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'''Sir Walter Raleigh''' (Pronounced ''rah-lee'') was a British explorer and [[colonist]] of the 15th century A.D. He founded the colony of [[Roanoke Island]] in [[Virginia]], which he was going to use as a base for [[privateering]] missions against the Spanish and Portuguese.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Raleigh] But before he could sail back to England, the whole colony disappeared, thus proving prophetic its name "The Lost Colony".  

'''Sir Walter Raleigh''' (Pronounced ''rah-lee'') was a [[Great Britain|British]] explorer and [[colonist]] of the 16th century. He founded the colony of [[Roanoke Island]] in what was then [[Virginia]] (now [[North Carolina]]) in 1587, which he was going to use as a base for [[privateering]] missions against the [[Spain|Spanish]] and [[Portugal|Portuguese]].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Raleigh] Raleigh brought 107 colonists (ten of whom were women), and the first English child, [[Virginia Dare]], was born in the Americas in Roanoke. In 1588 Raleigh left for England to get supplies. Unfortunately for the colonists, the [[Spanish Armada]] surrounded the [[British Isles]] while Raleigh was in [[London]] and did not allow him to return until 1590. When he returned, the whole colony had disappeared, with the word "Croatoan" carved into a tree. Due to incliment weather, Raleigh was unable to search the nearby Croatoan Island for traces of the lost settlers. Future colonists would note that many of the local Native Americans had light complexions and eyes, giving rise to theories that the members of the so-called "Lost Colony" were assimilated into the tribes.

Sir Walter Raleigh was quite well rounded; he was not only an explorer, but also credited with bringing [[tobacco]] from the New World back to Europe, wrote a number of poems including the Waverley novels, and was beheaded on October 29, 1618.

Sir Walter Raleigh was quite well rounded; he was not only an explorer, but also credited with bringing [[tobacco]] from the New World back to Europe, wrote a number of poems including the Waverley novels. In a later expedition in search of [[El Dorado]], Raleigh captured a Spanish fort. The Spanish ambassador to England demanded tha Raleigh be executed. He was beheaded on October 29, 1618. His last words, according to many biographers, were "Strike man, strike!" urging his executioner to decapitate him.

In 1940, [[Errol Flynn]] played a character based on Raleigh in the movie ''The Sea Hawk''.

In 1940, [[Errol Flynn]] played a character based on Raleigh in the movie ''The Sea Hawk''.

[[Category:Explorers|Raleigh, Sir Walter]]

[[Category:Explorers|Raleigh, Sir Walter]]