 300px|thumb|sergeant luke o'conner winning the victoria cross at the battle of alma (1854). oil by louis william desanges. the victoria cross (vc) was awarded to 111&nbsp;members of the british armed forces during the crimean war (also known as the russian war) that lasted from 1854 to 1856. the victoria cross is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of armed forces of some commonwealth countries and previous british empire territories. the vc was introduced in great britain on 29 january 1856 by queen victoria to reward acts of valour during the crimean war. it takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals; it may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service and to civilians under military command. the first ceremony was held on 26 june 1857 where queen victoria invested 62 of the 111 crimean recipients in hyde park.ashcroft, michael; preface; xi&ndash;xiii in 1854, the crimean war broke out between the russian empire and an alliance of france, great britain, the kingdom of sardinia and the ottoman empire. one of the first battles of the war was the battle of the alma where allied forces convincingly defeated the russian forces. the siege of sevastapol followed shortly after in september 1854; it was to last for a year at the cost of over 128,000 lives, three quarters of which died from disease. after the siege at sevastapol, the fighting mainly ceased and on 30 march 1856, after two years of action, the russians negotiated a peace treaty at the congress of paris. the treaty set the black sea as neutral territory, closing it to all warships, and prohibiting fortifications and the presence of armaments on its shores. the crimean war led to a number of large-scale changes in the british army. the sale of commissions came under great scrutiny during the war, especially in connection with the battle of balaclava, which saw the ill-fated charge of the light brigade. this scrutiny eventually led to the abolition of the sale of commissions. the dispatches of william howard russell during the war highlighted how many acts of bravery and valour by british servicemen went unrewarded.ashcroft, michael; preface to victoria cross heroes there was a growing feeling amongst the public and in the royal court that a new award was needed to recognise incidents of gallantry that were unconnected with a man's lengthy or meritorious service. [[victoria of the united k
Crimean_War_recipients_of_the_Victoria_Cross Lists_of_recipients_of_the_Victoria_Cross_by_conflict