WI: Queen Emma of Hawaii

[Uhura's Mazda]

So when http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunalilo died in 1874, there was a literal brawl over who would succeed him - Emma (1836 - 1885), the widow of Kamehameha IV; or David Kalakaua, who was a more distant relative. Kalakaua was more popular among the Legislative Assembly, so he won the vote, but Emma appears to have been the darling of the native Hawaiian masses. Now, the only reason there was a vote in the first place was because Lunalilo died before nominating a successor (he was childless) and by all accounts he seems to have favoured Emma for an heir. It has been alleged in hindsight that he wanted to institute a democratic principle in the monarchy by not nominating a successor, but I'm sceptical.

Let's say Lunalilo names Emma, or, if he was as liberal as his supporters alleged, put the issue to a truly popular vote in his will, as opposed to a vote in the Legislative Assembly. Emma becomes Queen - she was less pro-American than Kalakaua, and less likely to push for absolutism, as he did (thereby necessitating the Bayonet Constitution and, eventually, the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy) - but even if she marries again (and I doubt she will, given her grief over the losses of her son and husband) she's not likely to have more children at the age of 38. This makes another contested election possible upon her death (OTL 1885).

What happens in the last quarter of the 19th century for Hawaii? Do filibusters and annexationists still bring Hawaii under American hegemony? Does the Hawaiian throne pass from one childless second cousin to the next? Could a marriage alliance with Japan go ahead at some point (Princess Ka'iulani was considered by a few Shinnoke and Oke but ultimately rejected OTL)? Predictions? Opinions? Suppositions? Suppositories?

I've compiled a list of all the descendants of Kamehameha I's siblings alive in 1874 from various sources on the web, and a long-lasting dynasty doesn't look too hopeful. I haven't included the Kalakaua and Kawananakoa lines because they're too confusing, and their exclusion from the actual throne is pretty much the point of this WI. Anyway:

- Albert Kunuiakea (1853 - 1903) illegitimate son of Kamehameha III, died childless
- Ruth Ke'elikolani (1826 - 1883) children died young. Her adopted son, W. P. Leleiohoku, was still alive but died in 1877.
- Bernice Pauahi Bishop (1831 - 1884) no issue.

That's it for the descendants of Kamehameha I. Now for the line of his elder brother, Kalokuokamaile:
- Theresa La'anui (1860 - 1944) had issue with a few different husbands, inluding the son of the dude who invented baseball, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_William_Wilcox
- Elizabeth Keka'aniau La'anui (1834 - 1928) no children, but adopted Theresa and one of her daughters

Now the descendants of Kamehameha's younger brother, Keli'imaika'i:
- Mary Pa'a'aina Griswold (1853 - ?1900) had a daughter:
- Edith G[riswold?] Albert (1872 - ?) who has left no trace, it seems
- Emma Na'ea the Queen Dowager
- Peter Ka'eo (1836 - 1880) a leper, died without children.

TBH, if I was voting when Emma died in the mid-1880s, I'd probably vote for Kalakaua anyway. These guys seem uniformly shit.

EDIT: Both Bernice Pauahi Bishop and Elizabeth Keka'aniau La'anui refused the throne when they were offered it in 1872, so they're out of the running as well.

 

[Jonathan]

What about having Charles Burnett “C.B.” Wilson as King?

Although he was born of British and Tahitian parents, Queen Emma would merit his hard work as Marshal of her Kingdom and trust that he will take care of her island.
And his son, John “Johnny” Henry Wilson, who although only 17 when she died, showed promises of being a fair and honest king, he however has no children IOTL.

Or there is, Robert William Kalanihiapo Wilcox (nicknamed the Iron Duke of Hawaiʻi) would be another good choice, a native Hawaiian revolutionary soldier and politician. He was a direct descendant of both King Lonohonuakini and King Kaulahea II of Maui, who reigned in the 1600s. His wife was Theresa Owana Kaʻohelelani Laʻanui, and was a descendant of Kalokuokamaile, the eldest brother of Kamehameha I.
They also have three children, Robert Keōua Wilcox, Virginia Wilcox Miller and Elizabeth Kaʻakaualaninui Wilcox.

