THE HOLY BELIEVE PRINCE ALEXANDER NEVSKY († 1263)

Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky born May 30, 1220 in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky. His father, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (+ 1246), was the youngest son of Vsevolod III the Big Nest (+ 1212). The mother of St. Alexander, Theodosia Igorevna, the Ryazan princess, was the third wife of Yaroslav. The eldest son was the holy noble prince Theodore (+ 1233), who reposed in the Lord at the age of 15. Saint Alexander was their second son.

Origin of Alexander Nevsky (geneological tree)

Alexander's maternal and paternal ancestor was a glorious warrior and wise ruler Vladimir Monomakh . His son Yuri, nicknamed Dolgoruky, became famous not only for military prowess, but also for cruelty. From 1176 to 1212, Vsevolod, the youngest son of Yuri Dolgorukov, was Prince of Vladimir. Vsevolod was nicknamed the Big Nest because he had many sons. After his death, the sons divided the principality into parts and waged fierce strife. One of them was Yaroslav Prince Pereslavl - Zalesky father of Alexander Nevsky.

The first years of the young prince were spent in Pereslavl, where his father reigned. When Alexander was 5 years old, Prince Yaroslav made his son "princely tonsure", after which an experienced voivode, boyar Fyodor Danilovich, began to teach him military affairs.

Alexander studied the rules of etiquette, writing and reading, the history of great ancestors. In Novgorod under his father, he was trained in internal and external diplomacy, comprehended the art of subordinating the boyars and commanding the crowd, changeable and formidable. He learned this by being present at the veche, sometimes at the council, listening to his father's conversations. But a special place in the training and education of the prince was given to military affairs. Alexander learned to wield a horse, defensive and offensive weapons, to be a tournament knight and to know the foot and horse formation, the tactics of a field battle and the siege of a fortress.

Increasingly, the young prince traveled with his father's retinue to distant and nearby cities, to hunt, took part in the collection of princely tribute, and most importantly, in military battles. With the upbringing of that time, strong characters developed in the princely environment very early. The political situation of the early Middle Ages assumed frequent hostilities and violent internal intrigues. This, in turn, was a good "visual aid" for the emerging commander. An example of ancestors obliged to be a hero.

At the age of 14 in 1234. the first campaign of Alexander (under his father's banner) against the Livonian Germans took place (the battle on the river Emajygi (in present-day Estonia)).

In 1227, Prince Yaroslav, at the request of the people of Novgorod, was sent by his brother, the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yuri, to reign in Novgorod the Great. He took with him his sons, Saints Theodore and Alexander.

The daughter of Saint Michael of Chernigov (+ 1246; Comm. 20 September), Theodulia, became engaged to Saint Theodore, the elder brother of Saint Alexander. But after the death of the groom in 1233, the young princess went to the monastery and became famous in the monastic feat as Saint Euphrosyne of Suzdal (+ 1250) .

In 1236, Yaroslav left to reign in Kyiv and Alexander, who was already 16 years old, began to independently rule in Novgorod. Novgorodians were proud of their prince. He acted as a defender of orphans, widows, and was an assistant to the starving. The prince from his youth honored the priesthood and monasticism, i.e. was a prince from God and obedient to God. In the first years of his reign, he had to deal with the fortification of Novgorod, since the Mongols-Tatars threatened from the east. Alexander built several fortresses on the Sheloni River.

In 1239, Saint Alexander entered into marriage, taking as his wife the daughter of Prince Bryachislav of Polotsk.

Some historians say that the princess in holy Baptism was the namesake of her holy husband and bore the name of Alexander. Father, Yaroslav, blessed them at the wedding with a holy miraculous icon Feodorovskaya Mother of God (in Baptism, the father's name was Theodore). This icon was then constantly with St. Alexander, as his prayer image, and then in memory of him was taken from the Gorodetsky monastery, where he died, by his brother, Vasily Yaroslavich Kostroma (+ 1276), and transferred to Kostroma.

The historical situation at the time of the beginning of the reign of Alexander Nevsky

Map 1239-1245

The reign of Alexander Nevsky (1236-1263) coincided with one of the most difficult and tragic periods of Russian history: the Mongol hordes were coming from the east, the knightly hordes of "crusaders" (Swedes and German knights of the Livonian Order) were advancing from the west.The horror of this situation was expressed in the fact that, on the one hand, the threat of an invasion of the steppe nomads, the Mongols, loomed over the Russian lands, which certainly led to enslavement, at best, and destruction at worst. On the other hand, on the Baltic side, the best option promised the Russian people to renounce the Christian faith and kneel before the banners of Western Catholicism.

In addition, the XII - XIII century - a period of feudal fragmentation. Russia was weakened by the internecine wars that overwhelmed her. Each principality tried to exist in its own way. Brother went to brother. Everything was used: murder, entering into family ties with authoritative foreign families, incest, intrigues, flirting and simultaneous cruelty with the townspeople. The historical conditions of that period, in which the princes were placed, pushed them to certain actions.

The noble prince Alexander Nevsky became the central figure of the new one, reborn from the ruins of the petty princely appanages of Russia, and it was to him that the eyes were turned as to the defender and unifier of the lands in the face of the Golden Horde threat.

Battle of the Neva (1240)

The victory won by him on the banks of the Neva, near Lake Ladoga on July 15, 1240 over the Swedes, who, according to legend, was commanded by the future ruler of Sweden, Jarl Birger, brought universal fame to the young prince.

Alexander personally participated in the battle. It is believed that it was for this victory that the prince began to be calledNevsky . The battle itself has been called by historians.

Taking advantage of the invasion of Batu, the defeat of Russian cities, the confusion and grief of the people, the death of his best sons and leaders, the hordes of crusaders invaded the Fatherland.

Saint Alexander, he was not yet 20 years old, prayed for a long time in the church of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God. Coming out of the temple, Saint Alexander strengthened the retinue with faith-filled words: "God is not in power, but in truth. Some with weapons, others on horses, but we will call on the Name of the Lord our God! They wavered and fell, but we rose and were firm."

With a small retinue, relying on the Holy Trinity, the prince hurried to the enemies - there was no time to wait for help from his father, who did not yet know about the attack of the enemies. Novgorod was left to itself. Russia, defeated by the Tatars, could not provide him with any support.

Alexander had only his small retinue and a detachment of Novgorod warriors. The lack of forces had to be made up for by a surprise attack on the Swedish camp.

The Swedes, tired of the sea passage, arranged for themselves a rest. Ordinary warriors rested on ships. The servants set up tents for the chiefs and knights on the shore.On the morning of July 15, 1240, he attacked the Swedes. The Swedes who were on the ships could not come to the aid of those who were on the shore. The enemy was divided into two parts. The squad, led by Alexander himself, dealt the main blow to the Swedes. A fierce battle ensued.

The small Russian army completely defeated the vastly superior enemy forces. Neither numerical superiority, nor military skill, nor the magic spells of the Swedish bishops could save the enemy from complete defeat. The leader of the invasion, Jarl Birger, was dealt a heavy blow to the face by Alexander with his spear.

The victory in the eyes of his contemporaries put him on a pedestal of great glory. The impression of the victory was all the stronger because it happened in a difficult time of adversity in the rest of Russia. In the eyes of the people on Alexander and Novgorod land, the special grace of God was manifested.

Nevertheless, the Novgorodians, always jealous of their liberties, in the same year managed to quarrel with Alexander, and he retired to his father, who gave him Pereslavl-Zalessky.

Novgorod especially stood out from the Russian cities of that time and occupied one of the dominant positions. It was independent of Kievan Rus.

Map of the Russian principalities at the beginning of the XIII century.

