The failure of the Cádiz expedition of 1625: Government and command staff attitudes towards english navy sailors

This article examines the attitudes of the government and senior naval officers towards the sailors who participated in the 1625 Cádiz expedition, the first stage of the Anglo-Spanish War of the mid-1620s. The onset of this conflict, marking the end of two decades of peace, necessitated the mobilisation of a large number of sailors and the provision of supplies for a military campaign. The history of naval forces during this period has predominantly been approached through “heroic”, “administrative”, and “institutional” perspectives. However, there remain significant gaps in the study of the “history of the common sailor”. This article seeks to explore the perception of sailors by the government and naval leadership as a crucial resource during the first year of the war, with the outcome of the Cádiz expedition – arguably a decisive moment – having profound implications for the course of the entire conflict. Official letters, drawn from state archives, provide the primary source material, alongside personal documents, notably the journal of Admiral Edward Cecil’s secretary. The analysis concludes that a significant number of inadequately trained individuals were forcibly enlisted into service. While most did not perish in battle, many succumbed to cold, hunger, and disease. The view of sailors as expendable assets by the government and naval commanders emerged as one of the principal factors behind the failure of the Cádiz expedition, a failure that had far-reaching consequences for the war’s subsequent trajectory.