The Earl of Cardigan | |
|---|---|
 Lieutenant General James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan | |
| Nickname(s) | Jim the Bear[1] |
| Born | 16 October 1797 Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Died | 28 March 1868 (aged 70) Deene Park, Northamptonshire, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1824–1866 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Unit | |
| Commands | Light Cavalry Brigade |
| Battles / wars | Crimean War |
| Awards | |
Lieutenant-General James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan KCB (16 October 1797 – 28 March 1868), styled as Lord Cardigan, was an officer in the British Army who commanded the Light Brigade during the Crimean War, leading its charge at the Battle of Balaclava.[2]
Throughout his life in politics and his long military career, Brudenell characterised the arrogant and extravagant aristocrat of the period. His progression through the 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 landed gentry, 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.