Full name: Walter Raleigh Born: 22nd January 1552 Place of Birth: Devon Occupation: Soldier, Explorer and Politician Died: 29th October 1618

As one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan era, Walter Raleigh was born in Devon on 22nd January 1552 and attended Oxford University, but later studied Law in London and it is believed he was largely taught by his sibling, Sir Humphery Gilbert.  Humphery Gilbert had explored the New World by permission of the Queen, which inspired Raleigh to explore the New World himself. 

Born into a protestant family, Raleigh joined the military at a young age and served in a number of military campaigns in Europe, including those in France, Spain and Ireland.

In 1578, Raleigh embarked on an exploration from Plymouth to explore the New World on a ship called 'The Falcon' with his half brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, who sailed on the Anne Archer ship, during which time, Raleigh devised a plan to found a colony.  Unfortunately, the expedition was unsuccessful and the two ships were forced to return to England due to poor hygiene conditions and a lack of edible food on board. 

Raleigh and Gilbert were banned from sailing again, until 1583, when Raleigh commissioned Gilbert to embark on another exploration aboard Bark Raleigh, which failed after Gilbert died during the return journey.

Raleigh sponsored and organised the first English colony in Roanoke Island (now North Carolina) and had plans to colonise Virginia, but the plans unfortunately failed.  However, Raleigh's help in Ireland to prevent a rebellion in Munster and his plans to colonise the New World captured Elizabeth I's attention and lead him to be knighted and subsequently chosen to be Captain of the Queen's Guard.

In 1584, Raleigh become an MP and Governor of Jersey and acquired a large estate in Ireland.  However, Raleigh became highly unpopular with the Queen due to a secret marriage between him and one of the Queen's maids of honour.

Consequently, Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London along with his new wife but was released several years later. In an attempt to redeem himself, Raleigh decided to embark on an expedition to discover the 'El Dorado', which was thought to be located in Guiana.

Unfortunately, Raleigh's expedition failed and the successor to the throne, King James I took a dislike to him and Raleigh  was imprisoned for the second time.  During Raleigh's 12 years in the Tower of London, he successfully wrote Volume One of his 'History of the World'. 

After Raleigh's second release, he was given the chance to complete the 'El Dorado' expedition again but failed for the second time, which lead to his execution on 29th October 1618.