One of the most colorful figures in history—and one of the least written about for young people in recent years—is Walter Raleigh, gentleman, scholar, explorer, poet, patriot and courtier. In a period remarkable for its outstanding personalities, Sir Walter was overshadowed by none.
We meet him first as a young man of good family, with much honor but little money. To better his fortunes, Raleigh took part in the Irish Wars, and it was because of his exploits there that Queen Elizabeth first befriended him. He served her ably as adviser and courtier, and planned and outfitted voyages of colonization to the New World. But Raleigh's life was by no means a smooth one. When he fell in love and secretly married one of the Queen's maids-in-waiting, Elizabeth imprisoned him. Later he was released but for a long while was banished from court. In a sense, this served him well, for he was at last able to make a voyage of his own—a fascinating one of exploration up the Orinoco River in South America.
With the death of the Queen and the advent of King James I, Raleigh's fortunes failed, but throughout his brutally unjust trial for treason, long years of imprisonment in the Tower of London, and his eventual beheading, Raleigh's devotion to his country, his great spirit and his courage never left him. This is a stirring book—broad in its scope, clear in its delineation of character, a splendid picture not only of one man but of a great period in England's history
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