The Life Experiences of Sir Walter Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh was a soldier, writer, and English adventurer. He  was known for his courage and bravery. He had become favored by the Queen for this. Because of this Raleigh became captain of the guard and was knighted. Sir Walter Raleigh organized three big expeditions to America. His courage gained him some favor with the Queen.  He was to lead an expedition to the new world which in his failure caused his death. 

In 1552 Sir Walter Raleigh was born in England to Catherine Champernowne and Walter Raleigh. He was born into a very wealthy family that was well connected. HIs father was a father so their family lived on a farm. Before he went off to serve in the army, Sir Walter studied at Oxford college in England. After his studies he went and joined the Huguenot army in the French religious war. He spent five years in France and was able to safely go through two major battles and the of St. Bartholomew's day. He was lucky in the fact that more than seventy thousand French Protestants were killed. 

In 1576 Sir Walter Raleigh was a lodger at the Middle Temple in London. There he got to see his poems in print. The temporary state of all living things was one of Walters personal favorite poetic themes, which was also popular with the other poets of the Renaissance. Then after that Raleigh with his half brother Sir Humphrey Gilbert, went on a voyage in search of a Northwest Passage to the Orient. The mission then changed to a privateering mission against the Spanish, where Raleigh hired out his ship to attack the spanish. Once Raleigh returned the king and council were displeased with his actions and had him imprisoned twice in six months for disturbing the peace.

After he got out of jail explored North America from North California to present day Florida and named the region Virginia in honor of Elizabeth. Then in 1587 Raleigh sent off on a second expedition of colonists to Roanoke. He took part in the victory in 1588 over the Spanish Armada. Raleigh then without Elizabeth’s knowledge he went and got married to one of her maids of honor Bessy Throckmorton. Elizabeth did not like that and he was sent back to jail. He was released yet again and went on an expedition to Guianna to search for el dorado. Which he ended up introducing the potato plant and tobacco use to England and Ireland.

King James l and Queen Elizabeth both now had lost their trust of Raleigh and feared him. They charged him with treason and condemned him to death. His death sentence was then stopped and he was released to search for gold in South America. While on the mission Raleigh invaded and pillaged Spanish territory at the time when King James l was seeking peace with Spain. So Raleigh was forced home before he got any gold and was arrested and given his original sentence. Sir Walter Raleigh was charged with treason and beheaded. His body was buried in St. Margaret’s Church in Westminster and his head was given to his wife. It is claimed that his wife kept his head in a red velvet bag at her side until she died.

Sir Walter Raleigh was an adventurer who explored the world. He was well known and liked by many, he was even once a favorite of Queen Elizabeth. Sir Walter was known for being courageous and brave. He had many accomplishments like bringing potatoes and tobacco to England, discovering new colonies, and exploring for England. Raleigh was an adventurer, soldier, writer, and poet.