Alexander Nevsky: hero and diplomat, savior or traitor. Why Alexander Nevsky became a friend of the Tatar Khan and entered into an alliance with the horde

Among those who defended the Russian land from enemies in the 13th century, Prince Alexander Yaroslavich, nicknamed “Nevsky,” won the greatest fame among his descendants. Exact date his birth is unknown, but it is believed that he was born on May 30, 1220. Alexander became the second son in the family of the appanage Pereslavl-Zalessky prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Rostislava, daughter of Prince Mstislav Mstislavovich Udal.

According to the custom of that time, the baby was named in honor of the saint, whose memory, according to the church calendar-month, was celebrated on one of the days close to his birthday. His “heavenly patron” was the holy martyr Alexander, whose exploits the church remembered on June 9.

Maternal kinship was highly revered in Ancient Rus'. Alexander's grandfather Mstislav Udaloy left a bright mark on military history of its time. Alexander's great-grandfather Mstislav the Brave was also a famous warrior. Undoubtedly, the images of these brave ancestors served as an example for young Alexander to follow.

We know almost nothing about Alexander’s childhood. Obviously, as a child, Alexander rarely saw his father: Yaroslav was constantly on military campaigns. But already at the age of 8, Alexander accompanied his father when he tried to organize a campaign of the Novgorodians and Pskovians against Riga in 1228. Having received no support, the prince left Novgorod, leaving there his eldest sons, 10-year-old Fyodor and Alexander, as a sign of his “presence.” Naturally, reliable boyars and two or three hundred warriors remained with the princes. Some historians believe that Princess Rostislava lived with the children for some time and, thanks to her ancestors, enjoyed special honor among the Novgorodians.

Leaving his young sons in Novgorod, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich wanted them to gradually get used to the complex role of the invited princes and learn to worthily defend the interests of their father, since he hoped to receive the great reign of Vladimir.

Yaroslav became the Grand Duke of Vladimir in 1236, when hordes of the Golden Horde attacked Rus'. He had to rule over a devastated and devastated land. Alexander at this time reigned in Novgorod, which the conquerors did not reach.

Soon Rus' entered as an ulus into Golden Horde, and the Russian princes began to go to the khan’s headquarters to receive a label for reign.

From now on, the princes had to answer to the khan for everything that happened in their domains. In relation to their subjects and neighboring lands, the princes acted as the khan's proxies, his governors in the “Russian ulus”.

During this period, Rus' was constantly subject to raids from the north-west, carried out with the blessing of the Vatican. In the summer of 1240, during the next campaign, Swedish ships entered the Neva. Perhaps the Swedes hoped to capture the Ladoga fortress, located near the mouth of the Volkhov, with an unexpected blow. Having learned about the approach of the enemy, Alexander with a small cavalry detachment set out to meet the Swedes. It is likely that at the same time a detachment of the Novgorod militia set off by water (along the Volkhov and further through Ladoga to the Neva). The Swedes, unaware of Alexander’s rapid approach, camped near the mouth of the Izhora River - not far from the eastern outskirts

modern city St. Petersburg. Here the young prince and his retinue attacked them. The description of the battle given in The Life of Alexander Nevsky is clearly largely fictitious. It was written many years after the battle with the Swedes and was intended to glorify Prince Alexander, and not to reflect the real course of events. “And he gathered a great force, and filled many ships with his regiments, moved with a huge army, puffing up the military spirit,” - this is how the “life” describes the beginning of the Swedes’ campaign. Probably, in terms of scale and consequences, everything was much more modest. An ordinary border skirmish, the kind that took place almost every year. By the way, in the chronicles of that time only a few general lines are devoted to it, and Russian losses are listed at 20 people. In the Scandinavian chronicles it is not mentioned at all, although according to the “life” it died

It is believed that it was after this event that Alexander was named “Nevsky”. This is extremely doubtful, since the common people knew practically nothing about the battle that took place on the outskirts of Russian lands, because only a small princely squad took part in it. But the results of that battle from a military point of view were insignificant (there is not even any mention of prisoners) and did not in any way affect the life of the northwestern region of Rus'. In the chronicles of that period, Prince Alexander is not called “Nevsky”. For the first time this honorary prefix to the name of the prince appears in the “life” written after the canonization of Alexander.

Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky.

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It would seem more logical to name Prince Alexander “Chudsky” in honor of the victory, which played an immeasurably greater role in history than the little-known battle on the banks of the Neva. The Battle of Peipus was well known in Rus'; not only the squad of Prince Alexander took part in it, but also regiments that came from Suzdal, as well as militias recruited in Veliky Novgorod and Pskov. And its results could be visibly seen - noble knights were captured and numerous trophies were captured. And after the battle, an agreement was signed with the Order, which determined Rus'’s relationship with it for many years. Perhaps the reason why the church did not use the prefix “Chudsky” was precisely because this battle and its participants were well known in Rus'. In the “life” there is a phrase containing a possible clue: “Alexander’s father, Yaroslav, sent him to help younger brother Andrei with a large squad." It is curious that the text of the “Elder Livonian Rhymed Chronicle” details the actions of Prince Alexander (he is simply called the “Prince of Novgorod” without specifying his name) before the legendary battle, which practically coincide with information from Russian sources. But the main force that ensured the victory of the enemy in an unsuccessful for the Order, the “chronicle” names the army that Alexander, who reigned in Suzdal, brought (the chronicler clearly mixed up the names, the army was brought by Andrey). “They had countless bows, a lot of beautiful armor. Their banners were rich, their helmets radiated light." And further: “The brother knights resisted quite stubbornly, but they were defeated there.” And they prevailed thanks to the Suzdal army in armor, and not the Novgorod army, the majority of which were militia. The “Chronicle” testifies that the knights were able to overcome the foot army, but they could no longer cope with the horse squad in forged armor. This does not at all detract from the merits of Alexander, who led the united Russian army, but Andrei’s warriors still played a decisive role in the battle.

It is important that Alexander subsequently took the side of the Golden Horde and even fraternized with Batu’s son. While Alexander was in the Horde, from where he later returned “with great honor, having given him seniority among all his brothers,” Andrei, who refused to go to Batu, fought with Nevryu, who was devastating Rus', and then was forced to flee to the Swedes. The “Life” was created by monks close to Metropolitan Kirill, the founder of the Orthodox diocese in Sarai, the capital of the Horde. Naturally, they did not give the holy prince an honorary prefix for a battle in which it was clearly not his warriors who made the main contribution to the victory. The little-known Battle of the Neva was quite suitable for this, so Alexander became “Nevsky”. Apparently, when preparing the canonization of the prince, the church wanted to give Rus' a heavenly intercessor precisely in the northwestern direction (he became an all-Russian saint only in 1547), and for this the prefix “Nevsky” was well suited. But, perhaps, the prefix “Nevsky” appeared even a little later, since in the versions of the first editions of the “life” (“The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Blessed and Grand Duke Alexander”, “The Tale of the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich”) it is not mentioned.

By the way, in folk tradition princes received prefixes to their names only according to personal qualities (daring, brave, daring, accursed) or according to the place of reign, even temporary for the invited prince (Dovmont of Pskov). The only widely known precedent is Dmitry Donskoy, but this prince did not receive his honorary prefix from the people and after his death.

The fact that princes received honorary prefixes to their names after death is by no means uncommon. Thus, Prince Yaroslav became “Wise” only at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries thanks to Karamzin, although we now do not mention him without this prefix.

Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich was the greatest politician and military leader of his time. He entered the historical memory of our people as Alexander Nevsky, and his name has long become a symbol of military valor. Wide veneration of Alexander Nevsky was revived by Peter I, who fought with Sweden for more than 20 years. He dedicated the main monastery in the new capital of Russia to Alexander Nevsky, and in 1724 he transferred his holy relics there. In the 19th century, three Russian emperors bore the name Alexander and considered Nevsky their heavenly patron. In 1725, the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, conceived by Peter I, was established. It became one of the highest orders in Russia, which was awarded to many famous military leaders and statesmen. This order existed until 1917. During the Great Patriotic War The Order of Alexander Nevsky was established to reward officers and generals of the Red Army for personal bravery and courage. This order is preserved in the award system modern Russia

, but they are awarded only during a war with an external enemy

Vladimir Rogoza Majority modern people

heard such a name as Alexander Nevsky, but few thought about why Prince Alexander was called Nevsky. And today we will try to answer this question, as well as consider a few more interesting points from the prince’s biography.

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

Why was Alexander Nevsky called Nevsky?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alexander Nevsky - the name of this man is known to everyone. Even the smallest ones will remember that he won two fateful victories in the Battle of the Neva and on Lake Peipsi. But often many controversial facts of the biography of the prince-commander remain behind the scenes. Today, on the day of the 775th anniversary of the Battle of the Neva, we will talk about something that not everyone knows.

At the Children's Museum Center (Kremlin, Sudeisky Gorodok, 3) there is an exhibition in “Alexander Nevsky. Prince and commander." It was specially prepared for the 795th anniversary of the hero, so that adults and children could get acquainted with the era in which Alexander Yaroslavovich lived. Indeed, for our city the name of the prince is especially significant; he ruled on the Novgorod land long years, in the city a street was named after him, a bust and a monument to the great warrior and diplomat were erected. Some call him a traitor, others call him a great savior. There is not enough evidence for a definite answer. And at the exhibition, surrounded by archaeological finds and ancient books dedicated to the prince, Anfisa Rodionova met with a senior researcher at the Novgorod Museum-Reserve, Vladimir Varnaev.

Alexander Yaroslavovich is very interesting person, bright, unusual. He is called the main traitor of Russian history and the main hero. There are constant debates about his figure. But if you collect all the information about Alexander Yaroslavovich, you will get less than a page.

- Why do some consider Alexander Nevsky a traitor?

Alexander did not stand up to the army for his brother Andrei Yaroslavovich (by the way, he was the ancestor of the Shuisky princes, and Vasily was the last Rurikovich on the Russian throne), who, by raising a rebellion, brought about the second ruin of the Vladimir-Suzdal lands. Alexander did not want the second coming of the Mongols, so he immediately came and brought tribute. He could have been executed because of his brother. But he risked himself, went and stopped another invasion. In the 1990s, when they loved sensations, they said that the Mongols, with his hands, established a yoke over Russia. It's like juggling facts, putting them in the right sequence. The Mongols destroyed everyone who resisted, but it must be said that they were not pathological sadists, they needed tribute, taxes, money, they did not have the goal of destruction. Alexander was counting ahead.

There was such a people - the Tanguts, the state of Xi Xia, modern territory northern China. Population is about 10-15 million people. They resisted the horde, rebelled, massacred some of the Mongols, and the Mongols destroyed them completely. The same thing could happen to the Russians. The fact that we live now is the merit of Alexander. He didn’t want the Russians to be touched at all; he took the tribute himself to prevent fights. For eleven years he was the Grand Duke, and not once did a Mongol set foot on Russian soil.

Alexander Nevsky is a mysterious figure, not many facts from his life have been preserved, but are there any stories, legends, tales about him?

Oddly enough, in Russian culture, people's favorites end up in jokes, tales, and so on. They showed a film about Stirlitz, a lot of jokes about him appeared, Chapaev did the same. But there is nothing like that about Alexander. His people respected him too much. Even Vladimir, the baptizer of Rus' in the epics, is a little funny, he does the wrong thing, he deceives. They didn’t laugh at Alexander - authority. People remembered that blood was shed, they remembered what a hard worker he was. Alexander is sacred.

Why did he die, because he was still quite young? According to available sources, it was possible to establish that he was about forty years old at that time.

