Regarded long after his death as "one of the great heroes of Russian history",[6] Nevsky is credited with having "saved the Russian people from Catholicism and being enslaved by the Germans".[7] Nevsky's successes led his image to be used byPeter the Great in the construction ofSaint Petersburg. His image was also used to promote patriotism in theSoviet Union, especially duringWorld War II.[8] The 1938 filmAlexander Nevsky cemented Nevsky's reputation as a Russian savior. Critics of his legacy argue that the size and importance of his military victories were exaggerated for political purposes, and that he helped ensure the Golden Horde's dominance over Russia.[9]
Born inPereslavl-Zalessky on 13 May 1221, or 30 May 1220 based on the old historiographic tradition,[3] Alexander was the second son of Grand PrinceYaroslav II of Vladimir.[10] His mother wasFeodosia Mstislavna [ru], daughter ofMstislav Mstislavich. He spent most of his youth in Pereslavl-Zalessky.[10] Little is known about the activities of Yaroslav's children before 1238.[10] Alexander's eldest brother Fyodor died in 1233 at the age of 14.[10][11]
One of the first known references to Alexander Yaroslavich is inTales of the Life and Courage of the Pious and Great Prince Alexander in thePskov Chronicles (c. 1260–1280):[12]
By the will of God, prince Alexander was born from the charitable, people-loving, and meek the Great Prince Yaroslav, and his mother was Theodosia. As it was told by the prophetIsaiah: 'Thus sayeth the Lord: I appoint the princes because they are sacred and I direct them.'...He was taller than others and his voice reached the people as a trumpet, and his face was like the face ofJoseph, whom the EgyptianPharaoh placed as next to the king after him of Egypt. His power was a part of the power ofSamson and God gave him the wisdom ofSolomon... this Prince Alexander: he used to defeat but was never defeated...
Seal of Aleksandr Yaroslavich (front and back) with images of the prince himself as a horseman and saintTheodore Stratelates. After 1236.
In 1236, Alexander was appointed by theNovgorod Republic as theprince of Novgorod (knyaz), where he had already served as his father's governor in Novgorod.[13][14] He was chosen for the position by his father, but the decision was approved by theveche, which needed his armies.[15] The Novgorod chronicle describes how Yaroslav left his son, Alexander, in Novgorod and took with him "senior Novgorodians" and a hundred men from Torzhok and "sat in Kiev upon the throne".[16] When his father was called away in 1238 because of a Mongol invasion of Northeastern Russia, Alexander began to rule on his own.[15]
In 1240, three years after obtaining papal authorization, the Swedes launched theSecond Swedish Crusade in the easternmost part of the Baltic region.[18] The Finnish mission's eastward expansion led to a clash between Sweden and the city-state of theNovgorod Republic, since theKarelians had been allies and tributaries of Novgorod since the mid-12th century.[19] The Swedish army was led byBirger Jarl and consisted of Norwegians and Finnish tribes.[19] After a successful campaign intoTavastia, the Swedes advanced further east.[18][20] According to Russian sources, the Swedish army landed at the confluence of the riversIzhora andNeva innorthwestern Russia, when Alexander and his small army suddenly attacked the Swedes on 15 July 1240 and defeated them in theBattle of the Neva.[21][22]
The battle is not mentioned in any Swedish sources; all accounts of the battle are from two Russian sources, which are largely inadequate. Although some Russian sources written centuries later describe its as a very large battle, it is not clear if it was a huge battle or just part of periodic clashes between Sweden and Novgorod that was exaggerated for political purposes.[21][23] Soviet-era historianIgor Pavlovich Shaskol'skii suggested that the attack was coordinated, referring to theLife of Alexander Nevsky, the only Russian source besides theFirst Novgorod Chronicle that mentions the battle, in which it is stated that the Swedes intended to conquerNovgorod.[21] However, according toJohn Lister Illingworth Fennell: "there is no evidence of any coordination of action between the Swedes, the Germans and the Danes, nor is there anything to show that this was more than a continuation of the Russo-Swedish conflict for mastery over Finland and Karelia".[21]
