Context. In 1536 henry the 8th suffered a severe concussion during a jousting accident & became paranoid and prone to violent and impulsive decisions that resulted in him having thousands of people executed who he perceived as treasonous.
In 1787 two fishermen in the Hawaiian islands adjacent to an invading army were attacked(possibly by kamehameha himself but more likely one of the Ali’I under his command)
As the story goes the fishermen knocked him unconscious with an oar and ran. When they were later arrested and brought before kamehameha, he apologized, pardoned them, and decreed Kānāwai Māmalahoe or “law of the splintered Oar” which declared that all noncombatants must be able to lie safely by the roadside even in a time of war.
Violators of this law regardless of rank or status wouldnt die.
It’s one of the earliest human rights laws intended to be applied in a universal fashion and became inspiration for analogous international laws that exist today.
by Teboski78
2 Comments
*would die. Damned typo
CTE will fuck you up man