home Diagnosis and diseases How Alexander Nevsky became a saint. Why Alexander Nevsky is a saint and Russian national hero

How Alexander Nevsky became a saint. Why Alexander Nevsky is a saint and Russian national hero

Symbol of Russia, name of Russia, great commander Prince Alexander Nevsky was one of the most significant figures of Ancient Rus' in the 13th century.

He was famous both as a military leader and as a wise politician. His activities were of unsurpassed importance for the construction Russian state. He remained forever in people's memory. His contemporaries loved him, his descendants are proud of him. Immediately after his death, “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” appeared, describing the life and victories of this great man. The death of the prince was a big blow for everyone. He is canonized and officially canonized in 1547.

What are the merits of Alexander Nevsky? This noble prince, like all people, was not ideal. He had his advantages and disadvantages. But throughout the centuries, information has remained about him as a wise ruler, a valiant military leader, a merciful and virtuous person.

The 13th century is a time in the history of our people when there was no centralized power, feudal princes ruled their estates and fought internecine wars. All this made the Russian land helpless in the face of the impending danger in the face of the Tatar-Mongols. During this difficult time for Rus', in 1231, Alexander became the Grand Duke of Novgorod. But his father, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, had real power, and Alexander took part in military campaigns with his father.

In 1236, when his father took the throne of Kiev, Alexander became the rightful ruler of Novgorod. He was 16 years old then. Already in 1237-1238, Batu’s hordes destroyed many Russian cities: Vladimir, Ryazan, Suzdal. It was not particularly difficult for the Tatar-Mongols to establish their power over the scattered Russian principalities. At the same time, Novgorod survived, and the main threat to it was represented by the Lithuanian and German knights attacking from the west, and the Swedes from the north. Already at the age of twenty, Alexander led the army in the battle with the Swedes on the Neva, which took place on July 15, 1240.

Before the battle, the prince prayed for a long time in the Church of St. Sophia, then received a blessing and said the following words to the soldiers: “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!” So the young prince went into battle for truth, for Rus', for God and won a victory, which became the first in a long series of victories for the great commander. From that time on, Prince Alexander began to be called Nevsky. As a commander, he was rightfully considered great, since he did not lose a single battle.

But it was not only for his military services that he was loved by the people. His courage and military genius were combined with nobility: Alexander never once raised a sword against his Russian brothers and did not participate in princely showdowns. Perhaps this provided him with popular veneration and glory throughout the centuries. He knew how to say such a fiery word to his people, which united, instilled faith and lifted the spirit.

This prayer warrior has proven himself to be visionary and wise statesman. He defended the interests not only of the Novgorod principality, but also of all northeastern lands. Through his efforts, Rus' and its originality have been preserved to this day. After all, it was Alexander who built his inner and foreign policy to protect Russian lands from destruction. To this end, he more than once acted as an ambassador to Batu Khan on behalf of all the Russian princes. He concluded corresponding peace treaties with both the Tatar-Mongols and the Norwegians. His clear mind, accurate calculations, and desire to create turned out to be extremely important for the future unification of Russian lands around the Moscow Principality.

The prince's campaigns in the Finnish land and trips to Sarai were useful not only for strengthening the external authority of Rus'. Bright word The Gospel was brought to Pomerania itself, and a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church was established in the capital of the Golden Horde. Thus, the prince was also a preacher who contributed to the spread of the Word of God on earth. The Christianization of the pagans of the East is now considered the historical mission of Rus'.

Prince Alexander never returned from his last trip. His death was compared to the sunset for the entire Russian land. He died on November 14, 1263, and was buried on November 23 in the Vladimir Nativity Monastery. Considering the prince’s services to the fatherland, Tsar Peter I in 1724 ordered his relics to be transferred to St. Petersburg, where they are kept in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.

After the death of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, he was canonized. But the glory of him, his military exploits and good deeds remained among the people forever.

The symbol of Russia, the name of Russia, the great commander Prince Alexander Nevsky was one of the most significant figures of Ancient Rus' of the 13th century. He was famous both as a military leader and as a wise politician. His activities were of unsurpassed importance for the construction of the Russian state. He remained forever in people's memory. His contemporaries loved him, his descendants are proud of him. Immediately after his death, “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” appeared, describing the life and victories of this great man. The death of the prince was a big blow for everyone. He is canonized and officially canonized in 1547.

The 13th century is a time in the history of our people when there was no centralized power, feudal princes ruled their estates and waged internecine wars. All this made the Russian land helpless in the face of the impending danger in the face of the Tatar-Mongols. During this difficult time for Rus', in 1231, Alexander became the Grand Duke of Novgorod. But his father, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, had real power, and Alexander took part in military campaigns with his father.

This prayer warrior proved himself to be a far-sighted and wise statesman. He defended the interests not only of the Novgorod principality, but also of all northeastern lands. Through his efforts, Rus' and its originality have been preserved to this day. After all, it was Alexander who built his domestic and foreign policies in such a way as to protect the Russian lands from destruction. To this end, he more than once acted as an ambassador to Batu Khan on behalf of all the Russian princes. He concluded corresponding peace treaties with both the Tatar-Mongols and the Norwegians. His clear mind, accurate calculations, and desire to create turned out to be extremely important for the future unification of Russian lands around the Moscow Principality.

The prince's campaigns in the Finnish land and trips to Sarai were useful not only for strengthening the external authority of Rus'. The bright word of the Gospel was brought to Pomerania itself, and a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church was established in the capital of the Golden Horde. Thus, the prince was also a preacher who contributed to the spread of the Word of God on earth. The Christianization of the pagans of the East is now considered the historical mission of Rus'.

After the death of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, he was canonized. But the glory of him, his military exploits and good deeds remained among the people forever.

Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich, nicknamed Nevsky, is most often remembered in the context of the Battle of the Ice in 1242. Also, the phrase “Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword!” comes to mind for many. But it doesn’t belong to the prince at all, but to the screenwriter and part-time director of the film “Alexander Nevsky” Sergei Eisenstein. And the battle on Lake Peipsi, although the most famous, is far from the only victory of Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich.

Despite the fact that events of this magnitude usually take place in schools, it is often forgotten to say that the famous battle was a small episode of the Second Swedish Crusade.

In a bull issued on December 9, 1237, the Pope appealed to the Swedish archbishop to organize a crusade in Finland “against the Tavasts” - the western branch of the Finns, different from the eastern, Karelian, both in appearance and in character and language. In addition, the Pope ordered the destruction of their “close neighbors,” that is, the Karelians and Russians, in alliance with whom the Tavastes resisted Catholic expansion.

The point is that for many years preceding the crusade, the Swedes tried to persuade the nobility of the Tavasts, that is, representatives of the Finnish tribes Suomi and Heme, to accept Catholicism. In the early 1220s, they succeeded, but when expansion of a political nature began, which continued the religious one, the Finns again decided to try to find protection in Novgorod, so as not to completely lose their lands. And if the Sumy tribe ultimately remained under Swedish rule, then representatives of the Em tribe raised a real uprising against the Swedes in the mid-1230s and received support from Novgorod.

The result of this uprising was an appeal to the Pope. And Gregory IX disliked Rus' for a long time: back in 1232, he called for “protecting the new planting Christian faith against the infidel Russians."

At the same time, the Russian princes had enough problems even without a crusade: in 1237 the Mongol invasion to Rus'.

At the beginning of 1238, the Danish crusaders, led by King Valdemar II the Victorious, agreed with the united Livonian and Teutonic orders, as well as the Swedish knights, on how they would divide the lands that they managed to capture. Then Pope Gregory IX blessed the Swedish Jarl Birger for a crusade against the Novgorod lands, and promised absolution to all participants in this campaign.

“The Swedish authorities took upon themselves to strike from the sea across the Neva on Ladoga and Novgorod, the German knights began to strike by land - on Pskov and Novgorod... for the only time in history, three forces of Western European knighthood united: the Swedes, the Germans and the Danes - for an attack to Russian lands,” Soviet historian Igor Shaskolsky wrote about these events.

According to the historian, “if their campaign was successful, the Swedish knights hoped to capture the banks of the Neva - the only access to the sea for Novgorod and all of Rus' - and take control of all Novgorod foreign trade.” In general, the Swedes hoped to conquer the entire Novgorod land and complete the conquest of Finland.

Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich, who received news of the approach of the enemy, decided to act with lightning speed, without waiting for help from his father, the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. According to Igor Shaskolsky, “the suddenness of the attack on the Swedish camp was the most important condition success of the Russian army,” since Alexander Nevsky needed to stop the enemy advance on the Neva.

Thus, the prince had to fight with a Swedish army that was numerically superior to his forces, which was also better armed.

Most likely, Russian ships entered the Tosna River, which flows into the Neva above the mouth of the Izhora River, and walked up 6 km to the point of closest approach to the flow of the Izhora tributary - the Bolshaya Izhorka River, reached the Bolshaya Izhorka River by land and descended along the wooded shore to its mouth , located near the confluence of the Izhora and the Neva.

“Thus, the Russian army managed to unexpectedly attack the Swedish camp not from the Neva, from where the Swedes could most likely expect an attack, but from land. The surprise of the blow provided the Russian army with an important strategic advantage and made it possible to end the battle with complete victory,” argued Igor Shaskolsky.

Historians agree on one thing: the Battle of the Neva, like other battles of the Middle Ages, did not take place in the form of a continuous confrontation between two warring military masses, but in the form of clashes between individual detachments.

“After that, Alexander hastened to attack the enemies at six o’clock in the afternoon, and there was a great slaughter with the Romans, and the prince killed countless numbers of them, and on the face of the king himself he left the mark of his sharp spear,” says the life of Alexander Nevsky.

According to the historian Anatoly Kirpichnikov, the “mark on the face” can be interpreted as a sign, mark, damage inflicted on the Swedish army by a blow from mounted spearmen. Consequently, already in the first attack the Novgorodians caused damage to the Swedes’ formation.

According to him, the battle, as was usual at that time, began with an attack by mounted spearmen. During the protracted hand-to-hand combat, the ranks of the Swedes were upset and broken, and their individual detachments did not fight together, but were perhaps partly separated.

“The battle at the mouth of the Izhora River apparently dragged on until the evening. By nightfall the hosts separated. Judging by the chronicle notes, the Swedish army, despite the defeat, was not destroyed. By morning, the enemy was unable to continue the fight and completely cleared the battlefield, sailing away on ships. The departure of the remnants of the Swedish army was not prevented.

“Whether it was the knightly methods of combat that made it possible to bury their own during a respite, or whether the Novgorodians considered further bloodshed in vain, or whether Alexander Yaroslavich did not want to risk his army that had suffered losses - none of these explanations can be ruled out,” writes Anatoly Kirpichnikov.

Despite the fact that Alexander Nevsky defeated the Swedes, he simply did not have the forces at his disposal to repel the invasion of the late Germans from the west. In addition, the Novgorod boyars soon expelled the victorious prince, fearing that his influence would begin to grow and he would try to rule alone. Meanwhile, the Germans captured the Izborsk fortress, took Pskov and approached Novgorod. In addition, they occupied the banks of the Neva, the Ladoga lands and Karelia, and also erected the Koporye fortress in the immediate vicinity of the Gulf of Finland. And if the Mongol-Tatars simply devastated the Russian lands, taking away everything that could be taken with them, then the Germans settled in the occupied territories and established their own order on them

Residents of Novgorod had no choice but to once again call for help from Alexander Yaroslavovich, nicknamed Nevsky.