The event was later depicted as being of national importance, and in the 15th century, Alexander received thesobriquetNevsky ("of the Neva").[18][24][14]
In late 1240 or early 1241, fearing the undue influence of Alexander over theveche and amid fears of him becoming a sole ruler, the Novgorodians banished Alexander toPereslavl-Zalessky.[27][25][26]
In the winter1240–1241 Votia campaign, theBishopric of Ösel–Wiek, theLivonian Order, as well as Estonians (Chud') with support from local Votian leaders attackedVotia. It is unclear whether or not Votia was a tributary of Novgorod at this time.[25][28][29] According toAnti Selart, the allies likely only intended to acquire pagan lands and convert them to Catholicism, rather than attacking Novgorod, which was already Christianized.[30] On the other hand, the campaign was "a purely political undertaking which had nothing to do with conversion of pagans".[31] Although theNorthern Crusades were aimed at paganBalts andBaltic Finnic peoples, rather than Orthodox Russians, several unsuccessful attempts were made to persuade Novgorod to convert to Catholicism, which were resisted by Alexander.[32][33]
The Novgorodian authorities recalled Alexander, and in the spring of 1241, he returned from exile and assembled an army. Alexander conqueredPskov andKoporye from the crusaders, executing the Votians that cooperated with the invaders.[34] He then continued into Estonian-German territory.[25] The crusaders defeated a detachment of the Novgorodian army.[25][a] As a result, Alexander set up a position atLake Peipus.[25] On 5 April 1242, in theBattle on the Ice, Alexander and his men faced the Livonian heavy cavalry led byHermann of Dorpat, brother ofAlbert of Buxhoeveden.[25] Alexander's army defeated the enemy, halting the eastward expansion of theTeutonic Order.[36] Later in 1242, the Germans agreed to relinquish control of any Russian territory still occupied and to exchange prisoners of war.[21] Later Russian sources elevated the importance of the battle and portray it as one of the great Russian victories of the Middle Ages.[37]
There is a city in Russia called Novgorod, and when its king [Alexandre] heard what had happened he marched towards Pskov with many troops. He arrived there with a mighty force of many Russians to free the Pskovians and these latter heartily rejoiced. When he saw the Germans he did not hesitate long. They drove away the two Brothers, removed them from their governorship and routed their troops. The Germans fled and allowed the land to revert to the Russians. Thus it went for the Teutonic Knights, but if Pskov had been protected it would have benefited Christianity until the end of the world. It is a mistake to take a fair land and fail to occupy it properly. It is deplorable, for the result is sure to be disastrous. The king of Novgorod then returned home.[38]
A Soviet evaluation presented Alexander's victories as having "saved the Russian people from sharing the fate of the Baltic tribes and the Slavs of the Elbe who were enslaved by the Germans".[7]Igor Shaskovsky called the offensive the largest during the feudal period.[39] On the other hand, historians like Fennell have doubted that this victory was a turning point in Russian history.[39] He notes that the chronicle ofSuzdal downplays the event to the point that Alexander's brother Andrey is seen as the hero.[40]
After the Livonian invasion, Nevsky continued to strengthen the Republic of Novgorod. He sent envoys to Norway and, as a result, a first peace treaty between Novgorod and Norway was signed in 1251. Alexander defeated the Swedes in Finland after they made another attempt to block theBaltic Sea from the Novgorodians in 1256.[41][non-primary source needed] In 1261, Alexander also made a treaty with Lithuanian kingMindaugas against the Livonian Order, but the planned attack failed as Alexander was summoned to Sarai by the khan.[33]
