Maritime merchant family

John Hawkins was born in 1532 in a maritime merchant family in Plymouth, Devonshire, southwest England. The Hawkins family had a prominent maritime power on the western coast of England at that time, and many members of the family were engaged in overseas exploration activities. His father is a well-known local businessman engaged in foreign trade.

Portrait of John Hawkins

After the death of Hawkins' father, his son inherited his father's business, and Hawkins began to engage in the slave trade between Spain and Canary. John Hawkins, who has been influenced by overseas exploration since he was a child, pays great attention to the details before and after ocean voyages. In order to increase his chances of winning in dangerous environments and long voyages, Hawkins focused on buying the loyalty of his men and controlling them with an iron will.

First of all, Hawkins paid them heavily, promised to distribute some of their loot, and allowed them to engage in private trade. Secondly, in order to keep life at sea not too bad, Hawkins must ensure that the ship is equipped with sufficient fresh water, biscuits, beer, corned beef, dried cod, salt, butter, etc. before sailing, and even live pets. Used to satisfy hunger in case of emergency. In addition, before departure, barrels, shovels, compasses, ballast, pulleys, ropes, rat poison, etc. are all on board. In terms of personnel arrangement, in addition to the more outstanding sailors, it also includes craftsmen who repair ships, workers who can make and repair ropes and canvas, surgeons, barbers, cooks, accountants, etc. From this point of view, Hawkins is really a commendable and prudent navigator. Of course, he was also a smarter businessman. On his long-distance ships, he carried cloth, woolen cotton thread and Kersey hand-woven tweed from southern England. The former was mainly goods he intended to sell in cold places, and the latter The latter is something sold in tropical areas. In this way, Hawkins's journey of sailing can be described as a journey of trade. It is no wonder that one voyage established his status as the richest man in Plymouth.

Overseas Adventure

In 1558, when Elizabeth Tudor inherited the throne from her half-sister Mary I, England had On the verge of decline. The radical Protestant Edward VI and the fanatical Catholic Mary had left Britain divided and in turmoil. Especially during Mary's era, King Philip of Spain not only dragged Britain into the war between Spain and France in the Low Countries, but also almost drained the British treasury and took advantage of countless young British subjects. Beyond this, the potential threat of Mary Queen of Scots being superior to Elizabeth in terms of succession always loomed over Elizabeth's head. Coupled with the Catholic eye for Protestant countries, England was in troubled times during this period.

Elizabeth I

When Elizabeth I first came to the throne, she found that her country was in chaos, and while she was in a state of distress, she was also criticized by all parties. In this regard, in order to unite the entire people of England behind her, Elizabeth I needed to create the illusion of power and wealth to confuse her enemies. The acquisition of wealth is naturally inseparable from those gentlemen, explorers, pirate ships, and pirates who are full of evil but rich. In fact, these gentlemen and explorers of the Queen are not ordinary businessmen. They are thirsty for knowledge, arrogant, eager to make a fortune, and have a clear and clear business mind. In an era when pirates were rampant, these all-powerful English pirates were quite intelligent and cunning. What is even more commendable is that most of these pirates are Protestants, so the trade they engage in has somewhat social, religious and political intentions. And that's exactly what the Queen wants. Of course, when the Queen has not officially publicly invested in overseas adventures, her requirement for those gentlemen or pirates is to put their personal destiny and her destiny into the interests of the kingdom. This formed an unwritten rule: Anyone who wants to gain royal favor must risk his or her wealth for the queen and country. The attraction of wealth and royal favor continued to drive Hawkins toward the depths of the ocean.

When Hawkins's "Primrose" received the Queen's charter in 1562, he hired several friends, including some nobles, to embark on his first voyage. In the winter of 1562-1563 in Guinea, West Africa, Hawkins and his sailors began the slave trade through coercion, inducement or robbery. In the end, Hawkins harvested about 300 black slaves, and then these slaves were brought to Santo Domingo. Then Hawkins and the others held open negotiations with the local Spanish planters on Hispaniola. At this time, the leader of the cavalry squadron sent to stop these intruders actually agreed to protect the safety of the British while they negotiated with the planters in order to get a piece of the pie. After making a fortune, Hawkins filled the ship with animal skins, ginger, sugar and some pearls and returned to England. After returning to Plymouth, England in 1563, Hawkins had become the richest man in the place.

Not long after returning to Plymouth in 1563, Hawkins and his supporters began to discuss the next voyage. William Garrard immediately signed on, and Sir William Chester followed suit. Of course, what is even more gratifying for Hawkins is the strong support from the royal family.