Back in 1136, it was established in the Novgorod land Republican government. According to the form of government, it was a feudal democratic republic with elements of an oligarchy. The upper class were the boyars, who owned land and capital and lent money to merchants. The institution of state administration was the Veche, which called for and approved the princes of Novgorod from the neighboring principalities (as a rule, from the Vladimir-Suzdal principality).The figure of the prince in Novgorod was not so authoritative, he had to swear allegiance to the Novgorod Republic. The functions of the prince were civil court and defense, during the war he was also the chief military leader. The inhabitants of the city had the right to accept or not accept the prince. The opinion of the townspeople influenced certain political decisions. Naturally, the assessment of the significance of these decisions for the state was not always adequate. Their view proceeded from the problems of the present, everyday existence, as if from their own “everyday bell tower”. There was also the danger of a riot. Often there were conflicts between the boyars and the common people. A particular aggravation of contradictions was observed in economically unstable and politically disturbing moments. The reason could be a crop failure or the danger of military intervention by foreigners. Alexander Nevsky's father, Yaroslav, quarreled with Novgorodians all his life, then again got along with them. Several times the Novgorodians drove him away for his tough temper and violence, and several times they invited him again, as if they were not able to do without him. To please the Novgorodians meant to raise their authority among the entire Russian people.

Battle on the Ice on Lake Peipsi (1242)

Battle on the Ice

In 1240, while Alexander was fighting the Swedes, the German crusaders began to conquer the Pskov region, and in the next 1241, the Germans took Pskov itself. In 1242, encouraged by the successes, the Livonian Order, having gathered the German crusaders of the Baltic states, the Danish knights from Reval, enlisting the support of the papal curia and longtime rivals of the Novgorodians of Pskov, invaded the Novgorod lands.

Novgorodians turned first to Yaroslav, and then asked Alexander to protect them. Since the danger threatened not only Novgorod, but the whole Russian land, Alexander, forgetting for a while about past grievances, immediately set off to clear the Novgorod lands from German invaders.

In 1241, Alexander appeared in Novgorod and cleared his region of enemies, and the next year, together with his brother Andrei, he moved to the aid of Pskov, where the German governors were sitting.

Alexander liberated Pskov and from here, without wasting time, moved to the border of the Livonian Order, which passed along Lake Peipsi.

Both sides began to prepare for a decisive battle. It happened on the ice of Lake Peipus, near the Raven Stone April 5, 1242 and went down in history as Battle on the Ice . The German knights were defeated. The Livonian Order was faced with the need to make peace, according to which the crusaders renounced their claims to Russian lands, and also transferred part of Latgale.

They say that then Alexander uttered the words that became prophetic on Russian soil:"Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword!"

After the Swedes and the Germans, Alexander turned his weapons on the Lithuanians and with a series of victories (in 1242 and 1245) showed them that it was impossible to raid Russian lands with impunity. According to the chroniclers, Alexander Nevsky instilled such fear in the Livonians that they began to "observe his name." So, in 1256, the Swedes tried again to take away the Finnish coast from Novgorod and, together with the subject Emyu, began to build a fortress on the river. Narova; but at one rumor about the approach of Alexander with the Suzdal and Novgorod regiments, they left. To frighten the Swedes, Alexander made a trip to the Swedish possessions, to the country of Emi (present-day Finland), subjecting it to devastation.

Around this time, in 1251. Pope Innocent IV sent an embassy to Alexander Nevsky with a proposal to accept Catholicism, allegedly in exchange for his help in the joint struggle against the Mongols. This proposal was rejected by Alexander in the most categorical form.

The fight against the Livonians and the Swedes was, in essence, a fight between the Orthodox East and the Catholic West. In the conditions of terrible trials that hit the Russian lands, Alexander Nevsky managed to find the strength to resist the Western conquerors, gaining fame as a great Russian commander.

The successful military actions of Alexander Nevsky ensured the security of the western borders of Russia for a long time, but in the east the Russian princes had to bow their heads before a much stronger enemy - the Mongol-Tatars.

Relations with the Golden Horde

Map of the Golden Horde in the XIII century.

Golden Horde - a medieval state in Eurasia, formed as a result of the division of the empire of Genghis Khan between his sons. Founded in 1243 by Batu Khan. Geographically, the Golden Horde occupied most of the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia, the flat part of the Caspian and Turan lowlands, the Crimea, as well as the Eastern European steppes up to the Danube. The core of the state was the Kypchak steppe. The Russian lands were not included in the Golden Horde, but fell into vassalage - the population paid tribute and obeyed the orders of the khans. The capital of the Golden Horde was the city of Sarai, or Sarai-Batu, founded near the current Astrakhan.
In the period from 1224 to 1266, the Golden Horde was part of the Mongol Empire.

Khan's rate

Numerous raids of the Mongol-Tatars on Russian lands in 1227-1241. did not entail the immediate establishment of foreign domination. The Mongol-Tatar yoke, which lasted until 1480, began only in 1242. (since the Russian princes began to pay tribute).

In 1266, under Khan Mengu-Timur, it gained complete independence, retaining only a formal dependence on the imperial center. In the 13th century, paganism was the state religion, and for a part of the population, Orthodoxy. Since 1312, Islam has become the dominant and only religion.
By the middle of the 15th century, the Golden Horde had split into several independent khanates; its central part, which nominally continued to be considered supreme - the Great Horde, ceased to exist at the beginning of the 16th century.

In 1243 Batu Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan), the ruler of the western part of the Mongol state - the Golden Horde, handed the label of the Grand Duke of Vladimir to control the conquered Russian lands to Alexander's father - Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. The Great Khan of the Mongols Guyuk called the Grand Duke to his capital Karakorum, where on September 30, 1246 Yaroslav died unexpectedly (according to the generally accepted version, he was poisoned). Then, in 1247, at the request of Batu, his sons Alexander and Andrei were summoned to the capital of the Golden Horde, Sarai-Batu. Batu sent them to worship the great Khan Gayuk in Mongolia (Korakorum). While the Yaroslavichi were reaching Mongolia, Khan Guyuk himself died, and the new mistress of the Karakorum, Khansha Ogul-Gamish, decided to appoint Andrei Grand Duke of Vladimir (Vladimir at that time was the largest political center of all Russian lands). It should be noted that Andrei did not come to the supreme power by seniority, bypassing several applicants to whom the grand-ducal throne belonged by right. Alexander received control of southern Russia (Kyiv) and Novgorod, devastated as a result of raids. Kyiv after the Tatar ruin lost all significance; so Alexander settled in Novgorod.

Alexander Nevsky clearly understood that it was possible to keep the northwestern borders of Russia intact, as well as to keep the exit to the Baltic Sea open only if there were peaceful relations with the Golden Horde - Russia then had no strength to fight against two powerful enemies. The second half of the life of the famous commander was famous not for military victories, but for diplomatic victories, no less necessary than military ones.

With the then small number and fragmentation of the Russian population in the eastern lands, it was impossible to even think about liberation from the power of the Tatars. Ruined and mired in poverty and feudal fragmentation, it was almost impossible for the Russian princes to muster any army to provide worthy resistance to the Tatar-Mongols. Under these conditions, Alexander decided to get along with the Tatars at all costs. It was all the easier because the Mongols, who ruthlessly exterminated all those who resisted them, were quite generous and indulgent towards the submissive peoples and their religious beliefs.

Not all Russian princes shared the views of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Among them were both supporters of the Horde and supporters of the West, who were inclined to introduce Catholicism in Russia and submit to Rome. Supporters of the pro-Western course of development in the fight against the Tatar yoke hoped for help from Europe. Negotiations with the Pope were conducted by St. Michael of Chernigov, Prince Daniel of Galicia, brother of St. Alexander, Andrew. But Saint Alexander knew well the fate of Constantinople, captured and destroyed in 1204 by the Crusaders. And his own experience taught him not to trust the West. Daniil of Galicia paid for the union with the pope, which gave him nothing, by treason to Orthodoxy - union with Rome. Saint Alexander did not want this for his native Church. Catholicism was unacceptable for the Russian Church, the union meant the rejection of Orthodoxy, the rejection of the source of spiritual life, the rejection of the historical future ordained by God, the doom of oneself to spiritual death.

