Sir Walter Raleigh by H, 1588 Soldier, sailor, pirate, and writer are just a few of the titles used to describe Sir Walter Raleigh, the leading figure in the first English colonization attempts in North America. Rising through English society in the late 1500s and 1600s, Sir Walter Raleigh became a popular and successful figure in Elizabethan England. However, he is perhaps more well known for his greatest failure—doomed English colony attempts on Roanoke Island.
Early Rise to Prominence
Born in 1552 in Devon, England, Walter Raleigh was the youngest of 5 sons in the Raleigh family. Raised mostly in the farming village of East Budleigh, Walter Raleigh’s early life was dominated by rural and religious living. Raleigh grew up in a deeply Protestant house which had been persecuted during the reign of Catholic Queen Mary I. Through his religious zeal, a teenage Raleigh joined the French Religious Civil Wars on the side of the Protestant Huguenots. On his return from the war in France, he bounced around between a few schools, never finishing a formal education. Instead, Raleigh set off on a course of practical education and discovery. In 1578, he led a ship in the fleet of his half-brother Sir Humphrey Gilbert, who had been given a charter to start an English colony in North America. The fleet was scattered in a storm before they could journey to North America. Gilbert and Raleigh set sail again in 1579 to intercept Spanish ships headed towards Ireland. Again, this sailing venture failed with them both becoming lost in rain and fog. This series of sailing failures led Queen Elizabeth to doubt their abilities as sailors and navigators. 
Thomas Allen, History and Antiquities of London, 1828 In 1580, Raleigh began to truly make a name for himself fighting to subjugate the Irish in Munster. Through this first taste of English colonization, he got a glimpse of what England could be if it pursued further expansion. He also began a long tradition of being an outspoken public figure by speaking out against the implementation of English policy in Ireland. His criticism catapulted Raleigh into the spotlight, establishing him as a favorite of the Queen. She gifted him property, monopolies, and positions that helped further his career, and they also forged a close relationship. In 1583, his Sir Humphrey Gilbert died at sea attempting to find a Northwest Passage for England, leading Sir Walter Raleigh to take up the mantle of English activity in the New World. In 1584, Queen Elizabeth granted Sir Walter Raleigh a charter to explore and colonize the New World where European Christian countries had not colonized. Hoping to land a blow against Catholic Spain, Raleigh’s plan centered on establishing a base for English privateers to raid Spanish ships sailing from the Caribbean. The first expedition led by Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe arrived at Roanoke Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the summer of 1584. They brought back glowing reports of the New World, they ed Roanoke Island to Raleigh as “a most pleasant and fertile ground” where “The soil is the most plentiful, sweet, fruitful, and wholesome of the whole world.” They also brought two Algonquian-speaking men with them, Manteo and Wanchese, to help serve as translators for future voyages. With this glowing report of the new world, Sir Walter Raleigh accelerated his plans for English colonization of the North American coast. 
drawing; print study In 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh’s first colonization attempt set sail for Roanoke Island, which he named “Virginia” after Queen Elizabeth, the “Virgin Queen”. Six-hundred people and seven ships traveled across the Atlantic, prepped to create a military colony on Roanoke Island. Forbidden to leave England by Queen Elizabeth, Raleigh named Ralph Lane the leader of the military colony. He directed them to colonize Roanoke Island and form friendly relationships with the Native people, in contrast to the brutality he and the English had brought to the Irish. Over the course of a year, Raleigh’s colony set about exploring the new area, trading with Native people, and searching for riches to bring back to ensure Raleigh’s wealth. Trouble and poor decisions would lead to ruin for Raleigh’s first colony. In the summer of 1586 and on the verge of starvation, Ralph Lane went against Raleigh’s orders and led an attack against a Roanoke leader named Wingina. Lane and the military destroyed the village and killed Wingina, further damaging the relationship with the Algonquian-speaking people of Roanoke Island. With no resupply mission from Raleigh, the colonists decided to abandon the colony and return to England with the English privateer, Sir Francis Drake, in 1586. After the failure of the military colony, many of the wealthy English landowners who had supported Raleigh’s colony attempt withdrew their support and his favor began to wane in the English court. In the face of failure, Sir Walter Raleigh pressed on, hoping a new attempt could prove successful. 
