Among the numerous raids on Russian lands there were many devastating and bloody. But not all of them were initiated by the Golden Horde khans. The Tatar-Mongols skillfully used for their purposes the princely feuds, which the 13th century was so rich in. From Great Russia, which covered the entire map of Eastern Europe, there were only miserable fragments that were managed by their own narrow-minded rulers, who did not want to resort to the help of their enslavers.
The raid of Nevryuyeva rati is only one of the many evidences of the means by which the Russian princes were guided in the struggle for power. Or maybe it was not so at all?
Written evidence
For historians who are interested in the distant and dark 13th century, the main source of data is the chronicles. The problem is that the originals of these priceless chronicles are gone, a few lists have survived only after repeated rewritings. So Nevryueva army was presented to our contemporaries in several fragmentary sources, the main of which is the Suzdal, Sofievskaya and other annals.
Brief Description of Events
In 1252, the northeast of Russia was seized by a new internecine conflict, which led to the raid of Nevyrueva rati. After 1249, a short duumvirate formed on this territory, which was jointly ruled by two brothers - Andrei Yarosvich and Alexander, later nicknamed Nevsky. General information about this event is summarized in the annals. The formal version of what happened is that the punitive campaign of the Golden Horde took place against Prince Andrei Yaroslavovich, brother of Alexander Nevsky.
Aftermath of the battle
This battle was lost, the Russian army was defeated. Prince Andrei left the borders of his native land, not wanting to "serve as a Caesar." His wife and children tried to join him, but died along with trusted people. Nevryuyev’s army became the cause of the complete ruin of Suzdal’s lands, the expulsion of Prince Andrei and the imperialization of Moscow in these territories. The battlefield is not described in the annals, but it is clear from the context that the mention of the battle was removed from the manuscript by a later copyist.
Later Voskresenskaya and Sofievskaya chronicles paint a picture of the battle of Pereslavl, in which many Russian soldiers were killed. Andrei retreated to Novgorod, and then to Pskov. Having lost his wife, governor and children, the prince emigrated to Sweden, where his trace was finally lost. Among the dry lines of ancient documents, one can see the condemnation of the act committed by Andoeus, and undoubted affection for Alexander.
Invasion Versions
All historians agree that the army of 1252 came to the Russian lands for a reason. One of the most likely versions of the sudden raid was the complaints of the Moscow prince and his claim to the Suzdal throne. The young Alexander Nevsky plagued the khan with his lament that Andrei did not pay full tribute from his cities, did not honor the khan and the Horde power. Angry about such speeches, the Khan ordered to assemble an army under the command of Saltan Nevruy and Prince Katiak and go to Russian lands. Alexander’s claims were based on the fact that he was entitled by inheritance the label of the prince of Kiev, and, therefore, the sovereign of all the North-Eastern lands. Andrew was called Prince Vladimir of Suzdal and had a separate label for reigning. Alexander managed to subjugate his brother only with the help of the Tatar army.
Justified doubts
However, this version meets with many objections. Firstly, nowhere in the annals does it indicate that the initiator of the destruction that caused Nevruyev’s army was Alexander Nevsky. On the contrary, in later sources it is said that after Andrei’s defeat, it was Alexander who had to rebuild the cities, calm the frightened people, and seek reconciliation with the Horde. For a man who betrayed his brother, such a concern for his subjects looks strange. The tough and uncompromising Alexander was unprincipled enough for the 13th century, but he cannot be blamed for hypocrisy - this requires a completely different character.
Alternative opinion
More plausible is the version of Andrei’s individual conflict with the Golden Horde. The marriage of the prince to the daughter of Danila Galitsky could prompt him to create a secret alliance, the purpose of which was to overthrow the power of the Horde. Perhaps in 1252 an attempt was made to throw off the Tatar-Mongol yoke by uniting several Russian cities. But Andrei's further actions refute this version: after the defeat, he did not run south to his father-in-law, but to the north. Perhaps the prince’s appearance was a surprise even to his closest relatives, and Daniel decided not to worsen relations with the Golden Horde. In order to defeat a possible alliance, the army was sent to the Russian lands. In short, the story of an attempt to overthrow the yoke by force does not stand the test.
According to another version, in 1252 both brothers were invited to bow to the Golden Horde. Alexander rode as his fathers and uncles traveled before him. Andrei refused to demonstrate his humility to the new Khan. Such self-will could not just get away with. Batu and Nevruyev's army went to Suzdal for the demonstrative defeat of the Russian troops. Alexander, as the prince of Kiev, had no choice but to take on the burden of rule by the devastated Vladimir-Suzdal principality and become the nominal owner of these lands.