Alexander Nevsky where he was born and lived. Alexander Yaroslavovich, Prince of Novgorod: biography
Alexander Yaroslavovich Nevsky was born in May 1220 in the family of the prince of Pereyaslavl, later of Vladimir and Kyiv, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Alexander's father raised his sons in strictness and in every possible way prepared them for difficult military work. In 1225, Prince Yaroslav in the city of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky performed “princely tonsure” on his sons - the initiation of boys into warriors.
In 1228, before the campaign against Riga, his father left Alexander and his older brother Fedor in Novgorod. The children, together with their mentors, had to wait for their father from the campaign, but in the winter of 1229, famine broke out in Novgorod, the city residents rebelled, and the young princes had to flee the city. The next year, the Novgorodians turned to Prince Yaroslav with a request to “reign over them.” But Yaroslav stayed in Novgorod for only two weeks and left there, placing his sons in charge. Three years later, Fyodor Yaroslavovich died, and Alexander became the sole prince of the Novgorod land. Alexander took his first part in a military campaign at the age of 14 as part of his father’s troops - to Livonia.
As a result of political reshuffles in 1236, Prince Yaroslav was invited to reign in Kyiv - the period of Alexander’s independent princely activity began. Even in his youth, he showed wisdom and innate military talent. In any case, I was not tempted by the campaign against Lithuania organized by the Order of the Swordsmen. But the Pskov prince took part in this campaign and was completely defeated in the Battle of Saul, and the Order of the Swordsmen went over to the side of the Teutonic Order and actually disappeared into it. In addition, Novgorod was lucky for a purely geographical reason - in the winter of 1237-38, Tatar-Mongol troops ravaged Northeastern Rus' and after a two-week siege they took Torzhok, but did not go to Novgorod. That is, of almost all Russian cities at that time, only Novgorod was safe and sound.
IN official history it is alleged that Prince Alexander received the nickname Nevsky after the defeat of the Swedes on the Neva. However, in written sources this nickname begins to accompany the name of Alexander only from the 14th century. It is possible that the nickname of the Nevsky princes, which was borne by the descendants of Alexander, was received precisely for the ownership of lands on the banks of the Neva. But historians do not yet have a common opinion on this issue.
In 1240, the Swedes, having agreed with the Germans, simultaneously set out on a campaign against Russian lands. The Germans attacked Pskov, and the Swedes moved troops to Veliky Novgorod. According to legend, the jarl leading the Swedish troops sent Alexander a letter in which he declared war. The Swedes had a significant advantage in manpower, but Alexander outmaneuvered them. With a small squad of Novgorodians and Ladoga recruits, on the night of July 15, he attacked the Swedish camp at the mouth of the Izhora River, a tributary of the Neva, and completely defeated the enemy. The prince fought in the front ranks and personally “placed a seal with the tip of his sword” on the forehead of the Swedish jarl. With the Battle of the Neva, in which Alexander demonstrated his military talent and the mind of a strategist, the countdown to the victories of the great Russian commander began. However, in the same year, the Novgorodians, extremely jealous of their liberties and privileges, managed to quarrel with Alexander, and the prince retired to the patrimony given to him by his father - the Pereyaslavl-Zalessky principality.
The quarrel with the prince cost the Novgorodians quite dearly. The Germans (Livonian Order) after a short siege took Pskov and installed their managers (vogts) there. After this, the Livonians deployed fighting in the north-west of Rus' close to Novgorod - they built a fortress in Koporye, took the city of Tesov by storm and, finally, began to rob merchants literally at the walls of Novgorod. The Novgorodians were smart enough to turn to Prince Yaroslav to appoint a prince, and he sent them Andrei, Alexander’s younger brother. But the Novgorodians were not satisfied with this, and they sent an embassy with a request to appoint Alexander as prince of Novgorod. Alexander did not pretend and contradict his father’s will, and in 1241 he came to Novgorod with his squad, drove away the Livonians, and the next year, together with his brother, moved to Pskov. In order to protect Pskov from attacks in the future from the Livonian Order, Alexander made a trip to the Peipus land - the possession of Livonia.
The general battle between the troops of Prince Alexander and the knights of the Livonian Order took place on April 5, 1242. Alexander initially chose a convenient position at the Crow Stone and prepared to meet the knights. Although according to the Livonian chronicles the knights were intercepted on the march, this looks very doubtful, since the troops of the Order were well aware of the whereabouts of the Russian squad. This battle was called the Battle of the Ice because the Livonian troops, with the help of a maneuver, pushed the knights onto the ice Lake Peipsi and drove away from the shore. The ice at this time was already fairly melted, and many Livonians, dressed in heavy armor, drowned in the resulting ice holes. The Livonian Chronicles and the Novgorod Chronicle report that about 500 Livonians died.
Subsequently, Alexander inflicted a number of defeats on the Livonian Order and in 1245 practically secured the northern borders of Rus'. Six years of Alexander's military actions led to a peace treaty, according to which the Livonian Order renounced all captured Russian lands and even ceded part of Latgale to Novgorod.
