The Aliʻi were the traditional nobility of the Hawaiian islands. They were part of a hereditary line of rulers, the Noho Aliʻi.

OUR ALIʻI

King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma were responsible for bringing the Anglican Church to Hawaiʻi.  The first services of the church were held on October 12, 1862, amidst a time of mourning for the young Prince of Hawaiʻi, the only son of the King and Queen who died shortly before the arrival of the Bishop. The arrival of the Bishop had been long anticipated and prepared for by the King, who had translated much of the Book of Common Prayer into the Hawaiian language and had written a Preface explaining this new Anglican Christianity to his people.

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King Kamehameha IV
(ALEXANDER LIHOLIHO)

​He was born the son of Mataio Kekuanaoa and Kinau and was hanai to his uncle, King Kamehameha III who named him his heir.
 
Along with other future monarchs of Hawaii, as well as his bride-to-be, Emma Rooke, he was educated by Amos and Juliette Cooke in the Chiefs’ Children’s School.  At the age of fifteen, he and his brother Lot accompanied Dr. Gerrit P. Judd, Minister of Finance, on a diplomatic mission to negotiate a new treaty with France.  This trip broadened his outlook on the world and one that would have far-reaching effect on his later life.  They toured France, England, and America.  It was during their time in America that an incident occurred which many believe caused him to be somewhat anti-American in his outlook.

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On the death of Kamehameha III in December 1854, he was proclaimed King and in 1856 married Emma Rooke.  The union of the royal couple was blessed in 1858 with the birth of Albert Edward, the Prince of Hawaii.
 
Although his was a short reign, Kamehameha IV left behind two monuments that endured to this day.  They are the Queen’s Medical Center and the Episcopal Church in Hawaii.  One of the major concerns of the King was the health of his subjects at a time when the Hawaiian population was being decimated by disease.  He established a hospital and along with Queen Emma, personally, solicted funds to help build the hospital named Queen’s in honor of Queen Emma.
 
In 1862, following negotiations by the royal couple with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and with the personal blessing of Queen Victoria, a missionary Bishop, Thomas N. Staley  was dispatched to Hawaii to establish the Church here, the only Church invited by the monarchy to come here.  Kamehameha IV was fluent in both Hawaiian and English and he personally translated the Book of Common Prayer into Hawaiian.
 
The Bishop arrived in October of 1862.  In August of that year, tragedy struck the King and Queen with the death of the young Prince at the age of four.  Grief over the Prince’s death and remorse over a personal incident in his life combined, affected and weakened the King’s physical health.  On November 30, 1863, Alexander Liholiho died at the age of 29.  Since his death occurred on Saint Andrew’s Day, it is in his honor that The Cathedral of St. Andrew was named.

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Queen Emma
(​EMMA NAEA KALELEONALANI ROOKE)

​On January 2, 1830, Fanny Kekelaokalani Naea gave birth to a daughter, Emma.  Fanny was the eldest daughter of the High chiefess Kaoanoeha, Daughter of Keliimaikai brother of Kamehameha the Great, and her husband John Young, a British sailor who became an advisor to Kamehameha the Great.  In time honored Hawaiian fashion, Fanny gave her daughter to her sister Grace, wife of Dr. T.C.B. Rooke, to be raised as her own hanai daughter.  Thus Emma, with roots securely grounded in the Ali'i was brought up in the household of an English physician with all the advantages of a young English lady.
 
Emma’s earliest education at home came from her father, with whom she learned to read from The Book of Common Prayer, so that by the age of six when she was enrolled in the Chief’s Children’s School (or The Royal School) she was an accomplished reader in English.  With only fifteen other students, the Royal School, under the direction of the Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Cooke, educated the select children of the Alii of Emma’s generation, five of whom would become rulers of Hawaii in their own right.  Her education was continued under the direction of a governess, Mrs. Sarah Rhodes von Pfister, rounding out a rudimentary knowledge of French, Geography and History.  At the same time Emma became a proficient assistant to her father’s medical practice.

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On June 19, 1856, Emma became the bride of Alexander Liholiho, King Kamehameha IV, with whom she had attended the Royal School.  Alexander, a grandson of Kamehameha the Great, acceded to the throne on January 11, 1855; he and Emma were married at Kawaiahao Church in an Anglican ceremony conducted by the Rev. Mr. Armstrong, who had agreed, in the absence of an Anglican priest, to use the Church of England rite requested by the royal couple.  This royal wedding, the first ever to be witnessed by the Hawaiian community, was an occasion of great celebration and hope for the future.
 
