The Murder of Captain James Cook

Captain James Cook, FRS, RN (Marton, Middlesbrough, England, 7th November 1728 – Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii, 14th February 1779)

Captain James Cook by Nathaniel Dance-Holland, 1776

Well, it occurs to me that today's post should be one with a little romance but I've plumped for something a little darker! It is off to Hawaii for a tale of murder and the final hours of Captain James Cook.

By February 1779 Captain James Cook was well-embarked on his exploration of the Hawaiin Islands, then known as the Sandwich Islands, and had spent an enjoyable period at Kealakekua Bay where he participated in festivities for the Makahiki, a Hawaiian celebration. However as the Resolution resumed her exploration of the ocean her foremast broke, and Cook ordered her return to Kealakekua Bay.

With their festivities concluded the islanders did not welcome the returning crew and tensions rose between the Hawaiians and their visitors that reached a head on 14th February. With thefts not uncommon, the theft of one of Cook's smallest boats was hardly unexpected, nor was the method of taking hostages that would be held as collateral for the stolen property. However, Cook decided to make a point by taking the King of Hawaiʻi, Kalaniʻōpuʻu, as hostage against the stolen boat.

The Death of Captain James Cook, 14 February 1779 by Johann Zoffany, 1795

The Hawaiians furiously defended their king and in the confusion a chief named Kalimu was shot dead. Pursued by the islanders, Cook and his men were forced to retreat to the beach, intending to return to their boats. However, before they could flee Cook was struck on the head by the pursuing villagers and fell to the ground, where he was stabbed to death. According to Hawaiian lore Cook's killer was a chief named Kalaimanokahoʻowaha or Kanaʻina, and following Cook's death and that of some of his men, the murdered captain's body was carried away by the islanders.

Due to their earlier respect for Cook, the Hawaiians prepared his corpse according to rituals reserved for their most illustrious people. His body was first disemboweled before being baked in order for the flesh to be removed and boned cleaned to be presented as religious icons. Some of the captain's remains were eventually presented to his crew and were buried at sea.

The Many-Titles of Maria Luisa of Spain

Maria Luisa of Spain (Portici, Spain, 24th November 1745 - Vienna, Austria, 15th May 1792)

Maria Luisa of Spain by Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo, 1763

After our theatrical detour we are back in a royal house today to welcome a lady of many titles to the salon. Maria Luisa was born Princess of Naples and Sicily and eventually became a Grand Duchess, a queen and an empress!

Maria Luisa was born to Maria Amalia of Saxony and the future Charles III of Spain, at that point King of Naples and Sicily. Already a Princess, when Charles inherited the Spanish throne in 1759, Maria Luisa became known as Infanta of Spain. The bright and cheerful girl was already embarked on an education that would prepare her for the life of a royal wife and at age of 15 she and her family moved to their new Spanish kingdom to take up residence.

Leopold I, Grand Duke of Tuscany with his wife Maria Luisa and their children by Johann Zoffany, 1776
(L to R: Maria Theresa of Austria, Archduke Charles, Archduke Maximilian, Maria Anna of Austria, Archduke Alexander Leopold (seated with dog), Maria Luisa, Archduke Joseph, Leopold II, Archduke Francis, Archduke Ferdinand) 

Her future was decided on 16th February 1764 when Maria Luisa was married by proxy to Archduke Peter Leopold, the son of Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. The couple finally met in person in August 1765 for their formal wedding ceremony and when her father in law died within a week of the wedding, the new Grand Duke and Duchess of Tuscany moved to Florence to begin life as as husband and wife. Maria Luisa enthusiastically undertook her official duties and enjoyed life as the Grand Duchess, throwing herself into society. When the couple were crowned king and queen of Bohemia in 1790, they added one more impressive title to their collection, yet it was not yet the end of their rise through the noble ranks.

Despite its arranged beginnings and Leopold's penchant for extra-marital affairs, the couple's marriage was settled and friendly , Maria Luisa and Leopold's marriage was a happy one and the couple had 16 children, all but three of whom survived to adulthood. They lived in Florence for a quarter of a century until Leopold was elected Holy Roman Emperor at which point the family moved to Vienna. Sadly their life here proved to be short-lived; both the Emperor and Empress would be dead within two years, neither one yet 50 years old.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

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The Political Life of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, KG, PC (Hardwick, Derbyshire, England, 8th May 1720 – Austrian Netherlands, 2nd October 1764)

As my grandmother Gilflurt would say, it's nice to travel but it's lovely to come home. So, after our jaunt around Europe yesterday in the company of a most colourful character, we are welcoming a slightly more staid sort to the salon today. Famed for his Chatsworth Estate as much as his politics, it is a pleasure to pour a glass of something tasty and relate the tale of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire. 

Cavendish was born into privilege as the son of prominent Whig politician, William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire and his wife, Catherine Hoskins. He enjoyed the best of everything as a child and by the age of 21 had followed his father into politics as Member of Parliament for Derbyshire. Thanks to his father's respected position the young man was well-liked amongst Whig grandees and considered a rising star of the House of Commons. Popular with King George II, Cavendish turned down the role of governor to the Prince of Wales in favour of pursuing his political career, though he remained close to the court.

Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle, 6th Baroness Clifford

On 27th March 1748 Cavendish married Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle, 6th Baroness Clifford, daughter of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork. An heiress of great wealth, Charlotte brought with her a number of grand properties and the couple had four children before Charlotte's death in 1754, all of whom lived to adulthood. 

With the death of his father in 1755, Cavendish became Duke of Devonshire and initiated a programme of improvements and renovations of his family home at Chatsworth House. He adored the estate and spent a huge amount of time and money redesigning it to his very exacting specifications, working with legendary architects and landscapers including James Paine and Lancelot "Capability" Brown. 1755 was an eventful year for Cavendish as he left England to serve a short tenure as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, an office he would assume for Derbyshire the following year.

Portrait of the children of the 4th Duke of Devonshire in the gardens of Chiswick House, London by Johann Zoffany

As Britain struggled to gain the upper hand in the Seven Years War, George II turned to the trusted Cavendish to form an administration, a request which he reluctantly agreed to with the caveat that he would serve only under the parliamentary session ended. His short time in office amounted to just seven months, every one of them dominated by William Pitt the Elder. The short Cavendish administration was beset by problems and criticism and was dissolved in favour of the return of the Thomas Pelham-Holles, Duke of Newcastle, who had preceded Cavendish in office.

Despite his less than illustrious turn at the top, Cavendish was given the office of Lord Chamberlain in Newcastle's government and the men were good friends. However, the death of George II in 1760 and the succession of George III proved a turning point for both Cavendish and Newcastle, with the latter losing his position after a series of disputes with the monarch. The king grew increasingly and wrongly convinced that the two men were plotting their political revenge and George removed Cavendish from the Privy Council as a result, a decision that gained him few friends. In fact, Cavendish was so loyal to Newcastle that, when Newcastle was dismissed from his office as Lord Lieutenant, Cavendish resigned in a show of support.

Never a man of a particularly strong constitution, Cavendish's health deteriorated as the years passed and he died during a trip to take the waters of the Austrian Netherlands. The body of the 44 year old Duke was transported home to be buried at Derby Cathedral amid much mourning. With Cavendish's death, Westminster politics lost a man of integrity, loyalty and solid reliability. His death was a blow to Whig politics and robbed the party of one of its greatest supporters; he is the shortest lived Prime Minister in English history and one of the most respected men to sit in the Georgian Houses of Parliament. It may be that he was not a great risk-taker nor a maverick, but he was no less a politician for that and his death was mourned by allies and opponents alike, truly an unusual state of political affairs!