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Primary sourceDocument1584

Charter to Sir Walter Raleigh

Elizabeth I · 1584

Elizabeth I's 1584 letters patent granting Walter Raleigh the right to explore and colonise lands in America.

The royal charter that authorised Raleigh's colonisation of 'Virginia', the legal basis of his Roanoke ventures.

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What it is

This document is a royal charter issued by Elizabeth I in 1584, granting her servant Walter Raleigh the right to discover, claim, and settle lands not already held by a Christian ruler. It granted him and his heirs wide powers over any territory he found.

Why it matters

This charter authorised Raleigh's attempts to found English colonies in North America, including the Roanoke venture, marking an early step in English colonisation. It shows Elizabeth using royal authority to encourage overseas expansion without the crown bearing the direct cost or risk, while also revealing the era's assumptions about claiming lands already inhabited by other peoples.

Look closer

  • What does the charter's language about 'heathen and barbarous lands' reveal about English attitudes at the time?
  • Why might Elizabeth grant such wide powers to a private individual rather than acting through the crown directly?
  • What is left out of this document about the people who already lived in these lands?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sir Walter Raleigh on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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