References:

Shaskolsky I.P. The struggle of Rus' against crusader aggression on the shores of the Baltic in the 12th-13th centuries. L.: Nauka, 1978

Shaskolsky I.P. Battle of the Neva 1240 in the light of data modern science// Prince Alexander Nevsky and his era: Research and materials / Ed. Yu.K. Begunov and A.N. Kirpichnikov. St. Petersburg, 1995.

Kirpichnikov A.N. Two great battles of Alexander Nevsky // Alexander Nevsky and the history of Russia. St. Petersburg pp. 29-41.

Majority modern people heard such a name as Alexander Nevsky, but few thought about why Prince Alexander was called Nevsky. And today we will try to answer this question, and also consider a few more interesting points from the biography of the prince.

Alexander Nevsky was not only a prince, but also a commander. His biography includes many interesting and noteworthy facts, and we will pay attention to what he was called.

Why was Alexander Nevsky called Nevsky?

Prince Alexander, being an excellent tactician and commander, took part in many battles, but they named him Nevsky in honor of the Neva River, or rather, in honor of the battle on the river in which he took part.

History tells us that it was on the Neva that the prince accomplished a real feat, with only 200 fighters, he defeated an entire army of Swedes, including more than 2 thousand heads. A remarkable fact is that during this battle the prince himself managed not to suffer losses among his own squad.

Why was Alexander Nevsky called a saint?

In addition to the fact that Prince Alexander was given the nickname Nevsky, he was also called a saint. And why they began to call him that should also be told.

During his lifetime, Alexander Nevsky was a very respected person, since he was noted not only for his ability to fight and manage political affairs, but also had very good human characteristics, being a merciful and wise ruler.

All this led to the fact that after the death of the prince, with the publication of a literary work about his life, A. Nevsky was canonized. After this procedure was completed, he was quite justifiably and deservedly called a saint, and he is called that to this day.

Why is the story called “The Life of Alexander Nevsky”

Thanks to the feat described above, and other remarkable facts from the life of the prince, his achievements and outstanding life, he deserved that a story was written about him. This work was published in the 13th century, and many people are interested in why it received this name.

However, the answer to this question is simpler than in the case of the origin of the nickname “Nevsky”, and is quite obvious. The story tells about just one hero, as well as the details of his life, his campaigns, battles, etc. And this hero, of course, is Alexander Nevsky. That's why literary work and got this name.

Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (1220 - November 14, 1263), Prince of Novgorod, Pereyaslavl, Grand Duke Kiev (from 1249), Grand Duke of Vladimir (from 1252).

Canonized by Russian Orthodox Church in the ranks of the faithful under Metropolitan Macarius at the Moscow Council of 1547. Commemorated on December 6 and September 12 according to the new style (transfer of relics from Vladimir-on-Klyazma to St. Petersburg, to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery (from 1797 - Lavra) on August 30, 1724).

Alexander Nevsky: just the facts

Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich was born in 1220 (according to another version - in 1221) and died in 1263. IN different years During his lifetime, Prince Alexander had the titles of Prince of Novgorod, Kyiv, and later Grand Duke of Vladimir.

Prince Alexander won his main military victories in his youth. During the Battle of the Neva (1240) he was at most 20 years old, during the Battle of the Ice - 22 years old.

Subsequently, he became famous more as a politician and diplomat, but he also periodically acted as a military leader. In his entire life, Prince Alexander did not lose a single battle.

- Alexander Nevsky canonized as a noble prince.

This rank of saints includes lay people who have become famous for their sincere deep faith and good deeds, as well as Orthodox rulers who managed to remain faithful to Christ in their public service and in various political conflicts. Like any Orthodox saint, the noble prince is not at all an ideal sinless person, however, he is, first of all, a ruler, guided in his life primarily by the highest Christian virtues, including mercy and philanthropy, and not by the thirst for power and not by self-interest.

Contrary to popular belief that the Church canonized almost all the rulers of the Middle Ages, only a few of them were glorified. Thus, among Russian saints of princely origin, the majority are glorified as saints for their martyrdom for the sake of neighbors and for the sake of preserving the Christian faith.

-Through the efforts of Alexander Nevsky, the preaching of Christianity spread to the northern lands of the Pomors.

He also managed to contribute to the creation Orthodox diocese in the Golden Horde.

On modern performance Alexander Nevsky was influenced by Soviet propaganda, which spoke exclusively about his military merits. As a diplomat building relations with the Horde, and even more so as a monk and saint, he was completely inappropriate for the Soviet government. That’s why Sergei Eisenstein’s masterpiece “Alexander Nevsky” does not tell about the prince’s entire life, but only about the battle on Lake Peipsi. This gave rise to a common stereotype that Prince Alexander was canonized for his military services, and holiness itself became something of a “reward” from the Church.

The veneration of Prince Alexander as a saint began immediately after his death, and at the same time a fairly detailed “Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” was compiled.

The official canonization of the prince took place in 1547.

The Life of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky

Portal "Word".

Prince Alexander Nevsky is one of those great people in the history of our Fatherland, whose activities not only influenced the destinies of the country and people, but largely changed them and predetermined the course of Russian history for many centuries to come. It fell to him to rule Russia at the most difficult, turning point that followed the ruinous Mongol conquest, when the question was about the very existence of Rus', about whether it would be able to survive, maintain its statehood, its ethnic independence, or disappear from the map, like many other peoples of Eastern Europe, who were invaded at the same time as her.

He was born in 1220 (1), in the city of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, and was the second son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, at that time the Prince of Pereyaslavl. His mother Feodosia, apparently, was the daughter of the famous Toropets prince Mstislav Mstislavich Udatny, or Udaly (2).

