Today in 1618: Sir Walter Raleigh is executed.
Raleigh is best known as an explorer and a favourite courtier of Elizabeth I. He was knighted and appointed captain of the Queen's Guard in 1587. However, Raleigh’s secret marriage to one of the Queen’s maids-of-honour Elizabeth Throckmorton angered the queen and both were imprisoned in the Tower of London. When James I took the throne in 1603, Raleigh was far from a favourite, and, after being implicated in a plot against the King, found himself once more in the Tower – this time for 13 years, held in the Bloody Tower. He was released to lead an expedition to South America, but its failure led to his eventual arrest and death sentence.
Image: The lower chamber in the Bloody Tower, reconstructed as Sir Walter Ralegh's Study and Walter Raleigh portrait by unknown English artist © World History Archive & Alamy