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1st gear. Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1554 – 29 October 1618) was an English courtier, statesman, poet and writer, historian, sailor, soldier and traveller, and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. He became famous for his privateering attacks on the Spanish fleet, for which he was knighted (like Francis Drake) in 1585. Legend has it that he threw his purple-and-gold cloak at Elizabeth I’s feet so that she could cross a puddle, and that he also scratched poems on the glass of the palace with a diamond to attract her attention. It is believed that Raleigh brought potatoes and tobacco to England, and he was one of the first colonisers of North America. He robbed Spanish ships and searched for El Dorado, fought in Ireland and Flanders. He was friends with the best poets of his era – Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe, Philip Sidney, William Shakespeare. That's right. Echo of Moscow. Historian Natalia Ivanovna Basovskaya tells the story. Please support our channel by subscribing. Leave comments and follow our publications!