Five years later, in 1252, in Karakorum, Ogul-Gamish was overthrown by the new great khan Mongke (Mengke). Taking advantage of this circumstance and deciding to remove Andrei Yaroslavich from the great reign, Batu handed the label of the Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, who was urgently summoned to Saray-Batu, the capital of the Golden Horde.

But Alexander's younger brother, Andrei Yaroslavich, supported by his brother Prince Yaroslav of Tver and Prince Daniel Romanovich of Galicia, refused to obey Batu's decision and even stopped paying tribute to the Horde. But, the time has not yet come to repulse the Horde - there were not enough forces for this in the Russian lands.

To punish the recalcitrant princes, Batu sends the Mongol cavalry under the command of Nevruy. It was a terrible, bloody campaign, which remained in the annals as "Nevryuev's army" . Andrei, in alliance with his brother, Yaroslav of Tver, fought the Tatars, but was defeated and fled to Sweden through Novgorod to seek help from those whom, with the help of God, his great brother had smashed on the Neva. This was the first attempt to openly resist the Tatars in northern Russia. During the invasion of the "Nevryuev rati" Alexander Nevsky was in the Horde.

After the flight of Andrei, the great principality of Vladimir, by the will of the khan, passed to Alexander Nevsky. He accepted this post from the hands of Sartak, the son of Batu, with whom he made friends during his first visit to the Horde. Sartak was a Nestorian Christian. Saint Alexander became the sole Grand Duke of all Russia: Vladimir, Kyiv and Novgorod, and retained this title for 10 years, until his death.

F.A. Moskvitin. Alexander Nevsky and Sartak in the Horde.

In 1256, Alexander's ally Batu Khan died, and in the same year Batu's son Sartak was poisoned because of his sympathy for Christianity.

Then Alexander again went to Saray to confirm the peaceful relations of Russia and the Horde with the new Khan Berke.

The new khan (Berke), for a more accurate taxation of the population with tribute, ordered a second census in Russia (the first census was made under Yaroslav Vsevolodovich). Alexander was able to negotiate the payment of tribute in exchange for military aid. The treaty with the Mongols can be called Alexander's first diplomatic victory. L. N. Gumilyov sees the significance of this treaty for the Russian princes in that they retained great freedom of action, that is, they could solve internal problems at their own discretion. At the same time, "Alexander was interested in the prospect of receiving military assistance from the Mongols to counter the pressure of the West and internal opposition."

But it was the treaty that gave rise to a riot in Novgorod.Novgorod was not, like other Russian cities, conquered by Tatar weapons, and the Novgorodians did not think that they would have to voluntarily pay a shameful tribute.

During the Mongol invasion of Russia and subsequent Mongol and Horde campaigns, Novgorod managed to avoid ruin due to the remote location of the republic. But the southeastern cities of the Novgorod possessions (Torzhok, Volok, Vologda, Bezhetsk) were plundered and devastated.

In 1259, an uprising began in Novgorod, which lasted about a year and a half, during which the Novgorodians did not submit to the Mongols. Even the son of Alexander, Prince Vasily, turned out to be on the side of the townspeople. The situation was very dangerous. The very existence of Russia was threatened again.

Alexander knew that he had to make the Novgorodians come to terms with the census. At the same time, the prince did not want to bring the matter to an armed clash with the Novgorodians, to shed Russian blood. The task facing Alexander as a commander and politician was extremely difficult: the proud Novgorodians swore to die rather than recognize the power of the “nasty” over themselves. It seemed that nothing could undermine their resolve. However, the prince knew these people well - as brave as frivolous, impressionable. Fast to the word, the Novgorodians were, in a peasant way, not hasty in deeds. Moreover, their resolve to fight was by no means unanimous. Boyars, merchants, wealthy artisans - although they did not dare to openly call for prudence, but in their hearts they were ready to pay off the Tatars.

Realizing that the obstinacy of the Novgorodians could cause the khan's wrath and a new invasion of Russia, Alexander personally put things in order by executing the most active participants in the unrest and obtained from the Novgorodians consent to the population census for a general tribute. Novgorod was broken and obeyed the order to send tribute to the Golden Horde. Few understood then that severe necessity forced Alexander to act in such a way that, had he acted differently, a new terrible Tatar pogrom would have fallen on the unfortunate Russian land.

In his desire to establish peaceful relations with the Horde, Alexander was not a traitor to the interests of Russia. He acted as his common sense told him to. An experienced politician of the Suzdal-Novgorod school, he was able to see the line between the possible and the impossible. Submitting to circumstances, maneuvering among them, he followed the path of the least evil. He was, first of all, a good owner and most of all cared about the well-being of his land.

Historian G.V. Vernadsky wrote: "... Two feats of Alexander Nevsky - the feat of warfare in the West and the feat of humility in the East - had a single goal - the preservation of Orthodoxy as a source of moral and political strength of the Russian people."

Death of Alexander Nevsky

In 1262, unrest broke out in Vladimir, Suzdal, Rostov, Pereyaslavl, Yaroslavl, and other cities, where the Khan's Baskaks were slaughtered and the Tatar tax-farmers driven out. The Tatar regiments were already ready to move on Russia.

To appease the Golden Horde Khan Berke, Alexander Nevsky personally went with gifts to the Horde. He managed to avert trouble and even achieved benefits for the Russians in the delivery of military detachments for the Tatars.

Khan kept the prince at his side all winter and summer; only in the autumn did Alexander get the opportunity to return to Vladimir, but on the wayfell ill and fell ill in Gorodets on the Volga, where he received monastic tonsure and a schema with the name of Alexy. Alexander wanted to accept the great schema - the most complete form of monastic vows. Of course, he tonsured a dying man, and even to the highest monastic degree! - contradicted the very idea of ​​monasticism. However, an exception was made for Alexander. Later, following his example, many Russian princes accepted the schema before their death. It has become a kind of custom. Alexander Nevskiy died November 14, 1263 . He was only 43 years old.

G. Semiradsky. Death of Alexander Nevsky

His body was buried in the Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin. Numerous healings were noted during the burial.

"The Life of Alexander Nevsky" is remarkable in that it was written at the end of the 13th century. a contemporary of events, a person who personally knew the prince,and therefore, it is of great importance for understanding how the personality of Alexander Nevsky was assessed in those distant times, and what was the significance of those events in which he was a participant.

Veneration and canonization

The people glorified Alexander Nevsky long before his canonization by the Church. Already in the 1280s, the veneration of Alexander Nevsky as a saint began in Vladimir.

The general church glorification of St. Alexander Nevsky took place under Metropolitan Macarius at the Moscow Council of 1547. Alexander Nevsky was the only Orthodox secular ruler not only in Russia, but throughout Europe, who did not compromise with the Catholic Church in order to maintain power.

History with the relics of Alexander Nevsky

In 1380, the imperishable relics of Alexander Nevsky were discovered in Vladimir and laid in a shrine on top of the earth. In 1697, Metropolitan Hilarion of Suzdal placed the relics in a new reliquary, decorated with carvings and covered with a precious cover.

Moskvitin Philip Alexandrovich. The transfer of the relics of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky by Emperor Peter I to St. Petersburg.

In 1724, by order of Peter I, the relics were transferred to St. Petersburg to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where they still rest in the Trinity Church.

I.A. Ivanov. "Alexander Nevsky Lavra from the Neva" (1815).

In the middle of the 18th century, by order of Peter's daughter, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, a heavy silver reliquary was made for the relics. The first silver from the Kolyvan factories in Siberia was granted to the cancer. Raku was made at the St. Petersburg Mint by outstanding court masters of that time, it became the most striking work of art of that time and was mentioned in many literary works and travel notes of foreigners. Cancer was placed in a huge multi-tiered sarcophagus made of pure silver with a total weight of almost one and a half tons - nowhere in the world is there such a grandiose structure made of this precious metal. The ornament of the sarcophagus uses chasing and cast medallions depicting the life and deeds of Alexander Nevsky.

In 1922, during the period of violent expropriation of church wealth, the relics of the prince, enclosed in a many-pound silver sarcophagus, were removed from the cathedral and for a long time were kept in the Museum of Religion and Atheism. And the whole point was precisely in this sarcophagus, in which the Bolsheviks saw a large piece of precious silver - 89 pounds 22 pounds 1 with 1/3 of the spool. In May 1922, a group of working comrades mercilessly rolled this shrine off the pedestal. The autopsy was more like a public desecration...

The looting of the tomb of Alexander Nevsky by the Bolsheviks

She, like the priceless iconostasis of the Kazan Cathedral, was destined to be melted down. But the then director of the Hermitage, Alexander Benois, sent a desperate telegram to Moscow with a request to transfer the piece of jewelry art to the People's Museum. The iconostasis of the Kazan Cathedral then, alas, could not be defended, and the shrine was transferred to the Hermitage. For almost 20 years, she stood in the silver gallery, haunting many senior officials of the state apparatus. How - almost one and a half tons of silver are in vain in the halls! Letters from both business executives and defenders of the sarcophagus were periodically sent to Moscow. True, the ashes of Alexander had already been removed from him, he was moved to the Kazan Cathedral.

In June 1989, the relics of the Grand Duke were returned to the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Today they are available for worship and are kept in a modest copper sarcophagus.

The story with the relics and shrine of the Grand Duke is not over yet. Prominent church leaders repeatedly appealed to the Russian government to transfer the silver shrine to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in order to place the relics of the holy prince there again.

Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

for the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills

Alexander Nevsky was born on May 30 (June 6), 1220. The second son of the Pereyaslav prince (later the Grand Duke of Kyiv and Vladimir) Yaroslav Vsevolodovich from his second marriage with Rostislava-Feodosia Mstislavovna, the daughter of the prince of Novgorod and Galicia Mstislav Udatny. Born in Pereyaslavl-Zalessky in May 1220.

In 1225, Yaroslav "performed princely tonsure on his sons" - a rite of initiation into soldiers, which Bishop of Suzdal Saint Simon performed in the Transfiguration Cathedral of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky.

In 1228, Alexander, along with his elder brother Fyodor, were left by their father in Novgorod under the supervision of Fyodor Danilovich and Tiun Yakim, who, together with the Pereyaslavl army, were going on a campaign against Riga in the summer, but during the famine that came in the winter of this year, Fyodor Danilovich and Tiun Yakim did not having waited for Yaroslav's answer about the request of the Novgorodians to abolish the paganism, in February 1229 they fled from the city with the juvenile princes, fearing the reprisals of the rebellious Novgorodians. In 1230, when the Novgorodians called for Prince Yaroslav, he spent two weeks in Novgorod, set Fedor and Alexander to reign in the Novgorod land, but three years later, at the age of thirteen, Fedor died. In 1234, Alexander's first campaign (under his father's banner) against the Livonian Germans took place.

In 1236, Yaroslav left Pereyaslavl-Zalessky to reign in Kyiv (from there in 1238 - to Vladimir). Since that time, Alexander's independent activity begins. Back in 1236-1237, the neighbors of the Novgorod land were at enmity with each other (200 Pskov warriors participated in the unsuccessful campaign of the Order of the Swordsmen against Lithuania, which ended in the Battle of Saul and the entry of the remnants of the Order of the Swordsmen into the Teutonic Order). But after the devastation of North-Eastern Russia by the Mongols in the winter of 1237/1238 (the Mongols took Torzhok after a two-week siege and did not reach Novgorod), the western neighbors of Novgorod land almost simultaneously launched offensive operations.

Nickname of Alexander Nevsky

The official version says that Alexander received his nickname - Nevsky - after the battle with the Swedes on the Neva River. It is believed that it was for this victory that the prince began to be called that, but for the first time this nickname is found in sources only from the 14th century. Since it is known that some descendants of the prince also bore the nickname Nevsky, it is possible that in this way possessions in this area were assigned to them. In particular, Alexander's family had their own house near Novgorod, with the inhabitants of which he had a strained relationship.

Reflection of aggression from the West

In 1239, Yaroslav repulsed the Lithuanians from Smolensk, and Alexander married Alexandra, daughter of Bryachislav of Polotsk, and built a series of fortifications on the southwestern border of Novgorod along the Shelon River.

In 1240, the Germans approached Pskov, and the Swedes moved to Novgorod, according to Russian sources, led by the ruler of the country himself, the royal son-in-law of Jarl Birger (there is no mention of this battle in Swedish sources, the Jarl at that moment was Ulf Fasi, not Birger) . According to Russian sources, Birger sent a declaration of war to Alexander, proud and arrogant: "If you can, resist, know that I am already here and will captivate your land." With a relatively small squad of Novgorodians and Ladoga, Alexander on the night of July 15, 1240, by surprise attacked the Swedes of Birger, when they stopped at the mouth of the Izhora, on the Neva, and inflicted a complete defeat on them - the Battle of the Neva. Fighting in the forefront himself, Alexander "put a seal on his forehead with the tip of the sword to the unfaithful stealer of them (Birger)." The victory in this battle demonstrated Alexander's talent and strength.

Nevertheless, the Novgorodians, always jealous of their liberties, in the same year managed to quarrel with Alexander, and he retired to his father, who gave him the principality of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. Meanwhile, the Livonian Germans were advancing on Novgorod. The knights laid siege to Pskov and soon took it, taking advantage of the betrayal among the besieged. Two German Vogts were planted in the city, which was an unprecedented event in the history of the Livonian-Novgorod conflicts. Then the Livonians fought and imposed tribute on the Vozhan, 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. 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. In 1241, Alexander appeared in Novgorod and cleared his region of enemies, and the next year, together with Andrei, he moved to the aid of Pskov. Having liberated the city, Alexander went to the Chudsky land, to the possession of the order.

On April 5, 1242, the Battle of Peipus took place. This battle is known as the Battle of the Ice. The exact course of the battle is unknown, but according to the Livonian chronicles, the order knights were surrounded during the battle. According to the Novgorod chronicle, the Russians drove the Germans across the ice for 7 miles. According to the Livonian chronicle, the losses of the Order amounted to 20 killed and 6 captured knights, which is consistent with the Novgorod Chronicle, which reports that the Livonian Order lost 400-500 "Germans" killed and 50 prisoners - with the hands of Yash and brought to Novgorod. Considering that for every full-fledged knight there were 10-15 warriors of a lower rank, we can assume that the data of the Livonian Chronicle and the data of the Novgorod Chronicle confirm each other well.

With a whole series of victories in 1245, Alexander repulsed the raids of Lithuania, led by Prince Mindovg. According to the chronicler, the Lithuanians fell into such fear that they began to "observe his name."

The six-year victorious defense of northern Russia by Alexander led to the fact that the Germans, under a peace treaty, abandoned all recent conquests and ceded part of Latgale to the Novgorodians. Nevsky's father Yaroslav was summoned to Karakorum and poisoned there on September 30, 1246. Almost simultaneously with this, on September 20, Mikhail Chernigovsky was killed in the Golden Horde, refusing to undergo a pagan rite.

Great reign of A. Nevsky

After the death of his father, in 1247 Alexander went to the Horde to Batu. From there, together with his brother Andrei, who had arrived earlier, he was sent to the Great Khan in Mongolia. It took them two years to complete this journey. In their absence, their brother, Mikhail Khorobrit of Moscow (fourth son of Grand Duke Yaroslav), took the great reign of Vladimir from his uncle Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich in 1248, but in the same year he died in battle with the Lithuanians in the battle on the Protva River. Svyatoslav managed to defeat the Lithuanians at Zubtsov. Batu planned to give the reign of Vladimir to Alexander, but according to Yaroslav's will, Andrei was to become the prince of Vladimir, and Alexander of Novgorod and Kyiv. And the chronicler notes that they had "truths about the great reign." As a result, the rulers of the Mongol Empire, despite the death of Guyuk during the campaign against Batu in 1248, implemented the second option. Modern historians differ in their assessment of which of the brothers belonged to the formal seniority. Kyiv after the Tatar ruin lost its dominant importance; therefore, Alexander did not go to him, but settled in Novgorod (According to V.N. Tatishchev, the prince was still going to leave for Kyiv, but the Novgorodians “kept his Tatars for the sake of it,” however, the reliability of this information is questionable).

