Alexander Nevsky, aka Alexander Yaroslavich, the son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Princess Toropetskaya, Rostislav Mstislavovna, left an unforgettable mark on the history of Russia. As soon as the conversation comes to him, most of us recall the Battle of the Ice. It was then that the troops under the command of the prince drove the Livonian knights. Not everyone remembers that he received his nickname for another feat. Then the legendary sword of Alexander Nevsky was first mentioned. This event dates back to 1240. In a place called Ust-Izhora in a battle under the leadership of the prince, the Swedes were smashed to smithereens.
In 1549 he was counted among the saints because he refused to unite with the Catholic Church, and thus preserved Orthodoxy in Russia. The great prince was also famous for not losing a single battle.
Mystic sword
Russian troops won, despite their minority. Nevsky was a terrific tactician, so thanks to his intelligence and fearlessness, the soldiers defeated the enemy. There is also a mystical episode in this story. According to legend, the enemy was mortally scared by the sword of Alexander Nevsky, which glowed very strangely. Alexander had excellent command of this weapon, with one blow blowing the heads off to three Swedes at once. But as they say, fear has big eyes. The mystical halo of weapons was most likely given by Swedish soldiers to justify their defeat. And the sword of Alexander Nevsky just fell under the rays of the sun.
The fact is that the Russian troops were located facing the heavenly luminary. His beam fell on a sword raised up, and the frightened Swedish army mistook him for something supernatural. In addition, in this battle, the prince broke a gun on the head of Birger, the leader of the enemies. Having gained victory in this battle, Prince Alexander received his sonorous nickname - Nevsky.
The find of the monks
After the legendary battle, the sword of Alexander Nevsky was placed in the house of Pelgusius. Later, this building burned down and all property, including weapons, remained under its ruins. There is also evidence that in the XVIII century, some monks, farmers discovered a sword when plowing the land.
How it was? The incident dates back to 1711. On the site of the Neva battle, following the decree of Peter I, a temple was founded. Not far from him, the monks cultivated the land for crops. Then they found the legendary weapon, or rather, its parts. They were placed in a chest. The priests decided that the sword should be in the temple. When his building was completely rebuilt, they put parts of the weapon under the foundation, so that the blade became a charm of this place. And the most unusual thing is that since then, indeed, not a single natural disaster could destroy the church.
The October Revolution made adjustments to history: all documents that were in the temple were burned. Not so long ago, historians found the manuscript of Andrei Ratnikov, a white officer and a true patriot. He devoted several pages from his diary to the description of the sword of Alexander Nevsky. The White Guard warrior believed that Russia would remain indestructible as long as a mystical blade was stored on its territory.
How much did the average sword weigh?
A warrior in the 13th century was well versed with a sword weighing about 1.5 kg. There were also blades for tournaments, they pulled 3 kg. If the weapon was ceremonial, that is, not for battles, but for decoration (of gold or silver, decorated with gems), then its weight reached 5 kg. It was impossible to fight with such a blade. The heaviest weapon in history is the sword that belonged to Goliath. The Bible shows that the adversary of David, the future king of Judea, was just a huge growth.
How much did the sword of Alexander Nevsky weigh?
So, we have already figured out that the prince’s weapons are identified with Slavic relics. There is talk among the people that allegedly his weight was 82 kg, that is, 5 pounds (16 kilograms are equal to 1 pound). Most likely, this figure is greatly embellished by chroniclers, because information about the power of the blade could reach the enemies. These data were invented to intimidate them, and the sword of Alexander Nevsky weighed 1.5 kg.
As you know, at the time of the battle, Alexander Yaroslavovich was 21 years old. His height was 168 cm, and weight 70 kg. With all his desire, he could not have fought with a sword weighing 82 kg. Many Soviet viewers presented the prince as two-meter after the release of the famous film "Alexander Nevsky" in 1938. There the prince was played by Cherkasov - an actor with outstanding physical data and a height of about two meters.
Below is a photo of the sword of Alexander Nevsky, of course, this is not the original weapon, but just a stylization under the sword of the Romanesque type, which was the prince's blade.
And if you look at the picture below with the image of Prince Alexander Nevsky, it can be noted that the blade in his hands is depicted too large.
Unambiguously answer the question: “Where is the legendary sword now?”, No one can. Surely, historians know only one thing: while the blade was not discovered in any of the expeditions.
Sword in Russia
Only the Grand Duke and his squad had the right to carry a sword in Russia constantly. Other soldiers, of course, also had blades, but in peacetime they were kept away from human eyes, because the man was not only a warrior, but also a farmer. And wearing a sword in peacetime meant that he saw enemies around him. Just for bragging, no warrior wore a blade, but used it only to protect his homeland or his own home and family.