In 1246, Prince Yaroslav was summoned to the khan in Karakorum and there on September 30 he died of poison. Ten days earlier, Mikhail Chernigovsky refused to pass pagan rite in the Golden Horde and was killed. Rus' has lost its talented prince-politicians. A year later, Alexander Nevsky was forced to go to Batu for a label to reign. Batu sent Alexander and his brother Andrei further - to Mongolia, to the Great Khan, and this journey took the brothers two years. During their absence, the fourth son of Prince Yaroslav, Mikhail Khorobrit of Moscow, subjugated the Vladimir principality by cunning and in 1248 sat on the throne. In the same year, he died in a battle with the Lithuanians at the Protva River.
The cunning Khan Batu decided to put Alexander on the reign of Vladimir, since he knew very well that Yaroslav bequeathed to his eldest son to be the prince of Novgorod and Kyiv, and intended Andrei to take the throne of Vladimir. As chroniclers note, there was a conflict between the brothers, but in the end, Yaroslav’s will was carried out. However, after the devastation of Kyiv by the Tatars, the city not only lost its importance - extensive restoration work was required, and Alexander settled in Novgorod. Some historians claim that Alexander Nevsky was going to leave for Kyiv to reign, but was kept by the Novgorodians under the pretext of a possible attack by the Tatars.
Alexander Nevsky proved himself not only a talented commander, but also a clever politician. In particular, there is information that he corresponded with Pope Innocent IV, who persuaded the Russian prince to accept Catholicism and submit to the Roman throne. In his letters, the Pope even referred to the fact that Alexander’s father, Yaroslav, allegedly agreed to Roman rule in exchange for the help of the Teutons in the fight against the Tatars. But no written documents on this topic have survived. In 1251, two cardinals arrived as an embassy from Rome to the Novgorod prince. The negotiations did not lead to anything, and Alexander Nevsky refused to convert to Catholicism. It should be noted that the Prince of Lithuania, Mindovg, converted to Catholicism, thereby securing his lands from the Teutons.
In 1252, the troops of the Golden Horde moved to Vladimir under the leadership of Khan Nevryuy. Having united with the troops of Tver, the people of Vladimir opposed the Tatars, but were defeated, and Prince Andrei fled to Sweden, and Yaroslav Tverskoy remained in Pskov and began to strengthen it. In the history of Rus' this was the first attempt at open opposition Tatar-Mongol yoke, even if it ended in defeat. As a result, the Vladimir principality also came under the rule of Alexander Nevsky, but the Mongols released the Ryazan prince Oleg the Red from captivity, which marked the beginning of an internecine war in Rus'.
Wars did not stop in the north-west of Rus'. Constant raids by Teutonic knights and Lithuanians forced Alexander to short campaigns that invariably ended in victories. In 1255, the obstinate Novgorodians expelled Alexander Nevsky's eldest son, Vasily, from his reign, but Nevsky, either by war or by politics, forced Novgorod to accept Vasily back, and also replaced the Novgorod mayor with a man devoted to himself.
In 1257, the Mongols conducted a census in the Ryazan, Murom and Vladimir lands to increase the tribute collected. But the Novgorodians, who had not suffered from the previous invasions of the Tatar-Mongols, opposed the census and did not allow the khan’s ambassadors into the city. Trying to avoid a new invasion, Alexander Nevsky himself brought Mongol ambassadors to Novgorod, exiled his son to Suzdal, and severely punished his advisers. Alexander's second son, Dmitry, became the Prince of Novgorod. In 1258 Alexander went to Golden Horde bowed to the khan's governor Ulavchiy and, returning, obtained consent from the freedom-loving Novgorodians to conduct a census and pay tribute. It was thanks to the actions of Alexander Nevsky that it was possible to avoid another Mongol campaign against Rus' and a violation of the precarious political balance.
In 1262 largest cities Rus' - Pereyaslavl, Suzdal, Rostov and Vladimir - Tatar tribute collectors were destroyed almost simultaneously. The offended Khan Berke demanded that not only compensation for the killed officials, but also Russian recruits be delivered to his capital Sarai-Batu, since he was going to fight with the ruler of Iran, Hulaga. Alexander Nevsky again goes to the Golden Horde to dissuade the Khan with the help of rich gifts and persuasion. The embassy was successful, but in the Horde Alexander fell ill. Having reached Gorodets Meshchersky, Alexander adopted the schema, taking the name Alexy, and died on November 14, 1263.
The actions of Alexander Nevsky ensured the calm development of Northwestern and Northern Rus', and his policy ensured fairly peaceful relations with the Golden Horde and an acceptable tribute. His glory during his lifetime was so great that knights from Europe went on a campaign to see the great commander and pay their respects to him. According to legend, even the Tatar Khan himself spoke of Alexander Nevsky in respectful and superlatives.
