Alexander Nevsky
Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky was Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Vladimir.
A grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest, Nevsky rose to legendary status after victories over Swedish invaders in the Battle of the Neva, which earned him the title "Nevsky" in the 15th century, and over German crusaders in the Battle on the Ice. He agreed to pay tribute to the Golden Horde, which allowed him to preserve the Eastern Orthodox Church, while fighting against foreign powers to the west and the south. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow canonized Alexander Nevsky as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547.
Regarded long after his death as "one of the great heroes of Russian history", Nevsky is credited with having "saved the Russian people from Catholicism and being enslaved by the Germans". Nevsky's successes led his image to be used by Peter the Great in the construction of Saint Petersburg. His image was also used to promote patriotism in the Soviet Union, especially during World War II. The 1938 film Alexander Nevsky cemented Nevsky's reputation as a Russian savior. Critics of his legacy argue that the size and importance of his military victories were exaggerated for political purposes, and that he helped ensure the Golden Horde's dominance over Russia.
Early life
Born in Pereslavl-Zalessky on 13 May 1221, or 30 May 1220 based on the old historiographic tradition, Alexander was the second son of Grand Prince Yaroslav II of Vladimir. His mother was, daughter of Mstislav Mstislavich. He spent most of his youth in Pereslavl-Zalessky. Little is known about the activities of Yaroslav's children before 1238. Alexander's eldest brother Fyodor died in 1233 at the age of 14.One of the first known references to Alexander Yaroslavich is in Tales of the Life and Courage of the Pious and Great Prince Alexander in the Pskov Chronicles :
Reign
Prince of Novgorod (1236–1240; 1241–1256; 1258–1259)
In 1236, Alexander was appointed by the Novgorod Republic as the prince of Novgorod, where he had already served as his father's governor in Novgorod. He was chosen for the position by his father, but the decision was approved by the veche, which needed his armies. The Novgorod chronicle describes how Yaroslav left his son, Alexander, in Novgorod and took with him "senior Novgorodians" and a hundred men from Torzhok and "sat in Kiev upon the throne". When his father was called away in 1238 because of a Mongol invasion of Northeastern Russia, Alexander began to rule on his own.In the Battle of the Sit River, in which the Mongols effectively conquered the Grand Principality of Vladimir, reigning prince Yuri II of Vladimir was killed. His younger brother, Yaroslav II of Vladimir, requested and received from the Mongol khan his permission to become the new prince. As prince, he assigned Novgorod to his son Alexander.
Alexander continued to enforce the anti-Western views of his family, which made him unpopular among the veche.
Second Swedish Crusade and the Battle of the Neva (1240)
In 1240, three years after obtaining papal authorization, the Swedes launched the Second Swedish Crusade in the easternmost part of the Baltic region. The Finnish mission's eastward expansion led to a clash between Sweden and the city-state of the Novgorod Republic, since the Karelians had been allies and tributaries of Novgorod since the mid-12th century. The Swedish army was led by Birger Jarl and consisted of Norwegians and Finnish tribes. After a successful campaign into Tavastia, the Swedes advanced further east. According to Russian sources, the Swedish army landed at the confluence of the rivers Izhora and Neva in northwestern Russia, when Alexander and his small army suddenly attacked the Swedes on 15 July 1240 and defeated them in the Battle of the Neva.The battle is not mentioned in any Swedish sources; all accounts of the battle are from two Russian sources, which are largely inadequate. Although some Russian sources written centuries later describe its as a very large battle, it is not clear if it was a huge battle or just part of periodic clashes between Sweden and Novgorod that was exaggerated for political purposes. Soviet-era historian Igor Pavlovich Shaskol'skii suggested that the attack was coordinated, referring to the Life of Alexander Nevsky, the only Russian source besides the First Novgorod Chronicle that mentions the battle, in which it is stated that the Swedes intended to conquer Novgorod. However, according to John Lister Illingworth Fennell: "there is no evidence of any coordination of action between the Swedes, the Germans and the Danes, nor is there anything to show that this was more than a continuation of the Russo-Swedish conflict for mastery over Finland and Karelia".
The event was later depicted as being of national importance, and in the 15th century, Alexander received the sobriquet Nevsky.
1240 Izborsk and Pskov campaign
In the September 1240 Izborsk and Pskov campaign, troops of the Bishopric of Dorpat, the Livonian Order, and the exiled pretender-prince overthrew the pro-Suzdal faction which supported Alexander.In late 1240 or early 1241, fearing the undue influence of Alexander over the veche and amid fears of him becoming a sole ruler, the Novgorodians banished Alexander to Pereslavl-Zalessky.