Very early Alexander found himself involved in turbulent political events, unfolding around the reign in Veliky Novgorod - one of the largest cities of medieval Rus'. It is with Novgorod that most of his biography will be connected. Alexander came to this city for the first time as a baby - in the winter of 1223, when his father was invited to reign in Novgorod. However, the reign turned out to be short-lived: at the end of the same year, having quarreled with the Novgorodians, Yaroslav and his family returned to Pereyaslavl. So Yaroslav will either make peace or quarrel with Novgorod, and then the same thing will happen again in the fate of Alexander.

This was explained simply: the Novgorodians needed a strong prince from close to them. North-Eastern Rus' so that he could protect the city from external enemies. However, such a prince ruled Novgorod too harshly, and the townspeople usually quickly quarreled with him and invited some South Russian prince to reign, who did not annoy them too much; and everything would be fine, but he, alas, could not protect them in case of danger, and he cared more about his southern possessions - so the Novgorodians had to again turn to the Vladimir or Pereyaslavl princes for help, and everything was repeated all over again.

Prince Yaroslav was again invited to Novgorod in 1226. Two years later, the prince again left the city, but this time he left his sons in it as princes - nine-year-old Fyodor (his eldest son) and eight-year-old Alexander. The boyars of Yaroslav, Fyodor Danilovich and the princely tyun Yakim, remained with the children. They, however, were unable to cope with the Novgorod “freemen” and in February 1229 they had to flee with the princes to Pereyaslavl.

For a short time, Prince Mikhail Vsevolodovich of Chernigov, a future martyr for the faith and a revered saint, established himself in Novgorod. But the southern Russian prince, who ruled remote Chernigov, could not protect the city from outside threats; In addition, severe famine and pestilence began in Novgorod. In December 1230, the Novgorodians invited Yaroslav for the third time. He hurriedly came to Novgorod, concluded an agreement with the Novgorodians, but stayed in the city for only two weeks and returned to Pereyaslavl. His sons Fyodor and Alexander again remained to reign in Novgorod.

Novgorod reign of Alexander

So, in January 1231, Alexander formally became the Prince of Novgorod. Until 1233 he ruled together with his older brother. But this year Fedor died (his sudden death happened just before the wedding, when everything was ready for the wedding feast). Real power remained entirely in the hands of his father. Alexander probably took part in his father’s campaigns (for example, in 1234 near Yuryev, against the Livonian Germans, and in the same year against the Lithuanians). In 1236, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich took the vacant Kiev throne. From this time on, sixteen-year-old Alexander became the independent ruler of Novgorod.

The beginning of his reign occurred at a terrible time in the history of Rus' - the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars. The hordes of Batu, who attacked Rus' in the winter of 1237/38, did not reach Novgorod. But most of North-Eastern Rus', its Largest cities— Vladimir, Suzdal, Ryazan and others were destroyed. Many princes died, including Alexander’s uncle, Grand Duke of Vladimir Yuri Vsevolodovich and all his sons. Alexander's father Yaroslav received the Grand Duke's throne (1239). The catastrophe that occurred turned the entire course of Russian history upside down and left an indelible imprint on the fate of the Russian people, including, of course, Alexander. Although in the first years of his reign he did not have to directly confront the conquerors.

The main threat in those years came to Novgorod from the west. From the very beginning of the 13th century, the Novgorod princes had to hold back the onslaught of the growing Lithuanian state. In 1239, Alexander built fortifications along the Sheloni River, protecting the southwestern borders of his principality from Lithuanian raids. In the same year it happened an important event in his life - Alexander married the daughter of the Polotsk prince Bryachislav, his ally in the fight against Lithuania. (Later sources give the name of the princess - Alexandra (3).) The wedding was held in Toropets, an important city on the Russian-Lithuanian border, and a second wedding feast was held in Novgorod.

An even greater danger for Novgorod was the advance from the west of the German crusading knights from the Livonian Order of the Sword (united in 1237 with the Teutonic Order), and from the north - from Sweden, which in the first half of the 13th century intensified its attack on the lands of the Finnish tribe of the Em (Tavasts), traditionally included in the sphere of influence of the Novgorod princes. One might think that the news of Batu’s terrible defeat of Rus' prompted the rulers of Sweden to transfer military operations to the territory of the Novgorod land itself.

The Swedish army invaded Novgorod in the summer of 1240. Their ships entered the Neva and stopped at the mouth of its tributary Izhora. Later Russian sources report that the Swedish army was led by the future famous Jarl Birger, the son-in-law of the Swedish king Erik Erikson and the long-time ruler of Sweden, but researchers are doubtful about this news. According to the chronicle, the Swedes intended to “capture Ladoga, or, simply put, Novgorod, and the entire Novgorod region.”

Battle with the Swedes on the Neva

This was the first truly serious test for the young Novgorod prince. And Alexander withstood it with honor, showing the qualities of not only a born commander, but also a statesman. It was then, upon receiving news of the invasion, that his now famous words were spoken: “ God is not in power, but in righteousness!»

Having gathered a small squad, Alexander did not wait for help from his father and set out on a campaign. Along the way, he united with the Ladoga residents and on July 15, he suddenly attacked the Swedish camp. The battle ended in complete victory for the Russians. The Novgorod Chronicle reports huge losses on the part of the enemy: “And many of them fell; filled two ships with bodies best husbands and they let them go ahead of them on the sea, and for the others they dug a hole and threw them there without number.”

The Russians, according to the same chronicle, lost only 20 people. It is possible that the losses of the Swedes are exaggerated (it is significant that there is no mention of this battle in Swedish sources), and the Russians are underestimated. The synodikon of the Novgorod Church of Saints Boris and Gleb in Plotniki, compiled in the 15th century, has been preserved with the mention of “princely governors, and Novgorod governors, and all our beaten brethren” who fell “on the Neva from the Germans under the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich”; their memory was honored in Novgorod in the 15th and 16th centuries and later. Nevertheless, the significance of the Neva Battle is obvious: the Swedish onslaught in the direction of North-Western Rus' was stopped, and Rus' showed that, despite Mongol conquest, able to defend its borders.

The life of Alexander especially highlights the feat of six “brave men” from Alexander’s regiment: Gavrila Oleksich, Sbyslav Yakunovich, Polotsk resident Yakov, Novgorodian Misha, warrior Sava from the junior squad (who cut down the golden-domed royal tent) and Ratmir, who died in the battle. The Life also tells about a miracle that occurred during the battle: on the opposite side of Izhora, where there were no Novgorodians at all, many corpses of fallen enemies were subsequently found, who were struck by the angel of the Lord.

This victory brought great fame to the twenty-year-old prince. It was in her honor that he received the honorary nickname - Nevsky.

Soon after his victorious return, Alexander quarreled with the Novgorodians. In the winter of 1240/41, the prince, together with his mother, wife and “his court” (that is, the army and the princely administration), left Novgorod for Vladimir, to his father, and from there “to reign” in Pereyaslavl. The reasons for his conflict with the Novgorodians are unclear. It can be assumed that Alexander sought to rule Novgorod with authority, following the example of his father, and this caused resistance from the Novgorod boyars. However, having lost a strong prince, Novgorod was unable to stop the advance of another enemy - the crusaders.

In the year of the Neva Victory, the knights, in alliance with the “chud” (Estonians), captured the city of Izborsk, and then Pskov, the most important outpost on the western borders of Rus'. The next year, the Germans invaded the Novgorod lands, took the city of Tesov on the Luga River and established the Koporye fortress. The Novgorodians turned to Yaroslav for help, asking him to send his son. Yaroslav first sent his son Andrei, Nevsky’s younger brother, to them, but after a repeated request from the Novgorodians he agreed to release Alexander again. In 1241, Alexander Nevsky returned to Novgorod and was enthusiastically received by the residents.

Battle on the Ice

And again he acted decisively and without any delay. In the same year, Alexander took the Koporye fortress. Some of the Germans were captured and some were sent home, while the traitors of the Estonians and leaders were hanged. The next year, with the Novgorodians and the Suzdal squad of his brother Andrei, Alexander moved to Pskov. The city was taken without much difficulty; the Germans who were in the city were killed or sent as booty to Novgorod. Building on their success, Russian troops entered Estonia. However, in the first clash with the knights, Alexander's guard detachment was defeated.

One of the governors, Domash Tverdislavich, was killed, many were taken prisoner, and the survivors fled to the prince’s regiment. The Russians had to retreat. On April 5, 1242, a battle took place on the ice of Lake Peipsi (“on Uzmen, at the Raven Stone”), which went down in history as the Battle of the Ice. The Germans and Estonians, moving in a wedge (in Russian, “pig”), penetrated the leading Russian regiment, but were then surrounded and completely defeated. “And they chased them, beating them, seven miles across the ice,” the chronicler testifies.

Russian and Western sources differ in their assessment of the losses of the German side. According to the Novgorod Chronicle, countless “chuds” and 400 (another list says 500) German knights died, and 50 knights were captured.

“And Prince Alexander returned with a glorious victory,” says the Life of the saint, “and there were many captives in his army, and they led barefoot next to the horses of those who call themselves “God’s knights.” The story about this battle is also in the so-called Livonian rhymed book chronicle of the end of the 13th century, but it reports only 20 dead and 6 captured German knights, which is, apparently, a strong understatement.

However, the differences with Russian sources can partly be explained by the fact that the Russians counted all killed and wounded Germans, and the author of the “Rhymed Chronicle” only counted “brother knights,” that is, actual members of the Order.

The Battle of the Ice was of great importance for the fate of not only Novgorod, but all of Russia. The crusader aggression was stopped on the ice of Lake Peipsi. Rus' received peace and stability on its northwestern borders.

In the same year, a peace treaty was concluded between Novgorod and the Order, according to which an exchange of prisoners took place, and all Russian territories captured by the Germans were returned. The chronicle conveys the words of the German ambassadors addressed to Alexander: “What we took by force without the prince, Vod, Luga, Pskov, Latygola - we are retreating from all of that. And if your husbands were captured, we are ready to exchange them: we will release yours, and you will let ours go.”

Battle with Lithuanians

Success accompanied Alexander in battles with the Lithuanians. In 1245, he inflicted a severe defeat on them in a series of battles: at Toropets, near Zizhich and near Usvyat (not far from Vitebsk). Many Lithuanian princes were killed, and others were captured. “His servants, mocking, tied them to the tails of their horses,” says the author of the Life. “And from that time on they began to fear his name.” So the Lithuanian raids on Rus' were stopped for a while.

Another, later one is known Alexander's campaign against the Swedes - in 1256. It was taken in response to new try Swedes to invade Rus' and establish a fortress on the eastern, Russian, bank of the Narova River. By that time, the fame of Alexander’s victories had already spread far beyond the borders of Rus'. Having learned not even about the performance of the Russian army from Novgorod, but only about preparations for the performance, the invaders “fled overseas.” This time Alexander sent his troops to Northern Finland, which had recently been annexed to the Swedish crown. Despite the hardships of the winter march through the snowy desert area, the campaign ended successfully: “And they all fought Pomerania: they killed some, and captured others, and returned back to their land with many captives.”

But Alexander not only fought with the West. Around 1251, an agreement was concluded between Novgorod and Norway on the settlement of border disputes and differentiation in the collection of tribute from the vast territory in which Karelians and Sami lived. At the same time, Alexander negotiated the marriage of his son Vasily to the daughter of the Norwegian king Hakon Hakonarson. True, these negotiations were not successful due to the invasion of Rus' by the Tatars - the so-called “Nevryu Army”.

IN last years life, between 1259 and 1262, Alexander, on his own behalf and on behalf of his son Dmitry (proclaimed Prince of Novgorod in 1259), “with all Novgorodians”, concluded an agreement on trade with the “Gothic Coast” (Gotland), Lübeck and German cities; this agreement played an important role in the history of Russian-German relations and turned out to be very durable (it was referred to even in 1420).

