View source for Walter Ralegh 1554-1618

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===[[personal title::Sir]] [[name::Walter]] [[name::RALEGH]] or [[name::RALEIGH]] [[date of birth::1554]]-[[date of death::1618]]===

====Biographical Note====
Born at [[place of birth::Hayes, Devon]], son of [[family::Walter Ralegh]], landowner.  Saw [[occupation::military]] action as a mercenary in [[location::France]] 1569-70 before matriculating at [[education::Oriel College, Oxford]] ca.1572, where he did not graduate; admitted at the [[organisations::Middle Temple]], 1575.  Sailed as a captain in [[associates::Humphrey Gilbert]]’s Altantic expedition in 1578-79; in military service in [[location::Ireland]] 1580-81; returned to [[location::England]] where he became a favourite in [[associates::Elizabeth I|Elizabeth]]’s court.  Led privateering/colonising expeditions to [[location::America]] in the 1580s; out of favour, and banished from court, in the early 1590s.  Led a largely abortive expedition to [[location::South America|South]] and [[location::Central America]], 1595-96.  Involved in the English sacking of [[location::Cadiz]], 1596, which helped restore him to favour, but his fortunes were reversed again after Elizabeth’s death.  Accused and convicted of treason 1603, held in the [[organisations::Tower of London]] from then until 1616, when he was released to be allowed a further expedition to [[location::Guiana]], which sailed in 1617 but served only to antagonise the Spanish (contrary to the orders Ralegh had been given).  Tried and condemned again on his return, he was executed [[date of death::1618]].  His reputation rests not only on his buccaneering activity but (more concretely) on his writings as a poet and a historian – his [[book title::The history of the world|''History of the world'']] ([[date of publication::1614]]), written while he was imprisoned, was much reprinted and an influential text in the 17th century.

====Books==== 
A commonplace book written ca.1606-08, mostly in Ralegh’s hand (now BL Add.MS 57555) lists ca.500 vols which comprised his library while imprisoned in the [[organisations::Tower of London]].  The books are listed in shelf order, reflecting the physical arrangement of the collection.  subjects covered include [[subject::theology]], [[subject::history]], [[subject::history|chronicles]] and [[subject::history|chronology]], [[subject::geography]], [[subject::philosophy]], [[subject::law]], [[subject::medicine]], [[subject::science]] and [[subject::astronomy|cosmography]]; there is noticeably little by way of literary material.  languages include [[language::English]], [[language::Latin]], [[language::French]], [[language::Spanish]] and [[language::Italian]].  The collection was assembled partly as a working library for the writing of [[book title::The history of the world|''The history of the world'']].  The fate of the library after Ralegh’s death is unclear; a contemporary letter from his widow shows that she made efforts to preserve it but some books at least were dispersed soon after 1618.  Ralegh [[bequest::gave]] [[monetary value::£50]] to the [[beneficiary::Bodleian Library]] in 1603.  Examples: Bodleian ms.Add.A.185; F. Patrizi, La militia romana, 1583, Worcester College, Oxford; St John’s College, Cambridge D.8.47.

====Characteristic Markings==== 
[[File:RaleighWalterSir1.JPG| thumb | 500px | Inscription of Walter Raleigh (Royal College of Physicians D1/45-e-14 B. Rocca, ''De discosri di guerra'', Venice, 1582)]]
Ralegh sometimes inscribed his name on titlepages, possibly with mottoes Amore et virtute, or Marti quam mercurio.

====Sources====
<div id="sourcelist"> 
*Jayne, S. ''Library catalogues of the English renaissance''.  Godalming, 1983.
*Nicholls, Mark, and Penry Williams. [https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/23039 "Ralegh, Sir Walter (1554–1618), courtier, explorer, and author."] ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. 
*Oakeshott, W. Sir Walter Ralegh’s library, ''The Library'' 5th ser 23 (1968), 285-327.
*[https://celm-ms.org.uk/introductions/RaleghSirWalter.html Sir Walter Ralegh, ''Catalogue of English literary manuscripts 1450-1700''].
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