Kamehameha III
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| Kamehameha III | |
|---|---|
 Kauikeaouli took the title of Kamehameha III upon becoming king of Hawaiʻi. |
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| Birth name | Kauikeaouli |
| Reign | 1824 - 1854 |
| Successor | Kamehameha IV |
| Predecessor | Kamehameha II |
| Consort | Kalama |
| Born | (1814 - |
| Died | December 15, 1854) |
Kamehameha III, King of Hawaii (born Kauikeaouli) (1814?–December 15, 1854) was the king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1824 to 1854. He was Hawaii's longest reigning monarch.
He succeeded his brother, Kamehameha II, to the throne at the age of ten. From 1824 to 1832, real political power was in the hands of his stern mother and regent, Ka'ahumanu. After her death, he lived decadently to the consternation of many including his half-sister and prime minister (1832-1839) Elisabeta Kinau. In 1839, under a French threat of war, Roman Catholicism was legalized and the first statutory law code was established. He also enacted the Constitution of 1840, Hawaii's first. In 1843, British captain George Paulet occupied Hawaii but Kamehameha III alerted London of the captain's rogue actions which restored the kingdom's independence. Two years later, he moved the capital from Lahaina to Honolulu. One of his most important acts was the Great Mahele of 1848 which redistributed land between the government, king, nobles, and commoners. Most commoners were ignorant or unaware of the program and lost out on the distribution. Foreigners were also allowed to own land in Hawaii for the first time. In 1849, French admiral Legoarant de Tromelin sacked and looted Honolulu after the king refused his demands. Kamehameha III's last major act was the Constitution of 1852 which greatly liberalized politics.
He was succeeded by his nephew and adopted son, Alexander Liholiho as Kamehameha IV.
| Monarchs of Hawaiʻi |  |
|
Kamehameha I | Kamehameha II | Kamehameha III | Kamehameha IV |
| Preceded by: Kamehameha II |
King of Hawai‘i 1824 - 1854 |
Succeeded by: Kamehameha IV |
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