On This Day

English colonists sailed from Roanoke Island, North Carolina

The Roanoke Colony (ROH-ə-nohk) were two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America.

The Roanoke Colony (ROH-ə-nohk) were two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The first colony was established at Roanoke Island in 1585 as a military outpost, and was evacuated in 1586. The more famous second colony, known as the Lost Colony, began when a new group of settlers under John White arrived on the island in 1587; a ship in 1590 found the colony abandoned. The fate of the 112 to 121 colonists remains largely unknown. Roanoke Colony was founded by Governor Ralph Lane in 1585 on Roanoke Island in present-day Dare County, North Carolina. Poor relations with some of the local Native American tribes and a lack of supplies troubled Lane's colony.

Historical Significance

The Roanoke Colony (ROH-ə-nohk) were two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America.

Events Before

  1. The Olympic Theatre, designed by Andrea Palladio, is inaugurated in Vicenza.

    Andrea Palladio was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic.

  2. Clemens Crabeels becomes bishop of 's-Hertogenbosch

    Clemens Crabeels becomes bishop of 's-Hertogenbosch

  3. Spain confiscates English ships in Spanish harbors - beginning of the Anglo-Spanish War

    Spain confiscates English ships in Spanish harbors - beginning of the Anglo-Spanish War

  4. Spanish army under Tassis beats Amerongen Staatse troops

    Spanish army under Tassis beats Amerongen Staatse troops

  5. King Henri III and Duke De Guise signs Treaty of Nemours: French Huguenots lose all freedoms

    King Henri III and Duke De Guise signs Treaty of Nemours: French Huguenots lose all freedoms

Events After

  1. Queen Elizabeth I of England signs the death warrant for her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots

    Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication on 24 July 1567. The…

  2. Mary, Queen of Scots, is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle at age 44 after being convicted of plotting to assassinate Eliz

    Mary, Queen of Scots, is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle at age 44 after being convicted of plotting to assassinate Elizabeth I in the Babington Plot

  3. Deventer and Zutphen surrender to Spain

    Zutphen] ; Dutch Low Saxon: Zutfent) is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands.

  4. Puritan English parliamentary leader Sir Peter Wentworth confined in London Tower

    Puritan English parliamentary leader Sir Peter Wentworth confined in London Tower

  5. 2nd English colony forms on Roanoke Island off North Carolina

    Roanoke Island () is an island in Dare County, bordered by the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

More from the 1580s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 19, 1586?
The Roanoke Colony (ROH-ə-nohk) were two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The first colony was established at Roanoke Island in 1585 as a military outpost, and was evacuated in 1586. The more famous second colony, known as the Lost Colony, began when a new group of settlers under John White arrived on the island in 1587; a ship in 1590 found the colony abandoned.
Why is English colonists sailed from Roanoke Island, North Carolina significant?
The Roanoke Colony (ROH-ə-nohk) were two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America.

Explore More