39. Raleigh and the age of chivalry
Sir Walter Raleigh is often portrayed as the epitome of chivalry, as in the tale wherein he placed his cloak upon the ground rather than have the Queen’s shoes soiled with mud, a tale which is almost certainly apocryphal. He exhibited the courtly manners of the Elizabethan age, yet in his writings – particularly in his poetry – revealed a link with the commoners of the day. His life was one of improbable adventure salted with long imprisonment; romantic links with the Virgin Queen but a long marriage to but one wife; soldier, sailor, philosopher, poet, historian, explorer, and entrepreneur. He was a living definition of the term “swashbuckler” as were many of his contemporaries, a man of an age long gone by other than to history.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Sir Walter Raleigh: In Life and Legend”. Mark Nicholls and William Penry. 2011
“Walter Raleigh Biography”. The Biography Channel. 2014. Online
“The Reign of Elizabeth: 1558-1603”. J. B. Black. 1936
“The Favorite: Raleigh and His Queen”. Matthew Lyons. 2011
“Set Fair for Roanoke: Voyages and Colonies, 1584 – 1606”. David B. Quinn. 1985
“Sir Walter Raleigh”. Entry, Tower of London, History and Stories. Tower of London. Online
“Sir Walter Raleigh and the Quest for El Dorado”. Marc Aronson. 2000
“Jersey’s people are made kings of their castles”. Philip Jeune, The Independent. July 6, 1996
“The Sir Walter Raleigh Collection”. Wilson Library, University of North Carolina. Online
“The Search for El Dorado”. John Hemming. 2001
“Raleigh’s Last Journey: A Tale of Madness, Vanity and Treachery”. Paul Hyland. 2008
“Sir Walter Raleigh”. Robert Lacey. 1973
“Raleigh and the Throckmortons”. A. L. Rowse. 1962
“The Historie of the World”. Sir Walter Raleigh. 1614
“The Story of Civilization, Volume VII, Chapter VI”. Will and Ariel Durant. 1961