Ruling Chief Kaeo By 1786, Kaeo (1748-1794) had become the ruling chief of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, while his half-brother, Kahekili, was king of Maui and Oahu. And on the Big Island, three chiefs ruled, one of whom was Kamehameha, the
Ruling Chief Kaeo
By 1786, Kaeo (1748-1794) had become the ruling chief of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, while his half-brother, Kahekili, was king of Maui and Oahu. And on the Big Island, three chiefs ruled, one of whom was Kamehameha, the chief who would eventually unite all the Hawaiian Islands under his dominion.
Four year later, Kamehameha conquered Maui, Lanai and Molokai, but when he was forced to abandon his conquests shortly thereafter to return to Hawaii to battle Keoua, the ruling chief of Kau, who was then havocking his homelands in his absence, Kahekili and Kaeo seized the opportunity by retaking Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
They then attacked the Big Island, where they were defeated in 1791 by Kamehameha in the sea battle of Kepuwahaula off the northeastern coast of Hawaii and were forced to withdraw.
Then in 1794, when Kahekili died, Kaeo and one of Kahekili’s sons, Kalanikupule, inherited Kahekili’s kingdom of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Oahu.
Kaeo and Kalanikupule soon turned against each other and their armies engaged in battle on Oahu.
At first, Kaeo was victorious, but when his army moved on Pearl Harbor, a volunteer force from two English ships in the service of Kalanikupule rowed boats close to shore to deliver deadly fire into the ranks of Kaeo’s surrounded army and Kaeo was killed fighting valiantly.
Kalanikupule would not escape Kaeo’s fate, however, for he, too, was killed in battle at Nuuanu Pali during Kamehameha’s conquest of Oahu in 1795.
Kaeo was the father of Kaumualii (1780?-1824), the last king of Kauai and Niihau. While Kaumualii ruled, Kamehameha launched two failed invasions of Kauai, in 1796 and 1804, and it was not until 1810 that Kaumualii agreed to accept Kamehameha as his sovereign, while still retaining his dominion over Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau.
