Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (born May 13, 1221 - death November 14, 1263) is the second son of Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, great-grandson. Prince of Novgorod (1252), Grand Duke of Vladimir (1252–1263) Russian statesman, commander. Holy Russian Orthodox Church. Genus: Rurikovich.
Early years
Alexander spent most of his adolescence and youth in Novgorod, where his father made him reign in 1828 together with his older brother Fedor (d. 1233), giving two Suzdal boyars as leaders of the young princes. 1236 - Yaroslav went to Kyiv, receiving the table there, and Alexander began to independently rule Novgorod.
In 1239, Alexander began building fortresses along the river. Sheloni on the western outskirts of the Novgorod possessions. Soon Alexander would glorify his name in the fight against the Swedes, Germans and Lithuanians, who sought to take possession of Novgorod and Pskov at a time when the rest of Rus' was subjected to a terrible Tatar pogrom.
Key dates
1240 - Battle of the Neva
1242 - on Lake Peipsi - Battle of the Ice
1245 - repulse the Lithuanian attack on Torzhok and Bezhetsk
1247 - Alexander, by the will of Batu, became the Grand Duke of Kyiv
1251 - two cardinals came to Novgorod to Alexander with an offer from the Pope to accept Catholicism, he refused.
1252 - he received the label for the great reign of Vladimir
1256 - The prince led a successful campaign against the Finnish tribe
1262 - Novgorod, Tver and Lithuanian regiments allied to them undertook a campaign in Livonia
Personal life
1239 - Alexander married the daughter of the Polotsk prince Bryachislav, Alexandra. The newlyweds got married in the Church of St. George in Toropets. A year later their son Vasily was born.
Later, the wife gave birth to more children for Alexander: Vasily - Prince of Novgorod; Dmitry - the future prince of Novgorod, Pereyaslav and Vladimir; Andrey will become the prince of Kostroma, Vladimir, Novgorod and Gorodets, Daniil will become the first prince of Moscow. The princely couple also had a daughter, Evdokia, who married Konstantin Rostislavich of Smolensk.
Battle of Neva
1240 - the Swedes, who disputed the possession of Finland with the Novgorodians, prompted by a papal bull to crusade against Novgorod, under the leadership of Birger, entered the Neva and reached the mouth of the Izhora. The news of their invasion was received in Novgorod. The prince with the Novgorodians and Ladoga residents quickly advanced to meet them on the left bank of the Neva, at the confluence of the river. Izhora, on July 16, 1240, was able to completely defeat the Swedes, while Birger himself “put a seal on his face with his sharp spear.” After this battle, decorated with poetic legends (the appearance of St. Boris and Gleb), Alexander received the nickname Nevsky. In the same year, the prince left Novgorod for Pereyaslavl to visit his father, having quarreled with the Novgorod boyars because he wanted to rule as powerfully as his father and grandfather.
Events that preceded the Battle of the Ice
However, circumstances forced the Novgorodians to call on Alexander again. The Order of the Swordsmen, shortly before united with the Teutonic Order, and resumed the offensive movement against Novgorod and Pskov Rus'. In the year of the Battle of the Neva, the Germans began the conquest of the Pskov region, and the next year (1241) Pskov itself was occupied by the Germans. Encouraged by their success, the crusaders began to conquer the Novgorod volost. They imposed tribute on Vod, built a German fortress in the Koporya churchyard, took Tesov, lands along the river. Luga were subject to ruin and, finally, German troops began to rob Novgorod merchants, 30 versts from Novgorod.
Then the Novgorodians sent to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich for the prince and he gave them a son, Andrei. However, Alexander Nevsky was needed, not Andrei. Having thought, the Novgorodians sent the ruler with the boyars to Alexander, who in 1241 was gladly accepted by the Novgorodians and first of all recaptured Koporye.
Ice battle
1242 - having received help from the lower regiments (from the Suzdal land), Alexander managed to liberate Pskov and from here, without wasting time, he headed to the borders of Livonia, and there, on April 5, 1242, he gave the knights a battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi, near the Uzmenya tracts and Crow Stone, known by the name -: the crusaders were completely defeated.
