TALES ABOUT THE LIFE AND COURAGE OF THE BLESSED AND GREAT PRINCE ALEXANDER
THE TALE OF THE LIFE AND BRAVERY OF THE Blessed and Grand Duke ALEXANDER
About our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
I am thin and sinful, with little understanding, I am attempting to write the life of the holy Prince Alexander, son of Yaroslavl, and grandson of Vsevolozh. Having already heard from my fathers and witnessed his growth, I would be glad to confess his holy and honest and glorious life. But as the Tributary says: “Wisdom cannot be found in a wicked soul: it is on the highest edges, it stands in the middle of the path, but it sits at the gates of the mighty.” Even if I am crude in mind, I will lay the first fruits through the prayer of the Holy Mother of God and the haste of Holy Prince Alexander.
I, thin and sinful, narrow-minded, dare to describe the life of the holy Prince Alexander, son of Yaroslav, grandson of Vsevolodov. Since I heard from my fathers and myself witnessed his mature age, I was glad to tell about his holy, honest, and glorious life. But as the Tributary said: “Wisdom will not enter an evil soul: for it dwells in elevated places, stands in the middle of roads, and stops at the gates of noble people.” Although I am simple in mind, I will still begin, with the prayer of the Holy Mother of God and the help of Holy Prince Alexander.
This Prince Alexander was born from the father of the merciful and man-loving, and even more meek, Prince Yaroslav and from his mother Feodosia. As the prophet Isaiah said: “Thus says the Lord: I make a prince, for I am sacred, and I lead.” Truly, without God’s command his reign would not exist.
This prince Alexander was born from a merciful and philanthropic father, and most of all a meek one, the great prince Yaroslav and from his mother Theodosia. As Isaiah the prophet said: “Thus says the Lord: “I appoint princes; they are sacred, and I lead them.” And truly, his reign was not without God’s command.
But his gaze is more than any other man, and his voice is like a trumpet among the people, and his face is like the face of Joseph, who the Egyptian king made him the second king in Egypt, and his strength is part of the strength of Samson, and gave him God is the wisdom of Solomon, and his courage is like the Roman king Eupesian, who captured the whole land of Judea. Sometimes he was ready to approach the city of Asaphat, and the citizens left, defeating his cry. And remaining alone, and returning their strength to the city, to the city gates, and laughing at my squad, and reproaching me, I said: “Leave me alone.” It’s the same with Prince Alexander - we run, but we don’t win.
And he was handsome like no one else, and his voice was like a trumpet among the people, his face was like the face of Joseph, whom the Egyptian king made the second king in Egypt, and his strength was part of the strength of Samson, and God gave him the wisdom of Solomon, His courage is like that of the Roman king Vespasian, who conquered the entire land of Judea. One day he prepared to besiege the city of Joatapata, and the townspeople came out and defeated his army. And only Vespasian remained, and turned those who opposed him to the city, to the city gates, and laughed at his squad, and reproached them, saying: “They left me alone.” Likewise, Prince Alexander won, but was invincible.
And for this reason, someone strong from the Western country, who are called servants of God, came from them, although to see his wondrous growth, like the Queen of Yuzhichi of old, come to Solomon, wanting to hear his wisdom. So this one, named Andreyash, saw Prince Alexander and, returning to his people, said: “Having passed through the country, the language, I have not seen such a king either in the kings or in the princes.”
That is why one of the eminent men of the Western country, from those who call themselves servants of God, came, wanting to see the maturity of his strength, just as in ancient times the Queen of Sheba came to Solomon, wanting to listen to his wise speeches. So this one, named Andreas, having seen Prince Alexander, returned to his people and said: “I went through countries and peoples and did not see such a king among kings, nor a prince among princes.”
The king of the Roman part from the Midnight Country heard such courage from Prince Alexander and thought in himself: “I will go and captivate the land of Alexander.” And gather great strength, and fill the ship with many of your regiments, moving in heavy strength, puffing with the military spirit. And he came to the Neva, staggering with madness, and he sent his words, becoming proud, to Novgorod to Prince Alexander, saying: “If you can resist me, then I am already here, taking your land captive.”
Hearing about such valor of Prince Alexander, the king of the Roman country from the Midnight Land thought to himself: “I will go and conquer the land of Alexander.” And he gathered great strength, and filled many ships with his regiments, and moved with great strength, puffing with the military spirit. And he came to the Neva, intoxicated with madness, and sent his ambassadors, proud, to Novgorod to Prince Alexander, saying: “If you can, defend yourself, for I am already here and ruining your land.”
Alexander, hearing these words, became hot in heart, and entered the church of St. Sophia, and fell on his knee before the altar, beginning to pray with tears: “God, praised, righteous, God great, strong, God eternal, foundation sky and the earth and having set limits with the tongue, commanded to live without trespassing into someone else’s part.” Let us hear the prophetic song, the speech: “Judge, O Lord, those who offend me and rebuke those who fight with me, accept weapons and shields, stand to help me.”
Alexander, having heard such words, burned in his heart and entered the Church of Hagia Sophia, and, falling on his knees before the altar, began to pray with tears: “Glorious God, righteous, great God, mighty, eternal God, who created heaven and earth and set the boundaries peoples, you commanded to live without transgressing other people’s borders.” And, remembering the words of the prophet, he said: “Judge, Lord, those who offend me and protect them from those who fight me, take a weapon and a shield and stand up to help me.”
And, having finished the prayer, stood up and bowed to the archbishop. Bishop then be Spiridon, bless him and let him go. He, leaving the church, wiped away his tears, beginning to strengthen his squad, saying: “God is not able, but in truth. Let us remember the Song-Creator, who said: “This one is in arms, and this one is on horseback, but we will call in the name of the Lord our God, this one fell and fell, but we fell and fell.” These rivers, I went against them in a small squad, not relying on much of my strength, but trusting in the Holy Trinity.
