When was john hawkins knighted

This included Admiral Pedro de Vales and all his crew. Drake also found 55, gold ducats on board. That afternoon Medina Sidonia announced that if any Spanish ship broke formation the captain would be hanged immediately.

He also told his captains that they must maintain a tight formation in order to prevent further attacks from the English ships. This decision meant that they could only move towards Dunkirk at the speed of the slowest ship. Constantly harassed by the English ships the slow moving Spanish Armada eventually reached Calais without further loss. The English fleet now dropped anchor half a mile away. Soon afterwards they were joined by Lord Henry Seymour and his squadron of ships that had been controlling the seas off Dunkirk.

This increased the English fleet by a third and was now similar in size to that of the Spanish fleet. The Duke of Medina Sidonia now sent a message to the Duke of Parma in Dunkirk: "I am anchored here two leagues from Calais with the enemy's fleet on my flank.

They can cannonade me whenever they like, and I shall be unable to do them much harm in return. Parma was unable to help as he had less than twenty ships and most of those were not yet ready to sail.

That night Medina Sidonia sent out a warning to his captains that he expected a fire-ship attack. This tactic had been successfully used by Francis Drake in Cadiz in and the fresh breeze blowing steadily from the English fleet towards Calais, meant the conditions were ideal for such an attack.

He warned his captains not to panic and not to head out to the open sea. Medina Sidonia confidently told them that his patrol boats would be able to protect them from any fire-ship attack that took place. Medina Sidonia had rightly calculated what would happen. Charles Howard and Francis Drake were already organizing the fire-ship attack. It was decided to use eight fairly large ships for the operation. All the masts and rigging were tarred and all the guns were left on board and were primed to go off of their own accord when the fire reached them.

John Young, one of Drake's men, was put in charge of the fire-ships. Soon after midnight the eight ships were set fire to and sent on their way.

The Spaniards were shocked by the size of the vessels. Nor had they expected the English to use as many as eight ships. The Spanish patrol ships were unable to act fast enough to deal with the problem. The Spanish captains also began to panic when the guns began exploding.

They believed that the English were using hell-burners ships crammed with gunpowder. By September he and three of his vessels were safely back in England; the others had been sent to Spain. English trading rights with Spain and its possessions had been secured by treaties in the reign of Henry VII. The Spanish maintained that their American colonies were not included in these agreements and virtually prohibited foreign trade with the New World. Since Hawkins had failed to obtain a proper license, his ships which reached Spain were seized, and their rich cargoes confiscated.

Although Hawkins's efforts to regain his goods proved futile, his profits were enormous. Courtiers and nobles joined merchants and naval officials in backing a new expedition in , and Elizabeth loaned Hawkins a ship, the Jesus of Lubeck. After some fighting against Africans, the slave-laden fleet made a slow passage to the Venezuelan coast. There the English found that the Spanish government, alarmed by Hawkins's earlier activities, had forbidden the colonists to trade with foreigners.

To persuade them to break the law, Hawkins landed armed parties which without actually fighting anyone "captured" towns long enough to set up a brisk trade and to provide alibis for nervous local authorities. The profits of this voyage far exceeded those of the first, and a third expedition seemed inevitable. Moderates on the Privy Council blocked the intended voyage for a year, during which time Hawkins's fleet, anchored in Plymouth harbor, fired on several Spanish ships which had attempted to approach too closely.

On one occasion, he was charged with the misuse of royal funds, but was eventually exonerated. Hawkins was a rear admiral aboard the Victory and third in command during the confrontation with the Spanish Armada His overhaul of the English fleet was a vital component of victory and he was knighted for his service.

The lure of the sea remained strong. In , Hawkins and Martin Frobisher attempted to intercept treasure-laden Spanish ships on the Atlantic, but their foray into piracy met with little success. In , Hawkins accompanied Drake on a new venture against Spanish positions in the West Indies; before action commenced, however, Hawkins died of illness and was buried at sea. He made a first exploratory voyage in with financial backing from London merchants and government officials and the support of Elizabeth I.

He sailed down the West African coast capturing about people, some from Portuguese slave ships. He then crossed the Atlantic and sold his captives in Hispaniola, and made a handsome profit for his investors. Hawkins made two further slave trading voyages in and Both were semi-official, organised by William Cecil and given royal support.

Hawkins chartered Royal Navy ships and sailed under the royal standard. He was given financial backing by London merchants and senior courtiers, including the queen's favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

On his return, Elizabeth granted Hawkins a coat of arms with 'a demi-Moor bound and captive'.