Final answer:
The English courtier who attempted to colonize Roanoke Island in the 1580s was Sir Walter Raleigh, known for the mysterious story of the "lost colony." Raleigh sent several expeditions to establish this first English settlement, but its fate remains unknown.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the 1580s, the English courtier who attempted to colonize Roanoke Island was Sir Walter Raleigh. This colonization attempt is famously known as the story of the "lost colony". The first English settlement on Roanoke was established in 1584 with 117 people, but when Governor John White returned from England with more supplies after three years, the colony had mysteriously disappeared, leaving only the word "Croatoan" carved into a fence.
Raleigh was instrumental in this colonization effort, although he did not personally set foot in the colony. The expeditions to Roanoke were carried out under his authorization, with Sir Richard Grenville leading Raleigh's second expedition that left a small garrison of soldiers under Ralph Lane. Ultimately, the fate of the settlers remains unknown, and Roanoke's story continues to be a subject of intrigue and speculation among historians.