Walter Ralegh

Sir Walter Ralegh (this is how he spelled his name) (b. 1552–d. 1618) possessed an innate capacity to draw attention to himself. His obvious personal attractions and actor’s capacity for self-presentation were underpinned by his remarkable intellect and efficiency in martial endeavors and provincial administration. Although his own ventures to the Americas produced no lasting result, they initiated English interest in trade and settlement there. He was an undoubtedly brilliant but entirely self-interested and proud man who, for all of his intelligence, wide-ranging scholarship, and creativity, misread the instability of his political position in the closing years of the reign of Elizabeth I. He always aroused conflicting reactions among his contemporaries; enjoying far greater popularity after his death than he did in his lifetime. Ralegh’s reputation as a national hero and founder of empire was created in the three centuries following his death. Scholarly reassessment of his achievements and the corpus and significance of his written works have continued.