He was imprisoned for 13 years

Raleigh was not a favorite of the pacific King James I (reigned 1603-25) because of his harsh actions with Spain. At a period when James I was trying to make peace with Spain, he attacked and pillaged Spanish land and was accused of treason. His adversaries sought to bring him down, and in 1603 they accused him and others of preparing to overthrow the king. Raleigh insisted he was innocent, but he was found guilty based on the written testimony of Henry Brooke, and Lord Cobham, and sent to the Tower after receiving a last-minute reprieve from the death penalty.

His cell at the Tower of London, where he was imprisoned, was quite cozy thanks to the king's commutation of his sentence. Raleigh handwrote and drew his History of the World on a wooden desk in the room (about ancient Greece and Rome). He had full access to a library as well. Raleigh was eventually freed and pardoned by James, who then allowed him to set sail for Guiana once more in search of El Dorado. He struggled to keep Sherborne, which he had transferred to his son in trust, but a typing error rendered the deed void.