William Hawkins (fl. c. 1600)

William Hawkins
In office ?–1613
Monarch	James VI and I
In office 1609–1611
Monarch	Jahangir
Personal details
Died	1613 Ireland
Spouse(s)	Unknown (m.) Mary Halse (m.)
Children	Mariam Khan
Parent	William Hawkins
Occupation	Merchant Sea captain Mansabdar
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of England East India Company Mughal Empire

Sir William Hawkins (fl. c. 1600) was a representative of the English East India Company notable for being the commander of Hector, the first company ship to anchor at Surat in India on 24 August 1608.

Hawkins travelled to and met a Mughal empire ruler Jahangir in 1609.^[1]

William Hawkins was The eldest son of William Hawkins senior, who died in 1589 and nephew of John Hawkins (1532–1595).^{[citation needed]}

In 1577, he served in Francis Drake's voyage to the South Sea, presumably in the Elizabeth with John Wynter, though possibly in the Golden Hind with Drake himself.^{[citation needed]}

In 1581, on October, he was nominated, apparently at the request of his uncle, as lieutenant to Edward Fenton.^{[citation needed]}

In 1582, on May, William then further appointed to command an expedition for the East Indies and China, which sailed from England. However, William came into bad terms with Edward and John Hawkins, due to jealousy of the claims which had been put forward on behalf of William to command the expedition; partly also, it may be, out of the insolent and insubordinate conduct of William himself. the enmity became intensified due to the official instruction to Edward not to replace William. When the little fleet was sailing from Plymouth, William was still onshore, and Edward put to sea without him; he was brought out in by Francis, one of the squadron's ship, and put on board his ship, the Leicester. Throughout the voyage, the captain and the lieutenant seem to have quarreled on every occasion, and the Leicester until their arrival in River Thames.^{[citation needed]}

in 1587, Hawkins may probably be identified with the William Hawkyns who, commanded the Advice ship on the coast of Ireland.^{[citation needed]}

in 1588, William once again commanded a ship named the Griffin in a battle against the Spanish Armada. It has been suggested that the commander of the Griffin was his father, then-mayor of Plymouth; Although it was seemingly contradictive by the fact that on 19 July the Griffin was at sea with Sir Francis Drake, and the mayor of Plymouth was onshore collecting reinforcements. Hawkins was, however, not an uncommon Devonshire name, and it is quite possible that the commander of the Advice or Griffin belonged to some other family.^{[citation needed]}

In 1589, by his father's will, Hawkins inherited a contract annuity of £40.^{[citation needed]}

In 1595, His uncle, John Hawkins, also granted William inheritance, besides a share of the prospective profits of the last fatal voyage to the West Indies, £10 a year to be paid quarterly, on condition that he does not sell the same annuity nor rent-charge, or any part thereof. He left also legacies of £100 to each of Hawkyns's children, to be payable "to every such child at the time of their marriage, or at the accomplishment of their several ages of eighteen years, which shall first happen." From the wording of this clause, it would seem probable that the children were girls; but we know nothing more of them.^{[citation needed]}

In 1607, On April 1, William left for India with his wife, David Middleton and William Keeling.^[2][3] He was theorized taking the command of the East India Company's ship Hector on a voyage to Surat with William Keeling, and was charged with the king of England's letters and presents to the princes and governors of Cambay, due to his experience with the region and language expertize.^[4]

In 1608, on August 24, William arrived at Surat andwas approached by Portuguese sailors who told him that all the ports in the region belonged to Philip III of Spain. Thanks to the efforts of the viceroy of Deccan sultanates, Khan-Khana, the ship was authorized to set sail and William was allowed to proceed to Agra.^[5]

in 1609, on April, After arriving at Surat along with Thomas Roe,^[6][7]

William proceeded accordingly to Agra and the court of the Mughal to negotiate a permission for the English company to construct a factory to the Mughal emperor Jahangir,^[1] and where he remained for nearly 3 years. According to the account given in his Journal, the emperor gained good impression about William and assigning an administrative position with its annual payment of estimated at upwards of £3,000, his serious occupation being to combat the intrigues of the Portuguese and to endeavor to obtain formal permission for the establishment of an English factory at Surat.^[8] During his time in Agra, William fought a political intrigues in the Mughal court against the Portuguese,^[9][10] while also dedicated himself to trying to obtain imperial authorization so that his company would be authorized to establish a factory in Surat to trade with India.^[9]