On May 20, 1858, Albert Edward Kauikeaoli Leiopapa A Kamehameha was born, and with the consent of the Privy Council the child received the title of “His Royal Highness The Prince of Hawaii.”
 
From the time of their marriage the King and Queen had been intent upon inviting the Church of England to send a mission to the islands.  With the encouragement and assistance of Robert Crichton Wyllie, Hawaiian Minister of Foreign Affairs, negotiations were begun which resulted in the establishment of a missionary bishopric rather than only a chapel with a clergyman.  On December 15, 1861, with the consent of Queen Victoria by license to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Thomas Nettleship Staley was consecrated “The first Bishop of the United Church of England and Ireland in Hawaii."  As part of the negotiations the American Episcopal Church was also consulted, and its support given through the offices of the Bishop of California.  In the meantime Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV were actively facilitating the establishment of the mission in Honolulu by providing a site for the new cathedral and raising funds for the support of the church.  In addition they happily anticipated the baptism of their son upon the arrival of the new Bishop, especially as Queen Victoria had consented to be his Godmother.  In August of 1862, the four-year-old Prince became ill and was hastily baptized in the presence of Queen Victoria’s proxy, Commissioner William Synge, his wife and Prince Lot Kamehameha, his uncle, before he died.  Upon his arrival in November Bishop Staley baptized Queen Emma, and confirmed the King and the Queen on November 28, 1862.  One year later, on November 30, 1863, the Feast of St. Andrew, King Kamehameha IV also died, a victim of recurring asthma.
 
The Dowager Queen Emma spent the rest of her life actively pursuing the three major interests she had shared with her husband: health care for the Hawaiian people, education for young Hawaiian ladies, and the care of the Anglican Church in Hawaii.  Early in her career as Queen, Emma became instrumental in soliciting support and funds to create a much-needed hospital to serve the health needs of the Hawaiian population which was under constant threat from the introduction of foreign disease.  Hale Mai O Ke Wahine Alii (Hospital of the Women Chief), more commonly known as The Queen’s Hospital, was dedicated in July 1860 by King Kamehameha IV in honor of the work of his wife.  Queen Emma nurtured the hospital with her time and her resources.  Having had the best of education available, Queen Emma was intent also on raising the awareness of Hawaiians through education to cope and prosper in their changing world.  To this end she was instrumental in establishing St. Cross School, Lahaina (1864) and St. Andrew’s Priory School Honolulu, (1867) where Hawaii’s girls might receive “the very best in Christian culture” on a par with boys, and “be trained in nursing the sick and as children’s nurses, so as to prepare them to be wiser mothers and wives.”  Not only did the Queen take an active part in the planning and building of the Priory School, she sought out girls of Hawaiian ancestry, who might not know of the Priory and encouraged them with personal scholarships to attend school.
 
Queen Emma’s most challenging role for the new Anglican Church in Hawaii came, when, with the encouragement of King Kamehameha V, she traveled to England to raise funds for the new Cathedral, to commission architects to design it, and to arrange for the acquisition and cutting of stone which would create the initial phase of St. Andrew's Cathedral.  Aided by her friend, Jane, Lady Franklin, and Emma’s own close connection with Queen Victoria, the Queen succeeded in raising enough funds to accomplish her task while carrying out, at the same time, important diplomatic services requested by King Kamehameha V.
 
Queen Emma made one overt political statement in a life otherwise devoted to health care, education, and the Church.  In 1874, she announced her candidacy for the throne upon the death of King Lunalilo (February 3, 1874) in opposition to Col. David Kalakaua.  In a short and furious election campaign of nine days, Queen Emma decried the pro-American posture of her opponent and was defeated.  Upon the election of King Kalakaua, Emma offered him her loyalty and support to unite the Hawaiian community for their common preservation.  From this point on until her death on April 25, 1885 (The Feast of St. Mark) Queen Emma concentrated on the good works for which she is known to this day.  The following excerpt from Victorian Visitors, by Alfons Korn, sums up Queen Emma’s later years: “During the 1870s and early 1880s Emma became more and more the Hawaiian matriarch…she belonged thoroughly to her people in a manner befitting a queen who in her lifetime had already become a heroine in story and song…all growing things seemed to answer to her knowledge and labour and many a once barren spot sheltered today by Monkey Pod or Royal Poinciana owes its present shade to seed or parent stock tended by her hands…And not only in her prayers or by her gardening, but also at those times when she visited the wards of the hospital in the midst of the Pacific which bears her name, Queen Emma fostered the life of Hawaii in every form.”

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Prince Albert
(ALBERT EDWARD KAUIKEAOULI KALEIOPAPA A KAMEHAMEHA)

Prince Albert was born on May 20, 1858 at the residence of Ihikapukalani, which his father had built for his mother.  As Crown Prince and heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii, he was named ‘His Royal Highness, the Prince of Hawaii’ by the Privy Council on May 24, 1858.  He was the only son of Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, who, during his short life, was adored by the Native Hawaiian public, and was affectionately known as Ka Haku O Hawaii (the Lord of Hawaii). His birth was celebrated for many days throughout the islands. He was the last ever to be born from any reigning Hawaiian monarch.
 
He was given the Hawaiian name, Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa, after his adoptive grandfather, Kauikeaouli, who reigned as Kamehameha III. Translated from the Hawaiian language, it meant “the beloved child of a long line of chiefs, a sign in the heavens.” He was named Albert Edward in honor of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.  Despite the great differences in their kingdoms, Queen Emma and Queen Victoria became lifelong friends.

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Prince Albert, during his lifetime, was also made an honorary member of Fire Engine Company Number Four in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was given his own Company Four red uniform.  It was said that the Prince would rather have become a fireman.  His four birthdays were national holidays.
 
In August 1862, the usually serene child became restless and his medical condition worsened.  Both Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma made a personal request to Queen Victoria to send a bishop from the Anglican Church to baptize the Prince. As the child grew sicker, the American minister, Ephraim W. Clark, from Kawaiaha’o Church, baptized the child on August 23rd. The Episcopal liturgy was used, with the British Commissioner, Webb Follett Synge, standing in for the godparents. The Prince died on August 27, 1862, at the palace, four days after his baptism. His funeral was held on September 27, 1862.
 
The King ordered the construction of the Royal Mausoleum in Nu’uanu Valley to house his son’s body.  Today the Mausoleum is the “burial site” for most of the members of the Hawaiian royal family. ​

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King Kamehameha V
(LOT KAMEHAMEHA)

Born 11 December 1830, the son of Chief Mataio Kekūanao‘a, governor of Oahu (1839-1868) and High Chiefess Kīna‘u, daughter of Kamehameha I, Kuhina-nui and governor of Oahu 1832-1839, Lot Kamehameha acceded to the throne on 30 November 1863 upon the death of his brother Kamehameha IV.

Lot Kamehameha shared the same upbringing as his brother.  Having attended the Royal School and having traveled extensively their political views were similarly molded while both their characters and physical appearances were quite different.  In contrast to the elegant, slim appearance of the anglicized Kamehameha IV, Kamehameha V was much more Hawaiian in both his appearance and point of view.  He preferred the old customs to the new styles and his vision of kingship was autocratic and traditional.  He refused to be publicly inaugurated or to take the oath to maintain the Constitution of 1852 which had instituted constitutional monarchy, preferring to maintain stronger control.  The king initiated a constitutional convention in 1864 at which he was to propose a new constitution more favorable to the crown.  When the convention became deadlocked over the issue of voter qualifications, the King took the initiative and dismissed the convention.  He swiftly abrogated the Constitution of 1852 and formulated a new one which greatly restored the power of the monarchy and enabled him more strongly to follow a foreign policy, initiated by his brother, of safeguarding the independence of the Kingdom.

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The reign of Kamehameha V saw great changes in the growth of Honolulu, with a number of major building projects initiated by the King himself, including the building of the Hawaiian Hotel (subsequently the first Royal Hawaiian Hotel), the Aliiolani Hale (the original design for Iolani Palace and now the state judiciary building), Iolani Barracks, the Royal Mausoleum, and numerous schools and other government structures.  In 1867, Kamehameha V officiated at the laying of the cornerstone of St. Andrew's Cathedral, initiating a building program which would take 90 years to complete.

