RALEIGH, Sin Walter, English military and naval commander, and author: b. Hayes Barton, a farmstead in the parish of East Bud leigh, Devonshire, about 1552; beheaded, Lon don, 29 Oct. 161& He was the son of Walter Raleigh by his third wife, Katharine, daughter of Sir Philip Champernowne of M.odbury, and widow of Otho Gilbert of Compton. Raleigh was educated at Oriel College, Oxford; served with the Huguenot army in France in 1569; remained there for five years or more; and, with his half-brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, engaged in voyages of — and piracy against the Spaniards in the West Indies. In 1579 he established himself at court in the friendship of men of influence—Leicester, Oxford, Sidney, Walsinghain; he served with distinction in Ireland (1580-81) ; and then, re turning to court in December of the latter year, he yam, and for some years retained, the high favor of Elizabeth. Through her successive grants of monopolies and estates he became one of the wealthiest • of her courtiers. In 1584 he was. knighted; in 1585 he was' appointed warden of the stannaries (i.e., of the mines of Devon and Cornwall), lord lieutenant of the latter county and vice,admiral of both; and in 1585 86 he was M.P. for Devon. He was also cap tain of the queen's guard.
From this period, while Raleigh was the favorite of Elizabeth, dates his chief connection with the exploration and settlement of North America. In 1584, '85, '86, '87 and '89, he sent expeditions to Virginia; but as the Queen for bade his personal participation, his efforts to colonize were unsuccessful. Raleigh's services against the Spanish Armada, were not conspicuous.. He assisted in organizing the land forces, but there is no proof that he took any part in the sea-fighting. In 1591 and 1592 he was prominent in the preparation of squadrons for service against Spain, but was recalled from the latter expedition because of the queen's anger at Raleigh's. intrigue with one , of her maids of honor, Elizabeth Throgmorton. He was soon set at liberty and his marriage to Elizabeth Throgmorton followed. Not until 1597, however, did Raleigh regain the queen's favor.
Meanwhile he was free to explore America in person. His objective point was Manoa, a city supposedly situated in South America and possessed of untold wealth. In 1595, with a fleet of five vessels, he captured the town of San Josef, Trinidad, and explored the Orinoco for 400 miles. He did not find Manoa; but his brilliant service in the English attack upon Cadiz (June 1596) and as commander at the taking of Payal (1597) completed his restora tion to favor. In 1597 he was made M.P. for Dorset; in 1601 for Cornwall. In 1600 he was appointed governor of Jersey.
The death of Elizabeth, however, occasioned a change in Raleigh's fortunes. Raleigh ene
mies had made James believe that Raleigh was opposed to his accession. • James imme diately deprived him of all offices, and on 17 July 1603 committed him to the tower. 04 November 17 he was tried for treason. Accord, ing to modern rules the evidence was insuffi cient, but Raleigh was declared guilty and was sentenced to be executed on 11 December.
On 10 December, however, be was reprieved and committed to the tower. Here for 13 years he lived in tolerable comfort' with his wife, son and personal servants, He devoted himself to study and to scientific experiments, and, at the request of Prince Henry, began his chief literary work, the (History of the World.' At length, in March 1616, on his promise to guide an expedition to a gold mine in America, Raleigh was released. The Spanish Ambassa dor, fearing an invasion of Spanish possessions or an attack on the Mexican plate-fleet, pro tested. The king, however, warning Raleigh that either act would be punishable by death, allowed him to proceed. Raleigh ignored the warning, captured San Tomas, and, failing to reach the mine, was •kept from attacking the plate-fleet only by the refusal of his. followers. On Raleigh's return to England, Gondomar, the Spanish Ambassador, demanded his immediate execution. Raleigh's admissions and perjuries left the king's commissioners no choice. On 28 October the justices of the King's Bench ordered Raleigh's execution under the sus pended sentence of 1603. He was executed in the Old Palace Yard 29 Oct. 1618.
Of Raleigh's poetry, so highly praised by his contemporaries, but little was published during his life and much is probably lost. Many poems once attributed to him are now attributed to others. The poems, certainly his, have been col lected by Dr. Hannah, 1885. Of Raleigh's prose works, the most important is his 'History of the World' (1614).
Bibliography.— The chief lives of Raleigh are those of William Oldys (1736); Thomas Birch (1751) ; Arthur Cayley (1805) ; Patrick Fraser-Tytler (1833) ; Edward Edwards (1868); J. A. St. John (1868) and Mr. William Steil bing (1891). That by 'Mr. Stebbing is the best. There is also a popular sketch by Mr. Edmund Gosse (1886). Consult also lb% S. R. Gar diner's (History of England,' and the publica tions of the Hist. MSS. Comm., and, cuacecning Raleigh's literary work, the introduction to Dr. Hannah's edition of his 'Poems' (1885), the bibliographies of Dr. Brushfield, and his (Sir Walter Raleigh and His History of the World' (1887). Among more recent works are Selin court's (Great Raleigh' and biographies (.1914) by Marshall and Towle.
Aram H. Islenotr, In4tructor in English, New York University,