His favor with the emperor enabled him to overcame any difficulties in the court, and the required license was given; it was the first distinct recognition of English commerce in the East.^[9] Jahangir also threaten the Portuguese Jesuits to not try to harm William, such as poisoning his foods.^[8] The emperor even granted authorization for William but made it a condition that Hawkins marry local Indian woman. William consented to the match, conditionally on her not being a Moors, and accordingly he took as his wife the daughter of an Armenian Christian.^[9] The one who was became William's wife was Mariam Khan, a daughter of an influential merchant in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and Jahangir.^{[citation needed]}

Furthermore, William himself was appointed by the emperor as Mansabdar (military official in the Mughal empire),^[11][12] with the command of 400 horses and a rent worth of 30,000 Rupee, while also giving him court as EIC official ambassador in the court.^[13] During this time, also provided records about the details about the administrations of Mansabdar, where during his life, he has recorded about 41 names of Mansabdar officers who commanded about 3,000-5,000 Zat or horsemens.^[12]

In 1610, William Hawkins instructed one of his fellow merchants, William Finch, to travel about 80 km southwest from Agra to Bayana, a town well known for its high-quality indigo production. At this time, one of the ships of Mariam-uz-Zamani, who at that time held status as empress dowager of the empire of Mughal, was prepared for a voyage to Mokha. The empress dowager's enterprise was tasked to search for Indigofera, presumably an important part of the royal cargo. But just as the deal was being concluded, William Finch changed the bid higher, which angered Mariam uz Zamani. Hawkins, already in trouble with Jahangir for other reasons, had to suffer consequences.^[14][15] It was further though that William's political rival in the Mughal court, Abdul Hassan, reported William's drinking habit to Jahangir, who strongly forbade wine in his court.^[16] In the end, Mariam-uz-Zamani pressured her son, emperor Jahangir, to ensure that William Hawkins, who at that time still in good term with Jahangir, leave India.^{[citation needed]}

In 1611, William left Agra on November, and three months later arrived at Surat, where he found Sir Henry Middleton, with whom he went to the Red Sea, and afterward to Java.^{[citation needed]} In the end of his time in India, William failed to secure permission from the emperor of Mughal to built English factory.^[16][a]

In 1613, William disembarked from Bantam with his ship, Thomas, part of the fleet under the overall command of John Saris, and in a voyage to England. The ship finally touched at the Cape of Good Hope.^{[citation needed]} William died during this journey in his ship at the end of the year. He was buried in Ireland.^[18]

In 1612, William visited Arabian Peninsula and reached Java .^[2][3]

In 1614, the inheritance for the widow of William Hawkins were bestowed on the ship Thomas. However, there is nothing for any of his daughters from a former marriage.^{[citation needed]}

A year after Hawkins's death, Mariam married Captain Gabriel Towerson and with him returned to India.^[18][19] Towerson abandoned her and returned to England in 1619 before resettling in Amboyna. Despite appealing to the EIC for maintenance, she received nothing and on Towerson's death his assets were awarded to his brother.^[20]

• National Biography, Dictionary of (2016). Hawkins, William (fl.1595)l.
• Knowledge, General (2011). Arrival of William Hawkins in court of Jahangir.
• Columbia, University (2016). Third Voyage EIC.
• Columbia, University (2016a). Narrative by William Hawkins, of Occurrences during his Residence in the Dominions of the Great Mogul.
• João Vicente Melo (2022). Jesuit and English Experiences at the Mughal Court, c. 1580–1615. New Transculturalisms, 1400–1800. Springer Nature. pp. 156–158. ISBN 978-3030965884. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
• F. Riddick, John (2006). The History of British India: A Chronology. India: Faber. ISBN 978-0313322808.
• Fisher, Michael; Dalrymple, William (2007). Visions of Mughal India: An Anthology of European Travel Writing. United Kingdom: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1845113544.
• Jorge Flores (2015). The Mughal Padshah: A Jesuit Treatise on Emperor Jahangir's Court and Household. Volume 6 of Rulers & Elites. Brill. p. 74. ISBN 978-9004307537. Retrieved 13 July 2024.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Hawkins, William (fl.1595)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.