After this defeat, the knights asked for peace and abandoned their conquests in the Russian regions. After the Swedes and Germans, the prince turned his arms on the Lithuanians and achieved a number of victories (in 1242 and 1245)
Clashes with the Swedes
1256 - the Swedes again tried to take away the Finnish coastline from Novgorod and, together with the subject Emyu, began to build a fortress on the river. Narov; but upon learning of the approach of Alexander with the Suzdal and Novgorod regiments, they left. To intimidate the Swedes, Alexander Nevsky made a campaign into the Swedish possessions, into the country of Emi (today Finland), subjecting it to devastation. Thus, Alexander victoriously repelled his enemies on the western border, but he had to choose a completely different policy in relation to the Tatars.
Relations with the Golden Horde
After the death of his father (died in 1246), Alexander Nevsky and his brother Andrei went for the first time (in 1247) to the Horde to worship Batu, and from here from the banks of the Volga, along the water of Batu, the Yaroslavichs had the opportunity to make a long journey to Mongolia to the great Khan. It took them two years for this trip. They returned in 1250 with labels for their reign: Andrei, although the younger brother, received, by the will of the khan, the first most important table of Vladimir, while Alexander received Kyiv and Novgorod.
Alexander did not go to Kyiv, which lost all significance after the Tatar devastation, but settled in Novgorod, waiting for events to turn in his favor. Andrei Yaroslavich could not get along with the Tatars, and therefore reigned in Vladimir for a week: in 1252, Tatar hordes under the command of Tsarevich Nevruy were moved against him. Andrew's army was defeated, he fled first to Novgorod, and from there to Sweden.
Principality of Vladimir>
During the Nevryuev invasion, Nevsky was in the Horde and from Batu’s son, Sartak, who ruled the Horde due to his father’s decrepitude, received a label for the great reign of Vladimir. Alexander sat down in Vladimir, and from then on became the same defender of the Russian land from the Tatars, as before from the Swedes and Germans, but began to act in a different way, applying himself to the circumstances, namely: on the one hand, he restrained the senseless uprisings of his subjects against the Tatars, on the the other tried to deliver possible benefits to the Russian lands by submission to the khan.
Alexander gave a lot of gold and silver to the Horde to ransom prisoners. Andrei Yaroslavich soon returned to Rus' and sat down to reign in Suzdal, having received forgiveness from the khan through the mediation of Alexander. The affairs of Novgorod, where his son Vasily reigned, caused Alexander a lot of concern.
"Alexander Nevsky receives papal legates." 1876
Unrest in Novgorod
1255 - Novgorodians, having expelled Vasily, invited Alexander's brother, Yaroslav, Prince of Tver, to reign. However, Alexander wanted to keep Novgorod for himself, went with his army to Novgorod and forced the Novgorodians to accept the reign of Vasily without a battle. 1257 - unrest in Novgorod resumed due to rumors about the intention of the Tatars to carry out the same census there to impose a universal tribute on the inhabitants, which was carried out by the Tatar enumerators in the lands of Suzdal, Murom and Ryazan.
Prince Vasily himself was on the side of the Novgorodians, who did not want to pay tamgas and tithes. For this, Alexander Nevsky sent Vasily to the Suzdal lands, and severely punished the advisers who pushed the young prince to resist the Tatars. 1258 - Alexander went to the horde to “honor” Ulavchiy, an influential Khan dignitary. Only in 1259 did the mediation of Alexander and rumors about the movement of the Tatar army towards Novgorod force the Novgorodians to agree to a census.
Recent years. Death
1262 - an uprising broke out against the Tatars in Vladimir, Rostov, Suzdal, Pereyaslavl and Yaroslavl, caused by severe oppression from Tatar tribute farmers. The Tatar army was already ready to advance to the Russian lands. Then Alexander Nevsky hurried to the Horde to the khan (4th time) to ward off trouble from the people. He stayed there all winter and not only managed to avert Tatar pogroms, but was also able to obtain from the Khan the release of the Russian land from the duty to field military detachments for the Tatars.
