John Hawkins
1532 – 1595 English Naval commander, slave trader
England's first major slave trader, whose Elizabethan voyages opened the country's involvement in the Atlantic slave trade.
- Religion
- Church of England
- Affiliations
- Royal Navy
John Hawkins was an Elizabethan sea captain who became the first Englishman to make a systematic business of the Atlantic slave trade. In the 1560s he seized and bought captives in West Africa and sold them in the Spanish Caribbean, with Queen Elizabeth I among his backers. He later served as Treasurer of the Navy, rebuilding the fleet that fought the Spanish Armada, and died at sea on an expedition to the Caribbean. His slaving voyages mark the start of England's long role in the trade.
Connections
- associate of Elizabeth I — Backed his slaving voyages and shared in the profits.
- associate of Elizabeth I — The queen who backed his slaving voyages and later his naval work.
In the timeline
- 1500 – 1866 The transatlantic slave trade England's first major slave trader
- 1700 The triangular trade an early English practitioner
- 1815 The Royal Navy and Command of the Seas the naval treasurer who rebuilt the fleet