The Brick Palace was the first western-style structure built in the Hawaiian Islands for Kamehameha the Great to serve as the first Royal Palace. Lahaina became the seat of government for the Hawaiian Kingdom until 1845. The king commissioned the structure to be built at Keawa'iki point in Lahaina, Maui . Two foreign, ex-convicts from Australia 's Botany Bay penal colony built the home. It was begun in 1798 and was completed after 4 years in 1802. The house was intended for Kamehameha's favorite and most powerful wife, Kaahumanu , but she refused to live in the structure and resided instead in a traditional Hawaiian-styled home only feet away.
31-431: Kamehameha used the building as part of his encampment in 1802, with over 1000 people in his entourage. The encampment area surrounding the building became a neighborhood known for the chiefly line associated with Kamehameha. Food was grown for the royal family and the area called the "Royal Taro Patch" was connected with this structure. After the unsuccessful war on Kauai, Kamehameha moved his court to Honolulu . The site
62-400: A chimney. The construction is estimated to have required 92 tons of clay to make 38,500 bricks. Despite earlier accounts of the measurements, excavations uncovered the dimensions to be 41 feet long and 15 feet wide. It was divided into four rooms using Koa wood for the interior. Within 17 years the wall of the structure began to sag and needed attention. The main issue was the traditional mound
93-754: A general trend of centralisation of power, so that by the Late Middle Ages there were a number of large and powerful kingdoms in Europe, which would develop into the great powers of Europe in the Early Modern period . By the end of the Middle Ages, the kings of these kingdoms would start to place arches with an orb and cross on top as an Imperial crown , which only the Holy Roman Emperor had had before. This symbolized them holding
124-544: A monarch. In certain monarchies where voluntary abdication is the norm, such as the Netherlands , a royal family may also include one or more former monarchs. In certain instances, such as in Canada, the royal family is defined by who holds the styles Majesty and Royal Highness . There is often a distinction between persons of the blood royal and those that marry into the royal family. Under most systems, only persons in
155-426: A royal family perform certain public, social, or ceremonial functions, but refrain from any involvement in electoral politics or the actual governance of the country. The specific composition of royal families varies from country to country, as do the titles and royal and noble styles held by members of the family. The composition of the royal family may be regulated by statute enacted by the legislature (e.g., Spain,
186-593: A royal family vary depending on whether the polity in question is an absolute monarchy , a constitutional monarchy , or somewhere in between. In certain monarchies, such as that found in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait , or in political systems where the monarch actually exercises executive power, such as in Jordan , it is not uncommon for the members of a royal family to hold important government posts or military commands. In most constitutional monarchies, however, members of
217-637: A surname or dynastic name (see Royal House ). In a constitutional monarchy, when the monarch dies, there is always a law or tradition of succession to the throne that either specifies a formula for identifying the precise order of succession among family members in line to the throne or specifies a process by which a family member is chosen to inherit the crown. Usually in the former case the exact line of hereditary succession among royal individuals may be identified at any given moment during prior reigns (e.g. United Kingdom , Sark , Nizari Ismailis , Japan , Balobedus , Sweden , Kingdom of Benin ) whereas in
248-596: Is a king or queen, the associated royal families, with the notable exception of the British royal family , are non-notable ordinary citizens who may bear a title but are not involved in public affairs. A royal family typically includes the spouse of the reigning monarch, surviving spouses of a deceased monarch, the children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, and paternal cousins of the reigning monarch, as well as their spouses. In some cases, royal family membership may extend to great grandchildren and more distant descendants of
279-402: Is also clear the bricks were not well fired. Their size varied between 1 1/2 and 3 inches in thickness. All the bricks found were of a period before standard modern bricks were available. The mortar was made up mostly of sand and coral. Two types were found: a lavender-colored mortar made of sand and coral (reduced by burning for its lime) was found through most of the remains with the exception of
