April 18, 2016

Alexander Nevsky: Russia's Hero


Alexander Nevsky: Russia's Hero

In 2008 a public poll chose Alexander Nevsky as Russia’s most notable personality. If you’ve never heard of him – don’t worry! You’re not alone, and you’ve come to the right place. In honor of his 795th birthday,* allow us to offer a short introduction.

It was the spring of ’42. The Germans were advancing into Russia from the West, apparently unstoppable, threatening the very existence of the free Russian state. But under the courageous leadership of one man, the Russians earned a decisive victory and eliminated the German threat.

No, we’re not talking about Stalingrad. Turns out, the twentieth century wasn’t the only one where Russia faced a German invasion. The decisive victory in question actually occurred in the thirteenth century, on April 5, 1242, and the courageous leader was none other than Alexander Nevsky.

The Novgorod Chronicle says of Alexander that his "beauty was like that of Joseph, his strength was like part of Samson's, and his voice reached the people like a trumpet." Might come with being a prince, though.

Unlike Minin and Pozharsky, heroes from a few centuries later, Nevsky was no commoner. He was, in fact, a prince (knyaz), from a long line of rulers. At the age of 7 he was already nominally ruling Novgorod with his brother. By age 15 he was ruling all by himself, even independent of his father, Yaroslav.

And it was a tricky time to be a ruler. The “Germans” of the thirteenth century were Teutonic knights, ordered by the pope to embark on a crusade toward Finland and maybe crush Russia along the way. Meanwhile, the Mongolian Golden Horde was expanding into Russian territory, crushing armies and demanding tribute. Caught between two (three, if you count a vaguely-threatening Lithuania) fires, throughout his life Nevsky made the choice to buy off the Mongols but fight all the Catholics head-on.

Despite the Teutonic invasion, the people of Novgorod – who considered themselves a republic and retained the right to “fire” princes – kicked Nevsky out of the city in late 1240, just as the Germans took the nearby city of Pskov and the Izborsk fortress. Whatever the Novgorod people were thinking, they soon realized their mistake, as the Germans kept advancing. With the enemy just 30 versts away, the people wrote to Yaroslav and asked to have Alexander back. No other son would do, they said.

This time around, Nevsky delivered. He had already led a successful raid on the knights’ Swedish allies on the Neva river (hence Alexander's surname) in July 1240. Upon his return to Novgorod, he immediately cleared the area of German forces, then pursued them toward their Baltic lands. On April 5, 1242, Nevsky retreated onto the thick ice of Chudskoye Lake (Lake Peipus), on the modern-day border with Estonia, and the knights made the mistake of following him. After suffering defeat on the ice, the knights and their allies left Russia alone for at least a century.

Nikolay Cherkasov as Nevsky in Sergei Eisenstein's epic film Alexander Nevsky. Possible origin of the myth that the knights were so heavy they fell through the ice.
Watch a subtitled clip of the Battle or the entire film (Russian only).

Long story short, Russia’s most notable historical figure eliminated a major foreign threat to his country at the age of 21. What did you accomplish by that age?

 

* In fact, based on information on his older brother and the saint he was named after, Nevsky was most likely born May 13, 1221. This date is about one year off from the traditional guess, which placed his birthday on May 30, 1220. (Russian source [x])

 

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

You Might Also Like

Alexander Nevsky
  • November 15, 2000

Alexander Nevsky

Controversial actions of the Russian leader during the Mongol domination of the 13th century.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
The Little Humpbacked Horse

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
At the Circus

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955