The charter Raleigh inherited in 1584 gave him until 1593 to establish a viable colony. Half of any gold or silver mined would go to the Crown, while the remaining returns could finance his venture. He was more interested in his Irish estates and the Desmond rebellions, yet took on the administration and pushed the expeditions forward. His strategic concept joined settlement to maritime war: American bases could repair, provision, and water ships attacking Spanish possessions and commerce. Raleigh never led the colony in person and gave John White and the settlers little support; Francis Drake did more by evacuating an earlier group. Weak estate management kept Raleigh short of money and compounded that neglect.
Chapter · 17:13-20:25
Roanoke as colony and anti-Spanish naval base
Raleigh inherits Humphrey Gilbert’s colonial project and imagines Roanoke as both a self-financing settlement and a support base for attacks on Spanish commerce.