Sir Walter Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh was a famous British Explorer and poet that rapidly gained power by courting Queen Elizabeth I with sweet words, earning the spot of becoming one of the Queen’s favorites. Sir Walter Raleigh was born sometime between 1552 and 1554 in Devonshire, a country that specialized in sheepherding and farming (Aronson 13 and Jolsinen). Raleigh was very tall considering the time he was born in being over six feet tall and had a very thick Devonshire accent (Batten). Raleigh had grown up hating the Catholic Church because of because of Queen Mary I executing people to change religions. Sir Walter Raleigh’s last name was pronounced “raw lee” rather than the assumed English pronunciation of it, “raw lay” (Batten and Jolsinen). However, no facts about his life at completely certain until February 1575 where he became a resident at the Temple (Jolsinen). Sir Walter Raleigh was named after his father, Walter Raleigh, who was married to Catherine Champernown. Sir Walter Raleigh’s half brothers were Sir Humphrey and Sir John Gilbert from his father’s first marriage (Batten); surprisingly, Sir Walter Raleigh was related to Sir Francis Drake due to Catherine being the daughter of Sir Philip Champernow (Sir Walter Raleigh Timeline). Raleigh ended up marrying the queen’s maid of honor, Elizabeth Throgmorton, commonly known as Bessie Throgmorton. Raleigh had two sons, one of them being named after himself and another named Carew. Raleigh also had an illegitimate daughter with a local woman called Alice Goold (Sir Walter Raleigh Timeline). Sir Walter Raleigh caught Queen Elizabeth’s attention by squashing an Irish Rebellion and fighting against the Spanish (Sir Walter Raleigh Timeline and Trueman). Sir Walter Raleigh gained power and wealth by courting Queen Elizabeth I with sweet words. Queen Elizabeth granted him many gifts for his devotion for her; one of her gifts being very profitable wine monopolies in which he grew

Cited: Aronson, Mark. Sir Walter Raleigh and the Quest for El Dorado. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company 2000 Batten, Jim. “Sir Walter Raeligh” British Explorers. 10 December. 2001. Web. 1 November 2012 Jolsinen, Annina. “Sir Walter Ralegh (1552-1618)” Luminarium Anthology of English Literature. 8 June 2012. Web. 30 October 2012  Trueman, Chris. “Sir Walter Raleigh” History Learning Site. 1 November 2012 “Sir Walter Raleigh Timeline” History Timelines. 20 September 2012. Web. 1 November 2012