Sir Walter Raleigh was an Intriguing Man in History

Sir Walter Raleigh was an Intriguing Man in History

Larry Holzwarth - July 12, 2019

Sir Walter Raleigh was an Intriguing Man in History
Raleigh, according to legend, tested the sharpness of the executioner’s blade before placing his head upon the block. Wikimedia

36. Raleigh was executed for treason on October 29, 1618

When Sir Walter Raleigh mounted the scaffold to face his executioner, it was for the crime of High Treason for which he had been convicted in 1603, and for which he had been pardoned fourteen years later. He was allowed to speak before sentence was carried out, and in doing so he denied the charges against him and forgave his enemies, including specifically by name Sir Lewis Stukley. He was beheaded by axe. Stukley quickly fell into public disrepute as the depth of his personal dislike of Sir Walter became known, and as evidence of a long-standing grudge between the Stukley and Raleigh families came to light.

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