And, having finished the prayer, he stood up and bowed to the archbishop. The archbishop was then Spyridon, he blessed him and released him. The prince, leaving the church, wiped away his tears and said to encourage his squad: “God is not in power, but in truth. Let us remember the Songmaker, who said: “Some with weapons, and others on horses, but we call on the name of the Lord our God; They were defeated and fell, but we survived and are standing upright.” Having said this, he went against the enemies with a small squad, not waiting for his large army, but trusting in the Holy Trinity.
It’s a pity to hear that his father, the great prince Yaroslav, did not know such a rise against his son, dear Alexander, nor was he able to send the news to his father, when the battle was already approaching. At the same time, many Novgorodians did not copulate, so the prince hastened to drink. And he went to her on the day of Resurrection, July 15, having great faith in the holy martyr Boris to Gleb.
It was sad to hear that his father, the great prince Yaroslav, did not know about the invasion of his son, dear Alexander, and he had no time to send news to his father, for the enemies were already approaching. Therefore, many Novgorodians did not have time to join, since the prince hurried to speak. And he came out against the enemy on Sunday, July fifteenth, having great faith in the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb.
And there was a certain elder man in the land of Izherstey, named Pelugius, and he was entrusted with the night guard of the sea. Having received holy baptism and living in the midst of his family, the filthy being, his name in holy baptism was called Philip, and living pleasing to God, on Wednesday and Friday he remained in hunger, at the same time, God grant him to see a terrible vision on that day. Let's say it briefly.
And there was one man, the elder of the Izhora land, named Pelugiy, he was entrusted with night watch at sea. He was baptized and lived among his people, who were pagans, and his name was given in holy baptism Philip, and he lived pleasing to God, observing fasting on Wednesday and Friday, which is why God deigned him to see a wonderful vision on that day. Let's tell you briefly.
Having seen the strength of the military, I went against Prince Alexander and told him the camps. He stood at the edge of the sea and guarded both paths, and remained vigil all night. And as the sun began to rise, hearing a terrible noise across the sea and seeing one boat rowing across the sea, and in the middle of the boat standing the holy martyr Boris and Gleb in scarred robes, and the best of hands trembling on their frames. The rowing of the sedyahu is like clothing in the darkness. Speech Boris: “Brother Gleb, tell us to row, and let us help our relative Prince Alexander.” Seeing such a vision and hearing such a voice from the martyr, he stood trembling until he left his sight.
Having learned about the strength of the enemy, he went out to meet Prince Alexander to tell him about their camps. He stood on the seashore, watching both routes, and spent the whole night without sleep. When the sun began to rise, he heard a strong noise on the sea and saw one boat floating on the sea, and standing in the middle of the boat were the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb in red robes, holding their hands on each other’s shoulders. The rowers sat as if covered in darkness. Boris said: “Brother Gleb, tell us to row, and let us help our relative Prince Alexander.” Seeing such a vision and hearing these words of the martyrs, Pelugius stood, terrified, until the attack disappeared from his eyes.
Then Alexander will go soon, he, seeing Prince Alexander joyful eyes, confessing to him a single vision. The prince said to him: “Don’t tell this to anyone.”
Soon after this, Alexander came, and Pelugius, joyfully meeting Prince Alexander, told him alone about the vision. The prince told him: “Don’t tell this to anyone.”
From there I took pains to run into her at 6 one o'clock in the afternoon, and the slaughter was great against the Romans, and beat them up countlessly, and put a seal on the face of the king himself with your sharp spear.
After that, Alexander hastened to attack the enemies at six o'clock in the afternoon, and there was a great slaughter with the Romans, and the prince killed countless numbers of them, and on the face of the king himself he left the mark of his sharp spear.
Here 6 a brave man appeared with him and his regiment.
Six brave men, like him, from Alexander’s regiment showed themselves here.
United by the name of Gavrilo Oleksich. Go on the auger seeing the prince, rushing arm in arm, and rode along the board all the way to the ship itself, along which the walker walked with the prince who was standing in front of him, and he himself was overthrown and with his horse into the water from the boards. And by God’s grace he was unharmed, and again came, and fought with the commander himself in the midst of their regiment.
The first one is named Tavrilo Oleksic. He attacked the auger and, seeing the prince being dragged by the arms, rode all the way to the ship along the gangplank along which he and the prince were running; those pursued by him grabbed Gavrila Oleksich and threw him off the gangplank along with his horse. But by God's mercy he emerged from the water unharmed, and again attacked them, and fought with the commander himself in the midst of their army.
2 - named Sbyslav Yakunovich, Novgorodian. She rode against their regiment many times and fought with one axe, having no fear in her soul, and fell somewhat by his hand, and marveled at his strength and courage.
The second one is named Sbyslav Yakunovich, a Novgorodian. This one attacked their army many times and fought with one ax, having no fear in his soul; and many fell by his hand, and they marveled at his strength and courage.
3rd - Yakov, a native of Polotsk, a hunter for the prince. Behold, he came to the regiment with a sword, and the prince praised him.
The third - Yakov, a native of Polotsk, was a hunter for the prince. This one attacked the regiment with a sword, and the prince praised him.
4 - Novgorodian, named Mesha. Behold, run into the ships and destroy 3 ships with your squad.
The fourth is a Novgorodian named Mesha. This man on foot and his retinue attacked the ships and sank three ships.
5 - from his young ones, named Sava. Behold, the great golden-topped queen entered the tent and cut down the tent pillar. Poltsi Oleksandrovi, seeing the fall of the tent, rejoiced.
The fifth is from the younger squad, named Sava. This one burst into the large royal golden-domed tent and cut down the tent pole. The Alexandrov regiments, seeing the fall of the tent, rejoiced.
6 - from his servants, named Ratmer. You sing and drink and eat a lot. He fell from many wounds and died.
The sixth is from Alexander’s servants, named Ratmir. This one fought on foot, and many enemies surrounded him. He fell from many wounds and died that way.
And I heard everything from my master, Grand Duke Alexander, and from others who were present in that battle at that time.
