The Crimean War lasted from 1853-1856 bewteen Russia and the forces of Britain, France, and the Ottoman Empire. There were two main causes of the war: territorial expansion and religion. Czar Nicholas I (Czar of Russia) was attempting to expand his influence over the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean at the expense of the declining Ottoman Empire. The British and French, in turn, saw Nicholas’ power grab as a danger to their trade routes. There was a great struggle for Jerusalem and other "sacred places" under Turkish rule between the Orthodox believers and Catholics. After Austria threatened to join the allies during the Crimean War, Russia accepted preliminary peace terms in 1856. The resulting Treaty of Paris, signed on March 30, 1856, guaranteed the integrity of Ottoman Turkey. There were an estimated 650,000 lives lost (many of them Birtish soldiers).

Although Jane Eyre was published in 1847, it's possible that Charlotte Brontë was influenced by the socio-political atmosphere leading up to the conflict. In the years preceding the Crimean War, Britain was undergoing significant social and political transformations. The mid-19th century was marked by the rise of industrialization, urbanization, and the expansion of the British Empire. These changes brought about shifts in social hierarchies, economic structures, and cultural norms, leading to heightened tensions and debates over issues such as class inequality, women's rights, and colonialism. Jane Eryre reflects many of the concerns and values of the Victorian era, including the tension between social classes, the constraints imposed by gender roles, and the quest for individual autonomy and morality. Although "Jane Eyre" is set in a different historical context, its themes of injustice, oppression, and individual agency parallel the broader moral and existential dilemmas raised by the Crimean War.

History and Britannica