The Explorers Podcast · Tuesday, October 27, 2026
The podcast details the final months of Sir Walter Raleigh's life following his disastrous second Guiana expedition, which resulted in no gold and the death of his son Watt. Pressured by Spanish ambassador Count Gondomar, King James had Raleigh arrested and ultimately executed on October 29, 1618, under his old 1603 sentence rather than a new trial.
“The date was set for October 29, 1618.”
“The council said that he was already civilly dead, having been sentenced to be executed 15 years earlier. The crown was, therefore, just going through with its original sentence.”