Until 1724, the ashes of Alexander Nevsky rested in the Vladimir Nativity Monastery. By order of Peter the Great, the prince's relics were confiscated and transferred for burial in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. Alexander Nevsky was revered in Vladimir as a saint even before his official canonization Orthodox Church, and it was well deserved - Prince Alexander was the only Orthodox ruler who did not succumb to the persuasion of the Catholic Church in order to maintain his power.
In 1725, Catherine I established the Order of Alexander Nevsky - one of the highest awards Russian Empire. The order existed until 1917 and was again revived in 1942 as a reward for military merit.
Preventive war - suicide due to fear of death
Otto von Bismarck
The holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky won fame for himself during his lifetime. Legends were made about him, he was feared by his enemies and revered by his compatriots. After his death, the name of Alexander Nevsky was included in national history How outstanding commander, who, with the sword and fortitude, preserved Orthodoxy and the identity of the Russian people on Russian soil. Thanks to the Grand Duke Slavic people began to unite in order, following the example of Alexander Nevsky, to fight the threat in the West and resist the mighty Horde.
In the article we will dwell in detail on the main deeds of the holy prince, thanks to which he was canonized (in 1547) and is still considered by Russians to be one of the greatest people of our Motherland in its entire history. There are 4 such events:
This happened when Prince Alexander was only 13 years old. By today's standards, he is just a child, but already at this age Alexander, together with his father, was already fighting against the German knights. In those days, incited by the Pope, Western European knights carried out crusade raids officially to convert the “infidels” to Catholicism, but in reality to plunder the local population and seize new territories.
Russian cities (Pskov, Novgorod, Izborsk) for a long time were the goal of the German order, because trade and architecture were developed here. The knights are not averse to making money: selling someone into slavery, robbing someone. To protect Russian lands, Prince Yaroslav calls on the people to stand with him in defense of the Motherland. Watching the progress of the battle, young Alexander, along with adults, fights with enemies, while simultaneously analyzing the behavior of troops and defense tactics. Yaroslav Vsevolodovich bets on a protracted battle, and wins the battle. Tired knights are finished off with flank attacks, others run to the river, but the thin ice cannot withstand the heavy knights, cracks, and the knights in their armor go under the water. The Novgorodians win a victory, which went down in history under the name “Battle of Omovzha.” Alexander learned a lot in this battle and later applied the tactics of the Battle of Omovzha many times.
Battle of the Neva (1240) for the prince
In July 1240, Swedish Vikings approached the confluence of the Izhora and Neva rivers in their boats and set up camp. They arrived to attack Novgorod and Ladoga. According to the chronicles, about 5 thousand Swedish invaders arrived, but Alexander managed to gather only 1.5 thousand warriors. There was no longer any time to delay. While the Swedes are in the dark and are just preparing for an attack, it was necessary to get ahead of them by unexpectedly attacking their place of deployment.
Alexander and his small retinue settled in the forest not far from the Swedes. Even the Swedes had no sentries, and the Vikings themselves were busy setting up the camp. Alexander, after carefully studying the location of the enemies, decided to divide the army into three parts: the first was to move along the coast, the second - the cavalry, led by Alexander himself, should advance in the center of the camp, and the third - the archers, remained in ambush to block the path of the retreating Swedes.
The morning attack of the Novgorodians was a complete surprise for the Swedes. Novgorod resident Mishka managed to approach the tent where the command was seated unnoticed and sawed off the leg. The tent fell along with the generals, which caused even greater panic among the Swedes. When the Varangians rushed to their augers, they saw that they were already occupied by the Novgorodians. The path was completely cut off when the archers entered the battle.
The Novgorod Chronicle speaks of huge losses in the Swedish camp and only 20 people were killed in the Russian regiment. From that time on, Alexander began to be called Nevsky in honor of the river where he won his first significant victory. His fame and influence in Novgorod increased, which was not very to the taste of the local boyars, and young Alexander soon left Novgorod and returned to his father in Vladimir. But he doesn’t stay there for long either, and moves to Pereslavl. However, already in the next 1241, Alexander received news from the Novgorodians that the enemies had again approached their native lands. The Novgorodians called on Alexander.
Battle of Lake Peipsi - Battle of the Ice - 1242
German knights managed to capture a number of Russian lands and settle there, erecting characteristic knightly fortifications. To liberate Russian cities, Prince Alexander Nevsky decided to unite the people and strike the invaders with a single force. He calls on all Slavs to stand under his banner to fight the Germans. And they heard him. Militia and warriors flocked from all cities, ready to sacrifice themselves to save their homeland. In total, up to 10 thousand people united under the banner of Alexander.
Kaporye is a city that has just begun to be settled by the Germans. It was located a little further from the rest of the captured Russian cities, and Alexander decided to start with it. On the way to Kaporye, the prince orders to take prisoner all those encountered, so as to be sure that no one will be able to inform the knights about the approach of the princely army. Having reached the walls of the city, Alexander knocks down the gates with multi-pound logs and enters Kaporye, which surrenders without a fight. When Alexander approached Pskov, the residents themselves, inspired by Alexander’s victories, opened the gates for him. The Germans are collecting best forces for battle.