In the wars with Western opponents - the Germans, Swedes and Lithuanians - the military leadership talent of Alexander Nevsky clearly manifested itself. But his relationship with the Horde was completely different.

Relations with the Horde

After the death of Alexander's father, Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich of Vladimir, in 1246, who was poisoned in distant Karakorum, the grand-ducal throne passed to Alexander's uncle, Prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. However, a year later, Alexander’s brother Andrei, a warlike, energetic and decisive prince, overthrew him. Subsequent events are not entirely clear. It is known that in 1247 Andrei, and after him Alexander, made a trip to the Horde, to Batu. He sent them even further, to Karakorum, the capital of the huge Mongol Empire (“to the Kanovichi,” as they said in Rus').

The brothers returned to Rus' only in December 1249. Andrei received from the Tatars a label for the grand-ducal throne in Vladimir, while Alexander received Kyiv and “the entire Russian land” (that is, Southern Rus'). Formally, Alexander’s status was higher, because Kyiv was still considered the main capital city of Rus'. But devastated by the Tatars and depopulated, it completely lost its significance, and therefore Alexander could hardly be satisfied by decision. Without even visiting Kyiv, he immediately went to Novgorod.

Negotiations with the Papal throne

His negotiations with the papal throne date back to the time of Alexander’s trip to the Horde. Two bulls of Pope Innocent IV, addressed to Prince Alexander and dated 1248, have survived. In them, the head of the Roman Church offered the Russian prince an alliance to fight against the Tatars - but on the condition that he accepted the church union and came under the protection of the Roman throne.

The papal legates did not find Alexander in Novgorod. However, one can think that even before his departure (and before receiving the first papal message), the prince held some negotiations with representatives of Rome. In anticipation of the upcoming trip “to the Kanoviches,” Alexander gave an evasive answer to the pope’s proposals, designed to continue negotiations. In particular, he agreed to the construction of a Latin church in Pskov - a church, which was quite common for ancient Rus'(such Catholic Church- “Varangian goddess” - existed, for example, in Novgorod since the 11th century). The pope regarded the prince's consent as a willingness to agree to union. But such an assessment was deeply erroneous.

The prince probably received both papal messages upon his return from Mongolia. By this time, he had made a choice - and not in favor of the West. According to researchers, what he saw on the way from Vladimir to Karakorum and back affected Alexander strong impression: he became convinced of the indestructible power of the Mongol Empire and the impossibility of devastated and weakened Rus' to resist the power of the Tatar “kings”.

This is how the Life of the Prince conveys it famous response to papal envoys:

“Once upon a time, ambassadors from the Pope from great Rome came to him with the following words: “Our Pope says this: We heard that you are a worthy and glorious prince and your land is great. That’s why they sent to you two of the most skilled of the twelve cardinals... so that you could listen to their teaching about the law of God.”

Prince Alexander, having thought with his sages, wrote to him, saying: “From Adam to the flood, from the flood to the division of languages, from the confusion of languages to the beginning of Abraham, from Abraham to the passage of Israel through the Red Sea, from the exodus of the children of Israel to death king David, from the beginning of the kingdom of Solomon until Augustus the king, from the beginning of Augustus until Christmas Nativity, from the Nativity of Christ to the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord, from His Resurrection to the Ascension into heaven, from the Ascension into heaven to the kingdom of Constantine, from the beginning of the kingdom of Constantine to the first council, from the first council to the seventh - all that We know well, but we don’t accept teachings from you". They returned home."

In this answer of the prince, in his reluctance to even enter into debates with the Latin ambassadors, it was by no means some kind of religious limitation that was revealed, as it might seem at first glance. It was a choice both religious and political. Alexander was aware that the West would not be able to help Rus' liberate itself from the Horde yoke; the fight against the Horde, to which the papal throne called, could be disastrous for the country. Alexander was not ready to agree to a union with Rome (namely, this was an indispensable condition for the proposed union).

Acceptance of the union - even with the formal consent of Rome to preserve all Orthodox rites in worship - in practice could only mean simple submission to the Latins, both political and spiritual. The history of the dominance of the Latins in the Baltic states or in Galich (where they briefly established themselves in the 10s of the 13th century) clearly proved this.

So Prince Alexander chose a different path for himself - the path of refusal of all cooperation with the West and at the same time the path of forced submission to the Horde, acceptance of all its conditions. It was in this that he saw the only salvation both for his power over Russia - albeit limited by the recognition of Horde sovereignty - and for Rus' itself.

The period of the short-lived great reign of Andrei Yaroslavich is very poorly covered in Russian chronicles. However, it is obvious that a conflict was brewing between the brothers. Andrei - unlike Alexander - showed himself to be an opponent of the Tatars. In the winter of 1250/51, he married the daughter of the Galician prince Daniil Romanovich, a supporter of decisive resistance to the Horde. The threat of uniting the forces of North-Eastern and South-Western Rus' could not help but alarm the Horde.

The denouement came in the summer of 1252. Again, we don’t know exactly what happened then. According to the chronicles, Alexander again went to the Horde. During his stay there (and perhaps after his return to Rus'), a punitive expedition under the command of Nevruy was sent from the Horde against Andrei. In the battle of Pereyaslavl, the squad of Andrei and his brother Yaroslav, who supported him, was defeated. Andrei fled to Sweden. The northeastern lands of Rus' were plundered and devastated, many people were killed or taken prisoner.

In the Horde

St. blgv. book Alexander Nevskiy. From the site: http://www.icon-art.ru/

The sources at our disposal are silent about any connection between Alexander’s trip to the Horde and the actions of the Tatars (4). However, one can guess that Alexander’s trip to the Horde was connected with changes on the khan’s throne in Karakorum, where in the summer of 1251 Mengu, an ally of Batu, was proclaimed great khan.