I heard all this from my master, Grand Duke Alexander, and from those who participated in this battle at that time.
It was a wondrous miracle that happened at that time, just like in the days of old under Hezekiah the emperors. When Sanahirim, the Asurian king, came to Jerusalem, although he had captured the holy city of Jerusalem, suddenly an angel of the Lord came out and killed 100, 80, and 5 thousand from the Asurian regiment, and when the morning arose, all the corpses were found dead. The same thing happened during the victory of Alexandrov, when he defeated the king, he hit the floor of the Izzhera River, and when Oleksandrov’s regiment did not pass through, here he found many people beaten by the angel of the Lord. The rest of them escaped, and the corpses of their dead were swept away by the ship and drowned in the sea. Prince Alexander returned with victory, praising and glorifying the name of your Creator.
There was a wondrous miracle at that time, as in the days of old under Hezekiah the king. When Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came to Jerusalem, wanting to conquer the holy city of Jerusalem, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrian army, and when morning came, only dead corpses were found. This was the case after Alexandrov’s victory: when he defeated the king, on the opposite side of the Izhora River, where Alexandrov’s regiments could not pass, a countless number of those killed by the angel of the Lord were found here. Those who remained fled, and the corpses of their dead soldiers were thrown into ships and sank them into the sea. Prince Alexander returned in victory, praising and glorifying the name of his Creator.
In the second summer, after returning from the victory, Prince Alexander came again from the Western country and built a city in the fatherland of Alexander. Prince Alexander quickly went and overthrew their city from its foundations, and having known them all, he led them with him, and, having had mercy on them, released them, for he is more merciful than measure.
In the second year after Prince Alexander returned with victory, they again came from the Western Country and built a city on the land of Alexandrova. Prince Alexander soon went and destroyed their city to the ground, and hanged them, some, took others with him, and, having pardoned others, released them, for he was immeasurably merciful.
After Alexandrov’s victory, how can you win king, in the third year, in winter, I went to the German land in great strength, so that they would not boast, roaring: “Let us reproach the Slovenian language below ourselves.”
After Alexandrova’s victory, when he defeated the king, in the third year, in winter, he went with great strength to German land, so that they would not boast, saying: “Let us subdue the Slovenian people.”
When the Germans approached, the guards found out about them. Prince Alexander prepared for battle, and they went against each other, and Lake Peipus was covered with many of these and other warriors. Alexander's father Yaroslav sent his younger brother Andrei with a large squad to help him. And Prince Alexander also had many brave warriors, like King David in ancient times, strong and strong. So Alexander’s men were filled with the spirit of war, because their hearts were like the hearts of lions, and they exclaimed: “O our glorious prince! Now the time has come for us to lay down our heads for you.” Prince Alexander raised his hands to the sky and said: “Judge me, God, judge my quarrel with the unrighteous people and help me, Lord, as in ancient times he helped Moses overcome Amalek and our great-grandfather Yaroslav the accursed Svyatopolk.”
Then it will be Saturday, the sun will rise, and the wallpaper will come down. And there was the slash of evil, and the coward from the breaking spears, and the sound from the slashing of the sword, as if the frozen lake moved, and could not see the ice, for fear of being covered in blood.
It was then Saturday, and when the sun rose, the opponents met. And there was a cruel slaughter, and there was a crash from breaking spears and a ringing from the blows of swords, and it seemed that a frozen lake was moving, and no ice was visible, for it was covered with blood.
I heard from a self-witness, like me, that I saw the regiment of God in the air, coming to the aid of Alexandrov. And so I won with the help of God, and I gave my whip, and I persecuted, like in Jeremiah, and without any comfort. Here God glorify Alexander before all the regiments, like Jesus Navvinus at Jerekhon. And as he said, have Alexander in his hands, this God will give him in his hand. And you will never find an opponent to him in battle. And Prince Alexander returned with a glorious victory, and there were many captives in his regiment, and they led barefooted people beside the horses, who called themselves God’s rhetoric.
And I heard this from an eyewitness who told me that he saw the army of God in the air, coming to the aid of Alexander. And so he defeated the enemies with the help of God, and they fled, but Alexander cut them down, driving them as if through the air, and they had nowhere to hide. Here God glorified Alexander before all the regiments, like Joshua at Jericho. And the one who said: “Let’s capture Alexander,” God gave into Alexander’s hands. And there has never been an opponent worthy of him in battle. And Prince Alexander returned with a glorious victory, and there were many captives in his army, and they led barefoot next to the horses of those who call themselves “God’s knights.”
And as the prince approached the city of Pskov, the abbess and priest and all the people gathered and stood on crosses in front of the city, giving the praise of God and glory to the lord Prince Alexander, singing the song: “Having helped the meek David to defeat foreigners and our faithful prince with the weapon of the godfather and free the city of Pskov from foreigners by the hand of Alexandra.”
And when the prince approached the city of Pskov, the abbots, and priests, and all the people met him in front of the city with crosses, giving praise to God and glorifying the lord Prince Alexander, singing the song: “You, Lord, helped the meek David to defeat the foreigners and our faithful prince with the arms of the godfather, liberate the city of Pskov from foreigners by the hand of Alexandra.”
And Alexander said: “Oh, the ignorance of the Pskovites! If you forget this even to the great-grandsons of the Alexandrovs, and become like the Jews, the Lord fed them in the desert with manna and baked crustaceans, and you forgot them all and your God, who brought you out of Egypt from work.”
And Alexander said: “O ignorant Pskovites! If you forget this before the great-grandsons of Alexander, then you will become like the Jews, whom the Lord fed in the desert with manna from heaven and baked quails, but they forgot all this and their God, who delivered them from captivity in Egypt.”
And his name began to be heard throughout all countries, and to the Khonuzh Sea, and to the Ararat Mountains, and about it country the Varangian Sea, and to the great Rome.
And his name became famous in all countries, from the Khonuzh Sea and to the Ararat Mountains, and on the other side of the Varangian Sea and to the great Rome.
