Walter Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh lived from about 1554 to 1618. He was an English explorer, warrior, and writer.

Portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh smoking a pipe

He was a noble in the court of Queen Elizabeth I.

He tried to make a colony on Roanoke Island in North America. The colony was lost.

He left the Queen's court and gave his friend Edmund Spenser money to help him write.

Later, Raleigh was a hero in attacks against Spain.

King James I put him in prison for over a dozen years for treason. The king believed that Raleigh was in a plot against him. Raleigh wrote poetry and worked on a history book in prison. He was freed for a few years, but finally, the king had him executed.