Aaron Kealiʻiahonui (1800–1849) was member of the nobility of the Kingdom of Kauaʻi and the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited 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 Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; to May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii ...

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

Family life

Kealiʻiahonui was born on August 17, 1800. His father was Kaumualiʻi, the last ruling King of Kauaʻi and his mother was Kaʻapuwai Kapuaʻamohu. In 1810, 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 ...

, ensuring that he would never become a ruling monarch. In 1821, his father was forced into exile, and to emphasize their submission, he married Queen Regent Kaʻahumanu. After his father died in 1824, and following a failed rebellion led by 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 ...

, 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 Kauaʻi (as wife to Kaumualiʻi) before the establishment of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi by King Kamehameha I. Life She was born around 1798; the location of her birth is not ...

, who symbolically married Kaʻahumanu. Following this, there were no more rebellions from Kauaʻi. However, 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 ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

ceremony where he took the Christian name "

Aaron According to the Old Testament of the Bible, Aaron ( or ) was an Israelite prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of Moses. Information about Aaron comes exclusively from religious texts, such as the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament ...

". 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 who 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 as one of the founding members of the legislature's upper house, 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 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 was Keaweaweula Kīwalaō Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula K ...

. Kealiʻiahonui died on June 23, 1849, in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. His 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 establishment in 1795 of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great. Traditionally, researchers estimated the first settlement of the Hawaiian islands as having occurred sporad ...

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 Reci ...

). Although Kekauʻōnohi had wanted a burial at sea, 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