At the same time, the Lithuanian language multiplied and began to cause mischief in the Alexandrov volost. He went out and beat me. He decided to leave as one, and defeated 7 armies as one and beat up many of their princes, seized both hands, and his servants, swearing, tied them to the tail of their horses. And from there I began to guard his name.
At the same time, the Lithuanian people gained strength and began to plunder the Alexandrov possessions. He went out and beat them. One day he happened to ride out against his enemies, and he defeated seven regiments in one ride and killed many of their princes, and took others prisoner, while his servants, mocking, tied them to the tails of their horses. And from that time on they began to fear his name.
At the same time, the king is strong in the Eastern country, and God has subjugated many languages to him, from the east even to the west. The same king, hearing that Alexander was so glorious and brave, sent ambassadors to him and said: “Alexandra, do you think that God has subdued many languages with me? Are you the only one who doesn’t want to conquer me? But if you want to preserve your land, then come to me soon and see the honor of my kingdom.”
At the same time, there was a strong king in the Eastern country, to whom God subjugated many nations, from the east to the west. That king, having heard about such glory and courage of Alexander, sent envoys to him and said: “Alexander, do you know that God has conquered many nations to me? So, are you the only one who doesn’t want to submit to me? But if you want to save your land, then come to me quickly and you will see the glory of my kingdom.”
Prince Alexander came to Volodymer after the death of his father in great strength. And his arrival was menacing, and his news rushed to the mouth of the Volga. And the Moabite wives began to strip their children, saying: “Alexander is coming!”
After the death of his father, Prince Alexander came to Vladimir in great strength. And his arrival was menacing, and news of him rushed to the mouth of the Volga. And the Moabite wives began to frighten their children, saying: “Alexander is coming!”
Prince Alexander came to his senses, Bishop Kiril blessed him, and went to the princess in the Horde. And when King Batu saw him, he marveled and said to his nobles: “I have truly told you that there is no prince like this.” Having honored and honestly, let go.
Prince Alexander decided to go to the Tsar in the Horde, and Bishop Kirill blessed him. And King Batu saw him and was amazed, and said to his nobles: “They told me the truth, that there is no prince like him.” Having honored him with dignity, he released Alexander.
For this reason, Tsar Batu became angry with his brother Andrei and sent his governor Nevryun to conquer the land of Suzhdal. After the captivity of Nevryunev, the great prince Alexander raised churches, used cities, and forced people into their homes. The prophet Isaiah spoke about such people: “The prince of good things in countries is quiet, generous, meek, humble, in the image of God.” Without heeding wealth and not despising the blood of the righteous, the orphan and the widow, you truly judge, O merciful one, the good of your own household and the feeder of those who come from abroad from abroad. God looks upon such people, for God does not love an angel, but a man who generously rewards and shows his mercy in the world.
After this, Tsar Batu became angry with his younger brother Andrei and sent his governor Nevryuy to destroy the land of Suzdal. After the devastation of the Suzdal land by Nevruy, the great Prince Alexander erected churches, rebuilt cities, and gathered dispersed people into their homes. Isaiah the prophet said about such people: “A good prince in countries is quiet, friendly, meek, humble - and thus he is like God.” Without being seduced by wealth, without forgetting the blood of the righteous, he judges orphans and widows with justice, is merciful, kind to his household and hospitable to those who come from foreign countries. God helps such people, for God does not love angels, but in his generosity he generously gifts people and shows his mercy in the world.
May God spread his land with wealth and glory, and may God grant him years of life.
God filled the land of Alexander with wealth and glory and God extended his years.
Once upon a time, ambassadors from the Pope from great Rome came to him, crying: “Our Pope says this: “We hear that the prince is honest and wondrous, and your land is great. For this reason, two khithresh - Agaldad and Gemont - have sent to you from the twelve cordinals, so that you may listen to their teachings about the law of God.”
One day, ambassadors from the Pope from great Rome came to him with these words: “Our Pope says this: “We heard that you are a worthy and glorious prince and your land is great. That’s why they sent you two of the smartest of the twelve cardinals—Agaldad and Remont—so that you could listen to their speeches about the law of God.”
Prince Alexander, having thought with his wise men, wrote to him and said: “From Adam to the flood, from the Patop to the division of the tongue, from the confusion of the tongue to the beginning of Abraham, from Abraham to the passage of Israel through the sea, from the exodus of the sons of Israel to the death of King David , from the beginning of the kingdom of Solomon to Augustus and to the birth of Christ, from the birth of Christ to the passion and resurrection, from his resurrection and ascension into heaven and to the kingdom of Constantine, from the beginning of the kingdom of Constantine to the first gathering and the seventh - we know all good things, and from your teachings are not acceptable.” They returned home.
Prince Alexander, having thought with his sages, wrote him the following answer: “From Adam to the flood, from the flood to the division of nations, from the confusion of nations to the beginning of Abraham, from Abraham to the passage of the Israelites through the sea, from the exodus of the children of Israel to the death of King David , from the beginning of the reign of Solomon until Augustus and until the birth of Christ, from the birth of Christ until his crucifixion and resurrection, from his resurrection and ascension into heaven until the reign of Constantine, from the beginning of the reign of Constantine until the first council and the seventh - we know all this well , but we will not accept teachings from you.” They returned home.
And the days of his life multiplied in great glory, for he was a lover of religion and a lover of greed, and a lover of the poor, but the metropolitan and bishops honored and listened to them, like Christ himself.
And the days of his life multiplied in great glory, for he loved priests, and monks, and beggars, and he revered and listened to metropolitans and bishops as to Christ himself.
Then the need for foreigners is great, and they persecute Christians, ordering them to fight with them. The great prince Alexander went to the princess in order to pray for the people from that misfortune.
In those days there was great violence from non-believers; they persecuted Christians, forcing them to fight on their side. The great prince Alexander went to the king to pray his people out of this misfortune.