 

[Uhura's Mazda]

The problem with CB Wilson is that at the time of PoD (1874) he was only a Sergeant in the Honolulu Rifles, and he seems to have been close to Kalakaua and Liliuokalani, who don't get the throne in this scenario. Even at the time that Emma died OTL, he was only Superintendent of the Water Works. It seems like a bit of a hard sell to the Hawaiians, even if he sees the advancement he received OTL: "Here's your new King, a guy with no Hawaiian ancestry who has been embezzling money. On the plus side, none of you have died of dehydration over the last two years, so that's a thing, right?"

Wilcox is a truly fascinating guy (I linked him in my first post). He only married Theresa La'anui in 1896, so Kalakaua is still a higher-ranking chief, but if he does get into a senior position, he's going to cause a fracas. He rebelled a couple of times to restore royal authority, so it looks like he'll undo all the good that Emma's moderation would have done if he ends up anywhere near the crown and we still end up with a Territory of Hawaii in the 1890s or 1900s.

Thinking about this overnight, my guess is that Emma will avert the Bayonet Constitution and start a British-style monarchy from the top down, instead of being forced by foreign business concerns. This makes them more amenable to the monarchy as an institution and probably prevents the Overthrow for a few decades, provided that no-one truly idiotic (Liliuokalani, Ke'elikolani, Wilcox, etc.) gains too much power after she dies. Let's say Emma names Albert Kunuiakea (1851 - 1903) as her successor, potentially marrying him to ensure his smooth and legitimate succession (he was a bastard, but adopted by his father's actual wife, and he was descended from Keli'imaka'i anyway, which made him Emma's first cousin). As we have discussed, Wilson is still insignificant, Wilcox isn't married to Theresa yet (although he will be important, indubitably) and Kalakaua is too absolutist for Emma. IT ought to be mentioned also that Emma left Albert a substantial portion of her estate in OTL, and he was buried "with royal pomp" according to the LA Herald.

So now we have Albert - presumably taking the name Kamehameha VI, like his father, uncle and cousins to stress his descent from the royal line - as King for the remainder of the 19th century. He was a drinker and a womaniser, but described by a certain missionary (http://server2.honweb.com/mhm-friend/cgi-bin/mhm-friend?a=d&d=Friend19030401-01.2.7&cl=&srpos=0&dliv=none&st=1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-IN----) as an intelligent and amiable man led astray by wine, women and song. Reading the various obituaries, especially in the Hawaiian Gazette, it appears that he was popular man, but a non-entity. He would probably have allowed democracy to take root without royal opposition, as long as he was still having fun - a typical Western monarch of the late 19th century, really. As such, the constitutional tension of 1887 to 1893 would almost certainly have been averted.

I have a feeling that the proposed marital alliance with Japan would still go ahead, with David Kalakaua still in a position of authority, even though the Kingship is denied him. As such, either Victoria Ka'iulani (1875 - 1899) or Theresa La'anui (unmarried from 1886 to 1896) would be proposed to marry a Japaneses prince. If Theresa is the one, then that butterflies Wilcox into a hawkish gun nut who thinks he's Santa Anna, which would be a shame. anyway, let's have a look at the potential heirs to Albert, provided he is still childless (which is reasonable - he was married OTL but never had children, and his family don't seem to have had the most energetic sperm as it is). I'm assuming that people who died significantly young OTL and were born in the first decade after the PoD at the latest were going to die anyway.

- Theresa La'anui (1860 - 1944) and her children - two daughters of Alexander Joy Cartwright III and whatever she has with either the Japanese prince or Robert William Wilcox
- Elizabeth Keka'aniau La'anui (1834 - 1928) childless, refused throne in 1872


- Liliuokalani (1838 - 1917) childless
- Victoria Ka'iulani (1875 - 1899) conceived before PoD, no issue OTL
- David Kawananakoa (1868 - 1908) had children later
- Josiah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole (1875 - 1922) no children

Tracing any more distant relations would just be ridiculous. Anyway, it looks like a choice between Theresa La'anui and David Kawananakoa in 1903. If the Japanese alliance goes ahead, will Hawaii be pulled into the Japanese War Against Everybody in the 1930s? Any criticisms of my analysis? Other ideas?

 

[Uhura's Mazda]

Ladies like to bump-ti-bump bump
Come over to the crib and like thump-ti-thump thump
I cant fit 'em in my trunk-ti-trunk trunk
Girl we getting dirty like the funk-ti-funk funk