contraction of Kealiʻiahonui. His name was given to him by his father Kaumualiʻi in honor of King

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. Th ...

's peaceful takeover of Kauai and means the "king whose strength is attained through patience".

Family life

Kealiʻiahonui was born August 17, 1800. His father was

Kaumualiʻi Kaumualiʻi (c. 1778–May 26, 1824) was the last independent aliʻi nui (supreme ruler of the island) of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau Niihau ( Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Niihau ( ), is the westernmost main and seventh largest inhabited island in Haw ...

, the last ruling King of Kauaʻi. His mother was Kaʻapuwai Kapuaʻamohu. His father agreed to become a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

in 1810, so he would never become a ruling monarch. In 1821 his father was forced into exile, and to emphasize the submission, marry Queen Regent Kaʻahumanu. After his father died in 1824, and his half-brother

Humehume Humehume (c. 1798–1826), known by many different names during his time, such as George Prince, George Prince Kaumualii, Tamoree or Kumoree by American writers, was a son of the king of part of the Hawaiian Islands. He traveled widely, served in ...

led a failed rebellion, Queen Kaʻahumanu forced Kealiʻiahonui into a similar relationship. Kealiʻiahonui gave up his first wife,

Deborah Kapule Deborah Kapule Kekaihaʻakūlou (c. 1798–1853) was the last Queen of Kauai, Kauaʻi (as wife to Kaumualii, Kaumualiʻi) before the establishment of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi by King Kamehameha I. Life She was born around 1798 ...

, symbolically married Kaʻahumanu, and there were no more rebellions from Kauaʻi. The missionaries disliked these forced marriages, and hoped education would convert them. Kealiʻiahonui was described as "...handsome, and naturally and usually more interesting at that period than most of the nobility". Physically he was tall "...considered to be the handsomest chief in the Islands, and was proficient in all athletic exercises". On December 5, 1825, he was part of a royal

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

ceremony where he took the Christian name " Aaron". After Kaʻahumanu died in 1832, he married for a third time, to Kekauōnohi, a granddaughter of Kamehameha I and former Queen Consort. He had no children that lived to adulthood.

Politics

In 1840 he was finally allowed to participate in leadership positions. It was his wife Kekauʻōnohi, however, who was officially made Royal Governor of Kauaʻi at this time. He was named in the

1840 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii The 1840 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom titled was the first fully written constitution for the Hawaiian Kingdom. The need for a constitution was originally intended as a manner of laws set forth to control the Native Hawaiian population w ...

as one of the founding members of the upper house of the legislature, the House of Nobles. He served in the 1842 through 1848 sessions of the legislature. In 1845 he served as royal chamberlain, and from 1845 to 1847 he was included in the Privy Council of King Kamehameha III. Kealiʻiahonui died June 23, 1849, in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

. A niece named Kapule after his first wife looked after him before his death. He had a public funeral on June 30. It was a combination of Christian and

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 ...

an practices. His coffin was taken to a cave in an area known as ''Puʻuloa'' (near modern-day

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

). Kekauʻōnohi had wanted a burial at sea, but Kapule and her husband hid the coffin until they were convinced to offer it to the spirits that were thought to inhabit this area. His grandnephew was named

Edward Abnel Keliʻiahonui Edward Abnel Keliʻiahonui (May 13, 1869 – September 21, 1887) was a prince of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. His name means "the chief whose strength is attained through patience". Early life Keliʻiahonui was born May 13, 1869, at Kaʻalaʻa at ...

(1869–1887) after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kealiiahonui, Aaron 1800 births 1849 deaths Royalty of the Hawaiian Kingdom Members of the Hawaiian Kingdom House of Nobles Members of the Hawaiian Kingdom Privy Council Hawaiian Kingdom chamberlains Burials at sea