And he sent his son Dmitry to the Western countries and his entire regiment, the ambassador with him, and his neighbors and his household, saying to them: “Serve my son, like me, with all your belly.” Prince Dimitri went with great strength, captured the German land, took the city of Yuryev, and returned to Novgorod with much and with great self-interest.
And he sent his son Dmitry to the Western countries, and sent all his regiments with him, and his close household members, saying to them: “Serve my son, as you serve me, with all your life.” And Prince Dmitry went in great strength, and conquered the German land, and took the city of Yuryev, and returned to Novgorod with many prisoners and with great booty.
His father, the great prince Alexander, returned from the Horde from the king, and went to Nizhnyago Novgorod, and remained in poor health, and, having reached Gorodets, fell ill. Oh woe to you, poor man! How can you write the death of your master! How can your eye not fall along with your tears? How can your heart not break from rooting! A man can leave his father, but he cannot leave his master’s good: even if he had lied, he would have climbed into the grave with him!
His father, Grand Duke Alexander, returned from the Horde from the Tsar, and reached Nizhny Novgorod, and fell ill there, and, arriving in Gorodets, fell ill. Oh woe to you, poor man! How can you describe the death of your master! How will your eyes not fall out along with your tears! How can your heart not be torn out by the roots! For a man can leave his father, but he cannot leave a good master; If it were possible, I would go to the grave with him!
God suffered greatly, so leave the earthly kingdom and be with me, for his desire is greater than the measure of the angelic image. God grant him the greater rank of priesthood. And so give up your spirit to God in peace on the 14th day of November, in memory of the holy Apostle Philip.
Having worked hard for God, he left the earthly kingdom and became a monk, for he had an immeasurable desire to take on the angelic image. God vouchsafed him to accept a greater rank - schema. And so in peace he gave up his spirit to God in the month of November on the fourteenth day, in memory of the holy Apostle Philip.
Metropolitan Kiril said: “My children, understand that the sun has already set land Suzdal! The priests and the deacons, the monks, the poor and the rich, and all the people said: “We are already perishing!”
Metropolitan Kirill said: “My children, know that the sun of the land of Suzdal has already set!” Priests and deacons, monks, poor and rich, and all the people exclaimed: “We are already perishing!”
His holy body was carried to the city of Volodymer. The Metropolitan, the princes and boyars and all the people, malia, greatness, sretosh and in God-loving with candles and with kandila. The people will be driven away, wanting to touch with honor the bed of his holy body. There was a cry, and a scream, and a tightness, as if there was nothing, as if the earth was shaking. His body was laid down at the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God, in the archimandrite’s majesty, in the month of November, at 24, in memory of the holy father Amphilochius.
The holy body of Alexander was carried to the city of Vladimir. The Metropolitan, the princes and boyars and all the people, small and large, met him in Bogolyubovo with candles and censers. People crowded, trying to touch his holy body on his honest bed. There was a cry, a groan, and a cry like never before, even the earth shook. His body was laid in the Church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God, in the Great Archimandrite, on the 24th day of November, in memory of Holy Father Amphilochius.
The miracle that happened then was wondrous and worthy of memory. When his holy body was placed in the reliquary, then Savastian the Icon and Metropolitan Cyril shook hands with him and gave him a spiritual letter. He, as if he were alive, stretched out his hand and took the letter from the hand of the metropolitan. And I accepted the horror, and once I retreated from his shrine. This was quickly heard by everyone from the lord metropolitan and from his iconomer Savastian. Who would not be surprised at this, as if the body were soulless and carried from distant cities in winter!
There was a marvelous miracle then, worthy of memory. When his holy body was laid in the tomb, then Sebastian the Economist and Cyril the Metropolitan wanted to unclench his hand in order to insert a spiritual letter. He, as if alive, stretched out his hand and took the letter from the hand of the metropolitan. And confusion seized them, and they retreated slightly from his tomb. Metropolitan and Housekeeper Sevastian announced this to everyone. Who wouldn’t be surprised by that miracle, because his soul left his body and he was brought from distant lands in winter!
And thus God glorified his saint.
And so God glorified his saint.
...Alexander, son of Yaroslavl, and grandson of Vsevolozh.- Alexander Nevsky (c. 1220-1263) was the son of Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Princess Feodosia, the grandson of Grand Duke Vsevolod III the Big Nest.
Pritochnik- King Solomon, who is considered the author of the biblical Book of Proverbs of Solomon. The saying of the Pritochnik has two sources: Prem. 1.4 and Prov. 8.2-3; in the second case, the quote is inaccurate; in Solomon’s parables it reads: “She stands in high places, along the road, at crossroads; she calls at the gates at the entrance to the city..."
Isaiah the prophet- Old Testament prophet. The biblical Book of the Prophet Isaiah contains prophecies about the fate of nations, about the appearance of the Messiah, and condemns kings and nobles who live unrighteously. The author of the Life takes words from his Book, 13.3.
Joseph.— According to the Bible, Joseph, the son of Jacob, was endowed with extraordinary intelligence and beauty. Hated by his brothers, he was sold by them to Egypt. Pharaoh, after Joseph predicted the famine and indicated the ways of salvation from it, “set him over all the land of Egypt” (Gen. 30-50).
Samson- an Old Testament hero who possessed extraordinary strength, became famous in the fight against the Philistines. His life and exploits are narrated in the Book of Judges 13-16.
...like the Roman king Eupesian... to the city of Asaphat...— Titus Flavius Vespasian (9-79) - Roman general, then emperor. The author of the life recalls one episode of the Jewish War (66-73) - the siege of the fortress of Joatapata, which is known to him, probably, from the “History of the Jewish War” by Josephus; the Old Russian translation of this work was distributed in Rus' already in the 11th-12th centuries.
- Archbishop of Novgorod (1229-1249).
Let us remember the Song-Creator...- Biblical king David, who is considered the author of one of the books of the Bible - the Psalms.
“This one is in arms, and this one is on horseback... we are stakhom and forgiven bykhom.”- Ps. 19, 8-9.
