Sir Walter Raleigh's A Discourse of the Peace with Spain and retayning of the Netherlands is a 49-page treatise, bound in vellum, intended to persuade King James I to maintain a positive relationship with the Netherlands during peace negotiations with Spain in 1602. Raleigh outlined the reasons for his belief that England should accept an alliance with the Netherlands following a thaw in relations with Spain and discussed relationships between major European powers.
Sir Walter Raleigh (or Ralegh) was born in Devon, England, around 1554, and may have studied at Oxford University. In 1578, Raleigh captained the Falcon on an expedition of "discovery" that included a fleet of seven ships. After his return, he gradually gained the favor of Queen Elizabeth I and became her favorite courtier. Raleigh was knighted on January 6, 1585, and later that year sent an expedition to Roanoke Island under the commanded of Sir Richard Grenville. In 1591, after he married one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting, Elizabeth Throckmorton, without the Queen's permission, Raleigh and his wife were imprisoned in the Tower of London. Following their release, they settled on an estate in Dorsetshire. In 1595, Raleigh undertook a controversial expedition to Guiana, from which he returned without any gold.
Raleigh played an instrumental role in preparing the English fleet for a fight against Spain in 1596, but personal conflicts and the Queen's death presaged his permanent removal from royal patronage. Raleigh's political enemies accused him of treason in 1603; he was convicted and spent the next 13 years in the Tower of London. During his imprisonment, he composed poetry and scholarly works. After his release in 1616, Raleigh returned to Guiana in a failed mission to find El Dorado, during which he led an action against Spanish forces at San Tomé, against King James's wishes. This enraged the Spanish minister, who demanded Raleigh's execution. Again accused of treason, Raleigh was executed on October 29, 1618.
