Alexander Nevsky

Life events

1. Born — 1221

   Alexander Yaroslavich was born on 13 May 1221 in Pereslavl-Zalessky (an older historiographic tradition gives 30 May 1220), the second son of Grand Prince Yaroslav II of Vladimir and Feodosia Mstislavna, daughter of Mstislav Mstislavich.

2. Other — 1236

   Alexander was appointed by the Novgorod Republic as its prince (knyaz), where he had already served as his father's governor; the decision was approved by the veche, which needed his armies. When his father was summoned away in 1238 due to the Mongol invasion of Northeastern Russia, Alexander began to rule Novgorod independently.

3. Other — 1240

   On 15 July 1240, Alexander led a surprise attack against a Swedish army — led by Birger Jarl and encamped at the confluence of the Izhora and Neva rivers — defeating the force in the Battle of the Neva; the victory earned him the sobriquet 'Nevsky' in the 15th century.

4. Exiled

   In late 1240 or early 1241, the Novgorodians banished Alexander to Pereslavl-Zalessky, fearing his undue influence over the veche and the prospect of his becoming a sole ruler; the Novgorodian authorities recalled him in spring 1241.

5. Other — 1242

   On 5 April 1242, Alexander's army defeated Livonian heavy cavalry led by Hermann of Dorpat at Lake Peipus in the Battle on the Ice, halting the eastward expansion of the Teutonic Order; the Germans subsequently agreed to relinquish remaining Russian territory and exchange prisoners.

6. Other — 1252

   After his brother Andrey fled to Sweden following conflict with the Mongols, Alexander assumed the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir in 1252, becoming the most senior Rurikid prince following the fall of Kiev.

7. Tonsured — 1263

   On his deathbed, according to Eastern Orthodox tradition, Alexander took the Great Schema (strict monastic vows) and received the monastic name Alexey before his death on 14 November 1263 at Gorodets-on-the-Volga while returning from a diplomatic mission to Berke, leader of the Golden Horde.

8. Died — 1263

   Alexander died on 14 November 1263 at Gorodets-on-the-Volga and was buried on 23 November 1263 in the church of the Monastery of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God in Vladimir; Metropolitan Archbishop Cyril lamented at the burial, 'the sun of the Suzdalian land has set.'

Relationships

Documented claims

• Alexander Nevsky was canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church by Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow, in 1547 — nearly three centuries after his death. (likely)
• By order of Peter the Great, Alexander's relics were transported from Vladimir to Saint Petersburg and installed in the Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra on 30 August 1724, establishing a secondary feast day on that date. (likely)
• In 1380, before the Battle of Kulikovo, Alexander's remains were uncovered in response to a vision and found to be incorrupt; they were placed in a shrine in the church at Vladimir. (plausible)
• In 1259, Alexander led an army to Novgorod and compelled the city to submit to a Mongol census and pay tribute to the Golden Horde — a policy of accommodation that historian Fennell characterized as Alexander having 'betrayed his brothers' in subordinating Russia to Tatar rule. (likely)
• In February 2024, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine deleted the memorial of Alexander Nevsky from its synaxarion, citing his image being used as religious justification for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (likely)

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Nevsky