The Battle of Lake Peipsi will go down in history as Ice battle. Alexander Nevsky, pondering the battle strategy, placed numerous militias in the center who were not very proficient in battle tactics. The main army was positioned in front of steep bank, behind which stood carts fastened with chains to each other. On the flanks were the Novgorod regiments - the strongest of the entire ten-thousand-strong Russian army. And behind a rock that stuck out of the water, Alexander hid an ambush regiment. The holy prince arranged his people in such a way as to lure the knights into the “cauldron”, realizing that, having first defeated the weak militias, even if numerous, the already tired Germans would go out to the best Russian regiment and carts, and given the weight of the knight in armor, then they will have practically no chance to get over the cart.
On April 5, 1242, the German knights fully “justified” Alexander’s calculations. The Germans advanced in a “wedge” and, having defeated the militia, went straight to the advanced detachments of Nevsky. Finding themselves in a vice, on the one hand, there were carts, over which the horses could not jump, having such weight on them in the form of a knight in armor, and on the other, Alexander’s warriors and the Novgorodians from the flanks. The knights, who wielded a spear, always hit the enemy directly, did not expect an attack from the flanks. It was not possible to turn 90 degrees with the horse thanks to the vice from the carts where the German knights ended up. The ambush regiment completed the defeat of the German knights. The Germans rushed in all directions along thin ice Lake Peipus. Thin ice cracked, carrying heavy German knights under the water, just as it once carried away their ancestors on Omovzha.
It was a brilliant strategy of the young Russian commander. The Germans learned a lesson that made them forget the road to Russia for a long time. 50 prisoners of war walked bareheaded through the streets of Russian cities. This is for medieval knights was considered the worst humiliation. The name of Alexander Nevsky thundered throughout Europe as the best commander of the Northern lands.
Relations with the Golden Horde
In the Middle Ages, for the Russian lands, the Horde was a real punishment. A strong state with extensive trade and a mobile army. The Russian principalities could only envy the cohesion of the Mongol-Tatars. Scattered Russian cities and principalities only paid tribute to the Horde, but could not resist it. Alexander was no exception. Even after all the brilliant battles, going against the Horde, as the Prince of Chernigov did, means signing a death sentence for yourself and your people. After the death of his father Yaroslav, who, by the way, died while “visiting” the khan, Alexander also went to Batu receive a label for the khan's service. Enlisting the support of the Horde was for the Russian princes like a ritual that was tantamount to coronation to the throne.
Could Alexander have acted differently?! Probably could. Western European powers, led by the Pope, more than once offered their assistance in the fight against the Horde in exchange for the adoption of Catholicism, but Alexander refused. The prince preferred to pay tribute to the Horde rather than betray the faith of his ancestors. The Horde treated the Gentiles quite tolerably, the main thing was that the dues regularly entered the treasury. So Alexander chose the least evil, as he believed.
In 1248, Prince Alexander Nevsky received a label for Kyiv and the entire Russian land. A little later, Vladimir also moved to Nevsky. While Rus' regularly paid tribute to Batu, the Mongol-Tatars did not attack. Accustomed to living in peace, the Russian people forgot about the Horde threat. In 1262, the Tatar ambassadors who arrived for tribute in Pereslavl, Rostov, Suzdal and other cities were killed. To calm the conflict, the prince is forced to go to the khan. In the Horde, the prince fell ill on the way home; 41-year-old Alexander died.
300 years later, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Alexander Nevsky.
Yaroslav Vsevolodovich gave his sons a “princely tonsure”, after which the experienced governor, boyar Fyodor Danilovich began to teach them military affairs.
Battle of Neva
Confident of victory, the royal son-in-law Birger sent Alexander a declaration of war, proud and arrogant: “ If you can, resist, know that I am already here and will take your land captive" Novgorod was left to its own devices. Rus', defeated by the Tatars, could not provide him with any support. The prince then prayed on his knees in the cathedral church of Sophia of the Wisdom of God, and turning to the soldiers, he said the words that are still popular today: “God is not in power, but in truth.”
Conflicting data on the losses of the Order in Old Russian (Novgorod I Chronicle) and German (Livonian Rhymed Chronicle) sources make it difficult to assess the scale of the battle, but political significance This victory of Alexander Nevsky remains beyond doubt: it ensured the status quo on the Livonian-Novgorod border until the 15th century, therefore attempts to reduce the battle to the level of an ordinary border skirmish are unlawful.
However, the Novgorodians, always jealous of their liberties, managed to quarrel with Alexander that same year, and he retired to his father, who gave him the principality of Pereslavl-Zalessky. Meanwhile, the Livonian Germans, Chud and Lithuania were advancing on Novgorod. They fought and imposed tribute on the leaders, built a fortress in Koporye, took the city of Tesov, plundered the lands along the Luga River and began to rob Novgorod merchants 30 versts from Novgorod. The Novgorodians turned to Yaroslav for a prince; he gave them his second son, Andrei. This did not satisfy them. They sent a second embassy to ask Alexander.
