The plan was put forward because after the Dissolution of the Parliament of 1625, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, Lord High Admiral, wanted to undertake an expedition that would match the exploits of the raiders of the Elizabethan era and in doing so, would return respect to the country and its people after the political stress of the preceding years.

The resulting Parliament of 1624 was, at least in the short run, a triumph for Charles and Buckingham, as it strongly advocated war with Spain.

An alliance with the Dutch had also been forged, and the new allies agreed to send an additional 15 warships commanded by William of Nassau, to help guard the English Channel in the absence of the main fleet.

Sir Edward Cecil, a battle-hardened soldier fighting for the Dutch, was appointed commander of the expedition by the Duke of Buckingham.

Stormy weather threatened the ships, rendering many of them barely seaworthy and causing major delays.

Cecil then made the foolish decision to allow the men to drink from the wine vats found in the local houses.

[2] After the fiasco at Cádiz, Cecil decided to try to intercept a fleet of Spanish galleons that were bringing resources back from the New World.

[1] Disease and sickness was sweeping through the ranks, and since the ships were in a bad state, Cecil finally decided that there was no alternative but to return to England although he had captured few or no goods and made little impact on Spain.