2. His half-brother attempted to colonize North America
Raleigh was half-brother to Sir Humphrey Gilbert, who in 1578 held a royal patent to establish colonies in North America, a process then dominated by the Spanish and to a lesser but growing extent the French. Gilbert used the patent as an excuse to raid Spanish settlements and ships, and convinced the young Raleigh to accompany him on a voyage which promised adventure and wealth. Although the journey was hazardous, delivering on the adventure part of the promise, the wealth did not materialize. The sight of the lands of North America instilled in Raleigh as desire to establish colonies, as a means of acquiring landed estates of his own, which became a life-long ambition.