Glossary · Term · office

Kuhina Nui

1819–1864 · 19th century

The Kuhina Nui was a powerful office of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi from 1819 to 1864, usually held by a relative of the king and roughly equivalent to a prime minister or regent. It was created for Queen Kaʻahumanu, Kamehameha I's favourite wife, when Kamehameha II came to the throne in 1819, and she ruled as regent for the young Kamehameha III from 1824; later female holders took the title Kaʻahumanu with a number. The constitutions of 1840 and 1852 made the Kuhina Nui share power with the king, neither acting without the other's knowledge. Kamehameha V, who favoured a more autocratic monarchy, abolished the office in his constitution of 1864.

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kuhina Nui. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kuhina-nui
MLA
“Kuhina Nui.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kuhina-nui. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kuhina Nui.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kuhina-nui.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kuhina Nui’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kuhina-nui (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