There is still controversy over the death of Alexander Nevsky. The life mentions that he fell ill when he was in the Horde for the fifth time. He stayed there for a year, he was released on the border of Russian lands, in the town of Gorodets, present-day Nizhny Novgorod region, where he dies. There is a version that he was poisoned, just like Yaroslav’s father. There are reasons to think so. Here it is important to understand Alexander’s relationship with Batu.

And they were very good, Batu respected the Russian prince. Not far from Valdai there is such a place - Ignach Cross, now there is a modern concrete cross installed there. Such crosses were installed on roads, so to speak: there is a path here. The Mongols, having passed through the Vladimir land and destroyed the Ryazan land, left practically no population. And they went to Novgorod, captured Torzhok (then it was Novgorod land), reached Ignach Cross and stopped. They stood there for a week, and then turned around and left. Apparently, there were negotiations that only Alexander could conduct. This indirectly confirms that Alexander has a special relationship with Batu. Khan even offered Nevsky to become his son-in-law, his respect for Alexander was so great. The Mongols are a very interesting culture, it is tough, Asian and a little savage, but, nevertheless, they respected heroes, even strangers. Apparently, Batu was conquered by Alexander’s diplomacy. Shortly before the death of Alexander himself, Batu dies and Berke Khan, Batu’s cousin, comes to power, so he hated Alexander. Perhaps there is a connection here. We can't prove or disprove it, but something happened there. It's a mystery: he was poisoned Grand Duke or perhaps he overworked himself, overextended himself.

The prince was buried in Vladimir; after all, the Vladimir principality was the main one at that time. But according to his merits, he should lie in Novgorod, of course. After all, I spent three quarters of my life here. And in 1724, when Peter I graduated Northern War, then announced that Prince Alexander - heavenly patron St. Petersburg. His relics were transported to St. Petersburg, and the Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded, later the rank was raised to a monastery.

Now the prince is much closer to Novgorod and very close to the place where he accomplished his first great feat. By the way, follow the path of Alexander in the Battle of the Neva (as well as in Battle on the Ice) is possible every Saturday at the Children's Museum Center. Vladimir Varnaev developed a unique reconstruction game on a large scale model. Each participant receives the names of genuine historical participants in those events and the battle begins...

Why he is considered a saint, you will learn from this article.

Why is Alexander Nevsky canonized?

Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky died on November 14, 1263 in Gorodets and was buried in Vladimir in the Nativity Monastery. Almost immediately, veneration of him began in Vladimir-Suzdal Rus'. And later the prince was canonized.

According to the “canonical” version, Prince Alexander Nevsky played important role in Russian history. In the 13th century Great Rus' was attacked from three sides - the Mongol-Tatars, the Catholic West and Lithuania. Prince Nevsky, who had never lost a single battle in his entire life, showed great talent as a diplomat and commander, and made peace with a stronger enemy - the Golden Horde. Having secured the support of the Horde, he repelled the attack of the Germans, while at the same time protecting Orthodoxy from Catholic expansion.

In Vladimir, already in the 1280s, the veneration of Prince Alexander Nevsky as a saint began; later he was officially canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. Alexander Nevsky was the only secular Orthodox ruler not only in Rus', but throughout Europe, who did not compromise with the Catholic Church in order to maintain power.

At active participation A hagiographical story was written for Dmitry Alexandrovich, his son, and Metropolitan Kirill. For his feat of endurance and patience, Alexander Nevsky was canonized in 1549, and the Alexander Nevsky Lavra was founded in his honor in 1710.

Veneration as a saint for Alexander Nevsky began long before the prince was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547. Where people sincerely and from the bottom of their hearts asked him for a miracle, it certainly happened. Legends say that the holy prince rose from the tomb and encouraged his compatriots to perform exploits, for example, in 1380 on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo.

In memory of the holy prince, a monastery was built in St. Petersburg, the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where, by decree of Peter the Great, the relics of Nevsky were transported in 1724. Peter the Great also decided to celebrate August 30 as the day of memory of Alexander Nevsky, in honor of the conclusion of a victorious peace with Sweden.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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