310-408: Is also customary in some circles to refer to the extended relations of a deposed monarch and their descendants as a royal family. A dynasty is sometimes referred to as the "House of ...". In July 2013 there were 26 active sovereign dynasties in the world that ruled or reigned over 43 monarchies. As of 2021 , while there are several European countries whose nominal head of state, by long tradition,
341-407: Is an absolute, when he holds the whole legislative , judicial , and executive power , or when the legislative or judicial powers, or both, are vested in other people by the king. Kings are hereditary sovereigns when they hold the powers of government by right of birth or inheritance, and elective when raised to the throne by choice. The term king may also refer to a king consort , a title that
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#1732790883743372-483: Is of Germanic origin, and historically refers to Germanic kingship , in the pre-Christian period a type of tribal kingship . The monarchies of Europe in the Christian Middle Ages derived their claim from Christianisation and the divine right of kings , partly influenced by the notion of sacral kingship inherited from Germanic antiquity . The Early Middle Ages begin with a fragmentation of
403-576: Is sometimes given to the husband of a queen regnant , but the title of prince consort is more common. The English term king is derived from the Anglo-Saxon cyning , which in turn is derived from the Common Germanic * kuningaz . The Common Germanic term was borrowed into Estonian and Finnish at an early time, surviving in these languages as kuningas . It is a derivation from the term *kunjom "kin" ( Old English cynn ) by
434-559: The -inga- suffix. The literal meaning is that of a "scion of the [noble] kin", or perhaps "son or descendant of one of noble birth" ( OED ). The English term translates, and is considered equivalent to, Latin rēx and its equivalents in the various European languages . The Germanic term is notably different from the word for "King" in other Indo-European languages ( *rēks "ruler"; Latin rēx , Sanskrit rājan and Irish rí ; however, see Gothic reiks and, e.g., modern German Reich and modern Dutch rijk ). The English word
465-495: The Netherlands , and Japan since 1947), the sovereign's prerogative and common law tradition (e.g., the United Kingdom), or a private house law (e.g., Liechtenstein , the former ruling houses of Bavaria , Prussia , Hanover , etc.). Public statutes, constitutional provisions, or conventions may also regulate the marriages, names, and personal titles of royal family members. The members of a royal family may or may not have
496-537: The imperium and being emperors in their own realm not subject even theoretically anymore to the Holy Roman Emperor. Philosophers Works Currently (as of 2023 ), seventeen kings are recognized as the heads of state of sovereign states (i.e. English king is used as official translation of the respective native titles held by the monarchs). Most of these are heads of state of constitutional monarchies ; kings ruling over absolute monarchies are
527-467: The certain houses within the former Holy Roman Empire are collectively called the Mediatized Houses . King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds the powers of government without control, or the entire sovereignty over a nation ; he is a limited monarch if his power is restrained by fixed laws; and he
558-405: The east corner, where there was a brown mortar which was a softer mixture of mud sand and coral pieces. There were four courses of brick at the highest point of the remaining walls that were uncovered during excavations, all laid with their axes at right angles in the "British bond" brick-laying pattern. Three corners of the structure were found, designating the structure's total dimensions. Today
589-519: The family of an emperor or empress , and the term papal family describes the family of a pope , while the terms baronial family , comital family , ducal family , archducal family , grand ducal family , or princely family are more appropriate to describe, respectively, the relatives of a reigning baron , count / earl , duke , archduke , grand duke , or prince . However, in common parlance members of any family which reigns by hereditary right are often referred to as royalty or "royals". It
620-529: The first category are dynasts, that is, potential successors to the throne (unless the member of the latter category is also in line to the throne in their own right, a frequent occurrence in royal families which frequently intermarry). This is not always observed; some monarchies have operated by the principle of jure uxoris . In addition, certain relatives of the monarch (by blood or marriage) possess special privileges and are subject to certain statutes, conventions, or special common law. The precise functions of