Chief amongst those attending the laying of the cornerstone was Queen Emma, widow of Kamehameha IV, through whose vision and effort the design of the cathedral had been commissioned and the initial monies raised to begin this first important phase of construction.  While no record exists beyond brief newspaper accounts reporting who attended the laying of the cornerstone, the inscription itself sums up the dedication of one man to the completion of the work begun by his brother; "To the honour of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in memory of the most pious King of the Hawaiian Islands, King Kamehameha IV, who died on the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle AD 1863.  His brother, the Most Honourable King Kamehameha V laid this cornerstone on the 5th day of March AD 1867." (Translated from the original Latin inscription, 1967).

Kamehameha V remained unmarried to the end of his life, a condition which caused much worry with respect to his choice of a successor by those fearing that the uncertainty of succession would play into the hands of factions favoring annexation by the United States.  King Kamehameha V, the last Kamehameha monarch died without an heir or naming a successor on 11 December 1872, while preparations were underway to celebrate his forty-second birthday.  His death precipitated a unique election which resulted in the elevation of his cousin, William Lunalilo, to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii. †

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King Kalākaua

(Under construction)

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Queen Kapiʻolani

(Under construction)

​Princess Victoria
(VICTORIA KAWĒKIU KAʻIULANI LUNALILO KALANINUIAHILAPALAPA CLEGHORN)

Victoria kawēkiu kaʻiulani lunalilo kalaninuiahilapalapa cleghorn (October 16, 1875 – March 6, 1899) was heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii and held the title of Crown Princess. Kaʻiulani became known throughout the world for her intelligence and determination. After the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, she visited the United States to help restore the Kingdom; she made many speeches and public appearances denouncing the overthrow of her government and the injustice toward her people. While in Washington, D.C., she paid an informal visit to U.S. President Grover Cleveland and First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland Preston, but her efforts could not prevent eventual annexation.

Victoria Kaʻiulani was born October 16, 1875 at Keōua Hale in Honolulu. Through her mother, Kaʻiulani was descended from High Chief Kepoʻokalani, the first cousin of Kamehameha the Great on the side of Kamehameha's mother, Kekuʻiapoiwa II. Her mother was also a sister of King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani. She was baptized Christmas Day, 1875 at St. Andrew's Anglican Cathedral. Kaʻiulani was named after her maternal aunt Anna Kaʻiulani who died young, and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, whose help restored the sovereignty and independence of the Kingdom of Hawaii during the reign of Kamehameha III. The name comes from ka ʻiu lani which means "the highest point of heaven" or "the royal sacred one" in the Hawaiian language.

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In 1894, Queen Liliʻuokalani wrote to her niece to marry one of three people: Prince David Kawānanakoa, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, or Prince Komatsu Akihito of Japan. She replied to her aunt that she would prefer to marry for love unless it was necessary to protect the independence of the Hawaiian Kingdom. On February 3, 1898, she declared her engagement to Prince David Kawānanakoa, but her early death ended the hope of marriage.
The Princess grew up knowing painters Joseph Dwight Strong, a landscape painter in the court of her uncle, and Isobel Strong, a lady in waiting under her mother and stepdaughter of Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson called her "the island rose" in a poem he wrote in her autograph book. Art and music were also in the curriculum at Great Harrowden Hall, and she took several trips to Scotland and France to study art. Her few surviving paintings demonstrate considerable talent.

Kaʻiulani has been represented in the music and dance traditions of Hawaii through mele, oli and hula from the time she was born. She continues to inspire generations of Na Kanaka Maoli to traditional forms of honoring her as a beloved Aliʻi.

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Queen Liliʻuokalani
(LYDIA KAMAKAEHA DOMINIS)

The last Hawaiian Monarch and only reigning Queen was born on September 2, 1838.  She was given as a hanai child to High Chief Paki.  Along with other future rulers of Hawaii she was educated in the Chief’s Children’s School under the tutelage of Amos and Juliette Cooke.  In 1862 she married John Owen Dominis, the son of an American sea captain.  The young couple took up residency at Washington Place with his widowed mother.
 
In February of 1874 her brother, David Kalakaua, became the second elected King of Hawaii and established the short-lived Kalakaua dynasty.  On the death of Prince Leleiohoku, King Kalakaua named Lydia heir apparent and she became known as Princess Lili’uokalani.  In 1881 before leaving on a world tour, he named her Regent and from January through October of that year she ruled in his absence.  During this period she made a highly acclaimed visit to the leper colony on Molokai.  The visit had been planned for only one hour but the Princess Regent stayed for the entire day and greatly endeared herself to the more than eight hundred residents of the colony.  During the course of her visit she conferred upon Father Damien the Royal Order of Kalakaua.