According to sources, “all labels and seals that were indiscriminately issued to princes and nobles during the previous reign,” the new khan ordered to be taken away. This means that those decisions in accordance with which Alexander’s brother Andrei received the label for the great reign of Vladimir also lost force.

Unlike his brother, Alexander was extremely interested in revising these decisions and getting into his own hands the great reign of Vladimir, to which he, as the eldest of the Yaroslavichs, had more rights than his younger brother.

One way or another, in the last open military clash between the Russian princes and the Tatars in the history of the turning point of the 13th century, Prince Alexander found himself - perhaps through no fault of his own - in the Tatar camp. It was from this time that we can definitely talk about the special “Tatar policy” of Alexander Nevsky - the policy of pacifying the Tatars and unquestioning obedience to them.

His subsequent frequent trips to the Horde (1257, 1258, 1262) were aimed at preventing new invasions of Rus'. The prince strove to regularly pay a huge tribute to the conquerors and to prevent protests against them in Rus' itself. Historians have different assessments of Alexander's Horde policies. Some see in it simple servility to a ruthless and invincible enemy, a desire to retain power over Russia by any means; others, on the contrary, consider the prince’s most important merit.

“The two feats of Alexander Nevsky - the feat of warfare in the West and the feat of humility in the East,” wrote the greatest historian of the Russian Abroad G.V. Vernadsky, “had one goal: the preservation of Orthodoxy as the moral and political force of the Russian people. This goal was achieved: the growth of the Russian Orthodox kingdom took place on the soil prepared by Alexander.”

The Soviet researcher of medieval Russia, V. T. Pashuto, also gave a close assessment of the policies of Alexander Nevsky: “With his careful, prudent policy, he saved Rus' from final ruin by the armies of nomads. By armed struggle, trade policy, and selective diplomacy, he avoided new wars in the North and West, a possible but disastrous alliance with the papacy for Rus', and a rapprochement between the curia and the crusaders and the Horde. He gained time, allowing Rus' to grow stronger and recover from the terrible devastation.”

Be that as it may, it is indisputable that Alexander’s policy for a long time determined the relationship between Russia and the Horde, and largely determined Rus'’s choice between East and West. Subsequently, this policy of pacifying the Horde (or, if you prefer, currying favor with the Horde) will be continued by the Moscow princes - the grandchildren and great-grandsons of Alexander Nevsky. But the historical paradox - or rather, the historical pattern - is that it is they, the heirs of the Horde policy of Alexander Nevsky, who will be able to revive the power of Rus' and ultimately throw off the hated Horde yoke.

The prince erected churches, rebuilt cities

...In the same 1252, Alexander returned from the Horde to Vladimir with a label for the great reign and was solemnly placed on the grand prince's throne. After the terrible devastation of Nevryuev, he first of all had to take care of the restoration of the destroyed Vladimir and other Russian cities. The prince “erected churches, rebuilt cities, gathered dispersed people into their homes,” testifies the author of the prince’s Life. The prince showed special concern for the Church, decorating churches with books and utensils, bestowing them with rich gifts and land.

Novgorod unrest

Novgorod gave Alexander a lot of trouble. In 1255, the Novgorodians expelled Alexander's son Vasily and put Prince Yaroslav Yaroslavich, Nevsky's brother, in reign. Alexander approached the city with his squad. However, bloodshed was avoided: as a result of negotiations, a compromise was reached, and the Novgorodians submitted.

A new unrest in Novgorod occurred in 1257. It was caused by the appearance in Rus' of Tatar “chislenniks” - census takers who were sent from the Horde to more accurately tax the population with tribute. Russian people of that time treated the census with mystical horror, seeing in it a sign of the Antichrist - a harbinger of the last times and Last Judgment. In the winter of 1257, the Tatar “numerals” “numbered the entire land of Suzdal, and Ryazan, and Murom, and appointed foremen, and thousanders, and temniks,” the chronicler wrote. From the “numbers”, that is, from tribute, only the clergy were exempted - “church people” (the Mongols invariably exempted the servants of God from tribute in all the countries they conquered, regardless of religion, so that they could freely turn to various gods with words of prayer for their conquerors).

In Novgorod, which was not directly affected by either Batu’s invasion or the “Nevryuev’s army,” the news of the census was greeted with particular bitterness. The unrest in the city continued for a whole year. Even Alexander’s son, Prince Vasily, was on the side of the townspeople. When his father appeared, accompanying the Tatars, he fled to Pskov. This time the Novgorodians avoided the census, limiting themselves to paying a rich tribute to the Tatars. But their refusal to fulfill the Horde’s will aroused the wrath of the Grand Duke.

Vasily was exiled to Suzdal, the instigators of the riots were severely punished: some, on the orders of Alexander, were executed, others had their noses “cut,” and others were blinded. Only in the winter of 1259 did the Novgorodians finally agree to “give a number.” Nevertheless, the appearance of Tatar officials caused a new rebellion in the city. Only with the personal participation of Alexander and under the protection of the princely squad was the census carried out. “And the accursed began to travel through the streets, registering Christian houses,” reports the Novgorod chronicler. After the end of the census and the departure of the Tatars, Alexander left Novgorod, leaving his young son Dmitry as prince.

In 1262, Alexander made peace with the Lithuanian prince Mindaugas. In the same year, he sent a large army under the nominal command of his son Dmitry against the Livonian Order. This campaign was attended by the squads of Alexander Nevsky’s younger brother Yaroslav (with whom he managed to reconcile), as well as his new ally, the Lithuanian prince Tovtivil, who settled in Polotsk. The campaign ended in a major victory - the city of Yuryev (Tartu) was taken.

