July 15, 1240, the Russian army under the command of Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich joined the battle with a large detachment of Swedes in the place where Izhora flows into the Neva. The battle was called the Battle of Neva.

Hard times

“The exact date and even year of birth of Alexander Yaroslavovich is unknown. He was born around 1220. But we can confidently state that his youth fell on an extremely difficult time for Russia, ”a professor in the political science department of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, Doctor of Historical Sciences Sergey Perevezentsev.

Alexander was born in the family of Prince Pereyaslavl-Zalessky Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, who some time later took the princely throne.

At that time, the situation of Russia was extremely difficult: the country was in a state of political fragmentation, and besides, it was threatened by external enemies from several directions at once.

In 1224, representatives of the Order of the Sword-Bearers (the German Catholic Spiritual-Knightly Order) captured the city of Yuryev and executed all its defenders. In addition, German knights launched raids on the Pskov and Novgorod lands. In 1237, on the basis of the Order of the Swordsmen, the Livonian Order was created, which became part of the Teutonic Order. According to historians, the combined order forces posed a serious threat to Northwest Russia.

  • The capture of Vladimir by the Mongols. 1237-1241 Thumbnail from the Russian annals

In the same 1237, Mongol troops invaded the lands of Northeast Russia, capturing and destroying a number of Russian cities.

By this time, the fate of Alexander Yaroslavovich was closely connected with Novgorod. Back in 1228, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, going on a campaign in Riga, left two of his sons - Alexander and Fedor - in Novgorod. And in 1230 he put them on reign in Novgorod land. In 1233, Fyodor Yaroslavovich died, and three years later, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich approved his authority in Kiev. Alexander, as a very young man (he was about 15-16 years old), began to conduct independent military-political activities.

In 1239, Alexander entered into marriage, taking as a wife the daughter of the Polotsk prince Bryachislav. Around the same time, he began to build fortifications in the Novgorod region.

Defender of Russia

In 1240, the German and Scandinavian knights, with the approval of the papal curia, decided to deliver a powerful coordinated strike on Russian lands. In the West, it was believed that after the Mongol invasion, Russia would not be able to provide serious resistance. The German knights moved to the Pskov region, and the Scandinavians decided to strike from the Gulf of Finland.

In July 1240, a large Swedish detachment on ships entered the mouth of the Neva. If you believe the annals, the Swedish leader sent the following message to Alexander Yaroslavovich: “If you can, resist, know that I’m already here and will captivate your land.”

Alexander did not have at hand serious military forces, but he decided not to take time, but to strike at the Swedes until they delved into Russian lands. With a detachment of about 300 princely warriors, 500 Novgorod horsemen and the same number of foot militias, he moved towards the enemy. On the way, about one and a half hundred soldiers from Ladoga joined him.

The Swedes camped on the banks of the Neva, just above the confluence of Izhora. According to medieval sources, a foot Russian squad was supposed to cut off the Swedes from their ships, and cavalry - to complete the encirclement of the enemy. And this plan was successfully implemented by Prince Alexander.

“Nowadays, some historians are attempting to rewrite the history of Russia, arguing that the Neva battle and the Battle of Ice either did not exist, or they did not have any military significance. Such statements sound often today, but they have nothing to do with reality. There were no doubt battles, ”said Yevgeny Spitsyn, adviser to the MPGU rector, in an interview with RT.

The Novgorodians secretly approached the location of the enemy and attacked with lightning speed, thereby completely demoralizing him. The squadman Savva made his way to the center of the Swedish camp and cut a pillar that supported the tent of the leader. Prince Alexander was personally in the thick of the battle, fighting shoulder to shoulder with his warriors.

  • Neva battle. Saint Alexander Nevsky inflicts a wound in the face of the Swedish leader. 1240. Artist A.D. Kivshenko

The number of Swedish troops, according to some sources, could reach 5 thousand soldiers, but it was completely defeated. According to historians, the Swedes lost several hundred people dead, the Russians - several dozen.

“The significance of victory in the Neva battle was very great. Prince Alexander retained access to the Baltic and the most important trade route for Novgorod, prevented the large-scale expansion of the Swedes into Russian lands and prevented the Germans from receiving support from the north. It is believed that it was for this victory that Alexander received the nickname Nevsky, ”said Yevgeny Spitsyn.

