Walter Raleigh

Walter Raleigh was an adventurer, a navigator, an author and a poet linked to Elizabeth I. For the first time, in 1580, the Queen considered him as an essential personality to her court due to his proof of bravery and loyalty to the British crown when he went to Munster in Ireland to suppress an uprising. Then, Walter Raleigh became a favourite of the queen and she knighted him. In addition to his knighthood, he became a member of the parliament in 1584 and she promoted him to the rank of captain of the Queen's Guard in1587.

Walter Raleigh was born at Hayes Barton in Devon on the 22nd of january in1552. He was raised in a protestant family hence his loyalty to Elizabeth I. He attended Oxford University but he left without any diploma a year later. Although, in1569, Mr. Raleigh fought with the Huguenots in France. As soon as he came back from France, he studied law in London.

Raleigh had two brothers and a step-brother named Sir Humphrey Gilbert who was an explorer. Raleigh and him once sailed to America and this propably provoke his ambition to create a colony over there. Despite this yearning, two attempts at colonisation failed. For example, he sponsored an attempt on Roanoke Island which is the current North Carolina. In addition, he is known as the one who makes smoking mainstream at the court.

In 1592, his loss of prestige was caused by the fact that the Queen found out his secret. He was married to the queen’s maid of honour and this was enough for the queen to imprisoned them in the Tower. In order to have the favour of the queen, he prepared an expedition to find El Dorado but it failed. Between this expedition and a second one, he spent 12 years in the Tower of London where he wrote 'History of the World'. Finally, when he came back from the 2nd expedition he was executed. It took place on the 29th of October in 1618.

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