Queen Emma of Hawaii

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Emma
Queen Consort of Hawaiʻi

Birth name	Emma Kaleleonalani
Born	January 2, 1836
Spouse	Kamehameha IV
Issue	Albert Kamehameha
Died	April 25, 1885

Emma, Queen Consort of Hawaii (January 2, 1836 – April 25, 1885) was queen to King Kamehameha IV from 1856 to his death in 1863. She tried to run as Queen against King David Kalakaua.

1 Early years
2 Married life and reign
3 Names
4 Religious Legacy
5 Death
6 Trivia
7 References
8 External links
9 See also

[edit] Early years

Emma was born Emalani^[1], and was later Emma Rooke. She was hanaied (adopted) to her childless maternal aunt, chiefess Grace Kama'iku'i Young Rooke, and her husband, Dr. T.C.B. Rooke. She was granddaughter of John Young, Kamehameha the Great's British-born royal advisor and companion.

Emma was educated in Honolulu at the Royal School, which was established by American missionaries.

[edit] Married life and reign

In 1856, she married Alexander Liholiho, who a year earlier had assumed the throne as Kamehameha IV. Two years later, in 1858, Emma gave birth to a son, Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Leiopapa, a Kamehameha. The queen kept herself busy tending to royal palace affairs, including the expansion of the scholarly library. Inspired by watching her father’s work, Emma encouraged her husband to help establish a public hospital.

[edit] Names

Queen Emma gained the name "Kaleleonalani" after the death of her young son and husband, in remembrance of the "flight of the heavenly ones", as described in her name. In the brief period after her son's death and before her husband's death, she was referred to as "Kaleleokalani", or "flight of the heavenly one".

Queen Emma was also nicknamed "Wahine Hololio" in deference to her renowned horsemanship.

[edit] Religious Legacy

In 1860, Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV petitioned the Church of England to help them establish the Church of Hawaii. Upon the arrival of an Anglican bishop and two priests, they both underwent Christian confirmation in November 1862. Due to this and to Queen Emma's efforts to build a hospital (now Queen's Hospital), they were canonized as saints in the US Episcopal Church. As saints, their feast day is celebrated annually on November 28.^[2]