Domestic politics and relations with the Horde
Alexander pursued a completely different policy towards the Tatars. According to one point of view, given the then small number and fragmentation of the Russian population in eastern lands it was impossible to even think about liberation from their power and all that remained was to rely on the generosity of the victors. Other historians believe that the fight against the Tatars could have been successful, but Alexander wanted to use their help to establish his strict power over the free cities. In any case, Alexander decided to get along with the Tatars at all costs. At the same time, knowing what was to come and who was to be met, Prince Alexander said before leaving for the Horde: “Even though I shed my blood for Christ’s sake from a godless king, just as my relatives did, I will not worship bush and fire and idols.”. This was a refusal to perform obligatory rites in the Horde. The prince kept his word, and the Lord saved him.
Having learned about the death of the intercessor for Rus', Metropolitan Kirill said in the Assumption Cathedral of the capital city of Vladimir: “My dear children, understand that the sun of the Russian land has set,” and everyone cried out with tears: “We are already perishing.” The deceased was transported to Vladimir and laid in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God Monastery on November 23 of the year. Numerous healings were noted during the burial.
The people were sad. Contemporaries perceived the deceased as a special prayer book and intercessor for Russia and Orthodoxy. Victorious everywhere, he was not defeated by anyone. The knight, who came from the west to see Alexander Nevsky, said that he had passed through many countries and peoples, but nowhere had he seen such a thing “neither in the kings of the king, nor in the princes of the prince.” The Tatar Khan himself allegedly gave the same review about him, and Tatar women frightened children with his name.
When the faithful Grand Duke Dimitri Donskoy was praying in the cathedral of the Nativity Monastery at his tomb before the campaign of the year on the Kulikovo Field, then two elders unexpectedly appeared at the tomb and exclaimed: “O Mr. Alexander, arise and hasten to the aid of your great-grandson, Grand Duke Dimitri, who is being overcome by foreigners.” After this vision, in the name of the Metropolitan of Moscow, the tomb was opened and local veneration of the holy prince was established. They prepared a special service for him. During the fire of the year, the cathedral burned, but even the shroud on the tomb survived. Church-wide glorification of the blessed Prince Alexander by the Russian Church followed at the Moscow Council in the year when they ordered him to compile a lengthy life, service and speech of praise.
By decree of Emperor Peter I, the holy relics were solemnly sent to St. Petersburg on July 14 of the year and placed on August 30 of the year in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Since one year, the holy relics have rested in a silver shrine. The day of August 30 is revered as the day of the transfer of holy relics. This event secured St. Petersburg the title of the new capital of Russia.
The view of historians of the 18th-19th centuries
A number of historians do not attach so much importance to the personality of Alexander Nevsky of great importance. The largest Russian historians Sergei Solovyov and Vasily Klyuchevsky devoted a minimum of lines to the activities of the prince, but at the same time paid due respect to his activities.
In publications of the 1980s and later, the words “to the power of your relatives” are replaced by: “to the Russian power” or “to our country.”
Alexander Nevsky Alexander Nevsky
(1220/1221 - 1263), Prince of Novgorod in 1236-1251, Grand Duke of Vladimir from 1252. Son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Victories over the Swedes (Battle of the Neva 1240) and German knights Livonian Order(Battle of the Ice 1242) secured the western borders of Rus'. Through skillful policies he eased the burdens of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.
ALEXANDER NevskyALEXANDER Yaroslavich Nevsky (May 13, 1221? - November 14, 1263), saint, Novgorod prince(1236-1251), Grand Duke of Vladimir from 1252; son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (cm. YAROSLAV Vsevolodovich). Victories over the Swedes in the Battle of the Neva (cm. NEVSKAYA BATTLE) 1240 and the German knights of the Livonian Order in the Battle of the Ice (cm. ICE BATTLE) 1242 secured the western borders of Rus'
Alexander was born into the family of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Princess Feodosia, daughter of Prince Mstislav Udatny (cm. MSTISLAV Mstislavich Udaloy). On his father's side he was the grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest (cm. VSEVOLOD Big Nest). The first information about Alexander dates back to 1228, when Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, who reigned in Novgorod, came into conflict with the townspeople and was forced to leave for Pereyaslavl-Zalessky - his ancestral inheritance. Despite this, he left two young sons, Fyodor and Alexander, in Novgorod in the care of trusted boyars. After the death of Fedor, Alexander becomes the eldest heir of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In 1236 he was placed under the reign of Novgorod, and in 1239 he married the Polotsk princess Alexandra Bryachislavna.
