This Day in the Yesteryear: SIR WALTER RALEIGH IS EXECUTED FOR TREASON (1618)

Sir Walter Raleigh Is Executed for Treason (1618)

Raleigh was an English explorer, courtier, and favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, whom he famously—according to the story—protected from a puddle by laying down his cloak. After King James I took the throne, however, Raleigh was accused of plotting against the king, was arrested, and lost many of his offices and monopolies. He was also found guilty, on somewhat insufficient evidence, of conspiring with Spain against England. Raleigh was not actually executed, though, until 1618, after what happened? More… Discuss

 

This Day in the Yesteryear: THE BRIEF BATTLE OF PRESTONPANS (1745)

The Brief Battle of Prestonpans (1745)

England‘s King James II may have been deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, but he was not without supporters. These supporters, the Jacobites, spent the next six decades unsuccessfully fighting to restore him—and, later, his descendants—to the throne. Their final major attempt, the Forty-five Rebellion, began auspiciously for the House of Stuart, with a victory at Prestonpans, Scotland. The battle was won in mere minutes. How many casualties did the government troops suffer in that time? More…Discuss