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Walter Raleigh

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Walter Raleigh

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Also known as Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Walter Ralegh, Walter Ralegh, Walter, Sir Raleigh

English statesman, soldier and writer (1552–1618)

AI overview

Walter Raleigh was an English statesman, soldier, and writer who lived from 1552 to 1618 during a pivotal period in English history. He is an important historical figure because of his roles in government and military affairs, as well as his contributions to English literature and exploration.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Given name
Walter
Gender
male
Citizenship
United Kingdom
Place of death
London
Occupation
politician
Languages spoken
English language
Image
Sir Walter Ralegh by 'H' monogrammist.jpg
Show 12 more facts
Commons category
Sir Walter Raleigh
date of birth
1554-00-00
date of death
1618-10-28
topic's main category
Category:Walter Raleigh
manner of death
capital punishment
cause of death
decapitation
place of detention
Tower of London
name in native language
Sir Walter Raleigh
writing language
English language
P12749
Nittedal
Sources (9)

via Wikidata · CC0

Works in European collections

5 objects attributed to Walter Raleigh, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

~33 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Sir Walter Raleigh (/ˈrɔːli, ˈrɑːli, ˈræli/; c. 1553 – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion in Ireland, helped defend England against the Spanish Armada and held political positions under Elizabeth I.

Raleigh was born to a landed gentry family of Protestant faith in Devon, the son of Walter Raleigh and Catherine Champernowne. He was the younger half-brother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert and a cousin of Sir Richard Grenville. Little is known of his early life, though in his late teens he spent some time in France taking part in the religious civil wars. In his 20s he took part in the suppression of rebellion in the colonisation of Ireland; he also participated in the siege of Smerwick. Later, he became a landlord of property in Ireland and mayor of Youghal in east Munster.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Walter Raleigh” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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