25. Raleigh was pardoned and released from the Tower in 1617
In 1617 King James VI and I succumbed to the public fervor over the existence of the lost city of gold known as El Dorado, and issued a Royal Pardon for Sir Walter Raleigh. During his long imprisonment Raleigh, in addition to fathering a son, Carew Raleigh, had created much of the fervor over the gold. In addition to the pardon, James granted the adventurer permission to return to Guiana in command of an expedition tasked with finding the mythical city which was largely the creation of Raleigh’s own mind. At the time England and Spain were enjoying a period of relative peace, although English sea raiders continued to prey surreptitiously on Spanish treasure ships.