In the first years of his reign, he had to strengthen Novgorod, which was threatened by the Tatar Mongols from the east. Alexander built several fortresses on the Sheloni River. The victory won on the banks of the Neva, at the mouth of the Izhora River on July 15, 1240 over the Swedish detachment, which, according to legend, was commanded, brought glory to the young prince. future ruler Sweden's Earl Birger (cm. BIRGER JARL). This campaign is not mentioned in Swedish sources about Birger's life. After the landing of the Swedes, Alexander with a small squad, uniting with the Ladoga residents, suddenly attacked the Swedes and completely defeated their detachment, showing exceptional courage in battle - “put a seal on the king’s face with your sharp spear.” It is believed that it was for this victory that the prince began to be called Nevsky, but for the first time this nickname appears in sources from the 14th century. Some of the prince's descendants also bore the nickname Nevsky. Perhaps in this way their possessions near the Neva were assigned. It is traditionally believed that the battle of 1240 prevented Russia from losing the shores of the Gulf of Finland and stopped Swedish aggression on the Novgorod-Pskov lands.
The victory on the Neva strengthened Alexander's political influence, but at the same time contributed to the aggravation of his relations with the boyars, as a result of clashes with whom the prince was forced to leave Novgorod and go to Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. Meanwhile, a threat from the west loomed over Novgorod. Livonian Order (cm. LIVONIAN ORDER), having gathered the German crusaders of the Baltic states, the Danish knights from Revel, enlisting the support of the papal curia and the long-time rivals of the Novgorodians, the Pskovs, invaded the Novgorod lands.
An embassy was sent from Novgorod to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich asking for help. He sent an armed detachment to Novgorod led by his son Andrei Yaroslavich, who was replaced by Alexander in the spring of 1241. Gathering a powerful army, he recaptured Koporye and Vodskaya land occupied by the knights, and then expelled the Livonian detachment from Pskov. Inspired by their successes, the Novgorodians invaded the territory of the Livonian Order and began to ravage the settlements of the Estonians, tributaries of the Crusaders. A large cavalry army led by the master of the order came out against Alexander Nevsky. The knights who left Riga destroyed the advanced Russian regiment of Domash Tverdislavich, forcing Alexander to withdraw his troops to the border of the Livonian Order, which ran along Lake Peipsi. Both sides began to prepare for the decisive battle.
It happened on the ice of Lake Peipsi, near the Crow Stone on April 5, 1242 and went down in history as the Battle of the Ice. German troops suffered a crushing defeat. The Livonian Order was forced to make peace, according to which the crusaders renounced their claims to Russian lands, and also transferred part of Latgale to the Russians. In the history of military art, the victory of Alexander Nevsky on Lake Peipus was of exceptional significance: the Russian foot army surrounded and defeated the knightly cavalry and detachments of foot bollards, long before Western Europe infantry learned to prevail over mounted knights. The victory in this battle placed Alexander Nevsky among the best commanders of his time.
In the summer of 1242, Alexander defeated the Lithuanian detachments attacking the northwestern Russian lands, in 1245 he recaptured Toropets, captured by Lithuania, destroyed the Lithuanian detachment at Lake Zhitsa and, finally, defeated the Lithuanian militia near Usvyat. Alexander Nevsky continued to strengthen the northwestern borders of Rus': he sent embassies to Norway, which resulted in the first agreement between Russia and Norway (1251), made a successful campaign in Finland against the Swedes, who made a new attempt to close the Russians' access to Baltic Sea (1256).
Alexander and the Horde
The successful military actions of Alexander Nevsky ensured the security of the western borders of Rus', but in the east the Russian princes had to bow their heads before a much stronger enemy - the Mongol-Tatars. In 1243 Khan Batu (cm. BATYY), ruler of the western part of the Mongol state - the Golden Horde (cm. GOLDEN HORDE), presented the label of the Vladimir Grand Duke to Alexander’s father, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Great Khan Guyuk of the Mongols summoned Yaroslav to his capital Karakorum, where on September 30, 1246, the Grand Duke died (according to the generally accepted version, he was poisoned). Then his sons, Alexander and Andrei, were summoned to Karakorum. While the Yaroslavichs were reaching Mongolia, Khan Guyuk himself died, and the new mistress of Karakorum, Khansha Ogul-Gamish, decided to appoint Andrei as Grand Duke, while Alexander received control of the devastated Southern Rus' and Kyiv.
Only in 1249 were the brothers able to return to their homeland. Alexander did not go to Kyiv, but returned to Novgorod, where he became seriously ill. Around this time, Pope Innocent IV (cm. INNOCENT IV) sent an embassy to Alexander Nevsky with an offer to convert to Catholicism, supposedly in exchange for help in the fight against the Mongols. This proposal was rejected by Alexander in the most categorical form. He rejected the attempts of the papal curia to cause a war between Rus' and the Golden Horde, as he understood the futility of a war with the Tatars at that time. Thus, Alexander Nevsky showed himself to be a cautious and far-sighted politician, and managed to gain the trust of Batu Khan.
