Walter Raleigh was born in 1552, at a time when England's young King, Edward VI, ruled over his country, oblivious to the disease that would soon besiege and devour his body, ushering in an era of political and royal instability. However, in the fertile and prosperous Devonshire fields, Walter Raleigh could not have been more from the befuddled capital. Raleigh grew up at Hayes Barton, a lovely farmhouse in the parish of East Budleigh, and his affection for the place never faded, for when the property went out of the family in 1584, the enamored Raleigh tried to buy it back.
'I much rather seat myself there than anyplace else because of the natural tendency I have to the location, having born in that house,' he wrote to the new owner. Raleigh's proposal was ultimately rejected, demonstrating a rare instance in which his flashy and enticing writing style could not obtain his desires. This poised finesse, on the other hand, would ultimately bore fruit, and it would be the ripest sort.
Raleigh, as a young man, jammed an abnormal number of 'careers' into his healthful and crowded life: courtier, navigator, poet, writer, adventurer, sailor, and soldier, to name a few. To convey all facets of such a rich life within the constraints of these pages, it is essential to skim over those aspects in which he had a minor role, even though these were rare moments when he fell from prominence. His multi-faceted attitude to life cements his place as one of English history's most captivating figures, a guy filled with brilliance and a dazzling imagination, but also with a rascally and roguish streak. Raleigh's richly multifarious character appealed greatly to Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen," who elevated him to such dizzying heights before a resounding fall from grace and an ultimate engagement with the headsman, whereupon, as we shall see, Raleigh still managed to entertain the masses with his usual ebullience despite the quite horrible circumstances.
Raleigh was born into a well-connected aristocratic family, but his origins were modest, especially in comparison to his spectacular climb to fame under Elizabeth I. When his father married Katherine Champernowne in 1548, he was the offspring of his father's third marriage. Raleigh was a child who was bursting with energy, which he never let go of, and who worked tirelessly on the farm while still succeeding academically. Raleigh's studying prowess was bolstered by a natural skepticism and inquisitiveness; to him, ancient philosophers were not the wellspring of all knowledge that they were sometimes supposed to be, but rather a topic of critical analysis.
Raleigh's allegiance to the Protestant religion was one thing he was confident about. In his early years, Sunday school attendance was required, and it helped to form the basis of his firm convictions. Furthermore, Raleigh had a strong dislike for Catholicism, owing in part to the persecution of his father, Walter Raleigh senior, at the hands of the previous ruler, Mary I, a Catholic queen. The most famous of these events was his father urgently seeking sanctuary in a church tower from papal agents in order to avoid punishment.
The threat was quite genuine at the time; in Mary's final four years of rule, there were no less than 288 executions, all for practicing the Protestant faith. However, her death in 1558 brought great joy: Elizabeth I had finally ascended to the throne, and with her came an unwavering promise to re-establish the English Protestant Church, a defender of the reformed religion who now promised the Raleigh ménage boundless hope.
Raleigh was already far advanced by academic study at Oxford by the time he was in his late adolescent years, becoming a respected ornament of the juniors, particularly competent in oratory and philosophy. It was here that he discovered his lifelong love of poetry, but he could never have imagined that one day he would write rhymes for his beloved queen. His childhood education included instruction in the skills of being a gentleman and a soldier, but it also included an in-depth understanding of the oceans and naval warfare that would prove crucial.
Indeed, he had previously earned real experience in this spirit, with his hands bloodied in a ruthless combat overseas in behalf of the Huguenots, a group of French Protestants mired in civil conflict, with Raleigh supporting for Calvinistic cause in France. This first taste of travel adventure piqued the man's interest, leaving him with an insatiable desire that he would need to satiate on a regular basis for the rest of his life. Raleigh's exploring enthusiasm was piqued in 1578 when he set out with his half-brother Sir Humphrey Gilbert in pursuit of new regions and territories that had not yet been claimed.
The main goal of the initiative was to rally landed-class Catholics to "build estates in the new world," most likely in the Caribbean. Raleigh took his first thrilling bow as captain, steering the Falcon and its seventy-five-strong company. The ship was small, and the conditions were crowded and difficult. Perpetual deluges ensured that the crew slept on folded sails between the cannons near to the waterline, guaranteeing that the men stayed in constant misery, their skin rotting moist. Those were the ones that were lucky.
Others suffered from dysentery, while others suffered from typhus. At best, edible offerings were filthy, but attempted theft of the foul things resulted in an offender's hand being nailed to the mast for a while before being removed. After that, the stump would be soaked in oil as a lasting memento and a strong deterrence to others. The perilous conditions Raleigh and his crew faced insured that for many of them, it would be their last expedition. The mission, as it was, was forced to return to Plymouth in May 1579 when a large proportion of the crew perished.
Raleigh and his crew never made it to their target, and the expedition devolved into a privateering raid on Spanish ships. Because of the infamy of his reckless acts, the monarch's counsellors in her Privy Council made a sardonic reference to the ill-fated journey. Both Gilbert and Raleigh were barred from going on future journeys; if Raleigh wanted to develop, he would have to find other ways to do so. Raleigh had returned to London in 1580, a young man on the outside of court. He craved for a role inside it, intoxicated by the pomp and ritual. When he and another young courtier were dragged before the Privy Council following a disagreement that culminated in six days in Fleet Prison with the aim of 'cooling his heels,' the turbulent part of his nature appeared to stifle this ambition even more. He was freed on the condition that he behave himself, but before his heels had even begun to cool, he was hauled before the Council for an affray on a tennis court in Whitehall and sentenced to Marshalsea Prison. Neither task was very difficult; in fact, the young upstart would have faced considerably more difficult conditions at sea, but both events demonstrate the zeal with which a young man eager to show his identity asserted himself.
Raleigh was dispatched to Ireland in leadership of a band of soldiers to participate in the Second Desmond Rebellion because of his unyielding demeanor. The first such uprising took place in response to English incursions into the 'Desmond' regions of South-West Ireland, which now include the counties of Cork and Kerry. After Elizabeth's army crushed the insurrection, a four-year conflict concluded in 1573. Despite the fact that Ireland was one of her two kingdoms, Elizabeth's Irish subjects despised her in a country where Catholicism was strong. To prevent insurrection rebels from supplying Spain with a base from which to attack England, her courtiers were handed Irish estates - Ireland and Spain were joined in the Catholic cause.
The Second Desmond Rebellion, which began in 1579 and ended in 1580, made a considerably bloodier mark on history, and Raleigh was personally involved in it. The Pope and King of Spain had despatched 300 Italian and Spanish troops to Ireland, and Raleigh and his forces are supposed to have slain them all. The fatal papal soldiers landed in reaction to growing discontent with English authority in the area, which stemmed mostly from religious conflict, with the rebels desperately striving to defend Catholicism against the Protestant Queen Elizabeth.
Concerns that English policy was eradicating Gaelic customs, along with the central government's encroachment on feudal lords' estates, all contributed to spark the insurgency in the south of Ireland. After four years of violent battle, the crown's armies halted the insurrection once more, and our man distinguished himself with his brutality, garnering him respect as a military hero in many quarters. As a result of the unsuccessful rebellions, Munster was colonized by a group of English immigrants. Indeed, with the confiscation and subsequent distribution of property resulting from the uprising, Raleigh was granted 40,000 acres, propelling him to one of Munster's most powerful landowners. His exploits in Ireland had also enchanted the queen of the realm, and his copious communications to the Privy Council had served as a beguiling reminder of his existence to its grandees. Walter Raleigh now looked to be firmly placed on the path of royal homage, which he so dearly desired. His name was sweeping the country, and it was on everyone's lips. He became a magical and captivating person, the figurehead of inspirational adventures that were retold across the nation, forcefully encapsulating the tale that he was living. The antiquarian Thomas Fuller recounted one of the most famous of these tales in his History of the Worthies of England:
'This Captain Raleigh, travelling from Ireland to the English court as was his custom, saw the queen strolling till she came to a splashy location and seemed to hesitate proceeding thereon.' Raleigh then put his new plush cloak on the ground, on which the queen softly stepped.' The account's veracity is debatable, given Fuller's predilection for exaggeration; yet, the gallant narrative captures a mythos that was quickly embracing the ambitious Raleigh, as well as showcasing the bond he would strive to establish with his queen.
Raleigh's physical strength complemented his dominating and assured demeanor. He was well shaped for the job of courtier, standing 6 feet tall with plenty of black, curling hair and a natural swagger, exuding an authority that even the queen couldn't ignore. While this new face at court reflected rivalry and danger to his peers, it was a symbol of Elizabeth's increased vitality and enthusiasm. Raleigh, in his prime of strength and beauty, seemed to be transforming himself into the ideal Elizabethan courtier, whom she was desperate to have at her side.
Raleigh's performance as a courtier was unbroken from 1582 to 1586, as far as can be seen. He assumed a secret seat by the queen's side, albeit despite his clout with her, he never rose to the Privy Council's upper echelons, for if Raleigh, so brilliant in so many domains, had a hole in his arsenal of skills, it was a flaw in statecraft. Despite being surrounded by 'great noblemen,' Elizabeth was reported to 'adore Walter Raleigh beyond all others,' according to the recordings of a Pomeranian diarist chronicling a meal at Greenwich in 1584.
Being considered in such high regard resulted in the accumulation of enormous fortune. As the lucky recipient of gifts and titles from his queen, he began to reap enormous benefits. Stolney and Newland, two estates, were awarded to him in 1583. In the same year, he was granted a licensing duty on the sale of wines, for which each winemaker in the United Kingdom was had to pay Raleigh a charge of 20 shillings per year. Raleigh was given an estate at Sherborne, Dorset, and Durham House in the Strand, as well as a plethora of titles, culminating in a knighthood in 1585.
Raleigh was promoted to captain of the queen's guard two years later. He received a royal licence allowing him to explore and colonize "any distant, heathen, and barbarian territories" in North America. For the seven years that his patent was valid, he was entrusted with wide rights and freedoms, and while Raleigh himself never visited these regions, his delegation abilities were properly developed. Raleigh's power at court had grown, and his queen was overjoyed as he used his clever charm to woo her even more. He financed an expedition landing near North Carolina, claiming the country for himself and christening it 'Virginia' in honor of his virgin queen, although being ordered to remain at court with her. This royal servant was many things, with a mastery of courteous flattery undoubtedly at the top of the list.
Raleigh returned with a plethora of goods, including rare flora and cuisines, as well as some of the indigenous who would serve Elizabeth's court. Raleigh's overtures and extravagant gestures, on the other hand, did not win over everyone in Elizabeth's court. He had few allies or even friends there, and despite catching the attention of the woman who mattered most, he was a loner - a prisoner of his own ego and confidence. Despite this, he was not universally disliked in court. It's almost inevitable that a guy with his bold panache and alluringly attractive looks would be seductive to some in Elizabeth's court.
Elizabeth 'Bess' Throckmorton, one of her Majesty's ladies-in-waiting, verified this to be accurate. When she initially emerged among the crowd of vestals that encircled the queen, she was a youthful and fresh-faced 19-year-old with comparable characteristics to Raleigh himself: she was brilliant, courageous, and ravenous, but Raleigh, now in his early forties, was significantly older. Nonetheless, the disparity did nothing to dampen the passion that formed between the two, who fell deeply in love with one another and embarked on a perilous relationship that would lead to terrible results. Bess became pregnant in the summer of 1591, necessitating the couple's covert marriage. The necessity for concealment may not be clear at this time, but it arose from Queen Elizabeth's need for full allegiance from those who surrounded her. The fact that a covert tryst was taking place within arm's reach would be disappointing if the romance was discovered.
The'secret' of Bess' pregnancy was unavoidably short-lived as her maternal bloom matured. Bess gave birth to a baby boy named Damerei, who was promptly 'sent out to a wet nurse' so that Bess could keep her job in court, with Raleigh arranging for his baby and nurse to be taken to Durham House. Efforts to keep the farce going were in vain when the marriage was uncovered on May 31, 1592.
The union had not been granted royal approval, enraging Elizabeth, who was enraged by the apparent secrecy displayed by two of her more favored confederates. Bess was quickly relieved of her responsibilities and imprisoned in the Tower of London alongside her husband. Raleigh, who had formerly been her favorite, had fallen into a hole of almost recoverable dishonor with his queen. Her gaze had also drifted, turning to a new suitor: the Earl of Essex, a 20-year-old 'petulant beauty' who was now receiving loving glances from his queen, a suitable Raleigh replacement. Raleigh and his wife have been subjected to what appears to be harsh punishment.
Some critics have linked Elizabeth's abhorrence of the violation of trust to romantic jealousy, although there is no evidence for this. There was clearly devotion heaped on Raleigh, so such an idea is not absurd nor unusual; romantic gossip is a common one, and even if baseless in this case, it adds a new element of intrigue to Elizabeth's connection with her most known courtier. Raleigh's stay in the Tower was brief, and he was freed when Elizabeth requested his maritime experience to monitor an unruly crew who had arrived in England with a cargo of confiscated Spanish goods.
Perhaps this move exposes what Raleigh was to Elizabeth: a pawn to be exploited rather than a major figure in some bizarre love affair. Raleigh's elevated ego as a somewhat irreplaceable and vital adviser to the queen was no doubt bolstered by the release and request. Lady Raleigh was incarcerated for several months after her husband's release, despite the fact that tragedy played a role. Damerei perished when he was a baby, a victim of the terrible epidemic, and Elizabeth bowed sympathetically to the bereaved mother. Although the two had recovered their freedom, the queen's trust and affection had vanished forever. The pair was effectively exiled from court and life, and they began a new life at Sherborne, Raleigh's country home.
Bess became pregnant again in early 1593, this time without concealment, and Walter, 'Wat,' was born. Raleigh had spent most of his time to learning and writing, and he had found home happiness for a time, but he continued to travel frequently, ever the thrill-seeker. In 1595, he set sail for Guyana, penning a fantasy tale of it as an astonishing gold-rich place where gold could be pulled easily from the ground upon his return. Raleigh's boasts enticed a slew of following gold-diggers eagerly swept up in his propaganda-fuelled literature, and his claims enticed a host of subsequent gold-diggers greedily swept up in his propaganda-fuelled texts.
Of course, a man with such a devotion to his queen, especially one in the mold of Raleigh, could not remain in obscurity permanently. Raleigh set about recovering royal favor, and despite Elizabeth's adamant opposition to the marriage, he remained faithful to his young wife. However, in the later half of the sixteenth century, Raleigh regained some royal favor. Raleigh had long ago achieved his pinnacle, his fame and money far exceeding anything he could have imagined, but there was only one way for him to fall – and he did so magnificently. Nonetheless, true to form, the man's fortitude guaranteed a partial recovery.
Raleigh and his opponent, the Earl of Essex, were ordered on a daring naval expedition against the Spanish port of Cadiz in 1596 by the queen. The attack was mostly preventative, leaving the port worthless if Spain attempted to embark a fresh armada, the first and most famous of which having already been sunk in 1588. Raleigh received gunshot wounds to his leg as a serving reminder of his heroics as Cadiz was assaulted and eventually annihilated. Raleigh's value had increased again upon his return, so maybe this outward symbol of bravery impressed Elizabeth as well. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Dorset in 1597, and then for Cornwall a few years later.
Raleigh looked to have been re-elevated to great heights in the eyes of his queen, but his good fortune was short-lived. The death of Queen Elizabeth on March 24, 1603, marked the end of the Elizabethan era and decades of female authority. It was also a doomsday scenario for Walter Raleigh. When Scotland's James VI replaced Elizabeth, Raleigh's terrain changed radically. The new king, unlike Elizabeth, was unimpressed by Raleigh's charms. Furthermore, while being a Protestant, James was keen to strengthen relations with Spain, which ran against to Raleigh's vehement loathing of Catholicism and of Spain herself, who had effectively been Raleigh's constant nemesis. His many adversaries at court relished in poisoning the king's mind against him, and his political opponents jumped at the chance. Raleigh's past influence over the queen had angered Secretary of State Robert Cecil. He convinced King James to remove Raleigh's titles and privileges after being unhappy for so long under Raleigh's shadow. Raleigh's exclusive trading rights were lost once he was dismissed as captain of the guard and governor of Jersey, and he was also compelled to vacate Durham House.
Raleigh's new 'home' was a familiar one, but not one that brought back fond memories. His opponents plotted against him in the most heinous way possible. Following King James' accession to the throne, his new people first delighted that a "natural order" had been restored, but their joy was short-lived. The Catholics in England had hoped for and expected more tolerance under their new monarch, but this desire was never realized, leading to a rebellion. Raleigh was wrongly accused of being involved in the 'Main Plot,' an effort to depose the new king and replace him with his cousin, Lady Arbella Stuart. Despite the fact that the evidence against Raleigh was shaky at best, he was charged with treason and imprisoned in the Tower once more.
Raleigh's sentiments of miserable despair overpowered him in late July 1603 while awaiting trial.
The outcome of a treason trial in the seventeenth century was a predetermined conclusion, and many who had formerly swooned at his queen's stylistic and ceremonial connection now enjoyed the prospect of his guilt. Raleigh, however, did not. In the Tower, he attempted to'murder himself' by stabbing himself with a table knife. Cecil viewed the acts as fairly humorous, rather than being aroused into a sympathetic state: Raleigh had hurt himself under the right pap, but not mortally, since it was more of a cut than a stab.
Whether or whether the assassination attempt on his life was real, Raleigh was well aware of the gravity of his predicament. His trial in Winchester on November 17, 1603, just verified this, with him being found guilty and put to death, with royal authority pronouncing a sentence of hanging before mutilation. None of the charges against Raleigh were proven, and as one of the judges later stated, "that trial injured and degraded England's justice." His punishment appeared to stem solely from the fact that he was Sir Walter Raleigh.
King James, on the other hand, surprisingly granted compassion to the prisoner, deferring the death sentence and assuring that Raleigh would be housed in the Tower for the next thirteen years.
Raleigh's imprisonment there did not correspond to a time of excruciating barbarity, despite the Tower's ominous reputation. The Tower, which dates from 1066, was seen as a symbol of governmental authority and dread, an intimidating display of power and dominance. It was not, however, constructed as a jail and hence lacked specialized 'accommodation' for detention. In truth, it served as a barren staging area for those who were to be killed, and any associated exaggerations of its cruelty would only aid in extracting confessions from tight-lipped captives.
Raleigh's rooms were opulent enough for a man of his stature. He was given two rooms, both of which were reasonably big and well-furnished. Raleigh continued to add to his maze of powers and develop upon existing ones despite being deprived of his array of titles and being regarded 'civilly dead.' He nurtured exotic plants from seeds he obtained from his trips across the world, brewed herbal medications and treatments, and was self-taught in pharmacy expertise. As his confinement grew more bleak, more of the man's stateliness and vigor appeared.
Many an excellent work has been produced in a prison, often destined for eternity, and Raleigh began work on his own in 1614: The Historie of the World, an amazing testament to his intellectual abilities and, although being unfinished, highly cherished. Despite his love of writing, Raleigh's undisputed highlights were visits from Bess, demonstrating that her love and dedication for her ailing husband had not waned. Indeed, the couple expanded their family in 1605, with Bess giving birth to a second son, Carew, in the Tower itself. Raleigh, who had become quite the draw, was not his only guest. On his regular forays into the gardens, the general public would flock to view the guy, peering inside his limits to catch a sight of the famous figure. The king's son, Henry, Prince of Wales, paid Raleigh visits, chastising him for his father's conduct and claimed that "only my father would cage such a bird."
Perhaps his son's remarks wounded the king's conscience, since in 1617, he temporarily freed Raleigh, allowing him to lead a second trip in quest of the famous El Dorado and its rumored gold mine. Raleigh's fateful journey would be his last. A group of Raleigh's soldiers attacked a Spanish garrison on the Orinoco River, despite pledges to the contrary. These rash acts were in flagrant violation of the Spanish peace accords, and probably definitely against Raleigh's own orders. Raleigh was now a fragile copy of the enthusiastic guy who had sought the plentiful silver in the first place. Worse yet, during the Spanish skirmishing, Raleigh's son, Wat, was slain, guaranteeing that Raleigh's return trip was a tragically bereft one. Raleigh returned to England with no gold and a resounding failure to avert hostilities with Spain; the trip had been a complete failure. King James was incensed by the activities, which he saw as an invitation to more hostilities with Spain. The Spanish Ambassador, Count Gondomar, requested Raleigh's death, and James had no choice but to carry out Count Gondomar's demand and invoke Raleigh's original sentence from 1603.
The world's attention had been drawn to the star, but he was cruelly put back into the Tower, where he would be executed. However, this time the detention was brief. Raleigh seemed unconcerned about his imminent demise; instead, he seemed to be empowered by an unyielding desire to confront death with dignity and without fear. 'Thou shalt see, when I come to the sorrowful part, I shall look at it like a man,' he informed friend Charles Thynne. He also stated that 'dying by some fever' was better to the brutalized way of his impending death. Raleigh's idealized taste sprang from a place of macabre knowledge and experience accumulated over his years, not to mention the fact that he had experienced firsthand the dying moments of many a subject.
Sir Walter Raleigh was transported to the Old Palace Yard at the Palace of Westminster on October 29, 1618, to confront the axeman. Raleigh had already had a hearty meal and smoked some tobacco with an almost delighted flippancy. He dressed brilliantly for his final public appearance, knowing that it would be a much-anticipated event; he donned a satin doublet with embroidered waistcoat and nightcap, as well as silk stockings, all wrapped gracefully beneath a black velvet cloak. Raleigh cared about his image even at his last moments.
The gloomy pageant had drawn large people, as Raleigh had predicted. They would see the majestic murder of an innocent man, and with it, the death of the last Elizabethan. Raleigh was somewhat disturbed as he made his way through the masses to the scaffold. It's his stage. This was his last chance to win the hearts of the people, to show off his courage and chivalry, and to please and delight his audience. His customary calm was immediately recovered once he was on it. He tossed his hat and nightcap aside and offered money to the onlookers. He then removed his robe and doublet in dramatic way before requesting the headsman to show him the axe that would shortly be raining down upon him. The man paused, perplexed.
'I beseech thee, show it to me.'
Do you think I'm scared of it?'
Raleigh ran his finger over the blade's edge.
'This is a potent drug, but it is a doctor who will treat all of my ailments.'
Raleigh gladly agreed to the executioner's request for pardon. He sat down on the block with his head on the block. He had refused to wear a blindfold and had planned ahead of time to show his preparedness for the axe by stretching out his hands. Raleigh was finally all set to go. He took a step forward. Then there's that. Even still, the headsman paused. We'll never know whether his fear sprang from awed admiration for his illustrious victim or from a belief that the execution was unfair. However, it is apparent that Raleigh wanted to say something definitive and reassuring to his uncertain headsman, embodying his bold bravery:
‘What dost thou fear? Strike man, strike!’ And, strike he did. Then again. Raleigh’s severed head was displayed to each side of the scaffold. Those who witnessed Raleigh’s execution documented that he behaved with ‘outstanding dignity and bravery’. This only enhanced the palpable sense of grief amongst those in attendance; indeed, even the executioner, when holding up Raleigh’s cleaved head, could not bring himself to muster the usual words, ‘behold the head of a traitor.’ Bess, who had recently divorced her husband, carried his head home in a red leather bag that evening. It was embalmed and placed in a cabinet afterwards to show off her husband's numerous admirers. It's easy to see Raleigh being overjoyed by such an outpouring of eternal love. The Elizabethan epic had come to an end, dead but never forgotten, and this, too, is a legacy that would delight the most famous courtier of his day.