Walter Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh was born in Devon, England in 1554. He was educated at Oxford and in London. He joined several military campaigns around Europe, including tours in France, Ireland, and a naval conflict against Spain. Like many other explorers, his education and military background helped him get to the New World.

In 1578, he tried to sail to the Caribbean with his half-brother, Humphrey Gilbert. Although this was unsuccessful, he still managed to gain the favor of Queen Elizabeth I, who gave him land in Ireland and England. Because he was one of her favorite men, the queen refused to let Raleigh sail to the New World. He prepared the voyages and future colonists, but did not initially sail himself. Two attempts at colonization (the Roanoke colony) in 1587 and 1590 were unsuccessful. Although the colonists settled in the area briefly, conflicts with natives and a shortage of supplies led to their mysterious disappearance; this became known as the "Lost Colony."

In 1591, Raleigh lost the queen's favor, which gave him the freedom to sail to the New World. He headed his first expedition in 1595 to what was called Guiana, or modern-day Venezuela. Although he published a book (The Discoverie of the Large, Rich, and Bewtiful Empyre of Guiana) that stated England would grow rich enough from Guiana to challenge Spanish power, it did little to save his reputation. In fact, in 1603, he was accused of treason and was locked in the Tower of London until 1616. After his release, he traveled again to Guiana, which ended in disaster. Raleigh was executed in London in 1618.

Read more about the individual explorers:

Francis Drake | Christopher Newport | James Cook | John Smith | Walter Raleigh

Find out about their watercraft:

How They Got There | Once They Arrived

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English Exploration