Queen Elizabeth I is renowned for her long reign, defeating the Spanish Armada, and her effective leadership during the 16th century. But one of the lesser-known aspects of her biography is her association with John Hawkins, an English trader and sailor. Their link marked the beginning of England’s involvement in the African slave trade, which eventually became one of the worst sections of British history. John Hawkins and Queen Elizabeth I: A Partnership
In this essay, we will explore the following topics:
Who was John Hawkins, and why did Queen Elizabeth back him?
How the alliance between Hawkins and Elizabeth I played out
The impact of their connection on slavery and the British Empire
By the end of this article you will know more about how one queen and one trader helped create a system that impacted millions of lives.
Part 1: Who Was John Hawkins and Why Did the Queen Support Him?
John Hawkins: England’s First Slave Trader
John Hawkins was born in 1532 in Plymouth, England, in the family of sailors and tradesmen. From a young age, he learned to sail ships, trade products, and explore new routes across the sea.
In the 1560s, Hawkins witnessed other European nations, such as Portugal and Spain, generating fortunes by selling enslaved Africans to plantations in the Americas. These plantations grew sugar, tobacco, and cotton, which made a lot of money in Europe.
Hawkins decided to try it himself. In 1562 he traveled to West Africa, captured or purchased around 300 Africans, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean with them. He traded in Spanish colonies like Hispaniola and returned to England with goods including gold, sugar, and pearls.
It was a very profitable voyage. Hawkins became a successful trader and ship’s captain. He’d uncovered a business opportunity, a terrible and inhuman one, but a highly profitable one.
The Partnership Between Queen Elizabeth I and John Hawkins
Queen Elizabeth I: A Queen with Big Ideas
Queen Elizabeth I was queen of England from 1558 to 1603. Under her rule, England was becoming more powerful at sea and trying to catch up with Spain and Portugal in exploring and trading with the New World (the Americas).
The queen realized that England’s future prosperity and strength lay in ships and trade. She wanted sailors like Hawkins, bold and skilled, men who were willing to take risks.
Elizabeth was similarly keen to foster English pride and culture but was also highly interested in money and empire. When the Hawkins returned from their maiden expedition with tremendous wins, it was a great experience for her to listen.
Why the Queen chose John Hawkins
The answer is simple: empire and money. Hawkins’s success made the queen feel that England could generate the same kind of substantial profits as Spain and Portugal. And with Spain ruling most of the Caribbean at this time, Hawkins’ raids were also regarded as an opportunity to challenge Spanish hegemony.
Hawkins was pro-Elizabeth I, a doughty commander who served England.
Make money trading
“Build Up the Navy”
Match Spain.
Blackout English
The queen therefore fully supported Hawkins in his intentions for further journeys to Africa and the Caribbean.
Section 2. How were they related?
Royal Sponsorship of Slave Voyages
Hawkins, in 1562, returned from his first expedition to England with enormous profit. He decided to try again, with additional ships and supplies. Queen Elizabeth partly financed his next expedition in 1564.
She also granted him a royal cruiser, Jesus of Lübeck, which was one of the largest and most powerful ships in her fleet. She allowed him to use her royal crest and gave him weaponry and supplies.
Hawkins was no longer a private merchant then but an agent of the English king.
A Deal with the Queen
Hawkins’s relationship with Elizabeth I was not merely a moral one. It was a commercial relationship. In return for her sponsorship, the queen got a slice of the profits. The more slaves Hawkins sold, the more money the monarchy earned.
what Hawkins and his crew performed on these expeditions,
Sailed to the West African coast (like modern-day Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone).
Traded fabric, swords, and beer for enslaved Africans.
Carried slaves over the Atlantic (Middle Passage).
Sold slaves in Spanish colonies without broad Spanish approval.
He returned to England with a cargo of valuable things such as sugar and gold.
These journeys were illegal and dangerous, but Elizabeth I backed them since they enriched England and damaged Spain.
The Arms. An African in slavery
In a gesture of royal support, the queen gave Hawkins a coat of arms, a kind of family emblem. His new coat of arms contained the image of an African male in handcuffs. The awful image suggested that the trade in enslaved Africans had the very highest level of English society’s sanction.
Hawkins was thus infused with the power and confidence of the royal sanction. The success of other merchants and the favor of the Queen attracted others into the trade. Hawkins’s visits to England became a big element of her economy. Queen Elizabeth I and John Working Together in Partnership to Attack Spanish Ships and Slavery
On his third journey in 1567 he met another remarkable sailor, Francis Drake. This expedition was a greater, braver journey. They took slaves, they sold captives, and they looted Spanish ports and ships. They were slavers, pirates,
However, the mission demonstrated that English ships could challenge Spain and that slavery and war could coexist. Unfortunately, the final journey ended in tragedy when Spanish forces attacked them at the port of San Juan de Ulúa, which is now in Mexico.
Section 3: The Long-Term Impact of Their Relationship
How Their Union Begat The Slave Trade
The association of Queen Elizabeth I with John Hawkins resulted in a high degree of English engagement in the transatlantic slave trade. Hawkins’s expeditions and the sponsorship of the queen:
More traders began to travel to Africa to buy and sell people.
English cities like Liverpool, London and Bristol benefited from slavery
Slavery was becoming a common business and societal practice.
England created its own empire of colonies on the backs of enslaved labor.
This approach would lead to the enslavement and transfer of more than 12 million Africans across the Atlantic Ocean, many on British ships, for almost 200 years.
They had made kidnapping and selling people into a nationwide industry. Hawkins and Elizabeth had built this system.
Impact on Africa and the Caribbean
Through the generations, their deeds brought misery and sorrow.
Slave invasions and conflicts tore African societies apart
Families divided forever
Millions died on slave ships or in servitude.
The British colonists dispensed pain in the Caribbean islands they ruled.
Local African authorities were pressured to sell people for goods and weaponry
Today, people throughout Africa and the Caribbean feel the damage done in cultural, social, and economic aspects.
Long History of Racism and Discrimination
People used the practice of buying and selling Africans to promote racist ideas. These beliefs were used to justify slavery and colonization. For centuries, European kings and traders have considered Africans subhuman.
This kind of thinking helps fuel . . .
Racism in Britain and the colonies:
Colonialism in Africa
The notion of Britain’s right to govern and ‘civilize’ others is a complex and contentious issue.
Europe and Africa – massive economic gaps
Modern Reflection and Apology
Recently, people have begun to reconsider this horrible chapter in history. Some cities and institutions have apologized for their role in slavery.
Now there is more emphasis on the telling of the true story of Britain’s past—particularly the cooperation between Hawkins and Elizabeth I. Museums are re-evaluating the way they teach history; sculptures and street names are being modified.
The British royal family, however, has not issued a formal apology for the crown’s role in the slave trade. “Many believe it is time for the people and countries affected by these actions to be fully recognized, educated, and even compensated.”
Final thoughts: Power, profit and misery
The Partnership Between Queen Elizabeth I and John Hawkins
Queen Elizabeth I and John Hawkins had a relationship of wealth and power. They helped build a system that would continue for centuries and hurt millions of people. Elizabeth is often commended for her leadership, but we should equally remember the decisions she made that brought grief to others.
Learning this history is not to condemn the past; it is to bring the whole reality to light. And only then we may remember those who suffered and struggle for a better future. Queen Elizabeth I and John Hawkins: A Partnership