There is information about two messages from Pope Innocent IV to Alexander Nevsky. In the first, the pope invites Alexander to follow the example of his father, who agreed (the pope referred to Plano Carpini, in whose writings this news is missing) to submit to the throne of Rome before his death, and also offers to coordinate actions with the Teutons in the event of an attack by the Tatars on Russia. In the second message, the pope mentions Alexander's consent to be baptized into the Catholic faith and build a Catholic church in Pskov, and also asks to receive his ambassador, the Archbishop of Prussia. In 1251, two cardinals with a bull came to Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod. Almost simultaneously in Vladimir, Andrei Yaroslavich and Ustinya Danilovna were married by Metropolitan Kirill, an associate of Daniel of Galicia, to whom the pope offered the royal crown back in 1246-1247. In the same year, the Lithuanian prince Mindovg converted to the Catholic faith, thereby securing his lands from the Teutons. According to the chronicler's story, Nevsky, after consulting with wise people, outlined the whole history of Russia and in conclusion said: "We will eat everything well, but we will not accept teachings from you."

In 1251, with the participation of the troops of the Golden Horde, Batu's ally Munke won a victory in the struggle for supreme power in the Mongol Empire, and already in 1252, Tatar hordes led by Nevruy were moved against Andrei. Andrei, in alliance with his brother Yaroslav of Tver, opposed the Tatars, but was defeated and fled to Sweden through Novgorod, Yaroslav entrenched himself in Pskov. This was the first attempt to openly resist the Mongol-Tatars in North-Eastern Russia, and it ended in failure. After the flight of Andrei, the great reign of Vladimir passed to Alexander. In the same year, Prince Oleg Ingvarevich Krasny, captured in 1237 by the wounded, was released from Mongol captivity to Ryazan. The reign of Alexander in Vladimir was followed by many years of internecine war in Russia and a new war with the western neighbors.

Already in 1253, shortly after the beginning of the great reign of Alexander, his eldest son Vasily with the Novgorodians was forced to repel the Lithuanians from Toropets, in the same year the Pskovians repulsed the Teutonic invasion, then, together with the Novgorodians and Karelians, invaded the Baltic states and defeated the Teutons on their land, after which peace was concluded with all the will of Novgorod and Pskov. In 1256, the Swedes came to Narova, em, sum, and began to set up the city (probably we are talking about the Narva fortress already founded in 1223). Novgorodians asked for help from Alexander, who led a successful campaign against him with the Suzdal and Novgorod regiments. In 1258, the Lithuanians invaded the principality of Smolensk and approached Torzhok.

In 1255, the Novgorodians expelled their eldest son Alexander Vasily from themselves and called Yaroslav Yaroslavich from Pskov. Nevsky, on the other hand, forced them to accept Vasily again, and replaced the obnoxious posadnik Anania, an advocate of Novgorod liberty, with the obliging Mikhalka Stepanovich. In 1257, the Mongol census took place in the Vladimir, Murom and Ryazan lands, but was disrupted in Novgorod, which was not devastated during the invasion. Big people, with the posadnik Mikhalka, persuaded the Novgorodians to submit to the will of the khan, but the smaller ones did not even want to hear about it. Michalko was killed. Prince Vasily, sharing the feelings of the lesser, but not wanting to quarrel with his father, went to Pskov. Alexander Nevsky himself came to Novgorod with the Tatar ambassadors, exiled his son to the “Niz”, that is, the Suzdal land, seized and punished his advisers (“you cut off the nose of the one, and the eyes of the other”) and planted his second son, Dmitry, as a prince. In 1258, Nevsky went to the Horde to "honor" the Khan's governor Ulavchiy, and in 1259, threatening a Tatar pogrom, he obtained from the Novgorodians consent to the census and tribute ("tamgas and tithes").

Daniil Galitsky, who accepted the royal crown in 1253, on his own (without allies from North-Eastern Russia, without Catholicization of subject lands and without the forces of the crusaders) was able to inflict a serious defeat on the Horde, which led to a break with Rome and Lithuania. Daniel undertook a campaign against Kyiv land - Alexander's possession - and the great Russian historian Karamzin N. M. calls the plan to establish control over Kyiv “liberation”. The Lithuanians were repulsed from Lutsk, followed by the Galician-Horde campaigns against Lithuania and Poland, Mindovg's break with Poland, the Order, and an alliance with Novgorod. In 1262, Dmitry Alexandrovich, with the Novgorod, Tver and allied Lithuanian regiments, undertook a campaign in Livonia and took the city of Yuryev, captured in 1224 by the crusaders.

Death of Alexander Nevsky

In 1262, in Vladimir, Suzdal, Rostov, Pereyaslavl, Yaroslavl and other cities, the Tatar tax-farmers were killed, and the Sarai Khan Berke demanded a military recruitment among the inhabitants of Russia [source not specified 167 days], since his possessions were threatened by the Iranian ruler Hulagu. Alexander Nevsky went to the Horde to try to dissuade the Khan from this demand. Alexander fell ill there. Already being sick, he went to Russia.

Having accepted the schema under the name of Alexy, he died on November 14 (November 21), 1263 in Gorodets (there are 2 versions - in Volga Gorodets or Meshchersky Gorodets). Metropolitan Kirill announced to the people in Vladimir about his death with the words: "My dear child, understand that the sun of the Russian land is coming," and everyone exclaimed with tears: "We are already perishing." “The observance of the Russian land,” says the famous historian Sergei Solovyov, “from trouble in the east, the famous feats for faith and land in the west brought Alexander a glorious memory in Russia and made him the most prominent historical figure in ancient history from Monomakh to the Donskoy.” Alexander became the beloved prince of the clergy. In the chronicle legend that has come down to us about his exploits, it is said that he was "born by God." Winning everywhere, he was not defeated by anyone. The knight, who came from the west to see Nevsky, said that he had traveled through many countries and peoples, but had never seen anything like this "neither in the tsars of the tsar, nor in the princes of the prince." The Khan Tatar himself allegedly gave the same opinion about him, and Tatar women frightened children with his name.

Family of Alexander Nevsky

Alexandra, daughter of Bryachislav of Polotsk,

Vasily (until 1245-1271) - Prince of Novgorod;

Dmitry (1250-1294) - Prince of Novgorod (1260-1263), Prince of Pereyaslavl, Grand Duke of Vladimir in 1276-1281 and 1283-1293;

Andrei (c. 1255-1304) - Prince of Kostroma in (1276-1293), (1296-1304), Grand Duke of Vladimir (1281-1284, 1292-1304), Prince of Novgorod in (1281-1285, 1292-1304), Prince Gorodetsky in (1264-1304);

Daniel (1261-1303) - the first prince of Moscow (1263-1303).

Evdokia, who became the wife of Konstantin Rostislavich Smolensky.

The wife and daughter were buried in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Mother of God of the Assumption Knyaginy Monastery in Vladimir

Initially, Alexander Nevsky was buried in the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir. In 1724, by order of Peter I, the relics of Alexander Nevsky were solemnly transferred to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg.

Canonization

Icon of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky.

Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in the guise of the faithful under Metropolitan Macarius at the Moscow Council of 1547. Memory (according to the Julian calendar): November 23 and August 30 (transfer of relics from Vladimir-on-Klyazma to St. Petersburg, to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery (from 1797 - Lavra) on August 30, 1724). Days of the celebration of St. Alexander Nevsky:

August 30 (September 12, New Style) - the day of the transfer of relics to St. Petersburg (1724) - the main

The relics of St. Alexander Nevsky

Nevsky was buried in the monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin in Vladimir, and until the middle of the 16th century, the Nevsky Monastery was considered the first monastery in Russia, "the great archimandrite." In 1380, his relics were discovered in Vladimir. According to the lists of the Nikon and Resurrection chronicles of the 16th century, during a fire in Vladimir on May 23, 1491, "the body of the great prince Alexander Nevsky burned down." In the lists of the same chronicles of the 17th century, the story about the fire was completely rewritten and it was mentioned that the relics were miraculously preserved from the fire.

Taken out of Vladimir on August 11, 1723, the holy relics were brought to Shlisselburg on September 20 and remained there until 1724, when on August 30 they were installed in the Alexander Nevsky Church of the Alexander Nevsky Holy Trinity Monastery at the behest of Peter the Great. During the consecration of the Trinity Cathedral in the monastery in 1790, the relics were placed in it, in a silver reliquary donated by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. In May 1922, the relics were opened and soon removed. The confiscated cancer was handed over to the Hermitage, where it remains to this day. The relics of the saint were returned to the Lavra Trinity Cathedral from the storerooms of the Museum of Religion and Atheism, located in the Kazan Cathedral, in 1989.

In 2007, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, the relics of the saint were transported throughout the cities of Russia and Latvia for a month. On September 20, the holy relics were brought to the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior; October), Yaroslavl (October 7 - 10), Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg. On October 20, the relics returned to the Lavra.

A piece of the relics of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky is located in the Alexander Nevsky Temple in Sofia, Bulgaria. Also, part of the relics (little finger) of Alexander Nevsky is located in the Assumption Cathedral in the city of Vladimir. The relics were handed over by decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia in October 1998 on the eve of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the metochion of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Moscow.

Display of Alexander Nevsky in cinema

Nikolai Cherkasov as Alexander Nevsky

• Alexander Nevsky, Nevsky - Nikolai Cherkasov, director - Sergei Eisenstein, 1938.
• Mr. Veliky Novgorod, Nevsky - Alexander Franckevich-Laye, director - Alexei Saltykov, 1984.
• Life of Alexander Nevsky, Nevsky - Anatoly Gorgul, director - Georgy Kuznetsov, 1991.
• Alexander. Battle of the Neva, Nevsky - Anton Pampushny, director - Igor Kalenov, - Russia, 2008.

Alexander Nevsky, whose biography is presented in this article, is the Prince of Novgorod in the period from 1236 to 1251, and from 1252 - the Grand Duke of Vladimir. He was supposedly born in 1221 and died in 1263. The son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, the Russian prince, was Alexander Nevsky. His biography in a nutshell is as follows. He secured Russia, its western borders, with victories over the Swedes in the Battle of the Neva in 1240, as well as over the knights of the Livonian Order in 1242 (Battle on the Ice). Alexander Nevsky was canonized by the Orthodox Church. Read more about these and other events below.

Origin of Alexander, beginning of reign

The future prince was born in the family of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Feodosia, the daughter of Mstislav the Udaly. He is the grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest. The first information about the future prince belongs to 1228. Then in Novgorod Yaroslav Vsevolodovich came into conflict with the townspeople and was forced to go to his ancestral inheritance, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. Despite the forced departure, this prince left two sons in Novgorod in the care of the boyars. These were Fedor and Alexander Nevsky. The biography of the latter is marked by important events precisely after the death of his elder brother, Fedor. Then Alexander becomes the heir of his father. He was planted in 1236 to reign in Novgorod. Three years later, in 1239, Prince Alexander Nevsky married Alexandra Bryachislavna.

A brief biography of him for this period is as follows. Alexander Nevsky in the first years of his reign had to strengthen Novgorod, as the Mongol-Tatars threatened the city from the east. He built several fortresses on the Shelon River.

Victory on the Neva

The victory that he won over the Swedish detachment on the banks of the Neva River, at the mouth of the Izhora, in 1240 on July 15 brought universal fame to the young prince. They were commanded, according to legend, by Yar Birger, the future ruler of Sweden, although this campaign is not mentioned in the chronicle dating back to the 14th century. Alexander personally participated in the battle. It is believed that the prince was called Nevsky precisely for this victory, although this nickname is first found only in the sources of the 14th century. It was known that some of the princely descendants bore the nickname Nevsky. It is possible that this secured their possessions in the area. That is, there is a possibility that Prince Alexander was awarded this nickname not only for the victory on the Neva. The Nevskys, whose biography has not been fully studied, may have simply passed this nickname on to their descendant. It is traditionally believed that the battle that took place in 1240 saved the shores of the Gulf of Finland beyond Russia, stopped the Swedish aggression aimed at the Pskov and Novgorod lands.

Events leading up to the Battle of the Ice

Due to another conflict, upon returning from the banks of the Neva, Alexander was forced to leave Novgorod for Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. Meanwhile, an enemy threat loomed over the city from the west. Having gathered German crusaders in the Baltics, as well as Danish knights in Reval, the Livonian Order, with the support of the Pskovians, longtime rivals of the Novgorodians, as well as the papal curia, invaded the territory of Novgorod lands.

An embassy with a request for help was sent from Novgorod to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In response, he provided an armed detachment, headed by Andrey Yaroslavich, his son. Soon he was replaced by Alexander Nevsky, whose biography interests us. He liberated the Vodskaya land and Koporye, occupied by the knights, after which he drove the German garrison out of Pskov. Novgorodians, inspired by success, invaded the lands of the Livonian Order and began to ravage the settlements of tributaries of the crusaders, the Estonians. The knights who left Riga destroyed the regiment of Domash Tverdislavich, which was considered the foremost among the Russians, forcing Alexander Nevsky to withdraw his troops to the border of the Livonian Order. At that time, she passed along Lake Peipus. After that, both sides began to prepare for a decisive battle.

Ice battle and the defeat of the Lithuanian troops

The decisive battle took place at the Raven Stone, on the ice of Lake Peipsi, in 1242 on April 5. This battle went down in history as the Battle of the Ice. The German knights were defeated. The Livonian Order was put before the need to make peace. According to the terms of the truce, the crusaders had to give up their claims to the Russian lands, transferring part of Latgale to Russia.

After that, Alexander Nevsky began to fight with the Lithuanian detachments. His biography at this time can be briefly presented as follows. In the summer of the same year (1242), he defeated seven Lithuanian detachments that attacked the Russian lands in the northwest. After that, in 1245, Alexander recaptured Toropets, which was captured by Lithuania, destroyed a Lithuanian detachment near Lake Zhiztsa, and finally defeated the Lithuanian militia near Usvyat.

Alexander and the Horde

For a long time, the successful actions of Alexander ensured the security of the Russian borders in the west, but in the east the princes had to be defeated by the Mongol-Tatars.

Khan Batu, the ruler of the Golden Horde, in 1243 handed over a label to rule the Russian lands conquered by them to Alexander's father. Guyuk, the great Mongol Khan, called him to Karakorum, his capital, where in 1246, on September 30, Yaroslav died unexpectedly. He was poisoned, according to the generally accepted version. Then his sons, Andrei and Alexander, were summoned to Karakorum. While they were getting to Mongolia, Khan Guyuk himself died, and Khansha Ogul-Gamish, the new mistress of the capital, decided to make Andrei the Grand Duke. Alexander Nevsky (the prince whose biography interests us) only received Kyiv and the devastated southern Russia.

Alexander refuses to accept the Catholic faith

The brothers only in 1249 were able to return to their homeland. Prince Alexander Nevsky did not go to his new possessions. A brief biography of his later years is as follows. He went to Novgorod, where he fell seriously ill. Innocent IV, the pope, sent an embassy to him about this time with an offer to convert to the Catholic faith, offering in exchange his help in the fight against the Mongols. However, Alexander categorically refused.

Ogul-Gamish in Karakorum in 1252 was overthrown by Khan Mengke (Mongke). Batu, taking advantage of this circumstance in order to remove Andrei Yaroslavich from the great reign, handed Alexander Nevsky the label of the Grand Duke. Alexander was summoned urgently to Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde. However, Andrei, supported by Yaroslav, his brother, as well as the Galician prince Daniil Romanovich, refused to obey the decision of Batu Khan.