In 1252, Ogul-Gamish was overthrown by the new Great Khan Munke (cm. MUNKE). Taking advantage of this, Batu decided to remove Andrei Yaroslavich from the great reign and presented the label of Vladimir Grand Duke to Alexander Nevsky. But younger brother Alexandra, Andrey Yaroslavich, supported by brother Yaroslav Tversky and Daniil Romanovich Galitsky (cm. DANIIL Romanovich), refused to obey Batu’s decision. To punish the disobedient, Batu sent a Mongol detachment under the command of Nevryuy (“Nevryuyev’s army”). Andrei and Yaroslav were forced to flee beyond the borders of North-Eastern Rus'.
Later, in 1253, Yaroslav Yaroslavovich was invited to reign in Pskov, and in 1255 - in Novgorod. At the same time, the Novgorodians “kicked out” the former Prince Vasily, the son of Alexander Nevsky. When Alexander again imprisoned Vasily in Novgorod, he cruelly punished the warriors who failed to protect the rights of their son - they were blinded. Alexander's political line helped prevent the devastating Tatar invasions of Rus'. He traveled to the Horde several times and achieved the release of the Russians from the obligation to act as troops on the side of the Tatar khans in their wars with other peoples. Alexander Nevsky made a lot of efforts to strengthen the grand ducal power in the country.
The new Golden Horde ruler, Khan Berke (from 1255), introduced in Rus' a common tribute system for the conquered lands. In 1257, “counters” were sent to Novgorod, like other Russian cities, to conduct a capitation census. This caused indignation among the Novgorodians, who were supported by Prince Vasily. An uprising began in Novgorod, lasting about a year and a half, during which the Novgorodians did not submit to the Mongols. Alexander personally pacified the Novgorodians, executing the most active participants in the unrest. Vasily Alexandrovich was captured and taken into custody. Novgorod was forced to send tribute to the Golden Horde. Prince Dmitry Alexandrovich became the new Novgorod mayor from 1259.
In 1262, unrest broke out in the Suzdal cities, where the Khan's Baskaks were killed and Tatar merchants were expelled. To appease Khan Berke, Alexander Nevsky personally went with gifts to the Horde. The Khan kept the prince near him all winter and summer; Only in the fall did Alexander get the opportunity to return to Vladimir, but on the way he fell ill and died on November 14, 1263 in Gorodets. His body was buried in the Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin.
In the conditions of trials that befell the Russian lands, Alexander Nevsky managed to find the strength to resist the Western conquerors, gaining fame as a great Russian commander, and also laid the foundations for relations with the Golden Horde (cm. GOLDEN HORDE). Already in the 1280s, veneration of Alexander Nevsky as a saint began in Vladimir, and he was later officially canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. He takes credit for refusing to compromise with Catholic Church for the sake of maintaining power. With the participation of his son Dmitry Alexandrovich and Metropolitan Kirill, a hagiographical story was written at the end of the 13th century, which became widespread at a later time. 15 editions of this life have been preserved, in which Alexander Nevsky is shown as an ideal warrior prince, defender of the Russian land.
In 1724 Peter I (cm. PETER I the Great) founded a monastery in St. Petersburg in honor of the noble prince (now the Alexander Nevsky Lavra) and ordered his remains to be transported there. He also decided to celebrate the memory of Alexander Nevsky on August 30, the day of the conclusion of the victorious Peace of Nystadt with Sweden. On May 21, 1725, Empress Catherine I established the Order of Alexander Nevsky - one of the highest awards in Russia that existed before 1917. During the Great Patriotic War On July 29, 1942, the Soviet Order of Alexander Nevsky was established, which was awarded to commanders from platoons to divisions inclusive, who showed personal courage and ensured the successful actions of their units.
Encyclopedic Dictionary . 2009 .
See what "Alexander Nevsky" is in other dictionaries:
- (1221? 1263) Prince of Novgorod in 1236 51, Grand Duke of Vladimir from 1252. Son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Victories over the Swedes (Battle of the Neva 1240) and the German knights of the Livonian Order (Battle of the Ice 1242) secured the western borders... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (1220 or 1221 63), Prince of Novgorod in 1236 51 and Tver in 1247 52, Grand Duke of Vladimir from 1252. Son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Victories over the Swedes (Battle of the Neva 1240) and the German knights of the Livonian Order (Battle on the Ice 1242) ... ... Russian history
Alexander Nevsky- Alexander Nevsky. Drawing 17th century. ALEXANDER NEVSKY (1220 or 1221 1263), Grand Duke of Vladimir from 1252, Prince of Novgorod (1236 51), Tver (1247 52). Son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Inflicted Swedish troops crushing defeat in... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
Alexander Nevsky- (12211263), Prince of Novgorod, Tver, Grand Duke of Vladimir (from 1252), son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. He led the Russian troops that defended the northwestern borders of Rus' from the invasions of Swedish and German feudal lords; skillful politics... ... Encyclopedic reference book"Saint Petersburg"
ALEXANDER NEVSKY, USSR, Mosfilm, 1938, b/w, 111 min. Historical film. After eight years of forced downtime, when his films were criticized, Eisenstein shot “Alexander Nevsky,” with which he again declared himself as an artist of the world... ... Encyclopedia of Cinema
- (1220 or 1221 1263), Grand Duke of Vladimir from 1252, Prince of Novgorod (1236 51), Tver (1247 52). Son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Inflicted a crushing defeat on the Swedish troops in the Battle of the Neva (1240), for which he was nicknamed Nevsky. Banished... ... Modern encyclopedia
Alexander Nevsky (born May 30, 1220, died November 14, 1263) - saint, Grand Duke of Vladimir, son of Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Feodosia, daughter Mstislav Udaly. Alexander spent his youth in Novgorod, where he reigned with his brother Fedor (d. 1233), under the leadership of two Suzdal boyars, and from 1236 on his own. In 1239 he married Alexandra, daughter of Bryachislav of Polotsk.