This was the last deed of Alexander Nevsky: he went sick from the Horde and on the road, in Gorodets Volzhsky, died on November 14, 1263, according to the chronicler, “having worked a lot for the Russian land, for Novgorod and for Pskov, for the entire great reign, giving his life and for the true faith." Metropolitan Kirill announced to the people in Vladimir about the death of the Grand Duke with the words: “My dear children, understand that the sun of the Russian land has set,” and everyone exclaimed: “We are already perishing!”
Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky and the silver sarcophagus
Results of the board
XIII century - Rus' was attacked from three sides - the Catholic West, the Mongol-Tatars and Lithuania. Alexander showed the talent of a commander and diplomat, making peace with the most dangerous and powerful (but at the same time more tolerant) enemy - the Golden Horde - and repelling the attack of the Germans, he was able to protect Orthodoxy from Catholic expansion.
There is also a more moderate interpretation of this point of view. So, according to our contemporary historian A. Gorsky, in the actions of the Grand Duke “there is no need to look for some kind of conscious fateful choice... Nevsky was a pragmatist... chose the path that seemed more profitable to him for strengthening his land and for him personally... when necessary to give a decisive battle, he gave battle, when an agreement seemed more useful, he agreed.”
A sign of memory and glory is the special legend “On the life and courage of the blessed Grand Duke Alexander,” the most complete text of which is in the 2nd Pskov Chronicle. For his feat of endurance and patience, Alexander Nevsky was canonized in 1549, and the Alexander Nevsky Lavra was founded in his honor in 1710. His relics, discovered in 1380, were transferred by order of the emperor in 1724 from Vladimir to St. Petersburg to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where they rest to this day in the Trinity Church in a silver shrine donated by the Empress.
The Grand Duke won his main military victories in his youth. At the time of the Battle of the Neva he was 20 years old, and during the Battle of the Ice the commander was 22 years old. Alexander was a politician and diplomat, but mostly a military leader.
In his entire life, the Grand Duke did not lose a single battle.
Prince Alexander is the only secular Orthodox ruler in all of Europe and Rus' who did not compromise with the Catholic Church in order to maintain power.
2008 - the “Name of Russia” competition took place. The event was organized by representatives of the state TV channel "Russia" together with the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Public Opinion Foundation.
Internet users chose the “Name of Russia” from a ready-made list of “500 great figures of the country.” As a result, the competition almost ended in scandal, because Joseph Stalin took the leading position. The organizers said that “numerous spammers” voted for Stalin. As a result, Alexander Nevsky was named the official winner.
History buffs will always be attracted by the noble image of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (1220–1263). Our city has the honor of being associated with the name of this great Russian commander and patriot. Here, in Gorodets, he spent the last days of his life.
The exact place of the prince’s death is still controversial among historians and local historians. It has long been accepted that Alexander Nevsky died in the cell of the Fedorovsky Monastery. Indeed, it is known that Alexander Yaroslavich died in Gorodets, having taken monastic vows and a new name - Alexey - before his death. But no monastery is indicated in the chronicles. There is no mention of the Gorodets monastery in the Life of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, written shortly after his death.
In November 1263, returning from the Horde to Rus', the prince fell ill in Nizhny Novgorod and here, in Gorodets, he ended his earthly journey. Here is how the Moscow chronicle of the end of the 15th century tells about this: “In the summer of 6771... Great Prince Alexander went to the Horde to Tsar Berkai, and the king restrained him and did not let him into Rus', and wintered in the Horde, and there he fell ill, and went to Nizhny Novgorod and stayed for a short time and went to Gorodets and there fell into a great illness and took monastic vows in November 14, the same night and reposed; His holy body was carried to Volodymer.”
The Life of the holy noble prince reports the same thing: “The Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich went from the foreigners to the New Town to Nizhnyago and spent those days in little health, reaching Gorodets and getting sick. ... The Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich, strongly jealous of his Lord God, leaving the earthly kingdom and desiring the heavenly kingdom, took on the Angilian image of Mnishe’s life; May God also vouchsafe him the greater rite of remembrance. Thus he will betray the Lord’s spirit in peace, dying in the month of November on the 14th day.”
