Execution of Sir Walter Raleigh
- When
- 1618
- Where
- Old Palace Yard
- Episodes
- 1
Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded at the Palace of Westminster on 29 October 1618. His execution followed his return to England, where he was arrested to appease the Spanish government.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Raleigh had been imprisoned in the Tower until 1616. In 1617, King James I pardoned him and granted permission to conduct a second expedition to Venezuela in search of El Dorado.
Execution. Upon returning to England, Raleigh was arrested to appease the Spanish. He was executed by beheading in the Old Palace Yard at the Palace of Westminster on 29 October 1618, reportedly telling his executioner, "Let us dispatch."
People involved
- Sir Walter Raleigh · Executed statesman and explorer
Sources
- Walter Raleigh Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-17
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.