In 1240, the Swedes, who disputed Finland from the Novgorodians, moved, prompted by the papal bull on a crusade, under the leadership of Birger, to Novgorod, but Alexander defeated them at the confluence of Izhora with the Neva (Birger “put a seal on his face with your sharp spear”). This battle gave Alexander the name of Nevsky (see - Battle of Neva).
In the same year, he quarreled with the Novgorodians, who limited his power, and left for Pereyaslavl. But a war broke out with the Sword Bearers, who united with the Teutonic Order, conquered the Pskov region in 1240, occupied Pskov in 1241, built a fortress in Koporye, took Tesov and imposed tribute on Vod. The Germans began to rob merchants 30 versts from Novgorod. The Novgorodians sent the ruler with the boyars to Alexander; he returned, in 1241 he recaptured Koporye, in 1242 - Pskov, moved to Livonia and on April 5, 1242, completely defeated the Germans on the ice of Lake Peipus (“”). According to the concluded peace, the Germans renounced their conquests and returned prisoners.
The Battle of Alexander Nevsky on the Ice. Painting by V. Nazaruk, 1984
In 1242 and 1245, Alexander Nevsky won a number of victories over the Lithuanians; in 1256, to intimidate the Swedes, he devastated Em (Finland).
After the death of his father, Alexander and his brother Andrei went to Batu’s horde in 1247, and from there, by the will of the latter, to the Great Khan in Mongolia. Andrei received the first most important table of Vladimir, Alexander - Kyiv and Novgorod. Andrei did not get along with the Tatars; in 1252 the Tatar hordes of Nevruy were moved against it. Broken Andrei fled to Novgorod, and then to Sweden. At this time, Alexander was in the Horde and received a label for Vladimir.
Alexander Nevsky's struggle with the Swedes and Germans
Having sat there, Alexander Nevsky prevented the emergence of uprisings that were useless under the conditions of that time and tried to provide benefits to the Russian land by submitting to the khan. In Novgorod, Alexander planted his son, Vasily. In 1255, the Novgorodians expelled him, inviting Yaroslav Yaroslavich of Tver to reign. But Alexander moved to Novgorod and restored Vasily. In 1257, unrest resumed in Novgorod, caused by rumors about the intention of the Tatars to carry out a census in order to impose a universal tribute on the inhabitants. Vasily was on the side of the Novgorodians, but Alexander sent him to Suzdal and severely punished his advisers.
In 1258, Alexander Nevsky went to the Horde to “honor” the influential dignitary Ulovchay and in 1259 prompted the Novgorodians to agree to the Tatar census. In 1262, an uprising arose in Suzdal, Vladimir, Rostov, Pereyaslavl and Yaroslavl, caused by the Tatars - tribute farmers. Alexander again went to the Horde, averted the pogrom of Russian cities and obtained for them exemption from forming militias for the Tatars.
Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky. Icon
On the way back, Alexander Nevsky died in Gorodets Volzhsky. Metropolitan Kirill, announcing the death of Alexander in Vladimir, expressed the public mood of that time with the words: “My dear children, understand that the sun of the Russian land has set.” Alexander Nevsky was the largest figure in Russian history from Vladimir Monomakh to Dmitry Donskoy. His memory is surrounded by poetic tales. The church canonized Alexander as a saint. His relics were discovered in 1380, and in 1724 they were transferred to St. Petersburg, to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
Related articles
The best amulets against the evil eye and damage Amulet against the evil eye with hands for children
How to read the Psalter correctly
Delicious dishes with sausages
A glimpse of Bella. Romantic chronicle. A glimpse of genius. Messerer about Akhmadulina Boris Messerer glimpse of Bella romantic chronicle
I dreamed that I was sailing on a boat on the river
How to cook beef entrecote in a frying pan
About the company Foreign language courses at Moscow State University
Which city and why became the main one in Ancient Mesopotamia?
Why Bukhsoft Online is better than a regular accounting program!
Which year is a leap year and how to calculate it