The Execution of Sir Walter Raleigh

English explorer, soldier, writer, and explorer Sir Walter Raleigh was executed on 29th October 1618 under charges of treason.

Raleigh, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, is best remembered for his expeditions to the Americas and for playing a leading part in the English colonisation of North America.

However after Elizabeth died in 1603, James I ascended the throne. Raleigh’s ambitious nature and Protestant stance were viewed as threats to James and he quickly fell out of favour with the court.

Indeed he was accused of participating in the "Main Plot" to depose King James and was imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he spent nearly 13 years. 

Tower of London

The Main Plot was an alleged conspiracy in July 1603 by English courtiers to remove King James I from the English throne and replace him with his cousin, Lady Arbella Stuart. The plot was supposedly led by Lord Cobham and funded by the Spanish government.

However, in 1616/17 Raleigh was pardoned by the King and released from prison to lead a final expedition to Venezuela to search for El Dorado - the fabled city of gold.

The mission failed and in the process, Raleigh’s men clashed with Spanish forces which violated a peace treaty with Spain. Upon his return to England, Spain demanded action against him and James felt pressured to appease them.

Raleigh was consequently re-arrested and ordered to be executed. He was beheaded at Westminster on 29th October 1618, meeting his death with great composure, addressing the crowd and showing defiance, as befits the great man.

Sir Walter Raleigh's tomb is at the Church of St Margaret at Westminster Abbey. In 2002 Sir Walter Raleigh was featured in the BBC’s poll of 100 Greatest Britons.