A handsome courtier, celebrated explorer, favourite of Elizabeth I and scholar of poetry, history and science, Sir Walter Raleigh was also one of the most famous prisoners to be held at the Tower of London. 400 years after Raleigh's death, Yeoman Warder Gary Burridge tells us his story… | Tower of London

Execution of Sir Walter Raleigh 1618 | From Queen’s Favorite to the Scaffold On October 29, 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh, once a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, was executed under King James I. After years of imprisonment, failed expeditions, and political enemies, he was convicted of treason. Facing death with grim humor, Raleigh told his executioner, “Strike, man, strike!”—a fitting end for a man whose final adventure was the scaffold. Sir Walter Raleigh execution, October 29 1618 history, Elizabet