...an elder in the land of Izherstei, named Pelugiy...— The Izhora land (south of the Neva, along the Izhora River) was inhabited by Finno-Ugric peoples, some of the Izherians converted to Christianity. The name of the elder in the life lists is conveyed differently: Pelguy, Beglusich, etc.
Nasad- a type of river vessel.
...and the slaughter was great against the Romans...— Romans were the name given to supporters of the Catholic faith, in this case the Swedes. The battle with the Swedes took place on July 15, 1240, near the confluence of the Izhora River and the Neva.
Screw- type of vessel.
...under Hezekiah the Caesars.—Hezekiah is one of the kings of Judah. During his reign, the Assyrian king Sennacherib captured almost all of Judea, and Jerusalem remained unconquered. During the siege of Jerusalem, a miracle occurred, which the author of the life recalls. The siege of Jerusalem is told in 2 Kings 19.
Here appeared 6 a man of bravery... here he found many who had been beaten by the angel of the Lord.— The insert was made according to the Laurentian Chronicle.
...restoring the city in the fatherland of Alexandrov.— This refers to the Koporye fortress, built by the Livonians in 1240 on land belonging to Novgorod; destroyed by Alexander in 1241
The city of Pskov has already been taken...— Pskov was captured by the Germans in 1240, they had their supporters in Pskov, led by mayor Tverdila Ivankovich, who helped the Germans take possession of the city. Alexander Nevsky liberated Pskov in March 1242.
...how ancient was Moses against Amalek and our great-grandfather Yaroslav against Svyatopolk.— Moses is the biblical prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt. On their way to Palestine, Amalek, the leader of the Amalekites, resisted the Israelites. It was only thanks to the miraculous effect of Moses' prayer that Amalek was not able to gain victory (Ex. 17). Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise took revenge on Svyatopolk the Accursed for the murder of the brothers Boris and Gleb. In 1019, on the Alta River, where Boris was killed, Yaroslav defeated Svyatopolk.
And then evil came...— The Battle of Lake Peipus (Battle of the Ice) took place on April 5, 1242.
...like Jesus Navvina at Erekhon.— According to the Bible, Joshua led the struggle of the Israeli people for the lands of Palestine. The fortress walls of Jericho, one of the oldest Palestinian cities, collapsed from the screams and sound of trumpets of the besiegers led by Joshua. This is told in Joshua 6.
Abraham- according to biblical tradition, the forefather of the Jewish people.
...to the proitia of Israel through the sea...— According to the Bible, when the Israelites fled Egypt, the Red Sea parted for them, and they walked freely along its bottom. Pharaoh and his army, following the Israelites, entered the seabed, but the waves closed and the sea swallowed up the pursuers (Ex. 14:21-22).
August- Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian Augustus (63 BC - 14 AD) - Roman emperor.
Konstantin— Constantine the Great, Roman Emperor.
...until the first gathering and seventh...— The first Ecumenical Council was in 325. The seventh was in 787 in Nicaea.
...Alexander went to the princess to pray for the people from their misfortune.— By order of the Golden Horde Khan, the Russian princes had to send their regiments to participate in the Tatar campaigns. In 1262, Alexander went to the Horde and achieved the release of the Russians from the obligation to act in the war on the side of the Tatars.
...his son Dmitry, ambassador to Western countries...— This refers to the campaign against Yuryev in 1262.
...sretosh and in the God-loving...— Bogolyubovo is the former residence of Andrei Bogolyubsky, not far from Vladimir.
...at the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God, in the Archimandrite's Majesty...— Alexander Nevsky was buried in the Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vladimir. Until the middle of the 16th century. The Nativity Monastery was considered the first monastery of Rus', the “great archimandrite.”
...may they give him a heartfelt letter.— During the burial ceremony, a prayer of permission is read for the forgiveness of sins. After reading, the text is placed in right hand deceased.
From the very beginning, priority has been given to that part Ancient Rus', which was often called Kyiv. However, North-Eastern Rus' also played an equally important role in the history of our Fatherland, which will be discussed further.
Now let’s pay tribute to the Northern “popularism” of Rus' - Novgorod the Great. And we’ll tell you about one of her great sons, Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich Nevsky.
And we will begin this story with the once widely known “Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky.”
It was written after the death of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich in the Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vladimir, where Nevsky was buried, having died on the road from the Horde to Vladimir in 1263. The author of the “Tale” himself knew Prince Alexander and witnessed his life and his exploits.
Omitting the traditional elements inherent in the “Lives” genre, we will give only the factual information preserved by this historical and literary monument.
“This Prince Alexander was born from Prince the Great Yaroslav and Feodosia. And he was handsome like no one else, and his voice was like a trumpet among the people, his face was like the face of Joseph, whom the Egyptian king made second king in Egypt, and his strength was part of the strength of Samson, and God gave him the wisdom of Solomon, His courage is like that of the Roman king Vespasian, who conquered the entire land of Judea. Likewise, Prince Alexander won, but was invincible.
Hearing about such valor of Prince Alexander, the king of the Roman country from the Northern Land gathered great strength and filled many ships with his regiments, moved with a huge army, puffing up the military spirit. And he came to the Neva, intoxicated with madness, and sent his ambassadors, proud, to Novgorod, to Prince Alexander, saying: “If you can, defend yourself, for I am already here and ruining your land.”
Alexander, having heard such words, burned in his heart, and entered the Church of Hagia Sophia, and, falling on his knees before the altar, began to pray... And having finished the prayer, he stood up and bowed to the archbishop. The archbishop was then Spyridon, he blessed him and released him. The prince, leaving the church, began to encourage his squad, saying: “God is not in power, but in truth.” Having said this, he went against the enemies with a small squad, without waiting for his large army. And he spoke at them on Sunday, July 15, having great faith in the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb.
And there was one man, the elder of the Izhora land, named Pelgusius. (The Izhora land, Izhora, Ingria, was located on both banks of the Neva and in the southwest of Ladoga. The Izhorians belonged to the Finnish group and mostly remained pagans in the 13th century. - V.B.) He was entrusted with the night watch at sea. He was baptized and lived among his family of pagans, and his name was given in holy baptism Philip.
