Preventive war - suicide due to fear of death
Otto von Bismarck
The holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky won fame for himself during his lifetime. Legends were made about him, he was feared by his enemies and revered by his compatriots. After his death, the name of Alexander Nevsky entered Russian history as an outstanding commander who, with the sword and fortitude, preserved Orthodoxy and the identity of the Russian people on Russian soil. Thanks to the Grand Duke, the Slavic people began to unite in order, following the example of Alexander Nevsky, to fight the threat in the West and resist the mighty Horde.
In the article we will dwell in detail on the main deeds of the holy prince, thanks to which he was canonized (in 1547) and is still considered by Russians to be one of the greatest people of our Motherland in its entire history. There are 4 such events:
This happened when Prince Alexander was only 13 years old. By today's standards, he is just a child, but already at this age Alexander, together with his father, was already fighting against the German knights. In those days, incited by the Pope, Western European knights carried out crusade raids officially to convert the “infidels” to Catholicism, but in reality to plunder the local population and seize new territories.
Russian cities (Pskov, Novgorod, Izborsk) were the target of the German order for a long time, because trade and architecture were developed here. The knights are not averse to making money: selling someone into slavery, robbing someone. To protect Russian lands, Prince Yaroslav calls on the people to stand with him in defense of the Motherland. Watching the progress of the battle, young Alexander, along with adults, fights with enemies, while simultaneously analyzing the behavior of troops and defense tactics. Yaroslav Vsevolodovich bets on a protracted battle, and wins the battle. Tired knights are finished off with flank attacks, others run to the river, but the thin ice cannot withstand the heavy knights, cracks, and the knights in their armor go under the water. The Novgorodians win a victory, which went down in history under the name “Battle of Omovzha.” Alexander learned a lot in this battle and later applied the tactics of the Battle of Omovzha many times.
Battle of the Neva (1240) for the prince
In July 1240, Swedish Vikings approached the confluence of the Izhora and Neva rivers in their boats and set up camp. They arrived to attack Novgorod and Ladoga. According to the chronicles, about 5 thousand Swedish invaders arrived, but Alexander managed to gather only 1.5 thousand warriors. There was no longer any time to delay. While the Swedes are in the dark and are just preparing for an attack, it was necessary to get ahead of them by unexpectedly attacking their place of deployment.
Alexander and his small retinue settled in the forest not far from the Swedes. Even the Swedes had no sentries, and the Vikings themselves were busy setting up the camp. Alexander, after carefully studying the location of the enemies, decided to divide the army into three parts: the first was to move along the coast, the second - the cavalry, led by Alexander himself, should advance in the center of the camp, and the third - the archers, remained in ambush to block the path of the retreating Swedes.
The morning attack of the Novgorodians was a complete surprise for the Swedes. Novgorod resident Mishka managed to approach the tent where the command was seated unnoticed and sawed off the leg. The tent fell along with the generals, which caused even greater panic among the Swedes. When the Varangians rushed to their augers, they saw that they were already occupied by the Novgorodians. The path was completely cut off when the archers entered the battle.
The Novgorod Chronicle speaks of huge losses in the Swedish camp and only 20 people were killed in the Russian regiment. From that time on, Alexander began to be called Nevsky in honor of the river where he won his first significant victory. His fame and influence in Novgorod increased, which was not very to the taste of the local boyars, and young Alexander soon left Novgorod and returned to his father in Vladimir. But he doesn’t stay there for long either, and moves to Pereslavl. However, already in the next 1241, Alexander received news from the Novgorodians that the enemies had again approached their native lands. The Novgorodians called on Alexander.
Battle of Lake Peipsi - Battle of the Ice - 1242
German knights managed to capture a number of Russian lands and settle there, erecting characteristic knightly fortifications. To liberate Russian cities, Prince Alexander Nevsky decided to unite the people and strike the invaders with a single force. He calls on all Slavs to stand under his banner to fight the Germans. And they heard him. Militia and warriors flocked from all cities, ready to sacrifice themselves to save their homeland. In total, up to 10 thousand people united under the banner of Alexander.
Kaporye is a city that has just begun to be settled by the Germans. It was located a little further from the rest of the captured Russian cities, and Alexander decided to start with it. On the way to Kaporye, the prince orders to take prisoner all those encountered, so as to be sure that no one will be able to inform the knights about the approach of the princely army. Having reached the walls of the city, Alexander knocks down the gates with multi-pound logs and enters Kaporye, which surrenders without a fight. When Alexander approached Pskov, the residents themselves, inspired by Alexander’s victories, opened the gates for him. The Germans are gathering their best forces for the battle.
The Battle of Lake Peipsi will go down in history as the Battle of the Ice. Alexander Nevsky, pondering the battle strategy, placed numerous militias in the center who were not very proficient in battle tactics. The main army was positioned in front of a steep bank, behind which stood carts fastened together with chains. The Novgorod regiments were located on the flanks - the strongest of the entire ten-thousand-strong Russian army. And behind a rock that stuck out of the water, Alexander hid an ambush regiment. The holy prince arranged his people in such a way as to lure the knights into the “cauldron”, realizing that, having first defeated the weak militias, even if numerous, the already tired Germans would go out to the best Russian regiment and carts, and given the weight of the knight in armor, then they will have practically no chance to get over the cart.
On April 5, 1242, the German knights fully “justified” Alexander’s calculations. The Germans advanced in a “wedge” and, having defeated the militia, went straight to the advanced detachments of Nevsky. Finding themselves in a vice, on the one hand, there were carts, over which the horses could not jump, having such weight on them in the form of a knight in armor, and on the other, Alexander’s warriors and the Novgorodians from the flanks. The knights, who wielded a spear, always hit the enemy directly, did not expect an attack from the flanks. It was not possible to turn 90 degrees with the horse thanks to the vice from the carts where the German knights ended up. The ambush regiment completed the defeat of the German knights. The Germans rushed in all directions along the thin ice of Lake Peipsi. Thin ice cracked, carrying heavy German knights under the water, just as it once carried away their ancestors on Omovzha.
It was a brilliant strategy of the young Russian commander. The Germans learned a lesson that made them forget the road to Russia for a long time. 50 prisoners of war walked bareheaded through the streets of Russian cities. For medieval knights this was considered the worst humiliation. The name of Alexander Nevsky thundered throughout Europe as the best commander of the Northern lands.
Relations with the Golden Horde
In the Middle Ages, for the Russian lands, the Horde was a real punishment. A strong state with extensive trade and a mobile army. The Russian principalities could only envy the cohesion of the Mongol-Tatars. Scattered Russian cities and principalities only paid tribute to the Horde, but could not resist it. Alexander was no exception. Even after all the brilliant battles, going against the Horde, as the Prince of Chernigov did, means signing a death sentence for yourself and your people. After the death of his father Yaroslav, who, by the way, died while “visiting” the khan, Alexander also went to Batu receive a label for the khan's service. Enlisting the support of the Horde was for the Russian princes like a ritual that was tantamount to coronation to the throne.
Could Alexander have acted differently?! Probably could. Western European powers, led by the Pope, more than once offered their assistance in the fight against the Horde in exchange for the adoption of Catholicism, but Alexander refused. The prince preferred to pay tribute to the Horde rather than betray the faith of his ancestors. The Horde treated the Gentiles quite tolerably, the main thing was that the dues regularly entered the treasury. So Alexander chose the least evil, as he believed.
In 1248, Prince Alexander Nevsky received a label for Kyiv and the entire Russian land. A little later, Vladimir also moved to Nevsky. While Rus' regularly paid tribute to Batu, the Mongol-Tatars did not attack. Accustomed to living in peace, the Russian people forgot about the Horde threat. In 1262, the Tatar ambassadors who arrived for tribute in Pereslavl, Rostov, Suzdal and other cities were killed. To calm the conflict, the prince is forced to go to the khan. In the Horde, the prince fell ill on the way home; 41-year-old Alexander died.
300 years later, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Alexander Nevsky.
HOLY BLESSED PRINCE ALEXANDER NEVSKY (†1263)
Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky born May 30, 1220 in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky. His father, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (+ 1246), was the youngest son of Vsevolod III the Big Nest (+ 1212). The mother of Saint Alexander, Theodosia Igorevna, the Ryazan princess, was the third wife of Yaroslav. The eldest son was the holy noble prince Theodore (+ 1233), who reposed in the Lord at the age of 15. Saint Alexander was their second son.
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Origin of Alexander Nevsky (family tree)
Alexander's maternal and paternal ancestor was a glorious warrior and wise ruler Vladimir Monomakh . His son Yuri, nicknamed Dolgoruky, became famous not only for his military valor, but also for his cruelty. From 1176 to 1212, the youngest son of Yuri Dolgorukov, Vsevolod, was the Prince of Vladimir. Vsevolod received the nickname Big Nest because he had many sons. After his death, his sons divided the principality into parts and waged fierce strife. One of them was Yaroslav Prince Pereslavl - Zalessky father of Alexander Nevsky.
The first years of the young prince were spent in Pereslavl, where his father reigned. When Alexander was 5 years old, Prince Yaroslav gave his son a “princely tonsure,” after which the experienced governor, boyar Fyodor Danilovich, began training him in military affairs.
Alexander studied the rules of etiquette, writing and reading, and the history of his great ancestors. In Novgorod, under his father, he studied internal and external diplomacy, learned the art of subjugating the boyars and commanding a fickle and menacing crowd. He learned this by being present at the meeting, sometimes at the council, listening to his father’s conversations. But a special place in the training and education of the prince was given to military affairs. Alexander learned to use a horse, defensive and offensive weapons, to be a tournament knight and to know the formation of foot and horse, the tactics of field battle and siege of a fortress.
Increasingly, the young prince traveled with his father’s squad to distant and nearby cities, to hunt, took part in collecting princely tribute, and most importantly, in military battles. With the upbringing of that time, strong characters developed in the princely environment very early. The political situation of the early Middle Ages implied frequent military actions and violent internal intrigues. This, in turn, was a good “visual aid” for the emerging commander. The example of our ancestors obliged us to be a hero.
At the age of 14 in 1234. Alexander's first campaign took place (under his father's banner) against the Livonian Germans (battle on the Emajõgi River (in present-day Estonia)).
In 1227, Prince Yaroslav, at the request of the Novgorodians, was sent by his brother, Grand Duke Yuri of Vladimir, to reign in Novgorod the Great. He took with him his sons, Saints Theodore and Alexander.
The daughter of Saint Michael of Chernigov (+ 1246; commemorated September 20), Theodulia, became engaged to Saint Theodore, the elder brother of Saint Alexander. But after the death of the groom in 1233, the young princess went to a monastery and became famous in her monastic feat as Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal (+ 1250) .
In 1236, Yaroslav left to reign in Kyiv and Alexander, who was already 16 years old, began to rule independently in Novgorod. Novgorodians were proud of their prince. He acted as a defender of orphans and widows, and was an assistant to the hungry. From a young age the prince revered the priesthood and monasticism, i.e. was a prince from God and obedient to God. In the first years of his reign, he had to strengthen Novgorod, since the Tatar Mongols threatened from the east. Alexander built several fortresses on the Sheloni River.
In 1239, Saint Alexander entered into marriage, taking as his wife the daughter of the Polotsk prince Bryachislav.
Some historians say that the princess in Holy Baptism was the namesake of her holy husband and bore the name Alexandra. Father, Yaroslav, blessed them at the wedding with the holy miraculous icon Feodorovskaya Mother of God (in Baptism my father’s name was Theodore). This icon was then constantly with Saint Alexander, as his prayer image, and then, in memory of him, it was taken from the Gorodets Monastery, where he died, by his brother, Vasily Yaroslavich of Kostroma (+ 1276), and transferred to Kostroma.
Historical situation at the beginning of the reign of Alexander Nevsky
Map 1239—1245
The reign of Alexander Nevsky (1236-1263) coincided with one of the most difficult and tragic periods of Russian history: Mongol hordes were coming from the east, knightly hordes of “crusaders” (Swedes and German knights of the Livonian Order) were advancing from the west.The horror of this situation was expressed in the fact that, on the one hand, the threat of invasion of the steppe nomads - the Mongols - loomed over the Russian lands, which certainly led to enslavement, at best, and destruction at worst. On the other hand, on the Baltic side, the best option promised the Russian people a renunciation of the Christian faith and kneeling before the banners of Western Catholicism.
In addition, the 12th - 13th centuries were a period of feudal fragmentation. Rus' was weakened by the internecine wars that overwhelmed it. Each principality tried to exist in its own way. Brother went at brother. Everything was used: murder, entering into family ties with authoritative foreign families, incest, intrigue, flirting and simultaneous cruelty with the townspeople. The historical conditions of the period in which the princes were placed pushed them to take certain actions.
The noble prince Alexander Nevsky became the central figure of the new, reborn from the ruins of the petty princely appanages of Rus', and it was to him that eyes were turned as to the defender and unifier of the lands in the face of the Golden Horde threat.
Battle of the Neva (1240)
The victory he won on the banks of the Neva, near Lake Ladoga on July 15, 1240 over the Swedes, who, according to legend, were commanded by the future ruler of Sweden, Earl Birger, brought universal glory to the young prince.
Alexander personally took part in the battle. It is believed that it was for this victory that the prince began to be calledNevsky . Historians called the battle itself.
Taking advantage of Batu's invasion, the destruction of Russian cities, the confusion and grief of the people, the death of their best sons and leaders, hordes of crusaders invaded the borders of the Fatherland.
Saint Alexander, who was not yet 20 years old at the time, prayed for a long time in the Church of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God. Coming out of the temple, Saint Alexander strengthened his squad with words filled with faith: “God is not in power, but in righteousness. Some with weapons, others on horses, but we will call on the Name of the Lord our God! They wavered and fell, but we rose up and were strong.”
With a small retinue, trusting in the Holy Trinity, the prince hurried towards the enemies - there was no time to wait for help from his father, who did not yet know about the enemy attack. Novgorod was left to its own devices. Rus', defeated by the Tatars, could not provide him with any support.
Alexander had only his small squad and a detachment of Novgorod warriors. The lack of forces had to be compensated for by a surprise attack on the Swedish camp.
The Swedes, tired of the sea crossing, took a rest. Ordinary warriors rested on ships. The servants set up tents on the shore for the commanders and knights.On the morning of July 15, 1240, he attacked the Swedes. The Swedes who were on the ships could not come to the aid of those who were on shore. The enemy found himself divided into two parts. The squad, led by Alexander himself, dealt the main blow to the Swedes. A fierce battle ensued.
The small Russian army completely defeated the significantly superior enemy forces. Neither numerical superiority, nor military skill, nor the magical spells of the Swedish bishops could save the enemy from complete defeat. Alexander struck the leader of the invasion, Jarl Birger, in the face with his spear.
The victory in the eyes of his contemporaries placed him on a pedestal of great glory. The impression of the victory was all the stronger because it happened during a difficult time of adversity in the rest of Rus'. In the eyes of the people on Alexander and Novgorod land, the special grace of God was manifested.
Nevertheless, the Novgorodians, always jealous of their liberties, managed to quarrel with Alexander that same year, and he retired to his father, who gave him Pereslavl-Zalessky.
Novgorod especially stood out from the Russian cities of that time and occupied one of the dominant positions. It was independent from Kievan Rus.
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Map of the Russian principalities at the beginning of the 13th century.
Back in 1136, it was established in the Novgorod land republican government. According to the form of government, it was a feudal democratic republic with elements of oligarchy. The upper class were the boyars, who owned land and capital and lent money to merchants. The institution of public administration was the Veche, which summoned and approved Novgorod princes from nearby principalities (as a rule, from the Vladimir-Suzdal principality).The figure of the prince in Novgorod was not so authoritative; he had to swear allegiance to the Novgorod republic. The prince's functions were civil justice and defense, and during the war he was also the main military leader. Residents of the city had the right to accept or not accept the prince. The opinion of townspeople influenced certain political decisions. Naturally, the assessment of the significance of these decisions for the state was not always adequate. Their view came from the problems of current, everyday life, as if from their “everyday bell tower”. There was also the danger of a riot. Conflicts between boyars and ordinary people were frequent. Particular aggravation of contradictions was observed in economically unstable and politically alarming moments. The reason could be a bad harvest or the danger of military intervention from foreigners. Alexander Nevsky's father, Yaroslav, spent his entire life either quarreling with the Novgorodians or getting along with them again. Several times the Novgorodians drove him out for his tough temper and violence, and several times they invited him again, as if they were unable to do without him. To please the Novgorodians meant to raise their authority among the entire Russian people.
Ice battle on Lake Peipsi (1242)
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Ice battle
In 1240, while Alexander was fighting the Swedes, German crusaders began the conquest of the Pskov region, and in the following 1241 the Germans took Pskov itself. In 1242, encouraged by successes, the Livonian Order, having gathered the German crusaders of the Baltic states, the Danish knights from Revel, enlisting the support of the papal curia and the long-time rivals of the Novgorodians, the Pskovs, invaded the Novgorod lands.
The Novgorodians first turned to Yaroslav, and then asked Alexander to protect them. Since danger threatened not only Novgorod, but the entire Russian land, Alexander, forgetting for a while about past grievances, immediately set off to clear the Novgorod lands of the German invaders.
In 1241, Alexander came to Novgorod and cleared his region of enemies, and the next year, together with his brother Andrei, he moved to the aid of Pskov, where the German governors were sitting.
Alexander liberated Pskov and from here, without wasting time, moved to the border of the Livonian Order, which ran along Lake Peipsi.
Both sides began to prepare for the decisive battle. It happened on the ice of Lake Peipus, near the Crow Stone April 5, 1242 and went down in history as Ice battle . The German knights were defeated. The Livonian Order was faced with the need to conclude a peace, according to which the crusaders renounced their claims to Russian lands, and also transferred part of Latgale.
They say that it was then that Alexander uttered words that became prophetic on Russian soil:“Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword!”
After the Swedes and Germans, Alexander turned his arms on the Lithuanians and with a series of victories (in 1242 and 1245) showed them that they could not raid Russian lands with impunity. According to the chroniclers, Alexander Nevsky instilled such fear in the Livonians that they began to “fear his name.” So, in 1256, the Swedes again tried to take away the Finnish coast from Novgorod and, together with the subject Emya, began to build a fortress on the river. Narov; but at one rumor about the approach of Alexander with the Suzdal and Novgorod regiments, they left. To frighten the Swedes, Alexander made a campaign into the Swedish possessions, into the country of Emi (present-day Finland), subjecting it to devastation.
Around this time, in 1251. Pope Innocent IV sent an embassy to Alexander Nevsky with an offer to accept Catholicism, allegedly in exchange for his help in the joint fight against the Mongols. This proposal was rejected by Alexander in the most categorical form.
The struggle with the Livonians and the Swedes was, in essence, a struggle between the Orthodox East and the Catholic West. In the conditions of terrible trials that befell the Russian lands, Alexander Nevsky managed to find the strength to resist the Western conquerors, gaining fame as a great Russian commander.
The successful military actions of Alexander Nevsky ensured the security of the western borders of Rus' for a long time, but in the east the Russian princes had to bow their heads before a much stronger enemy - the Mongol-Tatars.
Relations with the Golden Horde
Map of the Golden Horde in the 13th century.
Golden Horde
- a medieval state in Eurasia, formed as a result of the division of the empire of Genghis Khan between his sons. Founded in 1243 by Batu Khan. Geographically, the Golden Horde occupied most of the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia, the flat part of the Caspian and Turan lowlands, Crimea, as well as the Eastern European steppes to the Danube. The core of the state was the Kypchak steppe. The Russian lands were not part of the Golden Horde, but fell into vassalage - the population paid tribute and obeyed the orders of the khans. The capital of the Golden Horde was the city of Sarai, or Saray-Batu, founded near present-day Astrakhan.
From 1224 to 1266, the Golden Horde was part of the Mongol Empire.
Khan's headquarters
Numerous raids of the Mongol-Tatars on Russian lands in 1227-1241. did not entail the immediate establishment of foreign domination. The Mongol-Tatar yoke, which lasted until 1480, began only in 1242. (since the Russian princes began to pay tribute).
In 1266, under Khan Mengu-Timur, it gained complete independence, retaining only formal dependence on the imperial center. In the 13th century, the state religion was paganism and for part of the population Orthodoxy. Since 1312, Islam became the dominant and only religion.
By the middle of the 15th century, the Golden Horde split into several independent khanates; its central part, which nominally continued to be considered supreme - the Great Horde, ceased to exist at the beginning of the 16th century.
In 1243 Khan Batu (grandson of Genghis Khan), the ruler of the western part of the Mongolian state - the Golden Horde, presented the label of the Grand Duke of Vladimir for the management of the conquered Russian lands to Alexander's father - Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. The Great Khan of the Mongols Guyuk summoned the Grand Duke to his capital Karakorum, where Yaroslav unexpectedly died on September 30, 1246 (according to the generally accepted version, he was poisoned). Then, in 1247, at the request of Batu, his sons, Alexander and Andrei, were summoned to the capital of the Golden Horde, Sarai-Batu. Batu sent them to worship the great Khan Gayuk in Mongolia (Korakorum). While the Yaroslavichs were getting to Mongolia, Khan Guyuk himself died, and the new mistress of Karakorum, Khansha Ogul-Gamish, decided to appoint Andrei Grand Duke of Vladimir (Vladimir at that time was the largest political center of all Russian lands). It should be noted that Andrei did not come to supreme power by seniority, bypassing several contenders to whom the grand-ducal throne rightfully belonged. Alexander received control of southern Rus' (Kyiv) and Novgorod, devastated as a result of the raids. After the Tatar devastation, Kyiv lost all significance; Therefore, Alexander settled in Novgorod.
Alexander Nevsky clearly understood that keeping the northwestern borders of Rus' intact, as well as keeping access to the Baltic Sea open, was possible only if there were peaceful relations with the Golden Horde - Rus' did not have the strength to fight against two powerful enemies at that time. The second half of the famous commander’s life was glorious not with military victories, but with diplomatic ones, no less necessary than military ones.
Given the small number and fragmentation of the Russian population in the eastern lands at that time, it was impossible to even think about liberation from the power of the Tatars. Ruined and mired in poverty and feudal fragmentation, it was almost impossible for the Russian princes to gather any army to provide worthy resistance to the Tatar-Mongols. Under these conditions, Alexander decided to get along with the Tatars at all costs. This was all the easier because the Mongols, who mercilessly exterminated everyone who resisted them, were quite generous and lenient towards the submissive peoples and their religious beliefs.
Not all Russian princes shared the views of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Among them were both supporters of the Horde and supporters of the West, inclined to introduce Catholicism in Rus' and submit to Rome. Supporters of a pro-Western course of development in the fight against the Tatar yoke hoped for help from Europe. Negotiations with the Pope were conducted by Saint Michael of Chernigov, Prince Daniil of Galicia, brother of Saint Alexander, Andrey. But Saint Alexander knew well the fate of Constantinople, which was captured and destroyed in 1204 by the crusaders. And his own experience taught him not to trust the West. Daniil Galitsky paid for an alliance with the pope, which did not give him anything, with betrayal of Orthodoxy - union with Rome. Saint Alexander did not want this for his native Church. Catholicism was unacceptable for the Russian Church; union meant a renunciation of Orthodoxy, a renunciation of the source of spiritual life, a renunciation of the historical future intended by God, and dooming oneself to spiritual death.
5 years later, in 1252, in Karakorum, Ogul-Gamish was overthrown by the new great khan Mongke (Mengke). Taking advantage of this circumstance and deciding to remove Andrei Yaroslavich from the great reign, Batu presented the label of Grand Duke to Alexander Nevsky, who was urgently summoned to the capital of the Golden Horde, Sarai-Batu.
But Alexander’s younger brother, Andrei Yaroslavich, supported by his brother Prince Yaroslav of Tver and Prince Daniil Romanovich of Galicia, refused to submit to Batu’s decision and even stopped paying tribute to the Horde. But the time to repel the Horde had not yet come - there were not sufficient forces for this in the Russian lands.
To punish the disobedient princes, Batu sends Mongol cavalry under the command of Nevryuy. It was a terrible, bloody campaign, which remains in the chronicles as "Nevryuev's army" . Andrei, in alliance with his brother, Yaroslav Tverskoy, fought with the Tatars, but was defeated and fled through Novgorod to Sweden to seek help from those whom, with the help of God, his great brother crushed on the Neva. This was the first attempt to openly oppose the Tatars in northern Rus'. During the invasion of the “Nevryuev Army,” Alexander Nevsky was in the Horde.
After Andrei's flight, the great principality of Vladimir, by the will of the khan, passed to Alexander Nevsky. He accepted this post from the hands of Sartak, the son of Batu, with whom he became friends during his first visit to the Horde. Sartak was a Nestorian Christian. Saint Alexander became the sole Grand Duke of all Rus': Vladimir, Kyiv and Novgorod, and retained this title for 10 years, until his death.
F.A. Moskvitin. Alexander Nevsky and Sartak in the Horde.
In 1256, Alexander's ally Khan Batu died and in the same year Batu's son Sartak was poisoned because of his sympathies for Christianity.
Then Alexander again went to Sarai to confirm the peaceful relations of Rus' and the Horde with the new khan Berke.
The new khan (Berke), for a more accurate taxation of the population, ordered a second census in Rus' (the first census was taken under Yaroslav Vsevolodovich). Alexander was able to negotiate the payment of tribute in exchange for military assistance. The treaty with the Mongols can be called Alexander's first diplomatic victory. L.N. Gumilyov sees the significance of this agreement for the Russian princes in the fact that they retained greater freedom of action, that is, they could solve internal problems at their own discretion. At the same time, “Alexander was interested in the prospect of receiving military assistance from the Mongols to resist pressure from the West and internal opposition.”
But it was the agreement that served as the reason for the riot in Novgorod.Novgorod was not, like other Russian cities, conquered by Tatar weapons, and the Novgorodians did not think that they would have to voluntarily pay a shameful tribute.
During the Mongol invasion of Rus' and the subsequent Mongol and Horde campaigns, Novgorod managed to avoid ruin due to the remote location of the republic. But the southeastern cities of the Novgorod possessions (Torzhok, Volok, Vologda, Bezhetsk) were plundered and devastated.
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In 1259, an uprising began in Novgorod, lasting about a year and a half, during which the Novgorodians did not submit to the Mongols. Even Alexander’s son, Prince Vasily, was on the side of the townspeople. The situation was very dangerous. Once again a threat arose to the very existence of Rus'.
Alexander knew that he had to force the Novgorodians to accept the census. At the same time, the prince did not want to bring matters to an armed conflict with the Novgorodians and shed Russian blood. The task facing Alexander as a commander and politician was extremely difficult: the proud Novgorodians vowed to die rather than recognize the power of the “filthy” over themselves. It seemed that nothing could undermine their resolve. However, the prince knew these people well - as brave as they were frivolous and impressionable. Quick to speak, the Novgorodians were, like peasants, not in a hurry to get to work. Moreover, their determination to fight was by no means unanimous. Boyars, merchants, wealthy artisans - although they did not dare to openly call for prudence, in their hearts they were ready to pay off the Tatars.
Realizing that the obstinacy of the Novgorodians could cause the Khan’s anger and a new invasion of Rus', Alexander personally restored order, executing the most active participants in the unrest and obtained consent from the Novgorodians to a census of the population at a universal tribute. Novgorod was broken and obeyed the order to send tribute to the Golden Horde. Few understood then that dire necessity forced Alexander to act in such a way that, had he acted differently, a new terrible Tatar pogrom would have fallen on the unfortunate Russian land.
In his desire to establish peaceful relations with the Horde, Alexander was not a traitor to the interests of Rus'. He acted as common sense told him. An experienced politician of the Suzdal-Novgorod school, he knew how to see the line between the possible and the impossible. Submitting to circumstances, maneuvering among them, he followed the path of the least evil. He was, above all, a good owner and most of all cared about the well-being of his land.
Historian G.V. Vernadsky wrote: “...The two feats of Alexander Nevsky - the feat of warfare in the West and the feat of humility in the East - had a single goal - the preservation of Orthodoxy as a source of moral and political strength of the Russian people.”
Death of Alexander Nevsky
In 1262, unrest broke out in Vladimir, Suzdal, Rostov, Pereyaslavl, Yaroslavl and other cities, where the Khan's Baskaks were killed and Tatar tribute farmers were expelled. The Tatar regiments were already ready to move to Rus'.
To appease the Golden Horde Khan Berke, Alexander Nevsky personally went with gifts to the Horde. He managed to avert disaster and even achieved benefits for the Russians in the delivery of military detachments for the Tatars.
The Khan kept the prince near him all winter and summer; Only in the fall did Alexander get the opportunity to return to Vladimir, but on the wayfell ill and fell ill in Gorodets on the Volga, where he took monastic vows and the schema with the name Alexy. Alexander wanted to accept the great schema - the most complete type of monastic tonsure. Of course, he tonsured the dying man, and even to the highest monastic degree! - contradicted the very idea of monasticism. However, an exception was made for Alexander. Later, following his example, many Russian princes accepted the schema before their death. This has become a kind of custom. Alexander Nevsky died November 14, 1263 . He was only 43 years old.
G. Semiradsky. Death of Alexander Nevsky
His body was buried in the Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin. Numerous healings were noted during the burial.
“The Life of Alexander Nevsky” is notable for the fact that it was written at the end of the 13th century. a contemporary of events, a person who personally knew the prince,and therefore, it is of great importance for understanding how the personality of Alexander Nevsky was assessed in those distant times, and what was the significance of the events in which he was a participant.
Veneration and canonization
The people glorified Alexander Nevsky long before his canonization by the Church. Already in the 1280s, the veneration of Alexander Nevsky as a saint began in Vladimir.
The church-wide glorification of Saint Alexander Nevsky took place under Metropolitan Macarius at the Moscow Council of 1547. Alexander Nevsky was the only Orthodox secular ruler not only in Rus', but throughout Europe, who did not compromise with the Catholic Church in order to maintain power.
The story of the relics of Alexander Nevsky
In 1380, the incorrupt relics of Alexander Nevsky were discovered in Vladimir and placed in a shrine on top of the ground. In 1697, Metropolitan Hilarion of Suzdal placed the relics in a new shrine, decorated with carvings and covered with a precious shroud.
Moskvitin Philip Alexandrovich. Transfer of the relics of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky by Emperor Peter I to St. Petersburg.
In 1724, by order of Peter I, the relics were transferred to St. Petersburg to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where they now rest in the Trinity Church.
I.A. Ivanov. "Alexandro-Nevsky Lavra from the Neva" (1815).
In the middle of the 18th century, on the orders of Peter's daughter, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, a heavy silver shrine was made for the relics. The first silver was awarded to the raku from the Kolyvan factories in Siberia. The shrine was made at the St. Petersburg Mint by outstanding court craftsmen of that time; it became the most striking work of art of that time and was mentioned in many literary works and travel accounts of foreigners. The cancer was placed in a huge multi-tiered sarcophagus made of pure silver with a total weight of almost one and a half tons - nowhere in the world is there such a grandiose structure made of this precious metal. The decoration of the sarcophagus uses embossing and cast medallions depicting the life and exploits of Alexander Nevsky.
In 1922, during the period of fierce expropriation of church wealth, the relics of the prince, enclosed in a multi-pound silver sarcophagus, were removed from the cathedral and for a long time were in the Museum of Religion and Atheism. And the whole point was precisely in this sarcophagus, in which the Bolsheviks saw a large piece of precious silver - 89 poods 22 pounds 1 with 1/3 spool. In May 1922, this shrine was mercilessly torn down from its pedestal by a group of working comrades. The autopsy was more like a public desecration...
Looting of the tomb of Alexander Nevsky by the Bolsheviks
She, like the priceless iconostasis of the Kazan Cathedral, was destined to be melted down. But the then director of the Hermitage, Alexander Benois, sent a desperate telegram to Moscow with a request to transfer the work of jewelry to the people's museum. The iconostasis of the Kazan Cathedral then, alas, could not be defended, and the shrine was transferred to the Hermitage. For almost 20 years it stood in the silver gallery, haunting many senior government officials. Why - almost one and a half tons of silver are standing in the halls in vain! Letters from both business executives and defenders of the sarcophagus were periodically sent to Moscow. True, Alexander’s ashes had already been removed from it and were moved to the Kazan Cathedral.
In June 1989, the relics of the Grand Duke were returned to the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Today they are available for worship and are kept in a modest copper sarcophagus.
The story with the relics and shrine of the Grand Duke is not over yet. Prominent church leaders have repeatedly appealed to the Russian government to transfer the silver shrine to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in order to place the relics of the holy prince there again.
Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK
for the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills
In 2008, in an all-Russian vote among Internet users on the topic of the greatest figure in Russian history, the name of Prince Alexander Nevsky was put in first place. He received 524,575 votes. Second place went to Pyotr Stolypin - 523,766 votes, third - Joseph Stalin - 519,071. At the same time, however, the activities of Alexander Nevsky are assessed ambiguously by historiansBiography of Prince Alexander Nevsky. Briefly
Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, the son of the famous Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest, had a rich biography. He reigned in Pereyasl (1200-1206), Pereyaslavl-Zalessky (1212-1238), Kyiv (1236-1238, 1243-1246), Vladimir (1238-1246), four times in Veliky Novgorod (1215, 1221-1223, 1226 -1229, 1231-1236)
“Novgorod, built on the banks of the Volkhov, not far from the source of this river flowing from Lake Ilmen, was at the crossroads of trade routes important both for Kievan Rus and for the whole of Northern Europe. In the 11th–13th centuries, Novgorod was a large, well-organized city. His Kremlin was fortified with a stone wall and included the St. Sophia Cathedral (which was also a repository of state documents) and the bishop's courtyard. Opposite the Kremlin there was a marketplace, a veche square, courtyards of foreign merchants and churches of merchant corporations. The banks of the Volkhov were divided into piers and densely lined with ships and boats from different countries and cities. Monasteries were located along the periphery of the city. The city was paved with wooden pavements, regarding which there was even a special statute on street paving. In the 12th–13th centuries, the main population of Novgorod consisted of artisans of a wide variety of specialties: blacksmiths, potters, gold and silversmiths, many craftsmen who specialized in the manufacture of a certain type of product - shield makers, archers, saddle makers, comb makers, nail makers, etc. Novgorod's relations were connected with Kiev and Byzantium, with Volga Bulgaria and the Caspian countries, with Gotland and the entire Southern Baltic. The real power in the city belonged to the boyars. The Novgorod boyars many times showed their will in relation to the great princes and prince-governors, whom Kyiv sent to Novgorod. In the last quarter of the 11th century, the chronicle formula for announcing the beginning of the reign of a new prince changed significantly; Previously they said: the Grand Duke of Kiev “planted” the prince in Novgorod. Now they began to say: the Novgorodians “introduced” the prince to themselves. In the 12th–13th centuries, the princes of Novgorod were essentially hired military leaders” (B. A. Rybakov “World of History”)
“This nickname is not found in the most ancient chronicles: he is simply called Alexander in the Novgorod Chronicle, as well as “Novgorod Prince” and “Grand Duke” in the Laurentian Chronicle. Alexander’s nickname Nevsky appears in all-Russian codes of the late 15th century” (“Around the World” No. 10, 2016)
The map of the Battle of the Ice in the textbook is familiar to many generations of Russians. Although historical sources lack not only a plan for the formation of troops with arrows: the composition of the participants in this battle, the exact location, and the losses of the parties are unknown. Not a single document mentions knights falling through the ice. And authoritative historians Vasily Klyuchevsky and Mikhail Pokrovsky do not mention the battle on Lake Peipus at all in their detailed and voluminous works. Moreover, in the 1950s, an expedition from the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences did not make any important finds at the supposed site of the massacre. The Livonian “Rhymed Chronicle” tells us about 20 dead and 6 captured knights. The later “Chronicle of Grandmasters” speaks of the death of 70 “order gentlemen” (along with those who died in the battle of Pskov). The Novgorod Chronicle claims that ours killed 400 Germans, captured another 50, and the Estonian militias fell “innumerable.” It is clear that every sandpiper praises his own swamp: Livonian chroniclers write that for every German there were 60 Russians. But these exaggerations seem innocent in comparison with the version of the Stalin era: most of the 15 thousand participants in the “Teutonic crusade against Rus'” died in the Battle of the Ice. (It is important) to understand what happened in the Baltic states in the 12th-13th centuries. Of course, there was no smell of a crusade. In the buffer zone on the territory of Latvia, Estonia and the Pskov region, internecine turmoil took place. The Swedes and their Suomi allies carried out raids in 1142, 1164, 1249, 1293, 1300. The Novgorodians, together with the Karelians, invaded in 1178, 1187, 1198. The most bizarre blocs and unions were formed. In 1236, the Lithuanians defeated the Teutonic Order near Siauliai, on whose side the allied Pskovites fought - “a man of two hundred,” as the chronicle states. And the prehistory of the Battle of the Ice, according to the chronicles, is as follows: in 1242, Prince Alexander Nevsky captured the German fortress of Koporye, suppressed the dissatisfied in Pskov and led an army into the land of Chud (Estonians), allowing them to fight “for prosperity” (that is, to ruin farms). But, having received a turn, Nevsky turned back, and the entire available order force and angry Estonians rushed “after” him. We caught up on Lake Peipus - no one in their right mind would plan a battle on the ice in early April in advance! (“Arguments of the Week”, No. 34(576) dated 08/31/2017)
“The Battle of the Neva and the Battle of the Ice were just two episodes in the history of complex relations between the Teutonic Order, Novgorod, Pskov, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. The goals of the Swedes and the order, who tried to convert the pagan tribes of the Curonians, Livs, Estonians, Semigallians to Catholicism and establish themselves on their lands, collided with the interests of Pskov and Novgorod, which collected tribute and trade there. Prince Alexander took the side of Novgorod. Armed conflicts also occurred after 1242: for example, in 1253 the Germans burned the Pskov settlement. There were examples of friendly communication. In 1231, it was the Germans who saved the Novgorodians from hunger, “coming running with life and flour” (“Around the World”)
“In 1251, Alexander came to Batu’s Horde, became friends, and then fraternized with his son Sartak, as a result of which he became the adopted son of the khan. The union of the Horde and Rus' was realized thanks to the patriotism and dedication of Prince Alexander" (L. Gumilyov)
(no documents confirming Gumilyov’s message were found)
“Under the conditions of terrible trials that befell the Orthodox lands in the first half of the 13th century, Alexander - perhaps the only secular ruler - did not doubt his spiritual righteousness, did not waver in his faith, and did not abandon his God. Refusing joint actions with Catholics against the Horde, he unexpectedly becomes the last powerful stronghold of Orthodoxy, the last defender of the entire Orthodox world. And the people understood and accepted this, forgiving the real Alexander Yaroslavich for all the cruelties and injustices about which the ancient Russian chroniclers preserved a lot of evidence. Defense of the ideals of Orthodoxy atoned for (but did not justify, as many modern historians do) his political sins. Could the Orthodox Church not recognize such a ruler as a saint? Apparently, that’s why he was canonized not as a righteous man, but as a noble prince” (I. A. Danilevsky, Russian historian)
Two points of view on the activities of Alexander Nevsky
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An outstanding commander who won all the battles in which he participated, combining determination with prudence, a man of great personal courage. Subtle politician. Defender of Russian lands from the Crusaders and Orthodoxy from the onslaught of Catholicism
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He recognized the supreme power of the Mongol-Tatars, did not try to organize resistance to them, and contributed to the occupiers in establishing a system of exploitation of Russian lands
The dominance of the first point of view
About Alexander Nevsky it’s either good or nothing. But behind the glorification of the exploits of the Russian prince, a real historical figure is lost. An analysis of historical sources shows that the figure of Alexander Nevsky is not without intrigue.
Loyal to the Horde
Historians are still arguing about the relationship between Alexander Nevsky and the Horde. Eurasian scholar Lev Gumilyov wrote that in 1251 Alexander Nevsky fraternized with Batu’s son Sartak, “as a result of which he became the son of the khan and in 1252 brought the Tatar corps to Rus' with the experienced noyon Nevryuy.” According to Gumilyov, Alexander confidently created an alliance with the Golden Horde, and this alliance is viewed not as a yoke, but as a benefit.
The scientist states that during the time of Alexander Nevsky there was a political and military alliance between Rus' and the Horde.
According to another version, more widespread, Alexander Nevsky had no other choice, and he chose the lesser of two evils. Pressure from the West and the desire of Rome to spread Catholicism in Rus' forced Alexander to make concessions to the East, because it was tolerant of Orthodoxy. Thus, Alexander Nevsky preserved Orthodox Rus'.
But the historian Igor Danilevsky focuses on the fact that sometimes in chronicle sources Alexander Nevsky appears as a power-hungry and cruel person who entered into an alliance with the Tatars to strengthen his personal power.
But the harshest assessment of Nevsky’s “Tatarophilia” belongs to academician Valentin Yanin: “Alexander Nevsky, having concluded an alliance with the Horde, subjugated Novgorod to Horde influence. He extended Tatar power to Novgorod, which was never conquered by the Tatars. Moreover, he gouged out the eyes of dissenting Novgorodians, and there were many sins of all sorts behind him.”
In 1257, news came to Novgorod that the Horde wanted to take tamga and tithes from the Novgorodians. At that time, Alexander’s son, Vasily, ruled in Veliky Novgorod, and Nevsky himself reigned in Vladimir. The Novgorodians refuse to pay tribute to the Horde, and Alexander prepares a punitive campaign against the rebellious city. Vasily Alexandrovich flees to neighboring Pskov. But soon his father catches up with him and sends him “to Niz”, to the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, and executed those “who led Vasily to evil”: “I cut off one’s nose, and took out another’s eyes.” For this, the Novgorodians killed Aleksandrov’s protégé of the mayor Mikhalko Stepanich.
Commander
Recently, there has been a strong opinion that Western Europe did not seriously threaten Rus', and therefore the value of the battles won by Alexander Nevsky was not great. We are talking, in particular, about downplaying the significance of the victory in the Battle of the Neva.
For example, historian Igor Danilevsky notes that “the Swedes, judging by the Chronicle of Eric, which tells in detail about the events in this region in the 13th century, managed not to notice this battle at all.”
However, the largest Russian specialist in the history of the Baltic region, Igor Shaskolsky, objects to such an assessment, noting that “in medieval Sweden, until the beginning of the 14th century, no major narrative works were created on the history of the country, such as Russian chronicles and large Western European chronicles.”
The Battle of the Ice is also subject to depreciation. The battle appears to be a battle in which numerous troops were killed. Based on information from the “Elder Livonian Rhymed Chronicle,” which indicates only 20 knights who died during the battle, some experts talk about the insignificant scale of the battle. However, according to historian Dmitry Volodikhin, the Chronicle did not take into account the losses among the Danish mercenaries, Baltic tribes, and militias who formed the backbone of the army who took part in the battle.
Some historians estimate the army of Alexander Nevsky at 15-17 thousand people, and the German soldiers who opposed him at 10-12 thousand. It happens even more - 18 thousand to 15.
However, on the 78th page of the first Novgorod chronicle of the older edition it is written: “... and the fall of Chudi became merciless, and the German was 400, and with 50 hands he brought him to Novgorod.” The figure grows in the following chronicle, the younger version: “... and the fall of Chudi became devoid of power, and the German 500, and the other 50 with his hands were brought to Novgorod.”
The Laurentian Chronicle fits the entire story about the battle into three lines and does not even indicate the number of soldiers and those killed. Apparently this is unimportant and not significant?
“The Life of Alexander Nevsky” is a more artistic source than a documentary one. It has a completely different angle of view: spiritual. And from the spiritual side, sometimes one person is stronger than a thousand.
One cannot ignore the successful campaigns of Alexander Nevsky against the German, Swedish and Lithuanian feudal lords. In particular, in 1245, with the Novgorod army, Alexander defeated the Lithuanian prince Mindovg, who attacked Torzhok and Bezhetsk. Moreover, having released the Novgorodians, Alexander, with the help of his squad, pursued the remnants of the Lithuanian army, during which he defeated another Lithuanian detachment near Usvyat. In total, judging by the sources that have reached us, Alexander Nevsky conducted 12 military operations and did not lose in any of them.
How many wives?
In the life of Alexander Nevsky it is reported that in 1239 Saint Alexander entered into marriage, taking as his wife the daughter of the Polotsk prince Bryachislav. Some historians say that the princess in Holy Baptism was the namesake of her holy husband and bore the name Alexandra. At the same time, you can find reports that there was another wife: “Alexandra, the prince’s first wife, Vassa, his second wife, and daughter Evdokia were buried in the cathedral of the Princess Monastery.” This is what is written in the “History of the Russian State” by N.M. Karamzin: "
After the death of his first wife, named Alexandra, daughter of the Polotsk Prince Bryachislav, Nevsky had a second marriage with an unknown Princess Vassa, whose body lies in the Dormition Monastery of Vladimir, in the Church of the Nativity of Christ, where his daughter, Evdokia, was buried."
And yet, the existence of Alexander’s second wife raises doubts among both historians and ordinary people who honor the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky. There is even an opinion that Vassa is the monastic name of Alexandra Bryachislavovna.
Overthrow of Brother
It is known that in 1252, the brother of Alexander Nevsky, Andrei Yaroslavich, was expelled from the reign of Vladimir by the “Nevryuev Army” sent to him by Batu. According to popular belief, the prince was deprived of his label for failure to appear in the Horde, but the sources do not contain any information about Andrei Yaroslavich being summoned to Sarai.
The chronicles say that Alexander went to the Don to visit Batu’s son Sartak and complained that Andrei did not receive the grand-ducal table according to seniority and did not pay tribute to the Mongols in full.
The historian Dmitry Zenin is inclined to see his brother Alexander as the initiator of the overthrow of Andrei, since, in his opinion, Batu did not particularly understand all the intricacies of Russian inter-princely accounts and could not accept such responsibility.
Moreover, some researchers under the name “Nevryu” mean Alexander Nevsky himself. The basis for this is the fact that the Neva in the common Mongolian language sounded like “Nevra”. In addition, it is quite strange that the name of the commander Nevruy, who was a rank higher than Temnik, is not mentioned anywhere else.
Saint
Prince Alexander Nevsky was canonized as a saint. Because of Soviet propaganda, this ruler is most often presented as a successful warrior (he really did not lose a single battle in his entire life!), and it seems that he became famous only for his military merits, and holiness became something of a “reward” from Churches.
Why was he canonized? Not only because the prince did not agree to an alliance with the Latins. Surprisingly, through his efforts an Orthodox diocese was created in the Golden Horde. And the preaching of Christianity spread to the north - to the lands of the Pomors.
This rank of saints - the faithful - includes the laity who are 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.”
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 of 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 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 is surprising that in the 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. At different years of his life, 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 popular belief that the Church canonized almost all the rulers of the Middle Ages, only a few of them were glorified. Thus, among Russian saints of princely origin, the majority were glorified as saints for their martyrdom for the sake of their neighbors and for the sake of preserving the Christian faith.
–Through the efforts of Alexander Nevsky, the preaching of Christianity spread to the northern lands of the Pomors. He also managed to 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 building relations with the Horde, and even more so as a monk and saint, he was completely inappropriate for the Soviet government. That’s why Sergei Eisenstein’s masterpiece “Alexander Nevsky” does not tell about the prince’s entire life, but only about the battle on Lake Peipsi. This gave rise to a common stereotype that Prince Alexander was canonized for his military services, and holiness itself became something of a “reward” from the Church.
– The veneration of Prince Alexander as a saint began immediately after his death, and at the same time a fairly detailed “Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” was compiled. The official canonization of the prince took place in 1547.
The Life of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky
Portal “Word”
Prince Alexander Nevsky is one of those great people in the history of our Fatherland, whose activities not only influenced the destinies of the country and people, but largely changed them and predetermined the course of Russian history for many centuries to come. It fell to him to rule Russia 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 of Veliky Novgorod - one of the largest cities of medieval Rus'. It is with Novgorod that most of his biography will be connected. Alexander came to this city for the first time as a baby - in the winter of 1223, when his father was invited to reign in Novgorod. However, the reign turned out to be short-lived: at the end of the same year, having quarreled with the Novgorodians, Yaroslav and his family returned to Pereyaslavl. So Yaroslav will either make peace or quarrel with Novgorod, and then the same thing will happen again in the fate of Alexander. This was explained simply: the Novgorodians needed a strong prince from North-Eastern Rus' close to them so that he could protect the city from external enemies. However, such a prince ruled Novgorod too harshly, and the townspeople usually quickly quarreled with him and invited some South Russian prince to reign, who did not annoy them too much; and everything would be fine, but he, alas, could not protect them in case of danger, and he cared more about his southern possessions - so the Novgorodians had to again turn to the Vladimir or Pereyaslavl princes for help, and everything was repeated all over again.
Prince Yaroslav was again invited to Novgorod in 1226. Two years later, the prince again left the city, but this time he left his sons - 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. For a short time, Prince Mikhail Vsevolodovich of Chernigov, a future martyr for the faith and a revered saint, established himself in Novgorod. But the southern Russian prince, who ruled remote Chernigov, could not protect the city from outside threats; In addition, severe famine and pestilence began in Novgorod. In December 1230, the Novgorodians invited Yaroslav for the third time. He hurriedly came to Novgorod, concluded an agreement with the Novgorodians, but stayed in the city for only two weeks and returned to Pereyaslavl. His sons Fyodor and Alexander again remained to reign in Novgorod.
Novgorod reign of Alexander
So, in January 1231, Alexander formally became the Prince of Novgorod. Until 1233 he ruled together with his older brother. But this year Fyodor 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 very beginning of the 13th century, the Novgorod princes had to hold back the onslaught of the growing Lithuanian state. In 1239, Alexander built fortifications along the Sheloni River, protecting the southwestern borders of his principality from Lithuanian raids. In the same year, 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 give the princess’s name as 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 Swordsmen (united in 1237 with the Teutonic Order), and from the north - from Sweden, which in the first half of the 13th century intensified its attack on the lands of the Finnish tribe 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 the Novgorod borders 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 of North-Western 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 a strong prince, Novgorod was unable to stop the advance of another enemy - the crusaders. In the year of the Neva Victory, the knights, in alliance with the “chud” (Estonians), captured the city of Izborsk, and then Pskov, the most important outpost on the western borders of Rus'. The next year, the Germans invaded the Novgorod lands, took the city of Tesov on the Luga River and established the Koporye fortress. The Novgorodians turned to Yaroslav for help, asking him to send his son. Yaroslav first sent his son Andrei, Nevsky’s younger brother, to them, but after a repeated request from the Novgorodians he agreed to release Alexander again. In 1241, Alexander Nevsky returned to Novgorod and was enthusiastically received by the residents.
Ice battle
And again he acted decisively and without any delay. In the same year, Alexander took the Koporye fortress. Some of the Germans were captured and some were sent home, while the traitors of the Estonians and leaders were hanged. The next year, with the Novgorodians and the Suzdal squad of his brother Andrei, Alexander moved to Pskov. The city was taken without much difficulty; the Germans who were in the city were killed or sent as booty to Novgorod. Building on their success, Russian troops entered Estonia. However, in the first clash with the knights, Alexander’s guard detachment was defeated. One of the governors, Domash Tverdislavich, was killed, many were taken prisoner, and the survivors fled to the prince’s regiment. The Russians had to retreat. On April 5, 1242, a battle took place on the ice of Lake Peipsi (“on Uzmen, at the Raven Stone”), which went down in history as the Battle of the Ice. The Germans and Estonians, moving in a wedge (in Russian, “pig”), penetrated the leading Russian regiment, but were then surrounded and completely defeated. “And they chased them, beating them, seven miles across the ice,” the chronicler testifies.
Russian and Western sources differ in their assessment of the losses of the German side. According to the Novgorod Chronicle, countless “chuds” and 400 (another list says 500) German knights died, and 50 knights were captured. “And Prince Alexander returned with a glorious victory,” says the Life of the saint, “and there were many captives in his army, and they led barefoot next to the horses of those who call themselves “God’s knights.” 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 was of great importance for the fate of not only Novgorod, but all of Russia. The crusader aggression was stopped on the ice of Lake Peipsi. Rus' received peace and stability on its northwestern borders. In the same year, a peace treaty was concluded between Novgorod and the Order, according to which an exchange of prisoners took place, and all Russian territories captured by the Germans were returned. The chronicle conveys the words of the German ambassadors addressed to Alexander: “What we took by force without the prince, Vod, Luga, Pskov, Latygola - we are retreating from all of that. And if your husbands were captured, we are ready to exchange them: we will release yours, and you will let ours go.”
Battle with Lithuanians
Success accompanied Alexander in battles with the Lithuanians. In 1245, he inflicted a severe defeat on them in a series of battles: at Toropets, near Zizhich and near Usvyat (not far from Vitebsk). Many Lithuanian princes were killed, and others were captured. “His servants, mocking, tied them to the tails of their horses,” says the author of the Life. “And from that time on they began to fear his name.” So the Lithuanian raids on Rus' were stopped for a while.
Another, later one is known Alexander's campaign against the Swedes - in 1256. It was 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 of the winter march through the snowy desert area, the campaign ended successfully: “And they all fought Pomerania: they killed some, and took others as captives, 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 the last years of his 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 the Novgorodians,” concluded a trade agreement with the “Gothic Coast” (Gotland), Lübeck and the German cities; this agreement played an important role in the history of Russian-German relations and turned out to be very durable (it was referred to even in 1420).
In the wars with Western opponents - the Germans, Swedes and Lithuanians - the military leadership talent of Alexander Nevsky clearly manifested itself. But his relationship with the Horde was completely different.
Relations with the Horde
After the death of Alexander's father, Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich of Vladimir, in 1246, who was poisoned in distant Karakorum, the grand-ducal throne passed to Alexander's uncle, Prince Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. However, a year later, Alexander’s brother Andrei, a warlike, energetic and decisive prince, overthrew him. Subsequent events are not entirely clear. It is known that in 1247 Andrei, and after him Alexander, made a trip to the Horde, to Batu. He sent them even further, to Karakorum, the capital of the huge Mongol Empire (“to the Kanovichi,” as they said in Rus'). The brothers returned to Rus' only in December 1249. Andrei received from the Tatars a label for the grand-ducal throne in Vladimir, while Alexander received Kyiv and “the entire Russian land” (that is, Southern Rus'). Formally, Alexander’s status was higher, because Kyiv was still considered the main capital city of Rus'. But devastated by the Tatars and depopulated, it completely lost its significance, and therefore Alexander could hardly be satisfied with the decision made. Without even visiting Kyiv, he immediately went to Novgorod.
Negotiations with the Papal throne
His negotiations with the papal throne date back to the time of Alexander’s trip to the Horde. Two bulls of Pope Innocent IV, addressed to Prince Alexander and dated 1248, have survived. In them, the head of the Roman Church offered the Russian prince an alliance to fight against the Tatars - but on the condition that he accepted the church union and came under the protection of the Roman throne.
The papal legates did not find Alexander in Novgorod. However, one can think that even before his departure (and before receiving the first papal message), the prince held some negotiations with representatives of Rome. In anticipation of the upcoming trip “to the Kanoviches,” Alexander gave an evasive answer to the pope’s proposals, designed to continue negotiations. In particular, he agreed to build a Latin church in Pskov - a church, which was quite common for ancient Rus' (such a Catholic church - the “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 sages, wrote to him, saying: “From Adam to the flood, from the flood to the division of languages, from the confusion of languages to the beginning of Abraham, from Abraham to the passage of Israel through the Red Sea, from the exodus of the children of Israel to death King David, from the beginning of the kingdom of Solomon 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, to which the papal throne called, could be disastrous for the country. Alexander was not ready to agree to a union with Rome (namely, this was an indispensable condition for the proposed union). Acceptance of the union - even with the formal consent of Rome to preserve all Orthodox rites in worship - in practice could only mean simple submission to the Latins, both political and spiritual. The history of the dominance of the Latins in the Baltic states or in Galich (where they briefly established themselves in the 10s of the 13th century) clearly proved this.
So Prince Alexander chose a different path for himself - the path of refusing all cooperation with the West and at the same time the path of forced submission to the Horde, accepting 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 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 Nevsky. 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 his hands on the great reign of Vladimir, to which he, as the eldest of the Yaroslavichs, had more rights than his younger brother.
One way or another, in the last open military clash between the Russian princes and the Tatars in the history of the turning point of the 13th century, Prince Alexander found himself - perhaps through no fault of his own - in the Tatar camp. It was from this time that we can definitely talk about the special “Tatar policy” of Alexander Nevsky - the policy of pacifying the Tatars and unquestioning obedience to them. His subsequent frequent trips to the Horde (1257, 1258, 1262) were aimed at preventing new invasions of Rus'. The prince strove to regularly pay a huge tribute to the conquerors and to prevent protests against them in Rus' itself. Historians have different assessments of Alexander's Horde policies. Some see in it simple servility to a ruthless and invincible enemy, a desire to retain power over Russia by any means; others, on the contrary, consider the prince’s most important merit. “The two feats of Alexander Nevsky - the feat of warfare in the West and the feat of humility in the East,” wrote the greatest historian of the Russian Abroad G.V. Vernadsky, “had one goal: the preservation of Orthodoxy as the moral and political force of the Russian people. This goal was achieved: the growth of the Russian Orthodox kingdom took place on the soil prepared by Alexander.” The Soviet researcher of medieval Russia, V. T. Pashuto, also gave a close assessment of the policies of Alexander Nevsky: “With his careful, prudent policy, he saved Rus' from final ruin by the armies of nomads. By armed struggle, trade policy, and selective diplomacy, he avoided new wars in the North and West, a possible but disastrous alliance with the papacy for Rus', and a rapprochement between the curia and the crusaders and the Horde. He gained time, allowing Rus' to grow stronger and recover from the terrible 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 the historical paradox - or rather, the historical pattern - is that it is they, the heirs of the Horde policy of Alexander Nevsky, who will be able to revive the power of Rus' and ultimately throw off the hated Horde yoke.
The prince erected churches, rebuilt cities
...In the same 1252, Alexander returned from the Horde to Vladimir with a label for the great reign and was solemnly placed on the grand prince's throne. After the terrible devastation of Nevryuev, he first of all had to take care of the restoration of the destroyed Vladimir and other Russian cities. The prince “erected churches, rebuilt cities, gathered dispersed people into their homes,” testifies the author of the prince’s Life. The prince showed special concern for the Church, decorating churches with books and utensils, and 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 the Last Judgment. In the winter of 1257, the Tatar “numerals” “numbered the entire land of Suzdal, and Ryazan, and Murom, and appointed foremen, and thousanders, and temniks,” the chronicler wrote. From the “numbers,” that is, from tribute, only the clergy were exempted - “church people” (the Mongols invariably exempted the servants of God from tribute in all the countries they conquered, regardless of religion, so that they could freely turn to various gods with words of prayer for their conquerors).
In Novgorod, which was not directly affected by either Batu’s invasion or the “Nevryuev’s army,” the news of the census was greeted with particular bitterness. The unrest in the city continued for a whole year. Even Alexander’s son, Prince Vasily, was on the side of the townspeople. When his father appeared, accompanying the Tatars, he fled to Pskov. This time the Novgorodians avoided the census, limiting themselves to paying a rich tribute to the Tatars. But their refusal to fulfill the Horde’s will aroused the wrath of the Grand Duke. Vasily was exiled to Suzdal, the instigators of the riots were severely punished: some, on the orders of Alexander, were executed, others had their noses “cut,” and others were blinded. Only in the winter of 1259 did the Novgorodians finally agree to “give a number.” Nevertheless, the appearance of Tatar officials caused a new rebellion in the city. Only with the personal participation of Alexander and under the protection of the princely squad was the census carried out. “And the accursed began to travel through the streets, 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 campaign ended in a major victory - the city of Yuryev (Tartu) was taken.
At the end of the same 1262, Alexander went to the Horde for the fourth (and last) time. “In those days there was great violence from the Gentiles,” says the Prince’s Life; “they persecuted Christians, forcing them to fight on their side. 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 vows (according to later sources, with the name Alexei) and died on November 14. His body was transported to Vladimir and on November 23 buried in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of the Vladimir Nativity Monastery in front of a huge crowd of people. The words with which Metropolitan Kirill announced to the people about the death of the Grand Duke are 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 put 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 the prince’s military prowess, “never defeated in battle, but always victorious,” and his feat of meekness, patience “more than courage” and “invincible humility” (in the seemingly paradoxical expression of the Akathist).
If we turn to the subsequent centuries of Russian history, then we will see a kind of second, posthumous biography of the prince, whose invisible presence is clearly felt in many events - and above all in the turning points, the most dramatic moments in the life of the country. The first discovery of his relics took place in the year of the great Kulikovo victory, won by the great-grandson of Alexander Nevsky, the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Donskoy in 1380. In miraculous visions, Prince Alexander Yaroslavich appears as a direct participant in both the Battle of Kulikovo itself and the Battle of Molodi in 1572, when the troops of Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Vorotynsky defeated the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey just 45 kilometers from Moscow. The image of Alexander Nevsky is seen above Vladimir in 1491, a year after the final overthrow of the Horde yoke. In 1552, during the campaign against Kazan, which led to the conquest of the Kazan Khanate, Tsar Ivan the Terrible performed a prayer service at the tomb of Alexander Nevsky, and during this prayer service a miracle occurred, regarded by everyone as a sign of the coming victory. The relics of the holy prince, which remained in the Vladimir Nativity Monastery until 1723, exuded numerous miracles, information about which was carefully recorded by the monastic authorities.
A new page in the veneration of the holy and blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky began in the 18th century, under the emperor Peter the Great. The conqueror of the Swedes and the founder of St. Petersburg, which became for Russia a “window to Europe,” Peter saw in Prince Alexander his immediate predecessor in the fight against Swedish domination on the Baltic Sea and hastened to transfer the city he founded on the banks of the Neva under his heavenly protection. Back in 1710, Peter ordered that the name of St. Alexander Nevsky be included in the dismissals during divine services as a prayer representative for the “Neva Country.” In the same year, he personally chose the place to build a monastery in the name of the Holy Trinity and St. Alexander Nevsky - the future Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Peter wanted to transfer the relics of the holy prince here from Vladimir. The wars with the Swedes and Turks slowed down the fulfillment of this desire, and only in 1723 did they begin to fulfill it. On August 11, with all due solemnity, the holy relics were taken out of the Nativity Monastery; the procession headed towards Moscow and then towards St. Petersburg; Everywhere she was accompanied by prayer services and crowds of believers. According to Peter's plan, the holy relics were supposed to be brought into the new capital of Russia on August 30 - the day 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 the “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, until the beginning of the 14th 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 variegated, heterogeneous and fragmented. Rus' was really threatened not by the “West”, but by the Teutonic and Livonian Orders, 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 the Orthodox faith, he simply fought for power and used 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 to no avail 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 identity, national will, and we must give the opportunity to what our wonderful historiosopher Lev Nikolaevich 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 “teared the Golden Horde away 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 a collective image: he 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 an “epic hero”: “He was 20 years old when he defeated the Swedes, 22 years old when he drowned the Livonians on Lake Peipsi... 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 today we still 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 is the reason for it? Semyon Borzenko
Dear Semyon, it’s difficult for me to say what exactly guided the authors of the free encyclopedia “Wikipedia” when they named 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.
He defeated Rurik’s descendants (1241), fought for power in civil wars, betrayed his own brother to the pagans (1252), and 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
When talking about certain acts of Alexander Nevsky, it is necessary to take into account many different factors. This is also the historical era in which St. lived. Alexander - then many actions that seem strange to us today were completely commonplace. This is the 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 in order 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 here got carried away with historical reconstruction - he “thought out” something that actually did not happen. 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 a 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 for reprisal 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, understanding 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, Saint Alexander Nevsky, could the current Russian government pay attention to, and, if possible, adopt? 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 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 the Leningrad theological schools, which are located in close proximity to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, all of us, then students, clearly felt the gracious help that 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 of 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 touch on a fundamentally 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)
The speedy helper of all those who diligently resort 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, guide us to remain in what we are 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, longevity 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, and helping Orthodox people to resist.
Troparion, Voice of the same:
As you were at the root of a 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