Engraving by Claes Janszoon Visscher Raleigh funded one more colonization attempt in 1587 to Virginia, which would eventually become known as the “Lost Colony.” Many, including Raleigh himself, blamed the failure of the military colony on the military leaders. Instead of a military leader, Raleigh named artist John White governor of the new colony attempt. Pivoting away from a military colony, Raleigh and White sought to create an agricultural colony. And with a new colony, came a new destination. Instead of settling on Roanoke Island, the new colony would go further north to the Chesapeake Bay to begin the colony. Setting sail, the colony arrived at Roanoke Island in July only to become stranded by their navigator. Desperate for supplies, they sent Governor John White back to England to get assistance from Raleigh. By the time White returned to England, Sir Walter Raleigh’s attention had shifted from the New World colonists to supporting England in the oncoming war. Spain had begun preparations to send the Spanish Armada to invade England and Queen Elizabeth enlisted Raleigh to help lead the defense. Raleigh spent time preparing the navy and supplied its flagship, the Ark Royal. While England’s defense succeeded, the war prevented Raleigh from aiding the Roanoke Island colonists and John White until 1590. By the time White returned to the Roanoke Island colony, it had disappeared - as had Raleigh’s aspirations for English colonization of the New World. 
Elizabeth "Bess" Throckmorton by William Segar 1595 In 1591, Raleigh secretly married Elizabeth “Bess” Throckmorton, already pregnant with his child. In 1592, their marriage was discovered by Queen Elizabeth. The Queen banished both from court and imprisoned them in the Tower of London. Raleigh was able to convince the queen to temporarily release him from custody to engage in war with Spain. He managed to launch an attack against mainland Spain, succeeding at striking a blow against his Catholic enemy. Raleigh and Bess were both released in 1593 and welcomed their son Walter “Wat” Raleigh that year. In 1594, Raleigh made his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to search for the mythical city of gold “El Dorado” in South America. He spent time exploring what is now Guyana and eastern Venezuela but failed to substantiate the rumors of the golden city. On his return voyage, he traveled right past Croatoan, the supposed location of the Lost Colony, but made no attempt to stop and find his missing colonists. Upon his return, he published The Discovery of Guiana, an embellished account of his voyage and discoveries. The book helped to popularize the story of El Dorado across Europe. Raleigh continued attacking Spanish settlements and ships through the late 1590s. He also was appointed a member of parliament in 1597 and 1601. However, favor was not on Raleigh’s side. In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died. Raleigh's popularity had dwindled, and with his ally and protector gone, his s enemies began to work on taking him down. A prideful man with a habit of speaking his mind, Raleigh had developed many enemies in the English court. When the queen had been alive, Raleigh had been able to live freely and indulge his whims. However, months after her death, Raleigh was imprisoned for treason for his alleged involvement in the Main Plot against James I. Defending himself at trial, he avoided execution, but still was imprisonment in the Tower of London.
Time under Lock and Key While in the Tower of London, he wrote The Historie of the World, a very detailed but incomplete history from Biblical Genesis to the conquest of Macedon by Rome. The Historie of the World was intended to be part of a larger collection of works, but in 1617 Raleigh was pardoned and given another opportunity to return to Guyana in search of El Dorado. During this voyage, a group of Raleigh’s men led by Lawrence Kemys attacked a Spanish settlement, going against one of the terms of Raleigh’s pardon. Upon his return to England and with Spain pressuring King James I for retribution, Sir Walter Raleigh was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London for the third time. Sir Walter's Raleigh's Imprisonments in the Tower of London Sir Walter Raleigh's first imprisonment was by Queen Elizabeth I for his secret marriage to Elizabeth "Bess" Throckmorton and she had already given birth to their son, Damerei. They were both imprisoned in 1592 for several months, but were released shortly after their son died from plague.
His second imprisonment in the Tower of London came shortly after King James I ascended to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth I. Implicated in the Main Plot, a plot to overthrow King James and install Arabella Stuart as monarch. It is not clear if Raleigh was an active participant in the plot or framed, but either way he was arrested on treason and imprisoned in 1603. He expected to be executed, but King James decided to reduce his sentence to life imprisonment. He resided with his family in the relatively well-furnished Garden Tower until 1616 when he was released, but not pardoned by King James I.
Upon his return from South America in June of 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh was taken into custody and returned to the Tower of London. Instead of being lenient like before, King James I invoked the original punishment and sentenced Raleigh to death. On October 29th, 1618, Raleigh was executed outside of the Palace of Westminster.
Illustrator Unnamed, c. 1860 Legacy of Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh led a life of second chances. His ambition to see England rise to the top of European power led him to become the leading figure in England’s colonization efforts in the Western Hemisphere. Twice sending a colony to Roanoke Island, twice sailing to find “El Dorado”, thrice imprisoned in the Tower of London, he spent his life creating plans for England’s dominance, only for the plans to fall through. Even with his plans often failing, Sir Walter Raleigh cracked open the door for English colonization in North America, which would eventually lead to 13 colonies and a new country. |
Last updated: August 28, 2024