Sir Walter Raleigh is executed on his return to England

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.03: English Writing and Culture: Renaissance (Elizabethan and Jacobean periods) , 1485-1625.
Vol. editors: William M. Hamlin (Washington State University), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University), Ema Vyroubalova (Trinity College Dublin)

Domains

Attempts, Assassinations, Executions

Dates

Date of occurrence 1618-10-29

Places

England (Location)
Spain (Involved)

Sir Walter Raleigh, who has returned to England from his expedition to Guiana, is beheaded at Whithall. When he was released from the Tower of London to undertake an expedition in search of gold, James I promised to the Spanish ambassador, Count Gondomar, that if he was found to have attacked any Spanish possessions on his voyage, Raleigh would become liable to the sentence passed on him in 1603. While he was in Guiana his men attacked the Spanish settlement of San Tome on the Orinoco river, and as a result Gondomar insisted on his execution. He had been a popular national hero in his Elizabethan heyday, and there was a widespread outcry at his death.

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115 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Sir Walter Raleigh is executed on his return to England". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 February 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=15821, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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Sir Walter Raleigh is executed on his return to England

Domains

Dates

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