Kamehameha I of Hawaii (Principia Moderni IV Map Game)

Kamehameha I (Hawaiian pronunciation: [kəmehəˈmɛhə]; c. 1680 – 8 May 1757), also known as Kamehameha the Great, (full Hawaiian name: Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea) was an Ali'i nui of Hawaii (island) and the founder and first monarch of the unified Kingdom of Hawaii, and the founder of the House of Kamehameha, one of Oceania's most important royal houses.

Kamehameha was the son of Keawe II of Hawaii and Kanaloa-i-Kaiwilena Kapulehu, and inherited the throne from his brother Keeaumoku Nui in 1709, in the midst of the Kepaniwai War, the first conflict of many in the gradual unification of Hawaii. Under Kamehameha the other kingdoms; Maui, O'ahu, and Kauai, would either be conquered or diplomatically acquired by 1726, unifying the islands for the first time.

During his forty-eight year reign as king the Hawaiian islands would be massively transformed. The Voyages of Louis-Antoine Véron from 1718 to 1726, and the many expeditions that followed it, would establish contact between Hawaii and the rest of the world like never before, and begin the nation's path toward modernization, adoption of Christianity, and growth as a regional power. Laws such as the Kānāwai Māmalahoe created by the king would lay the foundation for Hawaii's constitution. During this time Hawaii would also see considerable trade, colonization, and exploration across the Pacific, leading to the creation of the Polynesian Confederacy in the king's later years.

In 1757 Kamehameha I died at his residence known as Kamakahonu, in the city of Kaluahine that he helped develop, on Hawaii island. He was succeeded by his son, Liholiho, who became known as Kamehameha II. The House of Kamehameha, or its many cadet branches, would continue to rule Hawaii long after its founder's death.