Having learned about the strength of the enemy, he went out to meet Prince Alexander to tell him about the enemy’s camps. He stood on the seashore, watching both routes, and spent the whole night without sleep. When the sun began to rise, he heard a strong noise on the sea and saw one boat floating on the sea, and standing among the boat were the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb in red robes, holding their hands on each other’s shoulders. The rowers sat as if covered in darkness. Boris said: “Brother Gleb, tell us to row, and let us help our relative Alexander.”
Soon after this, Alexander came, and Pelgusius, joyfully meeting the prince, told him alone about the vision. The prince told him: “Don’t tell this to anyone.”
After that, Alexander hastened to attack the enemies at six o'clock in the afternoon, and there was a great slaughter with the Romans, and the prince killed countless numbers of them, and on the face of the king himself he left the mark of his sharp spear.
Six brave men, like him, from Alexander’s regiment showed themselves here. The first is named Tavrilo Oleksich, the second is named Sbyslav Yakunovich, a Novgorodian, the third is Yakov, originally from Polotsk, the fourth is a Novgorodian named Messia, the fifth is from the younger squad, named Sava, the sixth is from Alexander’s servants, named Ratmir .
I heard all this from my master, Grand Duke Alexander, and from others who took part in this battle...
(Everything told by the author of the “Tale” refers to the Neva battle between the Russians and the Swedes, which took place on July 15, 1240 at the confluence of the Izhora River with the Neva. It was after this victory that the twenty-year-old Prince Alexander began to be called Nevsky. - V.B.)
...In the second year after Prince Alexander returned with victory, they again came from the Western country and built a city on the land of Alexandrova. Prince Alexander soon went and destroyed their city to the ground, and hanged some of them, took others with him, and, having pardoned others, released others.
In the third year, in winter, he went with great strength to the German land, so that they would not boast, saying: “Let us subdue the Slavic people.”
And they had already taken the city of Pskov and imprisoned the German governors. He soon expelled them from Pskov and killed the Germans, tied up others, and liberated the city from the godless Germans, and fought and burned their land, took countless prisoners, and killed others. The Germans, being daring, united and said: “Let's go and defeat Alexander and capture him.”
When the Germans approached, the guards found out about them. Prince Alexander prepared for battle, and they went against each other,” and Lake Peipus was covered with many of these and other warriors. Alexander's father, Yaroslav, sent his younger brother Andrei with a large squad to help him. And Prince Alexander had many brave warriors...
It was then Saturday, and when the sun rose, the opponents met. And there was a cruel slaughter, and there was a crash from breaking spears and a ringing from the blows of swords, it seemed that a frozen lake was moving, and the ice was not visible, for it was covered with blood... (This episode refers to the Battle of the Ice, which took place on April 5, 1242. - V.B.)
...And Prince Alexander returned with victory, and there were many captives in his army, and they led barefoot next to the horses of those who call themselves “God’s knights.”
(And then the author of the “Tale” reports on other glorious victories of Alexander and how he managed to get along with Khan Batu, who twice summoned him to the Horde. The “Tale” ends with a description of the second trip to the Mongols, the illness and death of the prince. - V. B.)
...Grand Duke Alexander returned from the Horde from the Tsar, and reached Nizhny Novgorod, and there he fell ill, and, arriving in Gorodets, he became ill... Having worked hard for God, he left the earthly kingdom and became a monk, for he had an immeasurable desire to take on an angelic image. God also vouchsafed him to accept a greater rank - schema. And so in peace he gave up his spirit to God on the 14th day of November, in memory of the holy Apostle Philip. (Alexander died in 1263).
Metropolitan Kirill said: “My children, know that the sun of the land of Suzdal has already set!..” The holy body of Alexander was carried to the city of Vladimir. People crowded, trying to touch his holy body on his honest bed. There was a cry, a groan, and a cry like never before, even the earth shook. His body was laid in the Church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God, on the 24th day of November...
The story of the life and courage of the blessed and Grand Duke Alexander
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God.
I, pitiful and sinful, narrow-minded, dare to describe the life of the holy Prince Alexander, son of Yaroslav, grandson of Vsevolodov. Since I heard from my fathers and myself witnessed his mature age, I was glad to tell about his holy, honest, and glorious life. But as the Tributary said [*]: “Wisdom will not enter an evil soul: for it dwells in elevated places, stands in the middle of the roads, and stops at the gates of noble people.” Although I am simple in mind, I will still begin by praying to the Holy Mother of God and trusting in the help of Holy Prince Alexander.
This Prince Alexander was born from a merciful, philanthropic, and most of all meek father, the Great Prince Yaroslav, and from his mother Theodosia [*]. As Isaiah the prophet said: “Thus says the Lord: “I appoint princes; they are sacred, and I lead them.” And truly, his reign was not without God’s command.
And he was handsome like no one else, and his voice was like a trumpet among the people, his face was like the face of Joseph, whom the Egyptian king made the second king in Egypt, and his strength was part of the strength of Samson, and God gave him the wisdom of Solomon, His courage is like that of the Roman king Vespasian, who conquered the entire land of Judea. One day he prepared to besiege the city of Joatapata, and the townspeople came out and defeated his army. And only Vespasian remained, and turned those who opposed him to the city, to the city gates, and laughed at his squad, and reproached them, saying: “They left me alone” [*]. Likewise, Prince Alexander won, but was invincible.
Once one of the eminent men of the Western country [*], from those who call themselves servants of God [*], came, wanting to see the maturity of his strength, as in ancient times the Queen of Sheba [*] came to Solomon, wanting to listen to his wise speeches . So this one, named Andreas [*], having seen Prince Alexander, returned to his people and said: “I went through countries and peoples and did not see such a king among kings, nor a prince among princes.”