651-656: The former Western Roman Empire into barbarian kingdoms . In Western Europe, the kingdom of the Franks developed into the Carolingian Empire by the 8th century, and the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England were unified into the kingdom of England by the 10th century. With the breakup of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th century, the system of feudalism places kings at the head of a pyramid of relationships between liege lords and vassals, dependent on
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#1732790883743682-449: The latter case the next sovereign may be selected (or changed) only during the reign or shortly after the demise of the immediately preceding monarch (e.g. Cambodia , KwaZulu Natal , Buganda , Saudi Arabia , Swaziland , Yorubaland , The Kingitanga ). Some monarchies employ a mix of these selection processes ( Malaysia , Monaco , Tonga , Jordan , Morocco ), providing for both an identifiable line of succession as well as authority for
713-451: The monarch, dynasty or other institution to alter the line in specific instances without changing the general law of succession. Some countries have abolished royalty altogether, as in post-revolutionary France (1870), post-revolutionary Russia (1917), Portugal (1910), post-war Germany (1918), post-war Italy (1946) and many ex European colonies. Whilst mediatization occurred in other countries such as France , Italy and Russia , only
744-470: The original structure and clearly outlines the foundations and diameter of the structure. 20°52′21″N 156°40′43″W / 20.87261°N 156.67866°W / 20.87261; -156.67866 Royal family Philosophers Works A royal family is the immediate family of kings / queens , emirs/emiras , sultans / sultanas , or raja / rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes
775-527: The penal colony of Australia, known as Botany Bay. Keka 'ele'ele was possibly the first black settler in the Hawaiian Islands. The two had been on the island since before the unification. After the Battle of Nuʻuanu they took Kamehameha's side. The building was built on top of a mound enclosed with a dry masonry wall built of round rocks between one and two feet on diameter. The mound was larger than
806-682: The regional rule of barons , and the intermediate positions of counts (or earls ) and dukes . The core of European feudal manorialism in the High Middle Ages were the territories of the former Carolingian Empire , i.e. the kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire (centered on the nominal kingdoms of Germany and Italy ). In the course of the European Middle Ages, the European kingdoms underwent
837-520: The site of the Brick Palace is located at Lahaina Banyan Court Park off Front Street in Lahaina, directly behind the public library. Part of Wharf Street was removed in 1964 when the original excavations took place and now curves into Papelekane Street. A reconstructed outline of the palace structure is permanently displayed, set into a concrete base. A course of red is laid in the same manner as
868-464: The structure and likely had a canoe landing; it was paved with black water-smoothed pebbles and probably formed part of a more ancient structure. The foundations are dry masonry stone resting on a level sand lens . The house was a two-story building made of some sort of red brick. The bricks were laid in a pattern known as "British bond", likely because the two people enlisted to build the structure originated from England. It had glazed windows and possibly
899-465: The structure was built on, which was designed for a typical Hawaiian hut. The weight of the building was too much. To attempt a fix, the entire building was plastered with mortar. In 1964 Kenneth P. Emory of the Bishop Museum invited two archaeologists to excavate the site. The excavations were to answer the question of the exact location, materials used and the precise dimensions. After pavement
930-587: Was removed from the site location, excavations began on December 9, 1964. Walter M. Fredericksen and Demaris L. Fredericksen published their report of the excavations in 1965. The report was prepared for the Maui Historical Commission. The bricks used to build the house varied in quality and most were red in color. Samples found indicate that most were fired from a brownish local clay. The variation in each brick could be from experimentation or from badly collected material. While clearly fired, it
961-409: Was selected because of the king's strong ties to the island of Maui. Two of his wives were from districts on the island, Kaʻahumanu and Keōpūolani . Kamehameha I was highly interested in western-style buildings. Prior to 1795 there were several shipwrecked foreigners on Oahu. From these foreigners, Kamehameha commissioned Mr. Mela (Miller) and Mr. Keka 'ele'ele (Black Jack), two escaped convicts from