About
Walter Raleigh was an English explorer, statesman, and writer of the Elizabethan era. A favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, he organized the first English attempts to colonize North America, including the Roanoke colony, and named the region 'Virginia'. He took part in expeditions against Spain and explored the Orinoco River in search of El Dorado. Imprisoned under James I for treason, he wrote his History of the World. Executed in 1618, he remains an iconic figure of Elizabethan England.
* 1552-01-22 — † 1618-10-28
Major works
- The Discoverie of the Large, Rich, and Bewtiful Empyre of Guiana (1596)travel account
- The History of the World (1614)history
- The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherdpoem
- The Ocean to Cynthiapoem
Key milestones
- 1585Sponsored the Roanoke colony, the first English attempt to colonize North America.
- 1595Led an expedition on the Orinoco in search of El Dorado.
- 1603Convicted of treason under James I, imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Themes
Exploration and colonizationPower and courtHistory and writingImprisonment and executionElizabethan poetry
Sources: npg.org.uk · bbc.co.uk · encyclopediavirginia.org