On October 25, 1854, during the Crimean War, James Thomas Brudenell, Seventh Earl of Cardigan, led the British cavalry against the Russians in the Battle of Balaklava.
The charge was disastrous, but it did inspire the admiration of the British public, particularly that of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, who wrote the 1855 poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade” in its honor.
And although it is not certain whether the cardigan sweater, named for the fashion-conscious earl, was worn at the charge, Brudenell reportedly developed it during this war.