Kamehameha I

Kamehameha I (c. 1758-1819) was the first king to unify the Hawaiian Islands under a single ruler, founding the Kingdom of Hawaii. Beginning from a base on the island of Hawaii, he conquered the other major islands through a series of campaigns between 1795 and 1810, making use of Western weapons and advisors acquired through contact with European and American traders and explorers. His unification of the islands ended centuries of division among rival chiefdoms and established a centralized monarchy that governed Hawaii until its overthrow in 1893. He is remembered in Hawaii as a foundational national figure, and a statue of him stands prominently in Honolulu.