Alexander Nevsky is a great Russian ruler, commander, thinker and, finally, a saint, especially revered by the people. His life, icons and prayers are in the article!
Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (1220 - November 14, 1263), Prince of Novgorod, Pereyaslavl, Grand Duke Kiev (from 1249), Grand Duke of Vladimir (from 1252).
Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in the ranks of the faithful under Metropolitan Macarius at the Moscow Council in 1547.
Memorial Day of Alexander Nevsky
Commemorated on December 6 and September 12 according to the new style (transfer of the relics from Vladimir-on-Klyazma to St. Petersburg, to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery (from 1797 - Lavra) on August 30, 1724). In honor of the memory of St. Alexander Nevsky, many churches have been built throughout Russia, where prayer services are held on these days. There are such churches outside our country: the Patriarchal Cathedral in Sofia, the Cathedral in Tallinn, the temple in Tbilisi. Alexander Nevsky is such a significant Saint for the Russian people that even in Tsarist Russia an order was established in his honor. It's surprising that in Soviet years The memory of Alexander Nevsky was honored: on July 29, 1942, the Soviet military order of Alexander Nevsky was established in honor of the great commander.
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, but 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 conventional wisdom Although the Church canonized almost all the rulers of the Middle Ages, only a few of them were glorified. So, among the Russian saints princely origin most are canonized 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 throughout northern lands Pomors He also managed to promote the creation of an Orthodox diocese in the Golden Horde.
– The modern idea of Alexander Nevsky was influenced by Soviet propaganda, which spoke exclusively about his military merits. As a diplomat who built relations with the Horde, and even more so as a monk and saint, he was for Soviet power completely inappropriate. 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 in the most difficult, turning point that followed the ruinous Mongol conquest, when it came to the very existence of Rus', 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 became involved in the turbulent political events that unfolded around the reign in Veliky Novgorod - one of largest cities medieval Rus'. It will be connected with Novgorod most of his biography. 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 can 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 - nine-year-old Fyodor (his eldest son) and eight-year-old Alexander - as princes. Together with the children, the boyars of Yaroslav remained - Fyodor Danilovich and the princely tiun Yakim. They, however, were unable to cope with the Novgorod “freemen” and in February 1229 they had to flee with the princes to Pereyaslavl. On 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 came 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 beginning of XIII 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, an important event occurred in his life - Alexander married the daughter of the Polotsk prince Bryachislav, his ally in the fight against Lithuania. (Later sources name 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 Teutonic Order), and from the north - Sweden, which in the first half of the 13th century intensified its attack on the lands of the Finnish tribe 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; they filled two ships with the bodies of the best men and sent them ahead of them on the sea, and for the rest 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 Battle of the Neva is obvious: the Swedish onslaught in the direction Northwestern Rus' was stopped, and Rus' showed that, despite the Mongol conquest, it was 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 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'. On next year the Germans invaded 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 to them, younger brother Nevsky, 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.
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.
In assessing losses German side Russian and Western sources differ. According to Novgorod Chronicle, countless “chuds” and 400 (in another list 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.” There is also a story about this battle in the so-called Livonian Rhymed Chronicle of the late 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 had great value for the fate of not only Novgorod, but all of Russia. Was stopped on the ice of Lake Peipsi crusading aggression. 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 release ours.”
Battle with Lithuanians
Success accompanied Alexander in battles with the Lithuanians. In 1245 he struck them brutal defeat in a number 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 undertaken in response to a new attempt by the 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 winter transition across a snowy desert area, the campaign ended successfully: “And they fought all over 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), Lubeck 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 a huge Mongol Empire(“to the Kanoviches”, 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 the 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 made a strong impression on Alexander: he became convinced of the indestructible power of the Mongol Empire and the impossibility of ruined 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 wise men, 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 to Augustus the King, from the beginning of Augustus to the Nativity of Christ, from the Nativity of Christ to the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord, from His Resurrection to the Ascension to Heaven, from the Ascension to Heaven to the Kingdom of Constantine, from the beginning of the Kingdom of Constantine until 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, which he called for Holy See, could be disastrous for the country. Alexander was not ready to agree to a union with Rome (and this was precisely 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 the 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 gave a close assessment of the policy of Alexander Nevsky: “With his cautious prudent policy he saved Rus' from final ruin by the armies of nomads. Through 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 ruin.”
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 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 new rebellion. 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, copying 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 hike is over 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. The great prince 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 tonsure(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 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, at a church council convened by Metropolitan Macarius and Tsar Ivan the Terrible, when many new Russian wonderworkers, previously revered only locally, were canonized. The Church equally glorifies and military virtues the prince, “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 subsequent centuries of Russian history, then we will see a kind of second, posthumous biography a 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 wonderful 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 Crimean Khan Devlet-Gireya is only 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 new capital The holy relics were supposed to be brought to Russia on August 30 - the day of the conclusion of the Treaty of Nystadt 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)
Myths about Alexander Nevsky
1. The battles for which Prince Alexander became famous were so insignificant that they are not even mentioned in Western chronicles.
Not true! This idea was born out of pure ignorance. The Battle of Lake Peipsi is reflected in German sources, in particular in the “Elder Livonian Rhymed Chronicle”. Based on it, some historians talk about the insignificant scale of the battle, because the Chronicle reports the death of only twenty knights. But here it is important to understand that we are talking specifically about “brother knights” who performed the role of senior commanders. Nothing is said about the death of their warriors and representatives of the Baltic tribes recruited into the army, who formed the backbone of the army.
As for the Battle of the Neva, it was not reflected in any way in the Swedish chronicles. But, according to the largest Russian specialist on the history of the Baltic region in the Middle Ages, Igor Shaskolsky, “... this should not be surprising. In medieval Sweden beginning of the XIV century, no major narrative works on the history of the country, such as Russian chronicles and large Western European chronicles, were created.” In other words, the Swedes have nowhere to look for traces of the Battle of the Neva.
2. The West did not pose a threat to Russia at that time, unlike the Horde, which Prince Alexander used exclusively to strengthen his personal power.
Not like that again! It is hardly possible to talk about a “united West” in the 13th century. Perhaps it would be more correct to talk about the world of Catholicism, but it, as a whole, was very colorful, heterogeneous and fragmented. Rus' was really threatened not by the “West”, but by the Teutonic and Livonian Order as well as the Swedish conquerors. And for some reason they were defeated on Russian territory, and not at home in Germany or Sweden, and, therefore, the threat posed by them was quite real.
As for the Horde, there is a source (Ustyug Chronicle) that makes it possible to assume the organizing role of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich in the anti-Horde uprising.
3. Prince Alexander did not defend Rus' and Orthodox faith, he was simply fighting for power and using the Horde to physically eliminate his own brother.
This is just speculation. Prince Alexander Yaroslavich first of all defended what he inherited from his father and grandfather. In other words, with great skill he performed the task of a guardian, a guardian. As for the death of his brother, it is necessary, before such verdicts, to study the question of how he, in his recklessness and youth, put down the Russian army without benefit and in what way he acquired power in general. This will show: it was not so much Prince Alexander Yaroslavich who was his destroyer, but rather he himself laid claim to the role of the quick destroyer of Rus'...
4. By turning to the east, and not to the west, Prince Alexander laid the foundations for the future rampant despotism in the country. His contacts with the Mongols made Rus' an Asian power.
This is completely groundless journalism. All Russian princes were in contact with the Horde at that time. After 1240, they had a choice: to die themselves and subject Rus' to new devastation, or to survive and prepare the country for new battles and ultimately for liberation. Someone rushed headlong into battle, but 90 percent of our princes of the second half of the 13th century chose a different path. And here Alexander Nevsky is no different from our other sovereigns of that period.
As for the “Asian power”, there are indeed different points of view here today. But as a historian, I believe that Rus' never became one. It was not and is not part of Europe or Asia or some kind of mixture where the European and Asian take on different proportions depending on the circumstances. Rus' represents a cultural and political essence that is sharply different from both Europe and Asia. Just as Orthodoxy is neither Catholicism, nor Islam, nor Buddhism, nor any other confession.
Metropolitan Kirill about Alexander Nevsky - the name of Russia
On October 5, 2008, in a television program dedicated to Alexander Nevsky, Metropolitan Kirill gave a fiery 10-minute speech in which he tried to reveal this image so that it would become accessible to a wide audience. The Metropolitan began with questions: Why can a noble prince from the distant past, from the 13th century, become the name of Russia? What do we know about him? Answering these questions, the Metropolitan compares Alexander Nevsky with the other twelve applicants: “You need to know history very well and you need to feel history in order to understand the modernity of this person... I looked carefully at the names of everyone. Each of the candidates is a representative of his workshop: politician, scientist, writer, poet, economist... Alexander Nevsky was not a representative of the workshop, because he was at the same time the greatest strategist... a person who sensed not political, but civilizational dangers for Russia. He did not fight against specific enemies, not against the East or the West. He fought for national identity, for national self-understanding. Without him there would be no Russia, no Russians, no our civilizational code.”
According to Metropolitan Kirill, Alexander Nevsky was a politician who defended Russia with “very subtle and courageous diplomacy.” He understood that it was impossible at that moment to defeat the Horde, which “ironed Russia twice,” captured Slovakia, Croatia, Hungary, reached the Adriatic Sea, and invaded China. “Why doesn’t he start a fight against the Horde? – asks the Metropolitan. – Yes, the Horde captured Rus'. But the Tatar-Mongols did not need our soul and did not need our brains. The Tatar-Mongols needed our pockets, and they turned these pockets out, but did not encroach on our national identity. They were not able to overcome our civilizational code. But when danger arose from the West, when the armored Teutonic knights went to Rus', there was no compromise. When the Pope writes a letter to Alexander, trying to win him over to his side... Alexander answers “no”. He sees a civilizational danger, he meets these armored knights on Lake Peipsi and defeats them, just as he, by a miracle of God, defeated the Swedish warriors who entered the Neva with a small squad.”
Alexander Nevsky, according to the Metropolitan, gives away “superstructural values”, allowing the Mongols to collect tribute from Russia: “He understands that this is not scary. Mighty Russia will return all this money. We must preserve the soul, national self-awareness, national will, and we must give the opportunity to what our wonderful historiosopher Lev Nikolayevich Gumilyov called “ethnogenesis.” Everything is destroyed, we need to accumulate strength. And if they had not accumulated forces, if they had not pacified the Horde, if they had not stopped the Livonian invasion, where would Russia be? She wouldn't exist."
As Metropolitan Kirill asserts, following Gumilyov, Alexander Nevsky was the creator of that multinational and multi-confessional “Russian world” that exists to this day. It was he who “torn off Golden Horde from the Great Steppe”*. With his cunning political move, he “persuaded Batu not to pay tribute to the Mongols. And the Great Steppe, this center of aggression against the whole world, found itself isolated from Rus' by the Golden Horde, which began to be drawn into the area of Russian civilization. These are the first vaccinations of our union with the Tatar people, with the Mongol tribes. These are the first inoculations of our multinationality and multireligion. This is where it all started. He laid the foundation for the world-being of our people, which determined the further development of Rus' as Russia, as a great state.”
Alexander Nevsky, according to Metropolitan Kirill, is collective image: this is a ruler, thinker, philosopher, strategist, warrior, hero. Personal courage is combined in him with deep religiosity: “At a critical moment, when the power and strength of the commander should be shown, he enters into single combat and hits Birger in the face with a spear... And where did it all start? He prayed at Hagia Sophia in Novgorod. A nightmare, hordes many times larger. What resistance? He comes out and addresses his people. With what words? God is not in power, but in truth... Can you imagine what words? What power!”
Metropolitan Kirill calls Alexander Nevsky “ epic hero”: “He was 20 years old when he defeated the Swedes, 22 years old when he drowned the Livonians on Lake Peipus... A young, handsome guy!.. Brave... strong.” Even his appearance is the “face of Russia.” But the most important thing is that, being a politician, strategist, commander, Alexander Nevsky became a saint. “Oh my God! – Metropolitan Kirill exclaims. – If Russia had had holy rulers after Alexander Nevsky, what would our history be like! This is a collective image as much as a collective image can be... This is our hope, because even today we need what Alexander Nevsky did... Let us give our not only our voices, but also our hearts to the holy noble Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky - the savior and organizer of Russia !”
(From the book of Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) “Patriarch Kirill: life and worldview”)
Answers of Vladyka Metropolitan Kirill to questions from viewers of the “Name of Russia” project about Alexander Nevsky
Wikipedia calls Alexander Nevsky “the favorite prince of the clergy.” Do you share this assessment and, if so, what causes it? Semyon Borzenko
Dear Semyon, it’s difficult for me to say what exactly guided the authors free encyclopedia"Wikipedia", calling St. Alexander Nevsky. Perhaps because the prince was canonized and is revered in the Orthodox Church, solemn services are held in his honor. However, the Church also reveres other holy princes, for example, Dimitri Donskoy and Daniil of Moscow, and it would be wrong to single out a “beloved” from among them. I believe that such a name could also have been adopted by the prince because during his lifetime he favored the Church and patronized it.
Unfortunately, the pace of my life and the amount of work I do allow me to use the Internet exclusively for business purposes. I regularly visit, say, informational sites, but I have absolutely no time left to view those sites that would be personally interesting to me. Therefore, I was not able to take part in the voting on the “Name of Russia” website, but I supported Alexander Nevsky by voting by telephone.
Descendants of Rurik were defeated (1241), fighting for power in civil wars, sibling betrayed him to the pagans (1252), scratched out the eyes of the Novgorodians with his own hands (1257). Is the Russian Orthodox Church really ready to canonize Satan to maintain a split in churches? Ivan Nezabudko
Speaking about certain acts of Alexander Nevsky, it is necessary to take into account many various factors. This is also the historical era in which St. lived. Alexander - then many actions that seem strange to us today were completely business as usual. This and political situation in the state - remember that at that time the country was experiencing a serious threat from the Tatar-Mongols, and St. Alexander did everything possible to reduce this threat to a minimum. As for the facts you cite from the life of St. Alexander Nevsky, then historians still cannot confirm or refute many of them, much less give them an unambiguous assessment.
For example, there are many ambiguities in the relationship between Alexander Nevsky and his brother Prince Andrei. There is a point of view according to which Alexander complained to the khan about his brother and asked to send an armed detachment to deal with him. However, this fact is not mentioned in any ancient source. The first time this was reported was only by V.N. Tatishchev in his “Russian History”, and there is every reason to believe that the author got carried away here historical reconstruction- “thought out” something that actually didn’t exist. N.M. Karamzin, in particular, thought so: “According to Tatishchev’s invention, Alexander informed Khan that his younger brother Andrei, having appropriated the Great Reign, was deceiving the Mughals, giving them only part of the tribute, etc.” (Karamzin N.M. History of the Russian State. M., 1992. T.4. P. 201. Note 88).
Many historians today tend to adhere to a different point of view than Tatishchev. Andrei, as is known, pursued a policy independent of Batu, while relying on the khan’s rivals. As soon as Batu took power into his own hands, he immediately dealt with his opponents, sending detachments not only against Andrei Yaroslavich, but also against Daniil Romanovich.
I am not aware of a single fact that could at least indirectly indicate that the veneration of St. Alexander Nevsky is a reason for church schism. In 1547, the noble prince was canonized, and his memory is sacredly revered not only in the Russian, but also in many other Local Orthodox Churches.
Finally, let us not forget that when deciding on the canonization of a person, the Church takes into account such factors as the prayerful veneration of the people and the miracles performed through these prayers. Both of these took place and are happening in large numbers in connection with Alexander Nevsky. As for the mistakes such a person makes in life, or even his sins, we must remember that “there is no man who will live and not sin.” Sins are expiated by repentance and sorrow. Both of these, and especially the other, were present in the life of the noble prince, as they were in the lives of such sinners who became saints as Mary of Egypt, Moses Murin and many others.
I am sure that if you carefully and thoughtfully read the life of St. Alexander Nevsky, you will understand why he was canonized.
How does the Russian Orthodox Church feel about the fact that Prince Alexander Nevsky handed over his brother Andrei to the Tatars and threatened his son Vasily with war? Or is this as canonical as the blessing of warheads? Alexey Karakovsky
Alexey, in the first part, your question echoes the question of Ivan Nezabudko. As for the “blessing of warheads,” I am not aware of a single similar case. The Church has always blessed its children for the defense of the Fatherland, guided by the commandment of the Savior. It is for these reasons that the rite of blessing weapons has existed since ancient times. At every Liturgy we pray for the army of our country, realizing how heavy a responsibility lies on the people who stand guard with arms in their hands to guard the security of the Fatherland.
Is it not so, Vladyka, that when choosing Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich we are choosing a myth, a film image, a legend?
I'm sure not. Alexander Nevsky is a very specific historical figure, a man who did a lot for our Fatherland and laid the foundations for the very existence of Russia for a long time. Historical sources allow us to learn quite definitely about his life and activities. Of course, in the time that has passed since the death of the saint, human rumor has introduced a certain element of legend into his image, which once again testifies to the deep veneration that the Russian people have always given to the prince, but I am convinced that this shade of legend cannot serve as an obstacle to that so that today we perceive Saint Alexander as a real historical character.
Dear Lord. What qualities, in your opinion, of the Russian hero, the holy blessed Alexander Nevsky, could be paid attention to, and, if possible, adopted by the current Russian authorities? What principles of government are still relevant today? Victor Zorin
Victor, Saint Alexander Nevsky belongs not only to his time. His image is relevant for Russia today, in the 21st century. The most important quality, which, it seems to me, should be inherent in power at all times, is boundless love for the Fatherland and one’s people. The entire political activity of Alexander Nevsky was determined by this strong and sublime feeling.
Dear Vladyka, answer whether Alexander Nevsky is close to the souls of the people of today’s modern Russia, and not just of Ancient Rus'. Especially nations professing Islam and not Orthodoxy? Sergey Krainov
Sergey, I am sure that the image of St. Alexander Nevsky is close to Russia at all times. Despite the fact that the prince lived several centuries ago, his life and his activities are still relevant for us today. Do such qualities as love for the Motherland, for God, for one’s neighbor, or the willingness to lay down one’s life for the sake of the peace and well-being of the Fatherland, have a statute of limitations? Can they be inherent only to the Orthodox and be alien to Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, who have long lived peacefully, side by side, in multinational and multi-confessional Russia - a country that has never known wars on religious grounds?
As for Muslims themselves, I will give you just one example that speaks for itself - in the program “The Name of Russia”, shown on November 9, there was an interview with a Muslim leader who came out in support of Alexander Nevsky because it was the holy prince who laid the foundations for dialogue East and West, Christianity and Islam. The name of Alexander Nevsky is equally dear to all people living in our country, regardless of their nationality or religious affiliation.
Why did you decide to take part in the “Name of Russia” project and act as Alexander Nevsky’s “lawyer”? In your opinion, why do most people today choose not a politician, scientist or cultural figure, but a saint, to name Russia? Vika Ostroverkhova
Vika, several circumstances prompted me to participate in the project as a “defender” of Alexander Nevsky.
Firstly, I am convinced that it is Saint Alexander Nevsky who should become the name of Russia. In my speeches, I repeatedly argued my position. Who, if not a saint, can and should be named “in the name of Russia”? Holiness is a concept that has no temporal boundaries, extending into eternity. If our people choose a saint as their national hero, this indicates a spiritual revival taking place in the minds of people. This is especially important today.
Secondly, this saint is very close to me. My childhood and youth were spent in St. Petersburg, where the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky rest. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to often resort to this shrine, to pray to the holy prince at his resting place. While studying at Leningrad theological schools, which are located in close proximity from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, all of us, then students, clearly felt gracious help, which Alexander Nevsky provided to those who called on him with faith and hope in their prayers. At the relics of the holy prince I received ordination to all degrees of the priesthood. Therefore, I have deeply personal experiences associated with the name of Alexander Nevsky.
Dear Master! The project is called “Name of Russia”. For the first time the word Russia was heard almost 300 years after the prince’s dormition! Under Ivan the Terrible. And Alexander Yaroslavich just reigned in one of the fragments Kievan Rus– an upgraded version of Great Scythia. So what does St. Alexander Nevsky have to do with Russia?
The most direct thing. In your question you fundamentally touch upon important topic. Who do we consider ourselves to be today? Heirs of what culture? Bearers of what civilization? From what point in history should we count our existence? Is it really only since the reign of Ivan the Terrible? A lot depends on the answer to these questions. We have no right to be Ivans who do not remember our kinship. The history of Russia begins long before Ivan the Terrible, and it is enough to open a school history textbook to be convinced of this.
Please tell us about the posthumous miracles of Alexander Nevsky from the moment of his death to the present day. Anisina Natalya
Natalya, there are a great many such miracles. You can read about them in detail in the life of the saint, as well as in many books dedicated to Alexander Nevsky. Moreover, I am sure that every person who sincerely, with deep faith called upon the holy prince in his prayers, had his own small miracle in his life.
Dear Lord! Is the Russian Orthodox Church considering the issue of canonizing other Princes, such as Ivan IV the Terrible and I.V. Stalin? After all, they were autocrats who increased the power of the state. Alexey Pechkin
Alexey, many princes besides Alexander Nevsky have been canonized. When deciding on the canonization of a person, the Church takes into account many factors, and achievements in the political field do not play a decisive role here. The Russian Orthodox Church does not consider the issue of canonization of Ivan the Terrible or Stalin, who, although they did a lot for the state, did not show qualities in their lives that could indicate their holiness.
Prayer to the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky
(to schemamonastic Alexy)
Quick helper to all those who diligently come running to you, and our warm representative before the Lord, holy and blessed Grand Duke Alexandra! look mercifully upon us, unworthy, who have created for ourselves by many iniquities, who now flow to the race of your relics and cry out from the depths of your soul: in your life you were a zealot and defender of the Orthodox faith, and you have unshakably established us in it with your warm prayers to God. You carefully carried out the great service entrusted to you, and with your help, instruct us to abide in what we were called to do. You, having defeated the regiments of adversaries, drove away from the borders of Russia, and brought down all visible and invisible enemies against us. You, having left the corruptible crown of the earthly kingdom, you chose a silent life, and now, righteously crowned with an incorruptible crown, reigning in heaven, you intercede for us too, we humbly pray to you, a quiet and serene life, and arrange for us a steady march towards the eternal Kingdom of God. Standing before the throne of God with all the saints, pray for all Orthodox Christians, may the Lord God preserve them with His grace in peace, health, long life and all prosperity in the coming years, may we ever glorify and bless God, in the Trinity of the Holy Saints, the Father and the Son and The Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Troparion, Tone 4:
Know your brethren, Russian Joseph, not in Egypt, but reigning in heaven, faithful Prince Alexander, and accept their prayers, multiplying the lives of people with the fruitfulness of your land, protecting the cities of your dominion with prayer, helping Orthodox people to resist.
Troparion, Voice of the same:
As you were at the root of a pious and most honorable branch, blessed Alexandra, for Christ manifests you as a kind of Divine treasure of the Russian land, a new miracle worker, glorious and God-pleasing. And today, having come together in your memory with faith and love, in psalms and singing we joyfully glorify the Lord, who gave you the grace of healing. Pray to him to save this city, and for our country to be pleasing to God, and for our sons of Russia to be saved.
Kontakion, Tone 8:
As we honor your bright star, which shone from the east and came to the west, enriching this entire country with miracles and kindness, and enlightening with faith those who honor your memory, blessed Alexandra. For this reason, today we celebrate yours, your existing people, pray to save your Fatherland, and all your relics flowing to the race, and truly crying out to you: Rejoice, strengthening of our city.
In Kontakion, Tone 4:
Just like your relatives, Boris and Gleb, appeared from Heaven to help you, struggling against Weilger Sveisk and his warriors: so you too now, blessed Alexandra, come to the aid of your relatives, and overcome those who fight us.
Icons of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky
Alexander Nevsky, whose biography is presented in this article, was the Prince of Novgorod in the period from 1236 to 1251, and from 1252 - the Grand Duke of Vladimir. He was presumably born in 1221, and died in 1263. The son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, a Russian prince, was Alexander Nevsky. His biography in a nutshell is as follows. He secured Rus', her western borders, victories over the Swedes in the Battle of the Neva that took place in 1240, as well as over the knights of the Livonian Order in 1242 (Battle of 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 into the family of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Feodosia, daughter of Mstislav the Udal. He is the grandson of Vsevolod Big Nest. The first information about the future prince dates back 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 the care of the boyars in Novgorod. These were Fedor and Alexander Nevsky. The latter's biography is noted important events precisely after the death of his older brother, Fedor. Then Alexander becomes his father's heir. He was put in charge of the Novgorod reign in 1236. Three years later, in 1239, Prince Alexander Nevsky married Alexandra Bryachislavna.
His short biography for this period is as follows. In the first years of his reign, Alexander Nevsky had to strengthen Novgorod, since the Mongol-Tatars threatened the city from the east. He built several fortresses on the Sheloni River.
Victory on the Neva
The young prince gained universal fame from the victory he won over a Swedish detachment on the banks of the Neva River, at the mouth of Izhora, in 1240 on July 15. According to legend, it was commanded by Jar Birger, the future ruler of Sweden, although this campaign is not mentioned in the chronicle dating back to the 14th century. Alexander personally took part in the battle. It is believed that the prince began to be called Nevsky precisely because of this victory, although this nickname was first found only in 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 on this nickname to their descendant. It is traditionally believed that the battle that took place in 1240 preserved the shores 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 from the west loomed over the city. Having gathered German crusaders in the Baltic states, as well as Danish knights in Reval, the Livonian Order, enlisting the support of the Pskovites, longtime rivals of the Novgorodians, as well as the papal curia, invaded the territory of the 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 Andrei Yaroslavich, his son. He was soon 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. The Novgorodians, inspired by their successes, invaded the lands of the Livonian Order and began to destroy the settlements of the crusaders' tributaries, the Estonians. The knights who left Riga destroyed the regiment of Domash Tverdislavich, which was considered the forefront of the Russians, forcing Alexander Nevsky to withdraw his troops to the border of the Livonian Order. At that time it passed along Lake Peipsi. After this, both sides began to prepare for the decisive battle.
The Battle of the Ice and the defeat of the Lithuanian troops
Happened decisive battle at the Crow Stone, on the ice of Lake Peipus, 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 faced with the need to make peace. Under the terms of the truce, the crusaders had to renounce their claims to Russian lands, transferring part of Latgale to Rus'.
After this, Alexander Nevsky began to fight against the Lithuanian troops. 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 were attacking Russian lands in the north-west. After this, Alexander recaptured Toropets, which was captured by Lithuania, in 1245, destroyed a Lithuanian detachment at Lake Zhitsa, and finally defeated the Lithuanian militia near Usvyat.
Alexander and the Horde
Alexander’s successful actions ensured the security of the Russian borders in the west for a long time, but in the east the princes had to be defeated by the Mongol-Tatars.
Khan Batu, ruler of the Golden Horde, in 1243 handed the label for the management of the Russian lands, conquered by them, to Alexander's father. Guyuk, the great Mongol Khan, summoned him to Karakorum, his capital, where in 1246, on September 30, Yaroslav died unexpectedly. He was poisoned, according to 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) received control only of Kyiv and devastated southern Rus'.
Alexander refuses to accept the Catholic faith
The brothers were only able to return to their homeland in 1249. Prince Alexander Nevsky did not go to his new possessions. Brief biography of him further years next. He headed to Novgorod, where he became seriously ill. Innocent IV, the Pope, sent an embassy to him around 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 was overthrown by Khan Mengke (Mongke) in 1252. Batu, taking advantage of this circumstance to remove Andrei Yaroslavich from the great reign, presented Alexander Nevsky with the label of Grand Duke. Alexander was urgently summoned 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 submit to the decision of Batu Khan.
He, in order to punish the disobedient princes, sent a Mongol detachment, commanded by Nevryu (the so-called “Nevryu’s army”), or Batu. As a result of this, Yaroslav and Andrei fled from North-Eastern Rus'.
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 expelled Vasily, their former prince, who was the son of Alexander Nevsky. However, Alexander, having imprisoned him again in Novgorod, severely punished his warriors, who failed to protect the rights of their son. They were all 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 Rus' in 1255 a system of tribute, common to all conquered lands. In 1257, as in other cities, “counters” were sent to Novgorod in order to carry out a population census. This outraged 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 restored order and 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 became the new governor in the city in 1259.
Death of Alexander Nevsky
Unrest broke out in Suzdal cities in 1262. Here the Khan's Baskaks were killed, and the Tatar merchants were 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 prince was kept by the Khan's side. Only in the fall was Alexander able to return to Vladimir. On the way, he fell ill and died in Gorodets in 1263, on November 14. The biography of Alexander Nevsky ends with this date. We tried to describe its brief content as succinctly as possible. His body was buried in the Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vladimir.
Canonization of Alexander Nevsky
This prince in the conditions that befell the lands of Rus' terrible trials, was able to find the strength to resist the conquerors from the west, thereby gaining the glory of a great commander. Thanks to him, the foundations for interaction with the Golden Horde were also laid.
In Vladimir, already in the 1280s, the veneration of this man as a saint began. Prince Alexander Nevsky was officially canonized a little later. His short biography, 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 Catholics. His life story was written with the participation of Dmitry Alexandrovich, his son, as well as Metropolitan Kirill. It became widespread in Rus' (15 editions have reached 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, the day of peace with Sweden. Catherine I founded the Order of Alexander Nevsky in 1725.
This award existed until 1917 as one of the highest in Russia. The Soviet order named after him was established in 1942.
This is how Prince Alexander Nevsky was immortalized in our country, short biography which was presented to you.
This man in national history is an important figure, so we meet 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 examined in more detail, which allows us to compose more full view about this prince. Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich, whose biography we have described, fully deserves his fame.
Born on May 13, 1221 in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky. He was the son of the Pereyaslavl prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In 1225, according to the decision of his father, initiation into warriors took place in Nevsky’s biography.
In 1228, together with his older brother, he was transported to Novgorod, where they became princes of the Novgorod lands. In 1236, after the departure of Yaroslav, he began to independently defend the lands from the Swedes, Livonians, and Lithuanians.
Personal life
In 1239, Alexander married the daughter of Bryachislav of Polotsk, Alexandra. They had five children - sons: Vasily (1245 - 1271, Prince of Novgorod), Dmitry (1250 - 1294, Prince of Novgorod, Pereyaslavl, Vladimir), Andrey (1255 - 1304, Prince of Kostroma, Vladimir, Novgorod, Gorodets), Daniil ( 1261 – 1303, Moscow prince), as well as daughter Evdokia.
Military activities
The biography of Alexander Nevsky is significant for its many victories. So, in July 1240, the famous Battle of the Neva took place, when Alexander attacked the Swedes on the Neva and won. It was after this battle that the prince received the honorary nickname “Nevsky”.
When the Livonians took Pskov, Tesov, and approached Novgorod, Alexander again defeated the enemies. After this, he attacked the Livonians (German knights) on April 5, 1242 and also won a victory (the famous Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipsi).
After the death of his father in 1247, Alexander took over Kyiv and “The Whole Russian Land.” Kyiv at that time was devastated by the Tatars, and Nevsky decided to stay and live in Novgorod.
The prince repelled enemy attacks for 6 years. Then he left Novgorod for Vladimir and began to reign there. At the same time, wars with our western neighbors continued. The prince was assisted in his military campaigns by his sons, Vasily and Dmitry.
Death and legacy
Alexander Nevsky died on November 14, 1263 in Gorodets and was buried in the Nativity Monastery in the city of Vladimir. By order of Peter I, his relics were transferred to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery (St. Petersburg) in 1724.
Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky plays an exceptional role in the history of Rus'. Throughout his entire life, Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky did not lose a single battle. He was considered the favorite prince of the clergy, the patron of the Orthodox Church. He can be briefly described as a talented diplomat, a commander who was able to protect Rus' from many enemies, as well as prevent the campaigns of the Mongol-Tatars.
Nowadays, streets and squares are named after him, monuments have been erected in his honor, orthodox churches in many cities of Russia.
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Biography test
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Alexander Nevskiy ( real name Kuritsyn) – Russian actor, producer, screenwriter and bodybuilder, who called himself the “Russian Arnold Schwarzenegger.” He acted as a producer (and at the same time played the main role) in the action films “Moscow Heat”, “Treasure Hunters”, “Da Vinci’s Fast and the Furious”, “Murder in Vegas”, “Showdown in Manila”, etc. He became famous among Internet users thanks to the phrases “here so”, “vodka inside, bottle outside”, “absolutely”.Childhood and adolescence
Sasha was born and raised in an intelligent Moscow family. Father, Alexander Nikolaevich, taught economics and management at a university in the capital. Mother, Evgenia Yakovlevna, worked as an instrument engineer.The parents divorced early, and all the worries about their son and eldest daughter fell on the mother. However, she did not have any particular difficulties raising Sasha. The boy learned to read early and that's it free time spent with books. Studying was easy for him; at the same time, he attended music school in cello class, at the age of eleven he became interested in basketball.
The only thing that darkened the teenager’s life was the ridicule and bullying of his peers. They teased the thin, frail boy with “chicken,” laughed at his helplessness in physical education lessons, and often beat him in the yard. To learn how to fight back against offenders, Sasha enrolled in a boxing class, but did not stay there for long. According to Alexander, by the age of 15, with a height of 194 cm, he weighed 60 kg, and the volume of his biceps barely exceeded 25 cm.
A post shared by (@realalexnevsky) on Jul 6, 2016 at 12:32am PDT
One day he came across a magazine with a photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger on the cover. The young man was so impressed by the actor’s muscular body that from that moment Gym became his second home. Very soon, Alexander achieved good results, took part in various competitions and even became, according to him, a prize-winner at the Moscow championship.
Career
In 1994, the young man graduated State Academy management, but Schwarzenegger's fame still haunted him. He changed his last name to the sonorous pseudonym “Nevsky” and began trying to break into television. In the late 90s, he participated in the programs “Under 16 and older”, “Party zone”, “Theme” and “ Good morning”, and also played a tiny role in Eldar Ryazanov’s film “Quiet Whirlpools”. Soon, American producers became interested in the young bodybuilder and invited him to Hollywood. Alexander did not think twice and immediately went to the United States.
Overseas, Nevsky graduated from the Lee Strasberg Theater School, while simultaneously learning English at the University of California. But he never got any significant roles in films; he had to be content with small episodes in crowd scenes.
Soon Alexander himself decided to become a producer and in 2010 presented the film “Murder in Vegas” to the audience, in which he played a central role. The film disappointed audiences and critics and failed at the box office. The same fate befell Nevsky’s next painting, “Black Rose.”
Despite the unflattering reviews, Alexander made another attempt to make a box office movie, but his third film, “Showdown in Manila,” was a fiasco. In 2017, he starred in the joint Russian-American action film Maximum Impact, which also did not live up to the hopes of its creators.
Scandals and Internet fame
In 2010, Nevsky found himself in the midst of a huge scandal, declaring himself the winner of the Mister Universe 1994 contest. Outraged bodybuilding fans did not ignore this fact and found out that he participated in the similar, but not so prestigious “Universe” competition, which was held by the WWF fitness federation, and then only in demonstration competitions.
Shortly after the scandal, nine prominent bodybuilding officials signed open letter“About Nevsky-Kuritsyn”, the text of which noted that all of Nevsky’s titles were invented by himself, that Vladimir Turchinsky, whom Alexander publicly called his follower, had not even heard his name, and that Nevsky’s body is far from the bodybuilder’s body.
A video of Alexander performing simple exercises with the air of an expert, constantly repeating the phrase “like this,” added fuel to the fire. This phrase, by the way, went among the people and became memetic. “He was so [offended] that he called lifting dumbbells from the sides a ‘Nevsky lift,’” the athletes were indignant.
55x55 – ABSOLUTELY (feat. Alexander Nevsky)
His film works were no less criticized. In this area, Alexander even has a personal “enemy” - video blogger BadComedian (Evgeny Bazhenov), a reviewer of bad movies. On his YouTube channel there are reviews of almost every action film by Alexander Nevsky. Evgeniy is convinced that Nevsky absolutely does not know how to act, and his films break all anti-records in terms of the quality of direction and editing.
BadComedian criticizes Nevsky
It was he who noticed with what ecstasy Nevsky drinks a can of condensed milk in the film “Da Vinci’s Fast and the Furious,” how poorly the actor, who often films in the States, knows English (this is where the “absolute” and “let’s play” memes came from), and also laughed at the quote “vodka inside, and outside is a bottle,” which Nevsky says in one of the films. BadComedian also drew attention to Alexander’s “epic lips” – the actor very often purses them in the frame, apparently for greater brutality.
When Nevsky was asked about pursed lips at the presentation of the film “Showdown in Manila,” he replied that his colleagues have:
Prince Alexander Nevsky, whose biography is very remarkable, became one of those Russian rulers who are not only remembered to this day, but also revered. His battles and exploits dominate the minds of representatives of modern generations, although he himself lived a long time ago.
Birth and family
Alexander Nevsky (his biography is known, in principle, quite well) in 1221 princely couple Yaroslav Vsevolodich and Feodosia Mstislavovna (daughter The young prince began to rule in his beloved Novgorod in 1236, and his entire reign was filled with disputes with wayward townspeople. Novgorod was a free city that did not want to unquestioningly obey anyone. Alexander married in 1239 , choosing Polotsk princess Alexandra Bryachislavna as his wife. This marriage brought three sons: Daniel later became the prince of Moscow, and Dimitri and Andrey - princes of Vladimir.
and the battle on Lake Peipsi
The glorious battle, for which the prince received his nickname, took place on July 15, 1240. Alexander managed to repel the attack of Swedish troops under the command of the famous Earl Birger (later he would become the ruler of Poland), preserve the territories on the coast of the Gulf of Finland and permanently close the issue of Swedish claims to these land. Alexander Nevsky (his biography describes this fact) soon after the battle leaves Novgorod, again not getting along with the residents (and the point, as always, was the love of freedom of the Novgorodians), and moves to Pereslavl-Zalessky.
However, this disgrace did not last long. Novgorod could not do without a glorious military leader, because there were always those who wanted to encroach on his lands. This time it turned out to be the forces of the Lithuanian prince and, as a matter of fact, the order itself was not officially at enmity with the Russian princes. A split had been brewing in its ranks for quite some time. Some of the knights advocated the continuation of campaigns in the Holy Land, while others wanted the crusades to move to the east, to the lands of Rus' and its neighbors. Actually, Livonian knights Few took part in the famous battle, most of the troops belonged to to the Lithuanian prince. Prince Alexander Nevsky, whose biography is described in the article, responded to the plea of the Novgorodians and returned. The battle, famous for centuries, took place on the ice-bound (although the exact place is still not known) in 1242 on April 5th. The defeat of the enemy forces turned out to be complete; this defeat was difficult for the order. Thus, Prince Alexander Nevsky (his biography is filled with such acts) ensured the security of the western borders of Rus'.
Rome and Horde
These two battles - on the Neva and Lake Peipsi - are so famous throughout the centuries also because they were the only ones for Rus' at that time. In the east, things were terrible. The Russian princes were unable to unite in time and repel the attack of a powerful enemy - the Horde, and now they had to obey the khans, go to their capital to receive labels for the right to reign in their native lands. After the death of their father, brothers Alexander and Andrey also went to the Horde for the same purpose. The eldest on the board got southern lands Rus', including Kyiv, and the youngest - northern. However, the prince still returns to his beloved Novgorod. And here another event occurs, which the biography of Alexander Nevsky (its summary should also include this fact) especially emphasizes. Despite the power of the Mongols and his own troubles, the prince does not accept help from the West in exchange for accepting the Catholic faith. Innocent IV makes such an offer to him, but receives a categorical refusal.
After internal turmoil in the Horde itself (the overthrow of Khansha Ogul by Hashim Khan Mongke), Alexander received in Novgorod in 1242. But he failed to reign in the city - his brother Andrei, having secured the support of the Galician prince Daniil Romanovich and the prince of Tver, refused to give up power. However, Alexander was soon able to get to Novgorod. Alexander Nevsky (his biography is full of glorious victories and diplomatic field) during a trip to the Golden Horde, he managed to get his soldiers the opportunity not to participate in the aggressive Mongol campaigns. However, on the way back, the prince fell ill and died in Gorodets, located on the Volga River, on November 14, 1263. There is a version that he was poisoned by the Mongols, but there is no way to prove it today.
Veneration of a saint
In Vladimir they began to venerate him back in the 1280s, but official canonization came later. The noble Prince Alexander Nevsky became the patron saint not only of Rus', but subsequently of Russia as well, and his exploits were reflected not only in folklore and folk legends, but later also in literature and cinema.