John Hawkins (1532-12 November 1595) was an English privateer and trader. Making a profit from the Triangle Trade of England-North America-Africa, Hawkins traded slaves as well as plundered Spanish ships; he operated alongside his cousin Francis Drake.
Biography[]
John Hawkins was the cousin of Francis Drake, and in the 1560s he accompanied his cousin on illegal trading and privateering voyages to the Spanish-ruled Caribbean. Drake narrowly escaped with his life when Hawkins' ships were trapped between spanish galleons and shore batteries at San Juan de Ulua (in present-day Mexico). In 1588, Hawkins was instrumental in building up the strength of the Royal Navy to meet the Spanish Armada as it invaded England from France; his training of the navy resulted in its victory.
In a resumption of his earlier Caribbean privateering, he joined with Drake in 1595, but by this time Spanish defenses had strengthened. The voyage was already a failure before both Hawkins and Drake died of dysentry.