He, in order to punish the recalcitrant princes, sent the Mongol detachment, commanded by Nevryuy (the so-called "Nevryuev's army"), or Batu. Yaroslav and Andrei as a result of this fled from North-Eastern Russia.

Alexander restores his son's rights

Yaroslav Yaroslavovich later, in 1253, was invited to Pskov to reign, and then to Novgorod (in 1255). At the same time, the Novgorodians drove out Vasily, their former prince, who was the son of Alexander Nevsky. However, Alexander, having planted him again in Novgorod, severely punished his warriors, who failed to protect the rights of his son. All of them were blinded.

Alexander suppresses the uprising in Novgorod

The glorious biography of Alexander Nevsky continues. A summary of the events relating to the uprising in Novgorod is as follows. Khan Berke, the new ruler of the Golden Horde, introduced in Russia from 1255 a system of taxation of tribute, common to all conquered lands. In 1257, as in other cities, "numerals" were sent to Novgorod in order to carry out a population census. This angered the Novgorodians, who were supported by Prince Vasily. An uprising began in the city, which lasted more than a year and a half. Alexander Nevsky personally brought order, ordered the execution of the most active participants in these unrest. Vasily Alexandrovich was also captured and taken into custody. Novgorod turned out to be broken, which was forced to obey the order and begin to pay tribute to the Golden Horde. Dmitry Alexandrovich from 1259 became the new governor in the city.

Death of Alexander Nevsky

Unrest broke out in the Suzdal cities in 1262. Here the Khan's Baskaks were killed, and the Tatar merchants were also expelled from here. In order to soften the anger of Khan Berke, Alexander decided to personally go to the Horde with gifts. All winter and summer, the Khan kept the prince beside him. Only in the autumn Alexander was able to return to Vladimir. On the way, he fell ill and died in Gorodets in 1263, on November 14. This date ends the biography of Alexander Nevsky. We have tried to describe it briefly as concisely as possible. His body was buried in the monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin in Vladimir.

Canonization of Alexander Nevsky

This prince, in the conditions that fell on the lands of Russia of terrible trials, was able to find the strength in himself to resist the conquerors from the west, thereby gaining fame as a great commander. Thanks to him, the foundations of interaction with the Golden Horde were also laid.

In Vladimir, since the 1280s, the veneration of this man as a saint begins. Prince Alexander Nevsky was officially canonized somewhat later. A brief biography of him, compiled by us, mentions that he refused the offer of Innocent IV. And this is an important detail. Alexander Nevsky is the only secular Orthodox ruler in all of Europe who, in order to maintain his power, did not compromise with the Catholics. His life story was written with the participation of Dmitry Alexandrovich, his son, and also Metropolitan Kirill. It was widely used in Russia (15 editions have come down to us).

Monastery and orders in honor of Alexander

The monastery in honor of Alexander was founded in St. Petersburg by Peter I in 1724. Now it is the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The remains of the prince were transported there. Peter I also ordered to honor the memory of this man on August 30, on the day of the conclusion of peace with Sweden. Catherine I in 1725 founded the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

This award until 1917 existed as one of the highest in Russia. The Soviet order named after him was established in 1942.

So Prince Alexander Nevsky was immortalized in our country, a brief biography of which was presented to you.

This person in national history is an important figure, so we get to know him for the first time back in school years. The biography of Alexander Nevsky for children, however, notes only the most basic points. In this article, his life is considered in more detail, which allows you to get a more complete picture of this prince. Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich, whose biography we have described, fully deserved his fame.

On May 30, 1220, in the family of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Princess Theodosia, daughter of Prince Mstislav Udatny, the son Alexander, Novgorod (1236-1251) and Vladimir (since 1252) Grand Duke, was born. On the paternal side, he was the grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest.

In 1228, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, who reigned in Novgorod, came into conflict with the townspeople and was forced to leave for his ancestral inheritance Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. Despite this, he left two young sons Fyodor and Alexander in the care of trusted boyars in Novgorod. After the death of Fedor in 1236, Alexander, as the eldest heir to Yaroslav, was placed in the reign of Novgorod. In 1239 he married Princess Alexandra Bryachislavna of Polotsk.

In the first years of his reign, the Russian prince was engaged in the fortification of Novgorod. On the river Sheloni he built several fortresses. Glory to the young prince was brought by a victory won in July 1240 at the mouth of the river. Izhora over the Swedish detachment, after which the Swedish aggression on the Novgorod-Pskov lands was stopped. It is traditionally believed that for this victory the prince began to be called Nevsky. However, according to Russian sources of the 14th century, some descendants of the prince also bore the nickname Nevsky.

The victory on the Neva strengthened the political influence of Alexander, but at the same time contributed to the aggravation of his relations with the boyars. As a result of clashes with disgruntled boyars, the prince was forced to leave Novgorod and go to Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. The Livonian Order, having gathered the German crusaders of the Baltic states and the Danish knights from Reval, invaded the Novgorod lands. In the spring of 1241, Alexander, having gathered a powerful army, recaptured the Koporye and Vodsk land occupied by the knights, and then drove the Livonian detachment out of Pskov. Novgorodians invaded the territory of the Livonian Order and began to ravage their settlements. Soon, a large cavalry army led by the master of the order came out against the Russian prince and forced him to withdraw his troops to the border of the Livonian Order, which passed along Lake Peipus. On April 5, 1242, a decisive battle took place on the ice of Lake Peipsi at the Voronye stone, which went down in history as the “Battle on the Ice”. The 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, this victory was of exceptional importance: the Russian foot army surrounded and defeated the knightly cavalry and detachments of foot bollards long before the infantry in Western Europe learned to defeat the mounted knights. The victory in this battle put Alexander Nevsky among the best commanders of that time.

In the future, Alexander Nevsky continued to strengthen the northwestern borders of Russia. In 1251, he sent an embassy to Norway, which resulted in the first agreement between Russia and Norway, and also made a successful campaign in Finland against the Swedes, who made a new attempt to close the Russian access to the Baltic Sea.

Alexander made a lot of efforts to strengthen the grand ducal power in the country. His political line contributed to the prevention of devastating invasions of the Tatars in Russia. Several times he himself went to the Golden Horde, having achieved the release of the Russians from the obligation to act as an army on the side of the Tatar khans in their wars with other peoples. In 1262, unrest broke out in the Suzdal cities, where the Khan's Baskaks were killed and the Tatar merchants were expelled. To appease the Tatar Khan, the prince personally went with gifts to the Horde. Khan kept him by his side all winter and summer, and only in the fall did the Russian prince 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 1280s. in Vladimir, the veneration of Alexander Nevsky as a saint began, and later he was officially canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 1724, in St. Petersburg, in honor of the right-believing prince, Peter I founded a monastery (Alexander Nevsky Lavra), where the Russian autocrat ordered the remains of the holy prince Alexander to be transported. On May 21 (June 1), 1725, Empress Catherine I established the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky - one of the highest awards of the Russian Empire.

