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Facts about Sir Walter Raleigh for kids

Raleigh, Sir Walter (1552?-1618), was an English soldier and adventurer. Besides being known for his expeditions against the Spaniards and in the Americas, he introduced tobacco to Europe and brought the potato plant to Ireland.

In 1578, Raleigh Walter undertook an unsuccessful expedition to the Americas with his half-brother Sir Humphrey Gilbert.

After a ruthless campaign in Ireland as an army captain, he was sent to the court of Queen Elizabeth. He soon became the queen's favorite, and he was knighted in 1584.

Raleigh tried many times to establish a colony in America, but did not sail with the expeditions which set out to do so. He helped to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Facts about Sir Walter Raleigh for kids - portrait

Facts about Sir Walter Raleigh for kids

Facts about Sir Walter Raleigh for kids

A famous Portrait of Walter Raleigh, near age 32, by Nicholas Hilliard now in the National Portrait Gallery, London, England

He introduced tobacco to Europe. The picture shows the incident when, as he enjoyed a quiet pipe, his servant attempted to put out what he thought was a fire

Raleigh angered the queen and lost his influence when he married one of her maids-of-honor. He tried to recover his position by leading an expedition to Guiana in South America to look for the legendary land of El Dorado, but the expedition failed.

Elizabeth died in 1603. Raleigh was accused of treason by the new king, James I, and was condemned to death. After a last-minute reprieve Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He lived there for twelve years with his wife and son, and wrote his unfinished History of the World. In 1616 he was freed to lead his last expedition. He went to South America in search of gold. Some of his men attacked the Spaniards there, and Raleigh returned to England where he was executed for disobeying orders.

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