Yaroslav was summoned toKarakorum, after which he fell ill and died on 30 September 1246.[42] At a council in Vladimir held the following year, it was decided that Yaroslav's brother Svyatoslav would become grand prince, while Alexander would receive thePrincipality of Tver in addition to remaining as the prince of Novgorod.[42] TheRurikid princes were obliged to appear before the khans in person, pay homage to them and receive theirjarlig (patent) to be affirmed in their principalities.[b][42] Svyatoslav did not go to the khan for confirmation, which causedMikhail Khorobrit to expel his brother from Vladimir and claim the throne.[42] Mikhail later died in a battle against the Lithuanians in 1248, which led toMoscow being without a prince.[42]
Alexander's older brotherAndrey was dissatisfied with the decision made at the council and he went to the khan, along with Alexander.[42] In 1248, Andrey received the title ofgrand prince of Vladimir, while Alexander received Kiev, Chernigov, and "the entire Russian land".[44] The two returned in the autumn of 1249.[45] Andrey began to act independently in relation to the Mongols, and after creating an anti-Mongol coalition, a high-ranking official was sent to punish the princes.[44] Andrey fled to Novgorod, but was not accepted there, so he was exiled to Sweden.[46] Alexander assumed the title of grand prince of Vladimir in 1252,[47] and was therefore the most senior of the princes at the time following the fall of Kiev.[48]
Alexander faithfully supported Mongol rule within his own domains. In 1259, he led an army to the city of Novgorod and forced it to pay tribute it had previously refused to the Golden Horde.[49] The chronicles say that Alexander had the help of nobles who "thought [the tax] would be easy for themselves, but fall hard on the lesser men".[50] It then says that "the accursed ones," meaning the Mongols, "began to ride through the streets, writing down the Christian houses".[50] According to Fennell: "the Tatar yoke began not so much during the invasion of Batu into Russia, but from the moment Alexander Nevsky betrayed his brothers".[46]
Some historians see Alexander's choice of subordination to theGolden Horde as an important reaffirmation of East Slavs' Orthodox orientation (which begun underVladimir the Great and his grandmotherOlga of Kiev).[51]Orlando Figes mentioned that "Nevsky's collaboration was no doubt motivated by his distrust of the West, which he regarded as a greater threat to Orthodox Russia than the Golden Horde (...) But Nevsky'srealpolitik caused a problem for the chroniclers, particularly after he was made a saint by the Russian Church in 1547, for in their terms he had colluded with the infidel."[48]
In 1239, to consolidate power, Alexander married Aleksandra, a daughter of Bryacheslav Vasilkovich, the prince of thePrincipality of Polotsk.[15][52] They had five children:
Vasily, prince of Novgorod (c. 1239 – 1271), betrothed toPrincess Kristina of Norway in 1251 before the marriage contract was broken;
Eudoxia Alexandrovna, married Konstantin Rostislavich ofSmolensk;
In 1263, Nevsky visitedBerke, leader of the Golden Horde, in a diplomatic mission.[55] On 14 November 1263, while returning fromSarai, Alexander died in the town ofGorodets-on-the-Volga. On 23 November 1263, he was buried in the church of the Monastery of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God inVladimir.[56][57]
Returning from the Golden Horde, the Great Prince Alexander, reached the city of Nizhny Novgorod, and remained there for several days in good health, but when he reached the city of Gorodets he fell ill...
Great Prince Alexander, who was always firm in his faith in God, gave up this worldly kingdom ... And then he gave up his soul to God and died in peace on 12 November [1263], on the day when the Holy Apostle Philip is remembered...
At this burial Metropolitan Archbishop Cyril said, 'Mychildren, you should know that the sun of the Suzdalian land has set. There will never be another prince like him in the Suzdalian land.'
And the priests and deacons and monks, the poor and the wealthy, and all the people said: 'It is our end.'
During the1922 seizure of church valuables in Russia, the sarcophagus was opened and the relics were removed. The elaborate silver shrine was transferred to theHermitage Museum.[59] The relics were put into storage at theMuseum of the History of Religion and Atheism, before being returned to Holy Trinity Cathedral in 1989.[59] On 10 May 2023, the Hermitage Museum and Alexander Nevsky Lavra signed a contract for the transfer of the shrine to Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra for 49 years.[59] On 12 September 2023,Patriarch Kirill of Moscow returned the relics into the silver sarcophagus.[60]
Alexander's principalfeast day is 23 November (Old Style Calendar) or December 6 (New Style Calendar).[61] A secondary feast day was instituted on 30 August (Old Style Calendar) or September 12 (New Style Calendar) in commemoration of his relics being placed in the Annunciation Church.[62]
Life of Alexander Nevsky (Житие Александра Невского) is achronicle compiled in the late 13th century, in which Nevsky is depicted as an ideal prince-soldier and defender of Russia.
In 1938,Sergei Eisenstein made one of his most acclaimed films,Alexander Nevsky, about Alexander's victory over the Teutonic Knights. The film is an instructive parable on German aggression and the struggle to protect Russia; the film cemented the storyline of Nevsky as the savior of Russia.[66] Thesoundtrack for the film was written bySergei Prokofiev, who also reworked the score into a concertcantata. The film is renowned for its depiction of theBattle on the Ice, which has served as inspiration for many other films. In the film, Nevsky used Russianproverbs, tying him firmly to Russian tradition. The proverbial phrase (paraphrasing Matthew 26:52), "Whoever will come to us with a sword, from a sword will perish," is a phrase that came from Eisenstein's film, where it was said by actorNikolay Cherkasov, who played Nevsky.[11]
DuringWorld War II, many Soviet historians portrayed Nevsky as a Russian bastion against both German and papal aggression.[67] The government sought historical continuity by referring to the Soviet struggle as theGreat Patriotic War.[64] The filmAlexander Nevsky was re-released in 1941 followingOperation Barbarossa;[68]Joseph Stalin used the film to mobilize feelings of Russian patriotism.[69]
There have been several Russian naval vessels named after Nevsky including:
the 19th-century propeller frigateAlexander Nevsky
The U.S.S.S.Henry W. Corbett, launched in 1943 inPortland, Oregon, which was lent to the U.S.S.R. during World War II and never returned; instead it was renamed theAlexander Nevsky.
In 2008, Nevsky was declared the main hero of thehistory of Russia by popular vote. In December 2008, he was voted the greatest Russian in theName of Russia television poll.[70]
In September 2022, an all-volunteer battalion tactical group to support theRussian invasion of Ukraine was named after Nevsky.[71]
^According to theNovgorod First Chronicle (NPL), this battle took place at an unidentified bridge, where the Novgorodians were killed (including commander Domash Tverdislavich), captured or chased away by theNemtsy ("Germans") andChud' ("Estonians").[35]
^"The khans were recognized as suzerains of the Riurikid princes. Within the Rus' lands, however, they exercised their authority primarily through the dynasty. But the khans appointed and confirmed individual princes within the dynasty for each ruling position. Riurikid princes were, accordingly required to appear personally before the khans to pay obeisance and receive their patents to rule."[43]
^Fonnesberg-Schmidt 2007, p. 218, After pleas from Novgorod Alexander returned in 1241 and marched against Kopor'e. Having conquered the fortress and captured the remaining Latin Christians, he executed those local Votians who had cooperated with the invaders..
^Fonnesberg-Schmidt 2007, p. 218, ...later to become hailed as one of the great Russian victories of the Middle Ages... scale of the battle was, however, most likely exaggerated in the later Russian sources, as was indeed its significance.
Isoaho, Mari.The Image of Aleksandr Nevskiy in Medieval Russia: Warrior and Saint (The Northern World; 21). Leiden:Brill Publishers, 2006 (hardcover,ISBN90-04-15101-X).
"Tale of the Life and Courage of the Pious and Great Prince Alexander [Nevsky]" inMedieval Russia's Epics, Chronicles, and Tales, ed.Serge Aleksandr Zenkovsky, 224–235 (New York: Meridian, 1974)
_-_panoramio.jpg)
_03.JPG){kind=icon}
