'A wonderfully vivid portrait of a remarkable man and an amazing age.' Scotsman

Soldier, explorer, scholar and ambitious courtier in the shark-pool of Elizabethan politics, Sir Walter Raleigh is the epitome of the English Renaissance man.

Yet to many of his day he was an arrogant liar, who deserved every one of his thirteen years in the Tower of London. To a vain and ageing Queen, he was the betrayer of her affections. And to the Spanish, he was the most hated of pirates. Was Sir Walter Raleigh a hero - or a deceiver, terrorist and ruthless adventurer? What caused his rising star to fall so dramatically, ending with his execution in 1618? And what was the truth behind his tempestuous relationship with Elizabeth, 'dear Empress of my heart'? Raleigh Trevelyan reveals the truth in this gripping portrait of one of the most charismatic, romantic and misunderstood figures of the Elizabethan age.

'Compelling ... an absorbing investigation into Raleigh's life.' Guardian

'A stirring account of an intriguing character.' Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times, Books of the Year

'Engrossing ... a monumental tribute to one of our best-loved national heroes.' Literary Review