It is much more difficult to determine when and why the legend arose that Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky died in the Fedorov monastery. As we have seen, the exact place of the prince’s death is not named either in the chronicle message or in the Life. Moreover, the Life is an independent historical source and developed independently of the chronicle news. “It is important that the details of the Life are based on the stories of eyewitnesses and witnesses,” writes historian A.N. Kirpichnikov, “who knew and observed Alexander Nevsky as a commander.”
The Life was written in 1282–1283. in Vladimir, in the Nativity Monastery - where Alexander Nevsky was buried. Its author was an unknown monk, a younger contemporary of Prince Alexander. As can be seen from the text of the Life, before his death the prince took monastic vows, but where exactly this event took place is not indicated. Either the author of the Life did not know or did not remember the name of the Gorodets monastery, or the prince’s tonsure took place in some other place. In any case, it is impossible to connect the death of Alexander Nevsky specifically with the Fedorov monastery, since no data on the existence of this monastery in the 12th–13th centuries has been preserved.
Historians I.A. Kiryanov and N.F. Filatov believes that the first documentary evidence of the Fedorov Monastery dates back to the beginning of the 15th century and is contained in the spiritual letter of the new owner of Gorodets, Serpukhov Prince Vladimir Andreevich Brave (hero of the Battle of Kulikovo and cousin of Dmitry Donskoy). In his will, the prince writes: “And my children know the Salt on Gorodets from one, and divide themselves into halves (in half - note by I. Kiryanov) delineate the Fedorovsky Varnitsa, and no one else enters the Gorodets Varnitsa.” Obviously, here “Salt on Gorodets” means salt mining sites in the vicinity of Balakhna. Salt mining brought great profits and could well be one of the privileges of the Gorodets monastery. Hence, part of the boilers that evaporated salt from the brine solution was named “Fedorovsky” in the charter.
It is not yet possible to support this version with new facts. But even if the will of Prince Vladimir really refers to the Fedorovsky Monastery (remember that this is a charter from the beginning of the 15th century), it cannot be argued that it was here that Alexander Nevsky died in 1263. Thus, it is known from the chronicles that in the 14th century there was a monastery of St. Lazarus in Gorodets. “At the same time, there are no chronicle references to the Fedorovsky Monastery,” notes N.N. Bakhareva. - The legend about the death of Alexander Nevsky in the Fedorov monastery is not confirmed by his “Life”, compiled in the 80s of the 13th century. Mention in the spiritual charter of 1401–1402 of Prince Vladimir Andreevich Serpukhovsky of the Fedorov Varnitsa in Solin-on-Gorodets (Balakhna), which I.A. Kiryanov and N.F. Filatov is considered documentary evidence of the existence of the Fedorov Monastery in Gorodets; strictly speaking, it can hardly be considered such.”
The first mention of the Fedorovsky Monastery by N.N. Bakhareva discovered in the Gorodets Scribe Book, compiled between 1680–1684: “The Feodorovsky Monastery ..., in the field from the rampart there are old cemeteries, and in that cemetery there is a pillar, and in that pillar the image of the Most Holy Theotokos of Feodorovsky.”
The monastery was named after the miraculous icon of the Theodore Mother of God. This ancient icon is kept in Kostroma. There was also a legend that the icon ended up in their city after the Tatar-Mongol invasion, miraculously escaping from Gorodets, which was devastated by Khan Batu. In Kostroma, the icon was named “Theodorovskaya” - in honor of the church of St. Theodore Stratelates, in which it was placed. According to legend, the townspeople recognized their icon in Kostroma and the copy taken from it was transported to Gorodets to the Feodorovsky Monastery, renamed in its honor.
The early history of the Gorodets monastery still remains virtually unknown. But the Kostroma icon, which came out of Gorodets, gained great fame and veneration over time. It became a shrine to the reigning house of the Romanovs. This happened after 1613, when the first king from this dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, was blessed with it. Therefore N.N. Bakhareva even expressed the point of view that “one cannot exclude the possibility of the popular rumor assigning the name Fedorovsky to the long-defunct monastery already in the 17th century, in connection with the glorification of the icon of “Our Lady of Feodorovskaya” as a patronal shrine of the Romanov dynasty. The monastery could have received a legendary name thanks to the preserved memory that a popularly revered icon once came out of it.”
