Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1552-1618) lived a life marked by ambition, adventure, and ultimately, tragedy. As a young man, he quickly rose from obscurity to become one of Queen Elizabeth I‘s most favored courtiers. But after secretly marrying one of her maids of honor, he fell from grace and eventually met his end on the executioner‘s block. Through it all, his relationship with Elizabeth was a defining aspect of his storied career.
Solider of Fortune
Raleigh first made his mark as a soldier, fighting in the religious wars in France in the 1560s and the English colonial wars in Ireland in the 1570s. He gained a reputation for fearlessness and even ruthlessness. In the siege of Smerwick in 1580, he led the assault and subsequent massacre of hundreds of surrendered Spanish and Italian soldiers. These early experiences forged the opportunistic, hardened character that would define Raleigh as he set his sights on the English court.
Self-Made Courtier
When Raleigh arrived in London in 1581, he had little to his name but his wits, charisma, and military reputation. But he quickly caught the attention of Queen Elizabeth I, who was impressed by this dashing young officer. According to legend, Raleigh once laid his expensive cloak over a puddle so the queen wouldn‘t muddy her shoes – a grand chivalric gesture that symbolized his devotion.
Whether or not this story is true, Raleigh‘s skill at self-promotion and crafting his image is indisputable. As a contemporary observed, "He had a good presence in a handsome and well-compacted person, a strong natural wit, and a better judgment, with a bold and plausible tongue, whereby he could set out his parts to the best advantage." Raleigh wrote poetry, wore elegant fashions, and sponsored lavish entertainments to impress the queen and her court.
His efforts paid off as Elizabeth granted him generous land holdings, lucrative monopolies, and the right to colonize North America on behalf of the crown. In 1585, Raleigh was knighted and appointed vice-admiral and Lord Warden of the Stannaries, overseeing the tin mines in Cornwall and Devon. These Cornish connections may have inspired the tale of Raleigh introducing the pasty to England, as some legends claim.
Colonial Ambitions
Raleigh dreamed of establishing a permanent English foothold in the Americas to rival the Spanish empire. He personally financed several expeditions in the 1580s to Roanoke Island off the coast of present-day North Carolina. These were England‘s first attempts at settling the New World that Raleigh named "Virginia" in honor of the Virgin Queen.
Despite Raleigh‘s bold vision, the Roanoke colonies met with disaster. The first group of colonists abandoned the settlement after facing food shortages and hostile encounters with local Native Americans. They were rescued by an English fleet led by Sir Francis Drake in 1586.
Raleigh then sent a second group of over 100 men, women, and children to Roanoke in 1587, but when supply ships arrived three years later, they found the settlement abandoned with no trace of the colonists. Their fate remains a mystery to this day, with theories ranging from assimilation into local tribes to being lost at sea while attempting to sail back to England. Raleigh‘s detractors seized on the failure of the "lost colony" to attack his reputation.
"The Queen‘s Own"
Throughout this time, Raleigh remained in the queen‘s good graces, earning the nickname "the Queen‘s Own." One of Elizabeth‘s ladies-in-waiting noted, "The Queen‘s favour being so visibly declared for him, made him many enemies, which only added to her Majesty‘s favour of him."
Some contemporaries and later historians have speculated that Raleigh and Elizabeth‘s relationship went beyond the platonic. Henry Chettle‘s 1592 tract England‘s Mourning Garment alleges the queen found Raleigh "a most rare man for feature" and was unable to resist his abundant "Graces both of body and minde."
We can never know for certain the exact nature of their bond, but it‘s clear Elizabeth valued Raleigh as more than just another courtier. She granted him unusual privileges and access, like allowing him to remain seated in her presence. In the famous 1588 Armada Portrait, Elizabeth is depicted holding a globe with her fingers resting on North America – perhaps a symbolic reference to the man to whom she had granted a royal charter for Virginia.
Prisoner and Adventurer
This special status made Raleigh‘s betrayal in secretly marrying Elizabeth Throckmorton in 1591 all the more scandalous. A furious Elizabeth had the couple imprisoned in the Tower of London. After his release, Raleigh attempted to regain the queen‘s favor by launching an ambitious expedition in search of the fabled South American city of gold, El Dorado.
Though he failed to find this mythical treasure, Raleigh did explore the Orinoco River in present-day Venezuela and wrote a fanciful account of his adventures, The Discoverie of Guiana, in 1596. The book combined geographical description with self-serving exaggeration to justify further settlement and conquest. It would inspire future explorers for generations.
Fall and Execution
Elizabeth‘s death in 1603 marked the final downturn in Raleigh‘s fortunes. Her successor James I was suspicious of Raleigh‘s influence and ambition. Accused of plotting against the new king, Raleigh was again imprisoned in the Tower and sentenced to death.
In a desperate attempt to save himself, Raleigh proposed a second expedition to find El Dorado in 1616. James agreed but warned Raleigh would face the consequences if he angered the Spanish by violating their territory or attacking their colonies. When Raleigh‘s men did exactly that, the furious king reinstated Raleigh‘s death sentence.
Raleigh was beheaded outside Westminster Palace on October 29, 1618. He faced death with legendary aplomb, asking to see the axe and quipping, "This is a sharp Medicine, but it is a Physician for all Diseases." His final words as he laid his head on the block still resonate today: "Strike, man, strike!"
Legacy and Legend
In the centuries since his execution, Raleigh has been remembered as a swashbuckling adventurer, a visionary colonizer, a doomed romantic hero, and a Renaissance man of letters. His poems like "The Lie" and "The Nymph‘s Reply to the Shepherd" are still anthologized, while his unfinished book The History of the World, written during his imprisonment, was widely read and admired.
Raleigh‘s legend only grew after his death, with many apiocraphyl stories and artifacts attributed to him. Countless pubs and taverns claim to be the site where he first smoked tobacco. The state capital of North Carolina, an homage to the Roanoke colonies, is named Raleigh in his honor. Several US Navy warships have borne the name "USS Raleigh" as well.
Perhaps most enduringly, Raleigh‘s story has been romanticized as one of the great tragic love affairs of history. Stage plays, operas, novels, and films have depicted him as the queen‘s star-crossed lover, brought down by jealous rivals and his own reckless ambition. The 1955 Hollywood epic The Virgin Queen, starring Bette Davis as Elizabeth and Richard Todd as Raleigh, immortalized their relationship for a modern audience.
How much of this popular image is fact versus fiction remains a matter of debate for scholars. What‘s certain is that Raleigh‘s dazzling rise and precipitous fall, set against the backdrop of the Elizabethan golden age, has captivated the imaginations of generations. His life, interwoven with that of his queen, endures as one of the defining stories of his age.
Table: Timeline of Key Events in Walter Raleigh‘s Life
Year | Event |
---|---|
c. 1552 | Born in Devon, England |
1569 | Fights in the French religious wars |
1580 | Fights in the English colonial wars in Ireland |
1581 | Arrives at the court of Queen Elizabeth I |
1585 | Knighted and appointed vice-admiral |
1585-1587 | Sponsors the Roanoke colonies in North America |
1588 | Leads a naval expedition against the Spanish Armada |
1591 | Secretly marries Elizabeth Throckmorton |
1592 | Imprisoned in the Tower of London |
1595 | Leads an expedition in search of El Dorado |
1603 | Accused of treason following the death of Queen Elizabeth |
1603-1616 | Imprisoned in the Tower of London |
1616-1618 | Leads a second expedition to South America |
1618 | Executed for treason |