1240–1241 Votia campaign
In the winter 1240–1241 Votia campaign, the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, the Livonian Order, as well as Estonians with support from local Votian leaders attacked Votia. It is unclear whether or not Votia was a tributary of Novgorod at this time. According to Anti Selart, the allies likely only intended to acquire pagan lands and convert them to Catholicism, rather than attacking Novgorod, which was already Christianized. On the other hand, the campaign was "a purely political undertaking which had nothing to do with conversion of pagans". Although the Northern Crusades were aimed at pagan Balts and Baltic Finnic peoples, rather than Orthodox Russians, several unsuccessful attempts were made to persuade Novgorod to convert to Catholicism, which were resisted by Alexander.Battle on the Ice (1242)
The Novgorodian authorities recalled Alexander, and in the spring of 1241, he returned from exile and assembled an army. Alexander conquered Pskov and Koporye from the crusaders, executing the Votians that cooperated with the invaders. He then continued into Estonian-German territory. The crusaders defeated a detachment of the Novgorodian army. As a result, Alexander set up a position at Lake Peipus. On 5 April 1242, in the Battle on the Ice, Alexander and his men faced the Livonian heavy cavalry led by Hermann of Dorpat, brother of Albert of Buxhoeveden. Alexander's army defeated the enemy, halting the eastward expansion of the Teutonic Order. Later in 1242, the Germans agreed to relinquish control of any Russian territory still occupied and to exchange prisoners of war. Later Russian sources elevated the importance of the battle and portray it as one of the great Russian victories of the Middle Ages.The Livonian Rhymed Chronicle narrates the events of the battle:
A Soviet evaluation presented Alexander's victories as having "saved the Russian people from sharing the fate of the Baltic tribes and the Slavs of the Elbe who were enslaved by the Germans". Igor Shaskovsky called the offensive the largest during the feudal period. On the other hand, historians like Fennell have doubted that this victory was a turning point in Russian history. He notes that the chronicle of Suzdal downplays the event to the point that Alexander's brother Andrey is seen as the hero.
After the Livonian invasion, Nevsky continued to strengthen the Republic of Novgorod. He sent envoys to Norway and, as a result, a first peace treaty between Novgorod and Norway was signed in 1251. Alexander defeated the Swedes in Finland after they made another attempt to block the Baltic Sea from the Novgorodians in 1256. In 1261, Alexander also made a treaty with Lithuanian king Mindaugas against the Livonian Order, but the planned attack failed as Alexander was summoned to Sarai by the khan.
Grand Prince of Vladimir (1252–1263)
Yaroslav was summoned to Karakorum, after which he fell ill and died on 30 September 1246. At a council in Vladimir held the following year, it was decided that Yaroslav's brother Svyatoslav would become grand prince, while Alexander would receive the Principality of Tver in addition to remaining as the prince of Novgorod. The Rurikid princes were obliged to appear before the khans in person, pay homage to them and receive their jarlig to be affirmed in their principalities. Svyatoslav did not go to the khan for confirmation, which caused Mikhail Khorobrit to expel his brother from Vladimir and claim the throne. Mikhail later died in a battle against the Lithuanians in 1248, which led to Moscow being without a prince.Alexander's older brother Andrey was dissatisfied with the decision made at the council and he went to the khan, along with Alexander. In 1248, Andrey received the title of grand prince of Vladimir, while Alexander received Kiev, Chernigov, and "the entire Russian land". The two returned in the autumn of 1249. Andrey began to act independently in relation to the Mongols, and after creating an anti-Mongol coalition, a high-ranking official was sent to punish the princes. Andrey fled to Novgorod, but was not accepted there, so he was exiled to Sweden. Alexander assumed the title of grand prince of Vladimir in 1252, and was therefore the most senior of the princes at the time following the fall of Kiev.
Alexander faithfully supported Mongol rule within his own domains. In 1259, he led an army to the city of Novgorod and forced it to pay tribute it had previously refused to the Golden Horde. The chronicles say that Alexander had the help of nobles who "thought would be easy for themselves, but fall hard on the lesser men". It then says that "the accursed ones," meaning the Mongols, "began to ride through the streets, writing down the Christian houses". According to Fennell: "the Tatar yoke began not so much during the invasion of Batu into Russia, but from the moment Alexander Nevsky betrayed his brothers".
Some historians see Alexander's choice of subordination to the Golden Horde as an important reaffirmation of East Slavs' Orthodox orientation. Orlando Figes mentioned that "Nevsky's collaboration was no doubt motivated by his distrust of the West, which he regarded as a greater threat to Orthodox Russia than the Golden Horde But Nevsky's realpolitik caused a problem for the chroniclers, particularly after he was made a saint by the Russian Church in 1547, for in their terms he had colluded with the infidel."