The Feodorovsky Monastery was rebuilt in Gorodets at the very beginning of the 18th century in the already mentioned place: “in the field from the rampart,” i.e. outside the territory of the ancient city. From that moment on, we became aware of the legend about the death of Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky in this monastery. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Fedorovsky Monastery grew into a large architectural ensemble, which included a temple in honor of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, built according to the design of the famous architect L.V. Dalia.
Fedorovsky Monastery
(destroyed during the years of Soviet power).
Photos of the early 20th century
Unfortunately, in 1927 the monastery was closed. The last of his churches held services until 1934. Subsequently, all the temples and bell towers of the monastery were destroyed. All that has survived are two stone buildings of fraternal cells of the 19th and early 20th centuries, now occupied by a hospital for water workers and a post office (an Orthodox gymnasium was opened in the post office building - VP).
The legend about the death of Alexander Nevsky in the Fedorov monastery has not yet been supported by historical sources, and therefore there is no reason to connect the modern remains of the monastery with the place of the prince’s death. The pits laid by archaeologists on the territory of the Fedorovsky Monastery building complex did not show the presence of a cultural layer of the 12th–14th centuries. It is unlikely that the ancient monastery could have been moved beyond the fortress wall, but no remains of church or monastery buildings have yet been discovered inside old Gorodets.
Be that as it may, the Fedorovsky Monastery carefully preserved the memory of the death of Alexander Nevsky in Gorodets. The destruction of the monastery churches was an irreparable loss not only for the appearance of the city, but also for its history, for the historical self-awareness of the town residents.
Over time, one of the streets in the historical part of the city was named in honor of Alexander Nevsky (1942), a monument to the prince was erected on the Volga embankment (1993), the All-Russian historical conference “Alexander Nevsky and his era” was held in the Gorodets Museum (2000 .). Finally, quite recently, a Charitable Foundation in the name of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky arose in the city, and the transfer of part of the buildings on the territory of the former Fedorovsky monastery to the Orthodox Church began.
We hope that the townspeople will continue to honor the memory of Alexander Nevsky - the commander, diplomat and saint, whose name was inextricably linked with Gorodets.
In scientific, reference and popular literature, the life of Alexander Nevsky is determined as 1220-1263. The last date is indisputable, since it is contained in such a source as the parchment Novgorod I Chronicle of the older edition. The death of Nevsky is described there in the year 6771, even the day of death is indicated - November 14, and then it is reported that he was buried in Vladimir on Friday, November 23. This combination of the last number and day of the week in article 6771 leads to November 23, 1263 (modern chronology). Consequently, the date of death is beyond doubt: November 14, 1263.
If the day of Alexander Yaroslavich’s death is directly named in the source, then the time of his birth is determined through research. It seems that V.N. was the first to do this. Tatishchev, who, when describing the events of 1219, included the following message in his “Russian History”: “On May 30, a son was born to Prince Yaroslav and was named Alexander in holy baptism.” As shown below, derived by V.N. Tatishchev’s date is incorrect, although it was used by researchers of the 18th-19th centuries, changing only the year of birth to 1220.
Determining the year of birth of Nevsky depends on what kind of child he was in the family of Yaroslav-Fyodor Vsevolodovich and Rostislava-Feodosia Mstislavovna and when his brothers were born. The sons of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich are listed in many chronicles and genealogical lists. The most ancient list is placed in the Laurentian Chronicle under the year 1239; it names the six sons of Yaroslav who survived the Batu pogrom: Alexander, Andrei, Konstantin, Afanasy, Daniil, Mikhail. Most of them are mentioned in articles of subsequent years of the same Laurentian Chronicle.
Daniel is named in the chronicles only once more: the Novgorod IV Chronicle in 1256 noted his death. The name of Afanasy Yaroslavich does not appear in the chronicles at all. But under 1252, for the first time since 1239, Yaroslav is mentioned, about whom under 1254 it is directly said that he was the son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Since on the front side of the seals of Yaroslav Yaroslavich St. Athanasius of Alexandria, it is clear that Yaroslav’s baptismal name was Athanasius. And since by 1252 Yaroslav Yaroslavich was already married and had children, it is obvious that he was born in pre-Mongol times and it was he who was included in the list of sons of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich in the 1239 article of the Laurentian Chronicle under the name Athanasius.
The next most ancient listing of the sons of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich is contained in the article “Genealogy of the same princes” attached to the Novgorod I Chronicle, junior edition, the basis of which, according to A.A. Shakhmatov, was compiled in 1433-1434. In this article, the sons of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich are listed in the following order: “Sons of Yaroslavl: Alexander, Yaroslav, Andrey, Kostyantin, Afanasy, Danilo, Mikhailo, Vasily.” Comparing both lists, it is easy to see that in general they are consistent: the sons of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich are named in the same sequence, but in the second, the name of Yaroslav is inserted between Alexander and Andrey, which the compiler of the 15th century article found in the text of the chronicle, but did not identify with Afanasy; The last name given is Vasily, who was born in 1241, and therefore not mentioned in the 1239 article of the Laurentian Chronicle.
Subsequent Russian medieval genealogists expanded the list of sons of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In one of the lists of the end of the 15th century it was written: “Yaroslavl sons: Theodore, 11. Alexander, Andrey, Kostyantin, Afonasey, Danilo, Mikhailo, Yaroslav, Vasily Kostroma” [The number 11 in the name of Alexander indicated the serial number of the Grand Duke, starting with Rurik] . Compared to the genealogical article of 1433-1434. in this listing there is one, but significant clarification: the eldest son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich Fedor, who died on July 10, 1233, is indicated. The duality of Yaroslav-Athanasius in the genealogy of the late 15th century was preserved, although the name Yaroslav no longer followed the name Alexander, but the name Mikhail. This list became canonical and was included in genealogical lists and books of the 16th-17th centuries.
In all the considered lists of the sons of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, Alexander Nevsky is mentioned in the first place if we are talking about the time after Batu’s invasion, or in the second if we are talking about all the sons of Yaroslav. Summarizing the evidence from the lists, we can conclude that Alexander was the second son of Yaroslav.
However, all the considered lists of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich’s sons are incomplete. He had another, ninth, son. Describing the capture of a number of northeastern Russian cities, including Tver, by Batu’s hordes in February-March 1238, the Novgorod I Chronicle of the oldest edition reports that “the same son Yaroslavl killed.” Since Tver was part of the Pereyaslavl-Zalessky principality that belonged to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, there is reason to believe that we are talking about the death of the unnamed son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. If Yaroslav entrusted the defense of Tver to this son, then he should have been old enough by 1238. But was he older or younger than Alexander Yaroslavich, who took refuge in 1238, along with his father and other brothers, from Batu’s thunderstorm in Novgorod the Great?
It is not easy to answer such a question, but judging by some indirect signs, Alexander was older. Of all the sons of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, only Fyodor and Alexander were given certain administrative powers by their father in the pre-Mongol period, and after the unexpected death of the very young Fyodor, Alexander, the only one of the brothers, received the princely table in 1236. Alexander's brother, who was not named, was entrusted with independent actions only in 1238, and the rest of the brothers worked in military and political fields already in the post-Mongol period. This circumstance confirms that Alexander was the second son in the family of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich.
Older than Alexander was Fyodor. The chronicles noted the birth of Yaroslav's first-born, as well as the birth of his last son, Vasily. They say nothing about the time of birth of the other seven Yaroslavichs. The birth of Fedor is reported in the Laurentian Chronicle. The last entry, highlighted in cinnabar, from the article of 6727 testifies that “that same summer a son was born to Yaroslav and he named him Theodore.” Based on Fyodor’s date of birth, researchers also determined the time of Alexander’s birth, which is, in principle, correct. Only the year of Fedor’s birth was calculated by them by mechanically subtracting 5508 years “from the creation of the world” from 6727. The result was 1219, and from this the time of birth of Alexander Nevsky was deduced: no earlier than 1219 or (as was done much more often) 1220. Meanwhile, the year 6727 of the Laurentian Chronicle is March. It covers the period from March 1, 1219 to February 29, 1220 of the modern calendar.
The first-born of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich received his name either in honor of Fyodor Stratelates or in honor of Fyodor Tyrone. Both were commemorated in February; Obviously, Fyodor Yaroslavich was born in this month. The latter is indirectly confirmed by the chronicle record of his birth, placed at the end of article 6727 of the Laurentian Chronicle. February fell already in January 1220. Consequently, Fyodor was born in February 1220, and therefore Alexander Nevsky could not have been born in May 1220. And in general it is unlikely that he was born in the same year as his older brother. Rather, this happened later, but not much, since in 1236 Alexander was already reigning in Novgorod.
Sphragistics helps to clarify Alexander’s date of birth. On the seals of this prince, on the front side there is an image of a warrior on foot or on horseback and the inscription “Alexander”, and on the reverse side there is also a warrior and the inscription “Fedor”. In other words, on the front side of the seal is the heavenly patron of Alexander himself, and on the back is the patron of his father Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, baptized Fedor. Regarding what kind of Alexander the warrior was depicted on the obverse of the Alexander bulls, N.P. Likhachev wrote that this was Alexander of Egypt, and V.L. Yanin left the question open.
Guess N.P. Likhacheva raises objections. In ancient (before the 13th century) Byzantine and Slavic minologies, Saint Alexander is mentioned, but only four of them were warriors. Alexander's two warriors were commemorated on July 9 and September 28; one (Alexander of Egypt) together with Patermuthius and Coprius, whose memory was celebrated in the first place, the other - among 30 warriors. Alexander’s parents were unlikely to be able to name their son in honor of some third-rate saint, whose memory was celebrated together with a group of saints, and even not in the first place, especially since in pre-Mongol Rus' this name was given to princes extremely rarely [Suffice it to say that, besides Alexander Nevsky, only one Rurikovich wore it - the South Russian prince Alexander Vsevolodovich].
Obviously, Alexander Nevsky is named after such a holy warrior, Alexander, whose memory was celebrated especially, individually, without connection with other saints. Only two more dates can be taken into account here: May 13 and June 10. On May 13, the memory of the warrior Alexander of Rome was celebrated, and on June 10, the memory of the warrior Alexander and the maiden Antonina. Tatishchev, apparently, established the date of Alexander’s birth according to the day of celebration of Alexander the Warrior and preferred May 13 to all other dates, which, when rewriting his drafts, turned into the date May 30. And Tatishchev’s decision seems correct. On May 13, Alexander alone is celebrated, and on June 10, Alexander and Antonina. There is a clear indication that during the time of Alexander Nevsky in Rus', the memory of Alexander of Rome was celebrated. Thus, in the 1243 article of the Novgorod I Chronicle, the oldest edition, a sign was described that happened on May 18 “in memory of the holy martyr Alexander.” We are talking about Alexander the Roman, although a typo crept into the date, easily explained paleographically: the copyist wrote ni (18) instead of ri (13) according to the Old Russian account. Judging by early minologies, the celebration of Alexander the Roman was much more widespread than the celebration of Alexander and Antonina.
Thus, of the two possible dates (May 13 and June 10), the first one should be preferred. Considering that Alexander Nevsky was born immediately after Fedor, the most likely date of his birth can be considered May 13, 1221. It follows that the two victories that glorified Alexander Nevsky - over the Swedes on July 15, 1240 and over the German knights on April 5, 1242 - were won by this commander when he was 19 years old and less than 21 years old.
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 series 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. Andrey 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.
The struggle of Alexander Nevsky 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.
In the history of the Russian state there were many glorious heroes. Alexander Nevsky is considered one of these. His role in history is enormous. The activities of the prince largely determined the historical fate of Russia. What Alexander Nevsky became famous for, we will explore further.
Early life
Alexander's date of birth is May 30, 1220. His father Yaroslav was respected in Rus' and especially in Novgorod.
Beginning in the 30s of the 13th century, Yaroslav took his son with him on campaigns. So Alexander became tempered and imbued with true patriotism.
In 1236-1240, Alexander ruled Novgorod. From the moment of Batu's attack and the death of Prince Yuri, Alexander became the sole ruler of the city. At this time, he defends the borders of Novgorod from the invasion of Western enemies: Germans, Lithuanians, Swedes. Answering the question about what made Alexander Nevsky famous, it should be said that it was his exploits in protecting city borders that brought him world fame.
Political course
What did Alexander Nevsky become famous for, what did he do for Rus'?
The prince left his mark on history as a brilliant military leader, diplomat and politician. He ruled the Russians in such a way as to help them not provoke the Mongol-Tatars into further raids.
The talent of a military leader helped Alexander protect the northwestern borders of Rus' from destruction and the introduction of Catholicism. The prince protected Rus' from the attacks of the Mongol-Tatars, establishing friendly ties with the Horde.
The prince's father was poisoned, his mother died. Alexander got married. At this time, the Germans conquered the Baltic states, enslaving all local peoples and destroying the Russians. Swedish-German invasions became a real threat to Rus'.
In 1240, the Swedish army attacked the Russians. The Swedes invaded the banks of the Neva, not expecting the Russians, believing that all their forces had been defeated by the Horde. Despite this circumstance, Alexander convened an army and drew up a military plan.
Legendary battle
In a fierce battle, Alexander defeated Birger. The prince's servant, Ratmir, died. Novgorod and Suzdal warriors became famous for centuries. The Swedes did not expect an attack, so they fled in fear, losing numerous forces. Among the Russians, only 20 soldiers fell.
The victory brought glory to the prince, and after the battle they began to call him Nevsky.
Novgorod was saved, but the Germans and Teutonic knights still posed a threat to Rus'. Soon the Germans took Izborsk and Pskov. The Novgorodians were seriously afraid for their position and urgently called Alexander Nevsky to their place.
Battle of Lake Peipsi
Let's continue talking about Alexander Nevsky. What is he famous for?
The prince agreed to return to Novgorod and liberated Pskov on the way. The Germans retreated towards Lake Peipus, where another famous event took place, which was later called the Battle of the Ice.
The German army formed a blunt wedge called a “pig”. In this form, the warriors could easily crush the Russian infantry. Alexander knew this very well, so he did not hold back the German attack. He strengthened the flanks of his troops and placed cavalry on the sides. The prince himself and his retinue stood behind the main regiment.
The German “pig”, having pierced the “brow”, was met by Nevsky’s squad and lost its power. The Russians instantly destroyed the enemy army. When telling which battles Alexander Nevsky became famous for, they usually name these two largest battles - the Battle of the Neva and the Battle of the Ice.
The prince approached Pskov, where he was greeted as a winner. The Order was forced to retreat and return all previously conquered territories.
After the victories described, the commander fought with the Swedes and Lithuanians for a long time - until they abandoned their desire to conquer the Baltic states. This is what Alexander Nevsky became famous for.
Russian-Horde Union
Despite the successes, the position of Rus' was still precarious. Alexander Nevsky seeks to conclude a friendly alliance with the Horde.
What Alexander Nevsky became famous for is taught to children today in history lessons. The prince worked hard and did a lot for the Russian land. He fought against enemies from the West and prudently established relationships with the Horde.
Nevsky's political course gives rise to a lot of controversy among historians. His opposition to Westerners usually does not raise any complaints. But the alliance with the Horde is assessed ambiguously. Nevsky is often called almost the main enslaver of Rus', guilty of the Horde yoke. Alexander is accused of friendship with the khans.
In any case, the personality of Alexander Nevsky is unique in history. He looked back at the deeds of his father, but did much more for Rus'.
At the end of his journey, Alexander accepted the schema - the strictest monastic vow. Later, the church classified the prince as a saint.
To this day, people remember the prince as a symbol of valor, courage and spiritual brightness.
To summarize, we should once again list what Alexander Nevsky became famous for:
- The military leader won the battle on the Neva and Lake Peipus.
- The prince was a cunning diplomat in alliance with the Horde.
- The prince's foreign policy consisted of protecting Rus' from enslavement by Westerners.
Now you can easily answer the question: “What made Alexander Nevsky famous?” It is impossible to talk about this briefly, but in general terms the essence of the issue is revealed in the article.
Undoubtedly, the image of this Russian hero will not fade with the passage of time, and his glory will be eternal.