After the Battle of Neva, the political weight of the prince grew, and this aroused concern among the boyars. Due to the deterioration of relations with them, Alexander had to leave Novgorod for a while. But amid the expansion of the German knights, he was soon called again. Novgorod Archbishop Spiridon went to ask the prince to return, and Alexander agreed.

In 1241, Alexander Yaroslavovich with the prince's squad and an army of Novgorod, Ladoga, Izhorov and Karelians stormed the Koporye fortress and liberated Vodsky land from the influence of the order. After that, he called for help from his brother Andrei and representatives of several principalities of North-Eastern Russia. The united army liberated the cities of Pskov and Izborsk from the crusaders.

In 1242, an army of crusader knights moved to Russia, which, according to some estimates, included up to 12 thousand people (a certain number of knightly cavalry and infantry from among the peoples conquered by the orders). Prince Alexander decided to give a general battle to the enemy on Lake Peipsi.

The exact location of the battle has not yet been established, but according to the most common version, it occurred near Voroniy Island. According to historians, Alexander weakened the center of the battle formation of the Russian army and strengthened the regiments of the right and left hands, the prince divided the cavalry into two detachments and placed them on the flanks behind the infantry.

On April 5, 1242, the crusaders attacked the army of Alexander Nevsky. They squeezed the advanced detachments of archers and got into the ranks of the Novgorod foot rati. However, breaking through the ranks of the Russian infantry, they ran into a steep wooded shore of the lake. Then the regiments of the right and left hands hit the knights from the flanks, and from the rear - the selected squad of Prince Alexander, who made a roundabout maneuver.

According to Yevgeny Spitsyn, it’s difficult to estimate the exact losses of the parties in the battle on Lake Peipsi, but the battle ended in the complete defeat of the Order of the Order.

Three years later, in 1245, Alexander Yaroslavovich defeated the Lithuanian troops invading the Russian lands.

Grand Duke

In 1249, Alexander Nevsky officially became the Grand Duke of Kiev, and in 1252 - the Grand Duke of Vladimir. In the 1250s, he negotiated to improve relations between Russia and Norway and made another successful campaign against the Swedes, ensuring the stability of the northwestern borders of Russia.

According to historians, Pope Innocent IV repeatedly tried to persuade Alexander to convert to Catholicism, but the prince refused him decisively.

  • Henry Semiradsky. "Prince Alexander Nevsky accepts papal legates." 1876

“Recently, some historians have blamed Alexander Nevsky for allegedly being a collaborating traitor because of his cooperation with the Mongols. But such an assessment has nothing to do with reality. If you carefully read the annals, we will see that the prince put his whole life in order to protect the Russian land from any troubles. In this case, one must keep in mind the historical conditions: the prince did not have sufficient strength to resist the Horde, any such attempts could only lead to monstrous ruins and mass deaths. Therefore, communicating with the Mongols, he had to resort to diplomacy, ”said Sergey Perevezentsev.

According to him, while Alexander was on the princely throne, the large campaigns of the Mongols in Russia ceased, and the prince even managed to avoid sending Russian soldiers to the Mongolian troops.

“Alexander Yaroslavovich stopped expansion from the West and defended Orthodoxy. Thus, he preserved spiritual unity, creating the basis for the future unity of the state, ”the historian emphasized.

Alexander Nevsky died on November 27, 1263. Before his death, he took monastic tonsure under the name Alexy. Prince Alexander Nevsky was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church at the Moscow Cathedral in 1547. In honor of the great Russian warrior and strategist, orders of his name were established in the USSR and Russia. The life of Alexander Nevsky is devoted to many literary and cinematic works.

  • Actor Nikolai Cherkasov in the title role of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky in the film directed by Sergei Eisenstein "Alexander Nevsky"
  • RIA News

“Alexander Nevsky chose the path of spiritual and, in the future, state independence of Russia. And further North-Eastern Russia became the basis for the formation of the Moscow state. His descendants began collecting Russian lands. We can say that thanks to Alexander Nevsky we live in an independent state today, ”concluded Sergey Perevezentsev.