On This Day March 25, 1584, English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh was granted a significant royal charter by Queen Elizabeth I, marking a pivotal moment in the history of English exploration and colonization of North America. The charter authorized Raleigh to discover, search, find out, and view remote, heathen, and barbarous lands, countries, and territories not already claimed by a Christian prince.
This charter was a formal and royal endorsement, allowing Raleigh to establish colonies on lands not already occupied by Christian nations, in exchange for one-fifth of all gold and silver obtained within a seven-year period. Raleigh quickly organized an expedition that set sail by April 1584, just a month after receiving the charter, leading to the establishment of the first English colony in North America at Roanoke, Virginia, in 1585-1586.
The charter granted by Elizabeth I to Raleigh was not just a license for exploration and colonization, but also contained provisions for the governance of the new territories. It stipulated that the laws and ordinances of the colonies should be as close as possible to those of England, while also declaring that any acts of robbery or unlawful hostility by Raleigh or his assigns against the subjects of friendly Christian princes would be disallowed.
Despite the difficulties and setbacks faced by Raleigh’s colonization efforts, his charter and subsequent actions laid the groundwork for future English colonization attempts in North America. The charter represented a significant step in the English Crown’s ambitions to expand its territories and influence across the Atlantic.
