Prince Alexander Nevsky, whose biography is very remarkable, became one of those Russian rulers who are not only remembered to this day, but also revered. His battles and exploits own the minds and representatives of modern generations, although he himself lived a long time ago.
Birth and family
Alexander Nevsky (his biography is known, in principle, quite well) was born on May 13 in 1221 with the princely couple Yaroslav Vsevolodich and Feodosiya Mstislavovna (daughter of Mstislav Udalny). The young prince began to rule in his beloved Novgorod already from 1236, and his entire board was filled with disputes with wayward townspeople. Novgorod was a free city, who did not want to obediently obey anyone. Alexander married in 1239, electing Princess Polotsk Alexandra Bryachislavna as his wife. This marriage brought three sons: Daniel subsequently became the Prince of Moscow, and Dimitri and Andrei became Vladimir.
Battle of Neva and the Battle of Lake Peipsi
The glorious battle, for which the prince received his nickname, took place on July 15, 1240 on the banks of the Neva. Alexander managed to repulse the attack of the Swedish troops under the command of the famous jarl Birger (later he will become the ruler of Poland), save the territories on the coast of the Gulf of Finland and for a long time close the issue of claims of Swedes to these lands. Alexander Nevsky (his biography describes this fact), soon after the battle leaves Novgorod, again not getting along with the inhabitants (and, as always, it was freedom-loving Novgorodians), and moved to Pereslavl-Zalessky.
However, such an opal did not last long. Novgorod could not do without a glorious commander, because there were always those who wanted to encroach on his land. This time it turned out to be the forces of the Lithuanian prince and the Livonian Order. As a matter of fact, the order itself was not officially at enmity with the Russian princes. A split has long been brewing in its ranks. Some of the knights advocated the continuation of campaigns in the Holy Land, while the other wanted the crusades to be transferred east, to the lands of Russia and its neighbors. Actually, there were few Livonian knights in the famous battle, most of the troops belonged to the Lithuanian prince. Prince Alexander Nevsky, whose biography is described in the article, responded to the plea of the Novgorodians and returned. The battle glorified over the centuries took place on Lake Peipus, chained to ice (although the exact place is still unknown) in April 1242. The defeat of the enemy forces was complete, the order was given a hard defeat. Thus, Prince Alexander Nevsky (his biography is filled with such acts) ensured the safety of the western borders of Russia.
Rome and the Horde
These two battles - on the Neva and Lake Peipsi - have been so glorified over the centuries also because they were the only ones for Russia at that time. In the east, things were terrible. The Russian princes could not unite in time and repel the attack of the powerful enemy - the Horde, and now they had to obey the khans, travel to their capital to get labels for the right to reign in their native lands. After the same, after the death of his father, brothers Alexander and Andrey went to the Horde. The eldest in the board went to the southern lands of Russia, including Kiev, and the youngest to the north. However, the prince still returns to his beloved Novgorod. And here another event takes place, which the biography of Alexander Nevsky (a brief summary of it should also include this fact) emphasizes especially. Despite the power of the Mongols and their own troubles, the prince does not accept help from the West in exchange for the adoption of the Catholic faith. Such an offer is made to him by Pope Innocent IV, but receives a categorical refusal.
After internal troubles in the Horde itself (the overthrow of Hanshi Ogul Gashim Khan Munke), Alexander receives a label for reigning in Novgorod in 1242. But he did not succeed in taking up the city - his brother Andrei, having secured the support of the Galician prince Daniil Romanovich and the prince of Tver, refused to give up power. However, soon Alexander nevertheless managed to get to Novgorod. Alexander Nevsky (his biography is full of glorious victories and in the diplomatic field) during a trip to the Golden Horde managed to knock out his soldiers the opportunity not to participate in the Mongol conquests. However, on the way back, the prince falls ill and dies in Gorodets, located on the Volga River, on November 14, 1263. There is a version about the poisoning of him by the Mongols, but today there is no way to prove it today.
Veneration of the saint
In Vladimir, they began to venerate it back in the 1280s, but official canonization came later. The Right Prince Alexander Nevsky became the patron not only of Russia, but later of Russia, and his exploits were reflected not only in folklore and folk traditions, but later in literature and cinema.