Kamehameha I, called The Great (circa 1758-1819), king of Hawaii (1782-1819). The most important Hawaiian monarch of modern times, he became ruler of the island of Hawaii in 1782 and by 1810, through conquest and cession, had united all the Hawaiian islands under his rule. Ending regional warfare, he adopted uniform laws and earned his kingdom a fortune by shrewd promotion of trade with Europe and the United States. Although he remained open to new ideas that could add to his people's welfare, Kamehameha zealously guarded old Hawaiian customs and religion, and he maintained Hawaiian independence during a time of Western colonial expansion.