Sir Walter Ralegh ( Raleigh)1552-1618
Sir Walter Raleghwas a British explorer,aristocrat, poet, writer,soldier, courtier,and a man of many letters.Hewas born probably in 1552, though the date is not quite certain. He was a talker interested in philosophy,a student of mathematics and an aid to navigation.He studied chemistry and compounded medical formulas. He introduced tobacco to Europe
He rose rapidly in Queen Elizabeth 1's favour,being knighted in 1585. Between 1584 and 1589 he had established a colony in Roanoke Island which is now called North Carolina, which he named Virginia (the first English colony in the New World.In 1587, Raleigh attempted a second expedition which is now remembered as "Last Colony".In 1595, he led an expedition to Venezuela, in South America, up the Orinoco River in the heart of Spain's colonial empire.Spanish documents and stories told by Indians had convinced him of the excistence of El Dorado, a supposedly fabulous city of gold in the interior of South America. He did locate some gold mines, but no one supported his project for colonizing the area. In 1596 he went with Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, on an unsuceessful expedition to the Spanish city Cadiz.He was Essex's rear admiral on an expedition to Azores. They found some gold in Cadiz.
His great fortune dates from his arrival at court where he was already not unknown. He was the most unpopular man in England, not only among the courtiers, but in the nation for his greed, arrogance and alleged scepticism in religion.
