Sir Walter Ralegh

by 16 pages in Color; 100 b/w Photos (Illustrator)

A magnificent account of the legendary Elizabethan figure who founded the Roanoke Colony, helped defend England against the Spanish Armada and searched endlessly for El Dorado.

Perfect for readers of Giles Milton, john Sugden and Tracy Borman.

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.

‘No shortcomings are to be found in John Winton’s Sir Walter Ralegh, a splendid account of a man of many parts’ Western Morning News

‘This well-written, detailed life story adds even more colour and drama to Queen Elizabeth’s mercurial favourite’ Hibernia

‘soundly based in primary and secondary sources’ English Literary Renaissance

Genres: Biography

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Sid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I found another hero - Sir Ralegh was the definition of cool, right after Sir Francis Drake. Another unfortunate soul that may have been born into the wrong century.

[Marin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly illuminating window into a fabled era – I did not know the Elizabethans wrote so much and that many of their letters, publications, government, and court documents are still available today.
In this well-researched and captivating book, which has more suspense and incredible changes of fortune than a thriller, John Winton paints Ralegh’s complex character and his life’s highs and lows in the context of the late Tudor period.
I enjoyed the quotes with their archaic phrasing and approximative grammar, the fuzzier being that of Ralegh’s wife which was almost as bad as my own writing before the grammar tools correct me.
Blessed with apparently endless energy, Ralegh was a man of many talents, with an interest in war, politics, exploration, science, and literature. It is hard to believe it was possible for a man three times imprisoned in The Tower to do so many things in a single life.

“Ralegh was courtier, soldier, sailor, explorer, poet, parliamentarian, patron of the arts, falconer, gardener, botanist, chemist, historian, war reporter and antiquary.
He tried his hand at so many things, and everything he touched seemed to glow.
Yet, ultimately, his record is one of paradoxes and failures. He always promised more than he achieved.
He pioneered, but seldom profited. None of his settlements in Virginia took permanent root. His estates in Ireland were unprofitable.
His expeditions left him out of pocket. His great long poem to the Queen, and his History of the World were both unfinished.
He might have had the Queen’s heart, as a courtier, but he never had her ear, as a politician.
He meddled in affairs of state and was convicted of high treason. He twice tried to find Eldorado, and twice failed.
He once tried to commit suicide, and failed.
His wit was always keen, but his judgment was often faulty. He could make friends, and fail to recognize his enemies.
He wrote the most delicious poetry and committed the most savage atrocities.
His marriage with Elizabeth Throckmorton was long and successful, but his writings show him as curiously impersonal towards women.
He wrote poems recommending chastity, but himself begot illegitimate children.
He had a great reputation as an admiral, but his chief services to his country were on land.
He sailed across the Atlantic, but preferred to cross the Thames ‘by the bridge’.
He was accused of atheism, but wrote in his History of the World a majestic exposition of the providential view of history.
He was the embodiment of Tudor England, but he survived into the seventeenth century, and was not out of place in it.”

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sir Walter Ralegh
by John Winton
Pub Date 05 Feb 2023 | Archive Date 04 Mar 2023
Sapere Books
Biographies & Memoirs | History


Sapere Books and Netgalley have provided me with a copy of Sir Walter Ralegh for review.



Sir Walter Ralegh was a sailor, soldier, explorer, poet, parliamentarian, courtier, patron of the arts, falconer, historian, war reporter, and antiquarian.



Elizabeth I's court was dazzled by him, but he was imprisoned and later beheaded by her successor, James I.
What caused this mercurial figure to fall from grace? How does his legacy continue to influence citizens in both the Old World and the New World today?


In this engaging biography, John Winton explores the life of this Renaissance statesman and explorer, from his early years in Devonshire to his years fighting the Catholics in France, Ireland, and the Low Countries before exploring Ralegh's attempts to colonize the New World. Winton's exquisitely written book discusses Ralegh's glorious rise to prominence before the Spanish Armada, and his equally swift fall during the reign of James I, utilizing a variety of sources.


I give Sir Walter Ralegh five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher