Subject matter
Jutting into the Black Sea, Crimea is a rugged peninsula in Eastern Europe. Strategically valuable as a naval base, and with rich agricultural land, it has been invaded, occupied and battled over by a series of aggressors.
The Crimean War
The Crimean War was fought from October 1853 to February 1856. The Russian Empire was defeated by an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, Britain and Sardinia.
It is estimated that around 25,000 British, 100,000 French and up to a million Russians died - almost all of disease and neglect.
The war saw the introduction of the highest decoration for gallantry, the Victoria Cross. Unlike other medals, this was awarded not only to officers but to ordinary soldiers.
The first media war
The Crimean War could be described as the first media war - a forerunner to the intensely reported conflicts of modern times.
For the first time in history newspapers carried eye-witness reports, detailing not just the triumphs of war, but the mistakes and horrors as well.
The Times correspondent William Howard Russell used the modern technology of electric telegraph to send dispatches from the front line.
His reports caught the attention of the public and inspired individuals to set out for the war zone to help suffering soldiers - most famously Florence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale, known as the 'Lady with the Lamp', was an English social reformer and the founder of modern nursing. She is famous for nursing sick and wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. and Mary SeacoleMary Jane Seacole was a Jamaican business woman and a pioneering nurse. Seacole set up the British Hotel near Balaclava behind the lines during the Crimean War to provide food and comfort for sick soldiers. She also nursed the wounded on the battlefield and became known as 'Mother Seacole'. .
The Battle of Balaclava
The most significant moment in the Crimean War came during the Battle of BalaclavaThe Battle of Balaclava took place on 25 October 1854 during the Crimean War. It was part of the Siege of Sevastopol, Russia's principal naval base on the Black Sea..
An order given to the British army's cavalry division - known as the Light Brigade - was misunderstood and over 600 cavalrymen charged down a narrow valley straight into the fire of Russian cannons.
Over 150 British soldiers were killed, and more than 120 wounded.
William Howard Russell reported for The Times:
They swept proudly past, glittering in the morning sun in all the pride and splendour of war. We could hardly believe the evidence of our senses. Surely that handful of men were not going to charge an army in position 鈥 At the distance of 1200 yards the whole line of the enemy belched forth, from thirty iron mouths, a flood of smoke and flame through which hissed the deadly balls. Their flight was marked by instant gaps in our ranks, the dead men and horses, by steeds flying wounded or rider less across the plain.
Public reaction
At home news of the disaster was a sensation. A nation that had embraced British military exploits abroad began to question the politicians and generals who led them.
Tennyson wrote The Charge of the Light Brigade in response.
His work was enjoyed by ordinary people, and with this poem he was addressing a wide audience 鈥 not just the establishment.
With its catchy rhythm and powerful images the poem stuck in the public consciousness. Almost like a balladA traditional poetic form used in narrative poetry. A ballad normally features repetition, regular rhyme scheme and rhythm. They were traditionally penned to be sung or read aloud., it appealed to people who were not able to read to a high level. Had it not been written, the charge may have been forgotten by all but military historians.