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In 1887 political opponents of the King created a revolutionary situation and forced him to sign a new constitution with established cabinet government and greatly reduced powers of the Monarchy.  Princess
The Moanalua Garden's Historical Park flowers and  foliage  adorning the High Altar for Queen Lili’uokalani’s Commemorative Ali’i Sunday were    donated by Mr. J.P. Damon and the Garden's Foundation. 

 
Lili’uokalani was bitterly opposed to the new constitution, which she referred to as “the bayonet constitution”.  In 1891 King Kalakaua died.  On January 29th of that year Lili’uokalani took an oath swearing to uphold the constitution and was proclaimed Queen.  Late that same year her beloved husband, John Dominis, died.
 
Lili’uokalani came to the throne at a time of great unrest and severe economic depression.  She faced growing pressure from her political opponents who favored annexation of Hawaii by the United States.  One of the Queen’s first moves was to dismiss Kalakaua’s old cabinet and appoint her own ministers, a move that created great contention.  She further hurt her cause during the stormy legislative session of 1892 by lending her support to two unpopular bills which would have established a government lottery and legalized the sale of opium.  But the issue that finally caused her downfall was her attempt to revise the constitution and restore much of the power of the Monarchy.
 
On January 16, 1893, 162 American Marines were landed on Oahu, purportedly to protect American lives and property.  On January 17, a revolutionary group took control and proclaimed a provisional government.  Faced with the force of the Marines, Lili’uokalani stepped down, under protest, to prevent bloodshed.
 
In July of 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was established.  A counter-revolution which would have restored the Monarchy was attempted in January of 1895.  It failed and Lili’uokalani was arrested on the charge of being implicated in the attempt.  In February she was tried and found guilty of treason.  She was fined $5,000 and was sentenced to five years at hard labor.  The sentence was commuted to confinement to a single room in Iolani Palace.  For eight months she remained there and it is during this period that she wrote many of her songs, including the beautiful “Ke Aloha o Ka Huku”, better known as “The Queen’s Prayer”.  In September of 1895, she was released to house arrest at Washington Place and in the fall of 1896 she was freed, the fine was rescinded and she was granted full citizenship in the Republic.  During the period of her confinement she was visited many times by Bishop Willis, and on May 18, 1896 she was baptized and confirmed in St. Andrew’s Cathedral.  For the rest of her life she was an active member of the Cathedral.  In 1902 she reorganized the women’s visiting society founded by Queen Emma into the Iolani Guild and she became lifetime president of the Guild.  Although legally she became just Lydia Dominis when she abdicated, to her people she remained always Queen Lili’uokalani.  She was a generous and talented woman and she did much to improve the social condition of the Hawaiian people.  She died at Washington Place on November 11, 1917 and was interred in the Royal Mausoleum.
 
Her continuing concern for her people was confirmed by her will which directed that all her holdings be held in trust for the benefit of orphaned and destitute children of Hawaiian blood.  The Queen’s motto was “Onipa’a”, “Steadfast”, and truly, she was the personification of that motto. †

​Ka Pule a Ka Haku

E ko mākou Makua i loko o ka Lani
e hoʻāno ʻia kou inoa;
e hiki mai kou aupuni;
e mālama ʻia kou makemake ma ka honua nei e like me ia i mālama ʻia  ma ka lani  lā
E hāʻawi mai iā mākou i kēia lā i ʻai na mākou no nēia lā
e kala mai hoʻi iā mākou i kā mākou lawehala ʻana,
me mākou e kala nei i ka poʻe i lawehala i kā mākou.
Mai hoʻokuʻu ʻoe iā mākou i ka hoʻowalewale ʻia mai
Akā, e hoʻopakele nō naʻe iā mākou i ka ʻino.
No ka mea, nou ke aupuni, a me ka mana a me ka hoʻonani ʻia a mau loa aku.
ʻĀmene.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth
as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
    Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
     and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and
the glory are yours, now and for ever.
Amen.

​​ALIʻI SUNDAYS

The Cathedral of St. Andrew honors Hawaiʻi's Royalty through periodic Aliʻi Sunday services.

January 15, 2023
Queen Kapi'olani

January 29, 2023
Queen Emma

February 5, 2023
King Kamehameha IV

May 14, 2023
Prince Albert

​Aliʻi observances for the fall of 2023 are forthcoming!