Upon the death of his father King Kamehameha the Great, prince Liholiho
became king as Kamehameha II. He was not nearly as strong a character,
as his father had been and soon became overwhelmed by two strong 
willed ladies. One of them was his mother Keupuolani, the other his 
father's favorite wife Kaahumanu. In turn, these ladies were heavily 
influenced by the newly arrived white missionaries. It took some years,
but the young king finally gave in and started westernizing Hawai'i.
He was the first king who traveled abroad. He and his queen died in
England when visiting the royals there. They contracted measles, 
against which Hawaiians had no immunity. That was an ominous sign, 
but nobody thought, that this unique condition would almost wipe out 
the entire Hawaiian race later. If you're interested in the old ways, 
click on DETOUR.

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