Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich lived a short (1220-1263 gg.), But a bright life. During his reign, he conducted at least 12 military operations and battles, including the Battle of Neva and the Battle of Ice. He had to fight with the Germans, Swedes and Lithuanians. And in all these battles, the prince was successful. And most of all he had to fight for the period when he was the prince of Novgorod. These are 1236 - 1252 years. The times were difficult then, and Alexander managed to show his talent as a military leader in full.
And in 1237 - 1241, a severe military catastrophe unfolded in Russia, which was associated with the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols. Most of the Russian lands were defeated by these tribes, and from the west the borders of Russia were threatened by Livonians. And the Swedes, seeing this situation, in early July 1240 began their sea voyage to the northwestern Russian lands. The plans of the invaders were the most ambitious. They planned to capture, if not all, then at least the strategically important part of the Novgorod lands. In this way, they would block Russia from access to the Baltic Sea, as well as to Finnish and Karelian lands. That is, the trade routes to the West for the Russians would be cut off.
Intelligence in those days also worked well. And as soon as the Swedes approached the mouth of the Neva, the Novgorod prince was informed about this. Alexander Nevsky reacted to this threat instantly. He managed to assemble an army in one day. The Swedes during this time managed to approach the mouth of the Izhora River and camp there. And the young 20-year-old commander, apparently, was in a hurry not in vain. He did not want the Swedes to reach Ladoga and ruin the places adjacent to the Neva.
And on July 15, 1240, the troops of Alexander Nevsky suddenly approached the camp of the Swedes, and the well-known Neva battle began. In this battle, the Novgorodians showed courage, tenacity and desperate courage. They held the initiative in their hands from the very beginning of the battle. The Swedes also showed fierce resistance. This was due to the fact that in fact they had nowhere to retreat. Behind them was water, and if they had rushed to the ships in panic, they would have been completely destroyed.
The battle of Neva in 1240 took place according to the tactical rules that were adopted in the Middle Ages. Usually, close-knit units took part in such battles, which were built in echeloned battle formations. These units under the command of their governor converged with the enemy on the battlefield. And if the first attack did not bring success, then they dispersed and again converged. And such mistakes were repeated over and over again. This type of battle is possible only when the units maintain battle order during the attack and retreat and are always obedient to control.
According to historical sources, the squad of Alexander Nevsky was divided into five groups. The names of some of the military leaders have been preserved in these sources. For example, two noble Novgorodians are mentioned: Sbyslav Yakunovich and Gavrila Oleksich. They undoubtedly led separate detachments. The Swedish army was also divided into tactical units. In such a detachment, a noble knight commanded simple warriors.
The battle of Neva, as was customary in those days, began with an attack by cavalry armed with spears. And at the very first attack, the Novgorodians caused significant damage to the Swedes. The annals mention fighters who distinguished themselves in this battle in a special way. They fought with special courage, entering into combat with the enemy out of order. During the battle, these daredevils used battle axes. There were six such brave men during this battle. They cut into the middle of the Swedes, reached the commander’s tent and cut his pillar. And the fall of the commander’s tent demoralized the Swedish soldiers. Also, these daredevils managed to break through to the enemy ships and destroy three of them.
And this suggests that the ranks of the Swedes during hand-to-hand were torn and upset. And their units did not fight together, but separately. It turns out that the strike of the spearmen, from which the Neva battle began, predetermined the outcome of the whole battle. From the very beginning, Novgorodians received superiority, which led them to victory. Also, some historians consider the breakthrough of the Russians in the rear to the Swedes and cutting them off from ships the reason for this victory. But whatever the reason, Alexander Nevsky managed to achieve the main thing: the Swedes were defeated. They left the battlefield and simply fled. But Russia retained free access to the Baltic.