Raleigh Freed from Tower After 13 Years: Still Has One More Adventure Left
Thirteen years in the Tower, and James I didn't pardon him—he just let him out to hunt for gold. Raleigh, once Elizabeth's favorite courtier, had been convicted of treason in a trial so rigged even the judges looked uncomfortable. The king's deal was simple: find El Dorado in South America, fill the royal coffers, and maybe you'll live. Raleigh was 64, half-broken, and his son would die on the expedition. He returned empty-handed in 1618. Spain demanded his head for attacking their colonies, and James, desperate for a Spanish alliance, simply reactivated the original death sentence from 1603. Fifteen years between conviction and execution—the pardon he needed never actually existed.
March 20, 1616
410 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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