Sir John Hawkins (1532-1595 CE) was an Elizabethan mariner, merchant and naval administrator who has the inglorious (if not wholly accurate) record of being England's first slave trader. In the 1560s CE Hawkins trafficked slaves from West Africa on three voyages, taking them across the Atlantic for sale to Spanish colonial settlements in the New World and making huge profits for himself and investors who included the Crown. The mariner was involved in the infamous incident at San Juan de Ulúa off Mexico in 1568 CE which began the increasingly sour relations between England and Spain. Later in his career, Hawkins oversaw reforms in the Royal Navy and the construction of the modern and well-armed ships which helped defeat the Spanish Armada of 1588 CE. Hawkins died of illness in 1595 CE on a voyage to the Caribbean to raid Spanish treasure ships and colonial settlements.
More about: John HawkinsDefinition
Timeline
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1532 - 1595The life of Sir John Hawkins, slave trader and then treasurer of the Royal Navy.
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1562 - 1563John Hawkins' first expedition to transport slaves from West Africa to the Americas.
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1564 - 1565John Hawkins' second expedition to transport slaves from West Africa to the Americas.
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1567 - 1568John Hawkins and Francis Drake lead an expedition to transport slaves from west Africa to the Spanish West Indies. The fleet is attacked at San Juan de Ulúa.
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c. 1578John Hawkins is appointed treasurer of the Royal Navy and begins its expansion and modernisation.
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Jul 1588 - Aug 1588Sir John Hawkins is the rear-admiral, third in command of the English fleet which defeats the Spanish Armada.
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Aug 1595John Hawkins and Francis Drake lead an unsuccessful expedition against Spanish ships and settlements in Panama and the Caribbean.
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12 Nov 1595John Hawkins dies of illness on a voyage to the Caribbean.