Lit.: Alexander Nevsky and the history of Russia: Proceedings of the scientific-practical conference. Novgorod, 1996; The same [Electronic resource]. URL : http:// bibliotekar. ru/rusNevskiy/; Vernadsky G. B. Two exploits of St.Alexander Nevsky // Eurasian Vremennik. Book. IV . Prague, 1925. S. 318-337; Resurrection N. A. Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky; In memory of the king of the peacemaker: a brief biography. M., 1898; Danilevsky AND. N. Alexander Nevsky: Paradoxes of historical memory// "The chain of times": Problems of historical consciousness. M., 2005. S. 119-132; Life of Alexander Nevsky// Library of Literature of Ancient Russia. T. 5. St. Petersburg, 1997; The same [Electronic resource]. URL : http:// lib. pushkinskijdom. en/Default. aspx? tabid=4962; Konyavskaya E. L. The image of Alexander Nevsky in the early chronicles 2 (36); The same [Electronic resource]. URL : http:// www. old. ru/vyp/2009_2/part6. pdf; Kuchkin V. A. About the date of birth of Alexander Nevsky// Questions of history. 1986. no. 2; Pashuto V. T. Alexander Nevsky. M., 1974; Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky and the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra: in memory of the bicentenary of the monastery, 1713-1913. SPb., 1913; Seleznev YU. B. The reign of Alexander Nevsky in 1252G.: political realities and their reflection in the Russian written tradition// Ancient Russia. Questions of medieval studies. 2009. No. 1 (35); The same [Electronic resource]. URL : http:// www. old. ru/vyp/2009_1/hist-3. pdf; Fennel J. The Crisis of Medieval Russia: 1200-1304: Per. from English. M., 1989; Khmyrov M. D. Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky, Grand Duke of Vladimir and all Russia: a historical and biographical essay. SPb., 1871; Cold G. M. The life and work of Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky in connection with the events in Russia in XIII century. Tambov, 1883; Tsamutali BUT. N. Prince Alexander Nevsky (according to Russian and foreign sources)// Star. 2007. No. 10. ;

Tikhonravov KN Vladimirsky Nativity Monastery of the XII century, where the holy relics of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky rested, before being transferred to St. Petersburg. Vladimir, 1869 .

Alexander Nevskiy Alexander Nevskiy

(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 the German knights of the Livonian Order (Battle on the Ice 1242) secured the western borders of Russia. Skillful policy weakened the hardships of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Alexander Nevskiy

ALEXANDER Yaroslavich Nevsky (May 13, 1221? - November 14, 1263), saint, Prince of Novgorod (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. NEVA BATTLE) 1240 and the German knights of the Livonian Order in the Battle of the Ice (cm. BATTLE ON THE ICE) 1242 secured the western borders of Russia
Alexander was born in the family of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Princess Feodosia, daughter of Prince Mstislav Udatny (cm. MSTISLAV Mstislavich Udaloy). On the paternal 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 Fedor and Alexander in the care of trusted boyars in Novgorod. After the death of Fedor, Alexander becomes the senior heir to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In 1236 he was appointed to the reign of Novgorod, and in 1239 he married the Polotsk princess Alexandra Bryachislavna.
In the first years of his reign, he had to deal with the fortification of Novgorod, which was threatened from the east by the Mongols-Tatars. 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 by the future ruler of Sweden, Jarl Birger, brought glory to the young prince. (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 retinue, joining 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 is found in sources from the 14th century. Some descendants of the prince also bore the nickname Nevsky. Perhaps, in this way, possessions near the Neva were assigned to them. It is traditionally believed that the battle of 1240 prevented the loss of the shores of the Gulf of Finland by Russia, stopped the Swedish aggression on the Novgorod-Pskov lands.
The victory on the Neva strengthened the political influence of Alexander, but at the same time contributed to the aggravation of his relations with the boyars, as a result of clashes with which 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 longtime rivals of the Novgorodians of Pskov, 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. Having gathered a powerful army, he recaptured the Koporye and Vodsk land occupied by the knights, and then drove the Livonian detachment out of Pskov. Inspired by the 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 passed along Lake Peipus. Both sides began to prepare for a decisive battle.
It happened on the ice of Lake Peipus, at the Raven Stone on April 5, 1242, and went down in history as the Battle of the Ice. The 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 importance: the Russian foot army surrounded and defeated the knightly cavalry and foot bollards, long before the infantry in Western Europe learned to defeat the mounted knights. The victory in this battle put Alexander Nevsky among the best commanders of his time.
In the summer of 1242, Alexander defeated the Lithuanian detachments that attacked the northwestern Russian lands, in 1245 recaptured Toropets, captured by Lithuania, destroyed the Lithuanian detachment at Lake Zhiztsa, and finally defeated the Lithuanian militia near Usvyat. Alexander Nevsky continued to strengthen the northwestern borders of Russia in the future: 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 Russian access to the Baltic Sea (1256 ).
Alexander and the Horde
The successful military actions of Alexander Nevsky ensured the security of the western borders of Russia, but in the east the Russian princes had to bow their heads to a much stronger enemy - the Mongol-Tatars. In 1243 Batu Khan (cm. BATY), ruler of the western part of the Mongol state - the Golden Horde (cm. GOLDEN HORDE), handed the label of the Grand Duke of Vladimir to Alexander's father - Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. The Great Khan of the Mongols Guyuk called 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 getting to Mongolia, Khan Guyuk himself died, and the new mistress of Karakorum, Khansha Ogul-Gamish, decided to appoint Andrei as Grand Duke, while Alexander received the devastated South Russia and Kyiv in control.
Only in 1249 the brothers were able to return to their homeland. Alexander did not go to Kyiv, but returned to Novgorod, where he fell seriously ill. Around this time, Pope Innocent IV (cm. INNOCENT IV) sent an embassy to Alexander Nevsky with a proposal to accept Catholicism, allegedly 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 provoke a war between Russia and the Golden Horde, as he understood the futility of the war with the Tatars at that time. Thus, Alexander Nevsky showed himself to be a cautious and far-sighted politician, 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 handed the label of the Grand Duke of Vladimir to Alexander Nevsky. But the younger brother of Alexander, Andrei Yaroslavich, supported by his brother Yaroslav of Tver and Daniil Romanovich Galitsky (cm. DANIL Romanovich), refused to obey the decision of Batu. To punish the recalcitrant, Batu sent a Mongol detachment under the command of Nevryuy ("Nevryuev's army"). Andrei and Yaroslav were forced to flee outside North-Eastern Russia.
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 imprisoned Vasily in Novgorod again, he severely punished the combatants who failed to protect the rights of his son - they were blinded. The political line of Alexander contributed to the prevention of devastating invasions of the Tatars in Russia. Several times he went to the Horde, achieved the release of the Russians from the obligation to act as an army on the side of the Tatar khans in their wars with other peoples. Alexander Nevsky made many efforts to strengthen the grand ducal power in the country.
The new Golden Horde ruler, Khan Berke (since 1255), introduced in Russia a system of tribute taxation common to the conquered lands. In 1257, "numerals" were sent to Novgorod, like other Russian cities, to conduct a per capita census. This caused indignation among the Novgorodians, who were supported by Prince Vasily. An uprising began in Novgorod, which lasted 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 posadnik in 1259.
In 1262 unrest broke out in the cities of Suzdal, where the Khan's Baskaks were killed and the Tatar merchants were expelled. To appease Khan Berke, Alexander Nevsky personally went with gifts to the Horde. Khan kept the prince at his side all winter and summer; only in the autumn 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 hit 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, the veneration of Alexander Nevsky as a saint began in Vladimir, and later he was officially canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. He is credited with refusing to compromise with the Catholic Church in order to maintain power. With the participation of his son Dmitry Alexandrovich and Metropolitan Kirill, a hagiographic story was written at the end of the 13th century, which became widespread at a later time. Fifteen 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 right-believing 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 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. With victories over the Swedes (Battle of the Neva 1240) and the German knights of the Livonian Order (Battle on the Ice 1242), he 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 Nevskiy- Alexander Nevskiy. Figure 17 c. 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 a crushing defeat on the Swedish troops in ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Alexander Nevskiy- (1221-1263), Prince of Novgorod, Tver, Grand Duke of Vladimir (since 1252), son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. He led the Russian troops defending the northwestern borders of Russia from the invasions of Swedish and German feudal lords; skillful policy ... ... Encyclopedic reference book "St. 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 reasserted himself as an artist of the world ... ... Cinema Encyclopedia

- (1220 or 1221 1263), Grand Duke of Vladimir from 1252, Prince of Novgorod (1236 51), Tver (1247 52). Son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. He inflicted a crushing defeat on the Swedish troops in the Battle of the Neva (1240), for which he was nicknamed Nevsky. Cast out... ... Modern Encyclopedia