Sir Walter Ralegh

Sailor, soldier, explorer, poet, parliamentarian, courtier, artistic patron, falconer, historian, war reporter, antiquarian, Sir Walter Ralegh was the archetypal Renaissance man.

He dazzled the court of Elizabeth I but ended up being imprisoned and later beheaded by her successor, James I.

Why did this mercurial figure fall from grace? And why does his legacy continue to influence citizens of both the Old and New World to this day?

John Winton’s enthralling biography of this Renaissance statesman and explorer uncovers his life, from the early years on the Devonshire coast through his years fighting Catholics in France, Ireland and the Low Countries, before delving into Ralegh’s attempts to colonise the New World in North and South America. Through utilising a variety of sources, Winton’s exquisitely written book discusses Ralegh’s glorious rise to prominence in the years before the Spanish Armada before his equally swift fall during the reign of James I.