Sir Walter Raleigh, Elizabeth I’s Great Explorer.

Sir Walter Raleigh was an English statesman, soldier, writer, explorer and ultimately pirate, who became one of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era. A favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, Raleigh was a remarkable figure, but despite this, he would eventually lose his life on the executioners scaffold, sanctioned by Elizabeth I's successor, King James I. But, who was Walter Raleigh, what were his early years like, how did he come to the attention of Elizabeth I, and why did Elizbeth’s successor order his execution?