Sir John Hawkins: Queen Elizabeth's Slave Trader [Hardcover]

Harry Kelsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0300096631 | ISBN-13: 978-0300096637

A portrait of a colourful Elizabethan slaver, merchant and admiral. Although his cousin Sir Francis Drake is more famous, Sir John Hawkins (1532-1595) was a more successful seaman and played a pivotal role in the history of England and the emergence of the global slave trade. Born into a family of wealthy pirates, Hawkins became fascinated by tales of the riches of foreign lands. Early in his career he led an illegal expedition in which he captured three hundred slaves in Sierra Leone and transported them to the West Indies. There he traded them for pearls, hides and sugar, thus giving birth to the British slave trade. His voyages were so lucrative that Queen Elizabeth herself sponsored subsequent missions. Discouraged from his career as a pirate by a near-fatal encounter with angry Spanish troops, Hawkins spent much of his later life in England at the service of the queen. Although he committed treason, murder and adultery at various points in his career, he was nonetheless knighted in 1588 for his role in defeating the Spanish Armada. In this work, Harry Kelsey, biographer of Sir Francis Drake, tells the story of this extraordinary man.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] work of scholarship that is, at the same time, a good read, a real-life page-turner." -- George Garrett, Washington Post Book World

From the Publisher

Also available by Harry Kelsey: Sir Francis Drake: The Queen’s Pirate.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (March 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300096631
• ISBN-13: 978-0300096637
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #823,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > British > Elizabeth I

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative, April 19, 2010

By 

D. McMaster (California, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sir John Hawkins: Queen Elizabeth's Slave Trader (Hardcover)

I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about my family history. Sir John Hawkins was my 11th great grandfather. The book is very informative and has been well researched. However, there are some facts that are not clearly documented, such as, the actual date of birth and mother of Sir John's first born son.