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Walter Raleigh was a businessman, soldier, writer, and colonizer who gained favor with Queen Elizabeth I and founded the first American colony, Virginia. However, he fell out of favor with the queen and was imprisoned. After her death, he was imprisoned again and executed on the orders of King James I of England.
Sir Walter Raleigh is a man who played an important role in English and American history. Besides being remembered as a colonizer, he is also known as a businessman, soldier and writer. However, despite the many highlights of Raleigh’s life, he was executed on the orders of King James I of England.
Walter Raleigh is believed to have been born in Devonshire in 1552. Although he is often said to have been educated at Oriel College, Oxford, he did not complete his education. Raleigh dropped out of school to join the Huguenot army, which fought on behalf of French Protestants.
After returning home, Walter Raleigh gained favor with the Queen of England Elizabeth I. He was granted many privileges by the Queen. This helped him establish considerable wealth and reputation. For example, the story states that the Queen gave Raleigh a 12,000-acre (4,860 ha) estate in Ireland.
He was also a captain in the Irish army. Other significant achievements include being appointed Captain of the Queen’s Guard and knighted in 1584. Further increasing his wealth were the monopolies he held in the wine and cloth trades.
During this time of being favored by Queen Elizabeth, Walter Raleigh became interested in North America. The queen prevented him from traveling to these unfamiliar lands. That didn’t stop Raleigh from sending five shipments, however. He not only encouraged this trip, but he played an important role in founding the first American colony, Virginia. This colony is said to be named after Elizabeth I, who was known as “the virgin queen”.
Walter Raleigh fell out of favor with the queen and aroused her wrath with his love for one of her maidens, Elizabeth Throgmorton. This relationship led to his imprisonment in Raleigh. However, it didn’t change his heart. Upon his release, he later married Throgmorton.
Eventually, Raleigh was given the opportunity to set out and explore the New World. In 1595, driven by the belief that extreme wealth awaited him, he captured the city of San Josef in Trinidad. He has explored the Orinoco River in South America for some 400 miles (644 km), but has not found the riches he hoped for. Several years later, Raleigh regained the favor of Queen Elizabeth I and continued to hold important positions, such as governor of the island of Jersey.
After the Queen’s death, Sir Walter Raleigh’s fate changed. King James I came to power and had no favorable attitudes towards Raleigh. The king deprived him of all his offices. In 1603, Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was tried and found guilty of treason. This led to an execution sentence, which was not carried out.
During his time in prison, Walter Raleigh devoted himself to science and writing. He wrote The History of the World at Prince Henry’s request. After more than a dozen years of captivity, Raleigh was released to lead an expedition to the Orinoco to prove his claims to the riches found there. His expedition failed in his mission.
To exaggerate matters, before leaving, he was ordered by the king not to attack Spanish territory, but he defied orders. This disobedience cost him his life. He returned to England and was executed on October 29, 1618.
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