Kaua'i

Kauaʻi was a Hawaiian island ruled by high chiefs, the aliʻi nui, whose authority also extended to Niʻihau. Its dynasties claimed descent from Wākea.

In 1778 Captain Cook anchored at Waimea Bay, the first recorded European contact with the Hawaiian Islands. Kamehameha I failed to conquer Kauaʻi by force: a storm scattered his fleet in 1796. In 1810 Kaumualiʻi accepted vassalage and promised his lands to the Hawaiian crown. After his death in 1824, his son Humehume failed to restore independence.