James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan
British Crimean War Lieutenant-General (1797-1868) · Died at 70
Lieutenant-General James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan was a British Army officer who commanded the Light Brigade during the Crimean War, leading its disastrous charge at the Battle of Balaclava.
In history
Charge of the Light Brigade · Leader
The British cavalry's fatal charge during the Crimean War became a defining symbol of military sacrifice and the human cost of miscommunication in modern warfare.
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1835British General Election of 1835Candidate, The 1835 election brought the Conservative Party to power under Robert Peel and marked the emergence of modern party politics in Britain.Story: Recap.at CC BY-SA25K Wikipedia readers in the past year
4 moreNamed Member of the 12th Parliament of the United KingdomOffice6 January 1835 to 17 July 18371832Named Member of the 11th Parliament of the United KingdomOffice10 December 1832 to 29 December 18341831Named Member of the 10th Parliament of the United KingdomOffice28 April 1831 to 3 December 18321830Named Member of the 9th Parliament of the United KingdomOffice29 July 1830 to 23 April 1831Named Member of the 8th Parliament of the United KingdomOffice20 February to 24 July 18301826Named Member of the 8th Parliament of the United KingdomOffice7 June 1826 to 14 March 18291820Named Member of the 7th Parliament of the United KingdomOffice6 March 1820 to 2 June 18261818Named Member of the 6th Parliament of the United KingdomOffice17 June 1818 to 29 February 18201797Born16 October 1797People around James
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Throughout his life in politics and his long military career, Cardigan characterised the arrogant and extravagant aristocrat of the period. His progression through the British army was marked by many episodes of extraordinary incompetence, but also by generosity to the men under his command and genuine bravery. As a member of the aristocracy, he had actively and steadfastly opposed any political reform in Britain but, in the last year of his life, he relented and came to acknowledge that such reform would bring benefit to all classes of society.