Cádiz Expedition (1625)
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The Cádiz Expedition of 1625 was a naval expedition against Spain by the British that took place in 1625. [1] These plans were set out because, after the disbanding of the parliament of 1625, the Duke of Buckingham wanted to conduct a mission or expedition that would match the exploits of the heroes of the Elizabethan era, and, in doing so, return respect to the country and its people after political stress and final implosion. [1]
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[edit] The Plan
The plan involved several elements, including the overtaking of Spanish treasure ships coming back from the Americas full of valuable loot and then the assaulting Spanish towns, meaning to cause stress on Spain's economy and to weaken the Spanish's supplies and resources in regards to the Palatinate. [1]
[edit] The Expedition
By the October of 1625, approximate figures of 100 ships, and a total of 15,000 seamen and soldiers had been readied for the Cádiz Expedition. [1] An alliance with the Dutch had also been forged, and the new allies in Holland agreed to send an additional 15 warships to help guard the English Channel in the abscence of the main fleet. Sir Edward Cecil, a battle-ripened Dutch soldier, was appointed commander for the exploit by the Duke of Buckingham. This choice of command, however, was probably quite rash, because, while Cecil was a good soldier, he had little knowledge of the sea. [1] The expedition began on 6 October, 1625, but the voyage turned out to be plagued with difficulty. [1] Stormy weather threatened the ships, and caused major delays and damage to the ships that rendered many barely seaworthy. By the time that the fleet escaped from the storms and arrived in Spanish-owned waters, it became apparent that they were too poorly supplied to conduct the mission properly, and that they were too late to engage the West Indian treasure fleet, due to the storms they had encountered. [1]
[edit] Cádiz
Cecil chose to assualt the Spanish city of Cadiz, and after successfully sailing to the Cadiz bay, and landing his force, he was able to take the fort that guarded the harbour of the city. However, they soon found that the actual city was heavily fortified, and they then began to make serious errors. Spanish vessels that were open for capture were able to get away because most waited for orders and did not act. (These ships then sailed to the safety of Port Royal) [2] The ships that were used in the assault were also largely merchant vessels conscripted and converted for warfare, and the captains or owners of these ships, overly concerned about the welfare of their ships, left much of the battle to the Dutch. [2] Even then, they overtaking of the Fort Puntel proved a mistake, because they made the descision to attack it, instead of Cadiz, when Cadiz was in a location wherin they would have been able to leave the fort alone. [2] When they actually landed, they realised that they had no food or drink with them. Cecil then made the foolish call to allow the men to drink on the wine vats found in the local houses. A wave of drunkedness then enusued, with most or all of Cecil's force no longer sober. Seeing what he had done, Cecil did the only thing he could, and ordered that the force get back into the ships and retreat. [2]
[edit] Spanish Galleons
After the embarrassing fiasco of Cadiz, Cecil decided to try and intercept a fleet of Spanish galleons that were bringing loot and resources back from the New World. This failed as well, because these ships had been warned of danger in the waters, and were able to take another route and were able to return home without any trouble from Cecil and his ships. [2]
[edit] Return
Disease and sickness was sweeping through the soldiers, and the ships were in a bad state, so Cecil finally decided that there was no alternative to returning shamefully back to England, having stolen few or no goods, and having made little impact on Spain at all. So, in December, the fleet returned home. It is thought that the expedition cost the British an estimated £250,000. [2]
[edit] Aftermath
King Charles, to protect Buckingham (who should have at least made sure the ships were well supplied) and his own dignity, made no effort to enquire about the failure of the expedition. He merely cast a blind eye, and instead turned to the plight of the Huguenots of La Rochelle. At the time, French relations with England were slowly slipping away, and King Charles covered up the disaster of the Cadiz Expedition by turning attention towards to liberation of La Rochelle. [1]
[edit] Notes
[edit] See also
- Seventeenth century
- España (location of Cadiz in Spain)