At the end of the same 1262, Alexander went to the Horde for the fourth (and last) time. “In those days there was great violence from the Gentiles,” says the Prince’s Life; “they persecuted Christians, forcing them to fight on their side. Prince great Alexander went to the king (Horde Khan Berke. - A.K.) to pray his people away from this misfortune.” Probably, the prince also sought to rid Rus' of the new punitive expedition of the Tatars: in the same year, 1262, a popular uprising broke out in a number of Russian cities (Rostov, Suzdal, Yaroslavl) against the excesses of Tatar tribute collectors.

The last days of Alexander

Alexander obviously managed to achieve his goals. However, Khan Berke detained him for almost a year. Only in the fall of 1263, already ill, Alexander returned to Rus'. Having reached Nizhny Novgorod, the prince became completely ill. In Gorodets on the Volga, already feeling the approach of death, Alexander took monastic vows (according to later sources, with the name Alexei) and died on November 14. His body was transported to Vladimir and on November 23 buried in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of the Vladimir Nativity Monastery in front of a huge crowd of people. The words with which Metropolitan Kirill announced to the people about the death of the Grand Duke are well known: “My children, know that the sun of the land of Suzdal has already set!” The Novgorod chronicler put it differently, and perhaps more accurately: Prince Alexander “worked for Novgorod and for the entire Russian land.”

Church veneration

Church veneration of the holy prince began, apparently, immediately after his death. The life tells of a miracle that happened during the burial itself: when the prince’s body was laid in the tomb and Metropolitan Kirill, according to custom, wanted to place a spiritual letter in his hand, people saw how the prince, “as if alive, stretched out his hand and accepted the letter from his hand.” Metropolitan... Thus God glorified his saint.”

Several decades after the death of the prince, his Life was compiled, which was subsequently repeatedly subjected to various alterations, revisions and additions (in total there are up to twenty editions of the Life, dating from the 13th-19th centuries). The official canonization of the prince by the Russian Church took place in 1547, on church cathedral, convened by Metropolitan Macarius and Tsar Ivan the Terrible, when many new Russian wonderworkers, previously revered only locally, were canonized. The Church equally glorifies the prince’s military prowess, “never defeated in battle, but always victorious,” and his feat of meekness, patience “more than courage” and “invincible humility” (in the seemingly paradoxical expression of the Akathist).

If we turn to the subsequent centuries of Russian history, then we will see a kind of second, posthumous biography of the prince, whose invisible presence is clearly felt in many events - and above all in the turning points, the most dramatic moments in the life of the country. The first discovery of his relics took place in the year of the great Kulikovo victory, won by the great-grandson of Alexander Nevsky, the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Donskoy in 1380. In miraculous visions, Prince Alexander Yaroslavich appears as a direct participant in both the Battle of Kulikovo itself and the Battle of Molodi in 1572, when the troops of Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Vorotynsky defeated the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey just 45 kilometers from Moscow.

The image of Alexander Nevsky is seen above Vladimir in 1491, a year after the final overthrow of the Horde yoke. In 1552, during the campaign against Kazan, which led to the conquest of the Kazan Khanate, Tsar Ivan the Terrible performed a prayer service at the tomb of Alexander Nevsky, and during this prayer service a miracle occurred, regarded by everyone as a sign of the coming victory. The relics of the holy prince, which remained in the Vladimir Nativity Monastery until 1723, exuded numerous miracles, information about which was carefully recorded by the monastic authorities.

A new page in the veneration of the holy and blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky began in the 18th century, under the emperor Peter the Great. The conqueror of the Swedes and the founder of St. Petersburg, which became for Russia a “window to Europe,” Peter saw in Prince Alexander his immediate predecessor in the fight against Swedish domination on the Baltic Sea and hastened to transfer the city he founded on the banks of the Neva under his heavenly protection. Back in 1710, Peter ordered that the name of St. Alexander Nevsky be included in the dismissals during divine services as a prayer representative for the “Neva Country.” In the same year, he personally chose the place to build a monastery in the name of the Holy Trinity and St. Alexander Nevsky - the future Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Peter wanted to transfer the relics of the holy prince here from Vladimir.

Wars with the Swedes and Turks slowed down the fulfillment of this desire, and only in 1723 did they begin to fulfill it. On August 11, with all due solemnity, the holy relics were taken out of the Nativity Monastery; the procession headed towards Moscow and then towards St. Petersburg; Everywhere she was accompanied by prayer services and crowds of believers. According to Peter’s plan, the holy relics were supposed to be brought into the new capital of Russia on August 30, the day the Treaty of Nystad was concluded with the Swedes (1721). However, the distance of the journey did not allow this plan to be implemented, and the relics arrived in Shlisselburg only on October 1. By order of the emperor, they were left in the Shlisselburg Church of the Annunciation, and their transfer to St. Petersburg was postponed until next year.

The meeting of the shrine in St. Petersburg on August 30, 1724 was distinguished by special solemnity. According to legend, on the last leg of the journey (from the mouth of Izhora to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery), Peter personally ruled the galley with a precious cargo, and at the oars were his closest associates, the first dignitaries of the state. At the same time, an annual celebration of the memory of the holy prince was established on the day of the transfer of the relics on August 30.

Nowadays the Church celebrates the memory of the holy and blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky twice a year: November 23 (December 6, new style) and August 30 (September 12).

Days of celebration of St. Alexander Nevsky:

May 23 (June 5, new art.) - Cathedral of Rostov-Yaroslavl Saints
August 30 (September 12 according to the new art.) - the day of transfer of the relics to St. Petersburg (1724) - the main one
November 14 (November 27 according to the new art.) - day of death in Gorodets (1263) - canceled
November 23 (December 6, New Art.) - day of burial in Vladimir, in the schema of Alexy (1263)

Diagnostics and diseases. Medicines from A to Z

How Alexander Nevsky became a saint. Why Alexander Nevsky is a saint and Russian national hero

Why was Alexander Nevsky called a saint?

Why is the story called “The Life of Alexander Nevsky”

Alexander Nevsky: just the facts

The Life of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky