Алекса́ндр Не́вский
Alexander was in a place called Pereslavi-Zalessky, which was one of the most important strongholds of the Vladimir Principality. His father was the Great prince Yaroslav who helped to restore Russia after the Mongol invasion. His mother name was Theodosia. Alexander got his name after Saint Alexander, a Christian martyr who whose birthday was celebrated just days after Alexander was born. Alexander was the youngest of four sons.
Considering that he was the youngest son, it wasn’t expected that he will become the Great Prince. Despite that, a renowned boyar (old Russian aristocracy) was brought in to teach Alexander to write and read when he was only 3 years old. While listening to his tutor and reading the literature he had at his disposal, he learned a lot about the history and rulers of the ancient Rus.
His combat skills were also nurtured, and he also learned horseback riding. His father, the Great Prince Yaroslav, insisted that he is present when he issues crucial orders and reviews complaints of people, which taught the boy a lot about politics and diplomacy. Yaroslav’s courage was incredible and his devotion to his people was even more amazing, which is what Alexander later tried and succeeded to reflect during his reign.
Alexander was called by the people of Novgorod in 1236 to become the Prince which would rule their principality. Novgorod was a big trading area on the primary ancient trading route of the time. The city had a kind of self-government system and they themselves decided in a discussion to call Alexander to become their military leader which will protect their lands from the Swedish and German invaders, which posed a great threat.
The 13th century was a time of turmoil for the ancient Rus. Mongols and Tatars pressurized the lands on the east, while German and Swedish invaders were marching towards its west side. Alexander decided that there is no purpose in opposing the Golden Horde, which was a name for the Tatar-Mongol state at the time, despite the fact that he was persuaded into the war by the Roman Curia. Instead, he decided to make an agreement with the leader of the Horder, the Great Khan – he paid him a tribute and Rus kept their national identity.
Resolving the situation with the Golden Horde enabled Alexander to focus on the Livonian knights, the army of Swedish invaders coming from the west. They tried to cut off Rus from the sea and landed at the confluence of the Neva and Izhora rivers. This is where Alexander showed his wisdom in 1240 when he decided to launch a sudden attack against the enemy. On July 15, in the early morning, Rus won the Battle of Neva and the Swedes were forced to retreat. After the battle, Alexander was nicknamed Nevsky (“of Neva”).
Alexander reached the status of a hero in Novgorod. His influence was constantly rising, which raised an alarm with the local boyars who wanted to keep their position of power in the city. The local Veche (the parliament) passed the decision that Alexander should be exiled and he had to honor it so he left Novgorod later in 1240.
After spending only a year in his birthplace, he was called by the people of Novgorod again as the threat from the Livonian knights was once again imminent. They even managed to get to Novgorod but Alexander reacted quickly, gathered his army in only a couple of weeks and got the city back. The decisive moment of the war with the invaders occurred on April 5, 1242, in the so-called “Battle of Ice” on the Lake Chudskoe (today on the border of Russia and Estonia).
Alexander managed to fight one of the greatest cavalries in Europe with only foot soldiers and win the battle. His tactic was a surprise for the Swedes – he placed only a handful of people at the front and concentrated most of the power on the flanks. The surroundings were also friendly to Russians as the heaviness of the armors often led to the ice breaking beneath the Livonian knights and many of them drowned. They soon retreated and it is said that the Rus chased them for more than 10 miles.
The importance of this victory is immense as it was probably the crucial victory that repelled the Swedes from launching a full-scale invasion. Numerous historians eve agree it was the most significant event in the entire history of the Middle Ages.
The Rus were clearly becoming a rising power. A good relationship with the Great Khan enabled Alexander to be placed as the Grand Prince of Vladimir (supreme ruler of Russia) in 1252. He decided to focus on consolidating the northwest of the country by passing laws and building fortifications and churches. Although he was acknowledged as the Great Prince he diligently worked on improving his power in the other regions of the country. He also sent his emissaries to Norway to negotiate a peace treaty which the two countries signed in 1251. The Swedes made another attempt to block the Rus from the Baltic Sea in 1256 but suffered yet another defeat at the hands of Alexander.
Although he was on good terms with the Golden Horde, its forces still attacked the scattered principalities of the Ancient Rus, although there were significantly fewer attacks during Alexander’s reign. Another great success was negotiating a treaty with the Great Khan that the Russians are not required to participate in the battles that the Horde fights against other nations.
Alexander often visited Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde, to work on the diplomatic relations with the Great Khan. After one of these visits, he suddenly fell ill and died in Gorodets on November 14, 1263. He was canonized in 1547 by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Won many battles to repel the Swedish and German invaders from the territory of the ancient Rus. Them ost important victory was the Battle of Ice in 1242, regarded by many as the most significant event of the Middle Ages;
Was the Great Prince of Vladimir (supreme ruler of Russia) from 1252 to 1263;
Was the Prince of Novgorod from 1236 to 1252;
Alexander Nevsky was of Orthodox faith. Three centuries after his death, he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Alexander was a great, far-sighted politician. He always worked in the interest of his people and undoubtedly consolidated the ancient Rus and turned them into a rising power.
The question that is most often asked about Alexander is whether he was a Mongol vassal by his wish or because he believed that it is best for the ancient Rus to make arrangements with them. When the Roman Curia urged him to start a war with the Mongol invaders, he refused because he accurately realized that his army is much weaker than the Golden Horde and that it would only lead to big casualties among his people.
Instead, he turned and decided to repel the Swedish and German invaders, whose idea was to conquer the ancient Rus and spread Catholicism to that territory. On the other hand, the Golden Horde only demanded from Alexander to pay them a tribute and wasn’t interested in the culture or religion of the ancient Rus. Thus the reason why Alexander turned to the Great Khan and made arrangements with Mongol invaders was because he was looking for the best way to preserve national identity, something which he succeeded.
Alexander was a brilliant tactician and an intelligent man who applied in combat everything that he learned from his father and his tutors. The news about his victory in the Battle of Ice in 1242 quickly spread throughout Europe, especially because he was the first one to devise the tactics to beat a cavalry using only foot soldiers.
Quotations: “Whoever comes to us with a sword, from a sword will perish…”
Alexander was a resolute and a very serious person devoted to his people. He was very intelligent and always made sure to go prepared into battles.
Physical Characteristics: According to the book about his life, he was much taller than other people and had a very deep voice which all contributed to leaving a striking first impression on people.
Quotes from others about the person
"By the will of God, prince Alexander was born from the charitable, people-loving, and meek the Great Prince Yaroslav, and his mother was Theodosia. As it was told by the prophet Isaiah: 'Thus sayeth the Lord: I appoint the princes because they are sacred and I direct them.'
"... He was taller than others and his voice reached the people as a trumpet, and his face was like the face of Joseph, whom the Egyptian Pharaoh placed as next to the king after him of Egypt. His power was a part of the power of Samson and God gave him the wisdom of Solomon ... this Prince Alexander: he used to defeat but was never defeated ..." - from Tales of the Life and Courage of the Pious and Great Prince Alexander
In 1239, Alexander married Paraskeviya (birth name) or Alexandra (marital name), a daughter of Prince of Polatsk and Vitebsk. They head at least five children together, four sons – Vasily Alexandrovich (Prince of Novgorod), Dmitry of Pereslavi, Andrey of Gorodets and Daniel of Moscow, and one daughter – Eudoxia Alexandrovna.
Alexander married his second wife Vasilisa in 1263, shortly after his death.
Alexander's father was the Great Prince of Vladimir. It was him that taught him a lot about diplomacy and combat, as well as the importance of being devoted to your people.
Alexander kept good diplomatic relations with the Golden Horde and it was with their support that he was placed as the Grand Prince of Vladimir (supreme ruler of Russia) in 1252.
