MAN OF THE WORLD
Sir Walter Ralegh’s extraordinary life
Walter Ralegh is born at Hayes Barton, Devon. Having become a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I (right), Ralegh receives a patent for the exploration of the New World. Ralegh is knighted. He supports the first Roanoke settlement in ‘Virginia’. Ralegh is used by Queen Elizabeth to write a patriotic account of the fate of the Revenge, the only ship lost to Spain during years of war, so turning a naval loss into a moral triumph.
Ralegh sails to South America and subsequently publishes an account of his experiences in The Discovery of Guiana. Death of King James’s son Prince Henry, believed to be a supporter of Ralegh. Ralegh’s History of the World is published. He also writes Dialogue Between a Counsellor of State and a Justice of Peace. Ralegh joins the English army in Ireland. Elizabeth I has Ralegh imprisoned following his secret marriage to Bess Throckmorton and the birth of their son, Damerei. Two more sons, Walter and Carew, follow Elizabeth I dies. Ralegh is found guilty of treason after being accused of participating in the ‘Main Plot’ to unseat the new king, James VI and I. Ralegh is released from the Tower to lead an expedition to find gold in ‘Guiana’. He sets sail the following year. After his troops attack a Spanish outpost in South America – against King James’s orders – Ralegh’s death sentence is reinstated. He is executed on 29 October.