Sir Walter Raleigh - Softcover

Trevelyan, Raleigh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140283218 ISBN 13: 9780140283211

Publisher: Penguin, 2003

Synopsis

Soldier, scholar, explorer, parliamentarian, reputed atheist, patron of poets and himself a fine poet, Raleigh is the epitome of the English Renaissance man. He was a brilliant operator in the shark-pool of Elizabethan court politics, for many years flattering a vain and aging Queen with poetic devotions and dazzling her with his exploits - until, without her permission, he married, and she transferred her affections to younger men. Also central to this book is its sense of place. Trevelyan has travelled to each of the principal places which Raleigh visited, where he has found new insights into Raleigh's life. Together, these give a freshness and immediacy to this portrait of one of the most compelling figures in English history.

About this title

Review:

As his name suggests, Raleigh Trevelyan is a distant relation of his biographical subject Sir Walter Raleigh. Perhaps that partly explains the dedication and hard work behind the brilliance of this vividly written and exhaustively researched biography of "a hero who was held out as a symbol of the Elizabethan Renaissance". Trevelyan manages to carefully revise the romantic myth of Raleigh, whilst also reminding his readers that "we cannot fail to be awed by the vastness of his aspirations."

Most people recognise Raleigh as the man who laid down his cloak for Queen Elizabeth and introduced tobacco into England. While both stories are far from the truth, Trevelyan points out that they both reveal defining elements of this flamboyant and extraordinary poet, courtier, soldier, explorer and politician. From relative obscurity Raleigh used his "vanity and ambition" to work his way into Queen Elizabeth's affections, embarking on a spectacular career putting down rebellion in Ireland, looting the Azores, founding the first English colonies in America, and setting sail twice in his search for the fabled El Dorado.

In England his judgement was less assured, and was often "embarrassingly cringing". He married for love and fell out with Elizabeth, and then proceeded to alienate the new king, James I, who threw him into the Tower of London, before finally executing him in 1618. Trevelyan concludes, "his performance on the scaffold was a great piece of theatre, but it is impossible not to be won over by it." This captures the spirit of this magnificent biography. Impeccable in its research and beautifully written, it captures the complex, multi-faceted nature of Sir Walter Raleigh. --Jerry Brotton

Synopsis:

Soldier, explorer, scholar and ambitious courtier in the shark-pool of Elizabethan politics, Sir Walter Raleigh is the epitome of the English Renaissance man. Yet to many of his day he was an arrogant liar, who deserved every one of his 13 years in the Tower of London. To a vain and ageing Queen, he was the betrayer of her affections. And to the Spanish, he was the most hated of pirates. Was Sir Walter Raleigh a hero - or a deceiver, terrorist and ruthless adventurer? What caused his rising star to fall so dramatically, ending with his execution in 1618? And what was the truth behind his tempestuous relationship with Elizabeth, "dear Empress of my heart"? Raleigh Travelyan reveals the truth in this portrait of one of the most charismatic, romantic and misunderstood figures of the Elizabethan age.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0140283218
• ISBN 13: 9780140283211
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 640