This man, Walter Raleigh has accomplished numerous astonishing feats. Through out his life he was a poet, writer, explorer, solider, knight, and a sponsored many expeditions. He was one of the most vibrant men in English history. He made name for himself at battles in both, France and Ireland. When he came back home to England, he became the preferred of Queen Elizabeth the first. He also structured and sponsored expeditions to the New World.
Raleigh was a man of visualization. He was born in the county of Devon, England around fifteen fifty four. His father’s name was also Walter. His mother’s name was Katherine. She was Walter’s third wife because of his father’s preceding marriages; Walter also had five half brothers and five half sisters. In Raleigh’s near the beginning years of life, there were plenty of things that were inspirational. At an adolescent age, Walter heard tales of wealth in remote land. He heard tales of pirates, which excited him. His Father also participated in privateering journey with the famous Drake family. Privateering means an armed private ship licensed to attack at your opponent’s ship. So now when he was bounded by such things, he was conducted in the direction of a life full of adventure.
Little is known about Walter's life until he was a young adult. Some historians believe that he and his brothers attended the school of Ottery St. Mary. During Walter’s youth, there was much turmoil in England. Protestants and Catholics were constantly fighting for religious control. In 1569, Walter traveled to France. Over there, he joined the Huguenots, also called the French Protestants, in their fight against Catholicism. The battles were terrifying, and the Huguenots were defeated.
During his lifetime he also has written a book called The History of the World. Nothing, however, is known with certainty of his life until February 1575, when he was resident in the Temple. It is also known that Walter had become the favorite of Queen Elizabeth the first and has kept a very strong relationship with him. Legend says that because Walter put his cloak down on mud for the Queen, so that her feet would not get muddy. Now because of this, she gave him land in Ireland and permission to form colonies in North America. He also received special trade privileges.
Since Raleigh’s youth, men of courage and adventure had surrounded him. Now, he actually wanted to sail off and experience bigger experiences. Unfortunately the queen liked to keep the people she liked close to her. This meant he could not leave his England. So he participated in adventures from his London home called the Durham House. In 1583, Gilbert was planning an expedition to establish a colony in North America. Now, Raleigh could not join them, so he happily contributed money and a ship. On June 11, Gilbert sailed off on Bark Raleigh. And then he was never seen again. So Raleigh asked if he could take over Gilbert's Patent. The Queen agreed and him a six-year patent. But, she did not let go of him.
In April 1584, he sent out an expedition to the New World. The small fleet sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. After the ships reached West Indies, they turned north to follow the North American coast. The crew finally arrived at the Outer Banks. This island chain is part of today's North Carolina. In July, the men walked onto North Carolina's mainland. In September the crew returned to England. The brought two natives with them; Manteo and Wanchese. The crew also had some samples of tobacco and potatoes. This quickly led to plans for another expedition. He decided to name it Virginia. The Queen rewarded Raleigh for his role in claiming part of North America. She knighted him on January 6, 1585. On April 9, about 600 sailors left Plymouth, England. On July 3, they reached Roanoke Island. Grenville soon returned to England for more supplies. Their food storage had become low and Grenville still had not returned yet. In June 1586, Sir Frances Drake at Roanoke. And everyone jumped up for he was the hope of going back to England.
In around 1588 Raleigh had gotten married to Elizabeth Throckmoton. In 1592 she had her first child, which unfortunately did not survive. Raleigh was freed in 1592. In 1593 they had their second child which was named Walter. And then a second son Carew, who was born a few years later. Raleigh and his men sailed to what is called Venezuela. There Raleigh surprised everyone with his respect towards the Native. With their help, the expedition reached to Orinoco River. In London on October 29, 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh was executed. Sir Walter Raleigh has contributed a lot to the exploration to the New World. He has achieved a lot, and to get there he has worked a lot. We all should praise him for doing so great.
By: Stuti
