Walter Raleigh

• Roanoke colony


  England's attempt to build colonies in the North American continent and the eventual failure of the colony
• Early Elizabethan England


  1558-1588
• Royal charter


  Granted by Elizabeth to Walter Raleigh to explore, colonize and rule any remote heathen and barbarous lands, countries and territories not actually possessed of any Christian prince or inhabited by Christian people
• Raleigh was a nobleman and an established courtier
• Roanoke colony expedition


  1. Raleigh raised money and found people to become colonists

  2. 107 colonists, mainly men, set out for Roanoke in Virginia in 1585

  3. Colonists stocked ships with food, water, tools, equipment and weapons
• Reasons for choosing Roanoke

  • Strategic benefits for launching raids on Spanish colonies
  • Local indigenous people, the Algonquian Indians, seemed friendly
• The plan was for the colony to grow profitable crops such as sugar and tobacco to make England less dependent on trade from Spain and France
• Two attempts were made to colonize Roanoke, both of which failed
• Reasons for failure of Roanoke colony

  • Colonists were ill-prepared
  • Lack of food and supplies
  • Elizabeth's focus on the war with Spain
  • Poor choice of leaders
  • Poorly staffed expeditions
  • Strained relations with native Americans
• Lessons were learned from the failures of Roanoke, which guided the establishment of the first successful English colony in North America, Jamestown, in 1607
• Sir Walter Raleigh


  Member of the Gentry who became an Explorer and a favorite courtier to Elizabeth I, also a writer and historian known for popularizing tobacco smoking in England
• Raleigh's role in the Virginia project

  1. Organized the colonization of Virginia

  2. Sent out a fact-finding mission in 1584

  3. Raised funds for the colony through trade, royal patronage, and private investment

  4. Planned the logistics of the expedition including selecting colonists, timing, supplies, and ships
• 1584 fact-finding mission

  • Brought back news that native Americans were friendly and the land was fertile
  • Two native people, Manteo and Wanchese, came to England and taught their language to Thomas Harriot
• Colonists selected


  Around 300 colonists were planned, with a mix of skills including landowners, craftsmen, hunters, fishermen, priests, soldiers, and farmers
• Only 107 colonists were assembled in the end, as the project only attracted adventurous and risk-taking people
• Leadership of the expedition

  • Sir Richard Grenville as Expedition Commander, Ralph Lane as Governor of Virginia, Thomas Harriot as translator and cartographer
• The Virginia Expedition set sail

  April 9, 1585
• The expedition landed on Roanoke Island at the end of 1585, too late to plant crops for the winter
• Raleigh was not allowed to lead the expedition, as he was needed in case of Spanish invasion and Elizabeth did not want to lose one of her favorites