Hearing about such valor of Prince Alexander, the king of the Roman country from the northern land [*] thought to himself: “I will go and conquer the land of Alexander.” And he gathered a great force, and filled many ships with his regiments, and moved with a huge army, blazing with the military spirit. And he came to the Neva, intoxicated with madness, and sent his ambassadors, proud, to Novgorod to Prince Alexander, saying: “If you can, defend yourself, for I am already here and ruining your land.”
Alexander, having heard such words, burned in his heart and entered the church of St. Sophia, and, falling on his knees before the altar, began to pray with tears: “Glorious God, righteous, great, strong God, eternal God, who created heaven and earth and set the boundaries You commanded the peoples to live without transgressing other people’s borders.” And, remembering the words of the prophet, he said: “Judge, Lord, those who have offended me and protect them from those who fight me, take a weapon and a shield and stand up to help me.”
And, having finished the prayer, he stood up and bowed to the archbishop. The archbishop was then Spyridon [*], he blessed him and released him. The prince, leaving the church, dried his tears and began to encourage his squad, saying: “God is not in power, but in truth. Let us remember the Songmaker, who said: “Some with weapons, and others on horses, we will call on the name of the Lord our God; they, defeated, fell, but we resisted and stand upright” [*]. Having said this, he went against the enemies with a small squad, not waiting for his large army, but trusting in the Holy Trinity.
It was sad to hear that his father, the great prince Yaroslav, did not know about the invasion of his son, dear Alexander, and he had no time to send news to his father, for the enemies were already approaching. Therefore, many Novgorodians did not have time to join, since the prince hurried to speak. And he came out against them on Sunday, July fifteenth, having great faith in the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb.
And there was one man, the elder of the land of Izhora [*], named Pelugiy, he was entrusted with the night watch at sea. He was baptized and lived among his family, the pagans, and his name was given in holy baptism Philip, and he lived godly, observing fasting on Wednesday and Friday, which is why God deigned him to see a wonderful vision on that day. Let's tell you briefly.
Having learned about the strength of the enemy, he went out to meet Prince Alexander to tell him about the enemy’s camps. He stood on the seashore, watching both routes, and spent the whole night without sleep. When the sun began to rise, he heard a strong noise on the sea and saw one nasad [*] floating on the sea, and standing in the middle of the nasad were the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb in red robes, holding their hands on each other’s shoulders. The rowers sat as if covered in darkness. Boris said:
“Brother Gleb, tell us to row, so we can help our relative Prince Alexander.” Seeing such a vision and hearing these words of the martyrs, Pelugius stood trembling until the attack disappeared from his eyes.
Soon after this, Alexander came, and Pelugius, joyfully meeting Prince Alexander, told him alone about the vision. The prince told him: “Don’t tell this to anyone.”
After that, Alexander hastened to attack the enemies at six o'clock in the afternoon, and there was a great slaughter with the Romans, and the prince killed countless numbers of them, and on the face of the king himself he left the mark of his sharp spear.
Six brave men, like him, from Alexander’s regiment showed themselves here.
The first one is named Gavrilo Oleksich. He attacked the auger [*] and, seeing the prince being dragged by the arms, rode all the way to the ship along the gangplank along which they were running with the prince, pursued by him. Then they grabbed Gavrila Oleksich and threw him off the gangplank along with his horse. But by God's mercy he emerged from the water unharmed, and again attacked them, and fought with the commander himself in the midst of their army.
The second, named Sbyslav Yakunovich, is from Novgorod. This one attacked their army many times and fought with one ax, having no fear in his soul; and many fell by his hand, and they marveled at his strength and courage.
The third - Yakov, a native of Polotsk, was a hunter for the prince. This one attacked the regiment with a sword, and the prince praised him.
The fourth is a Novgorodian named Mesha. This man on foot and his retinue attacked the ships and sank three ships.
The fifth is from the younger squad, named Sava. This one burst into the large royal golden-domed tent and cut down the tent pole. The Alexandrov regiments, seeing the fall of the tent, rejoiced.
The sixth is one of Alexander's servants, named Ratmir. This one fought on foot, and many enemies surrounded him. He fell from many wounds and died that way.
I heard all this from my master, Grand Duke Alexander, and from others who participated in this battle at that time.
There was a wondrous miracle at that time, as in the days of old under Hezekiah the king. When Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came to Jerusalem, wanting to conquer the holy city of Jerusalem, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrian army, and when they got up in the morning, they found only dead corpses [*]. This was the case after Alexandrov’s victory: when he defeated the king, on the opposite side of the Izhora River, where Alexandrov’s regiments could not pass, a countless number of those killed by the angel of the Lord were found here. Those who remained fled, and the corpses of their dead soldiers were thrown into ships and sank them into the sea. Prince Alexander returned in victory, praising and glorifying the name of his creator.
Alexander Yaroslavich's father, Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, according to his contemporaries, was a meek, merciful, pious, beloved prince. The mother of the blessed Alexander, the blessed princess Theodosia, with her piety and asceticism, even during her lifetime, acquired from her contemporaries the name of the holy princess. Under the supervision of pious parents who dearly loved him, the childhood years of the life of the blessed Prince Alexander passed.
According to the custom of that time, they began to teach him early, and since during upbringing they were most concerned about developing the fear of God and piety in the child’s soul, they taught the noble prince first of all the sacred books - the Gospel, the Psalter, the sacred book beloved in holy Rus', in the wise in the words of which our pious princes sought and found consolation in the most difficult moments of their lives, when neither help nor consolation could be expected from anyone but the Lord.
From his childhood, the Lord prepared in the blessed prince Alexander a lamp burning with faith and virtues. According to the testimony of the ancient descriptor of the life of the noble prince, he never indulged in children's fun and entertainment. His favorite pastime was reading sacred books, his favorite recreation was fervent prayer to the Lord, an example of which he constantly observed in the person of his pious mother. He delighted his soul by singing church hymns, and through fasting and abstinence he strengthened and developed his bodily strength.
Along with book learning in the princely Old Russian family, much attention was paid to physical education: to the development of strength and dexterity, the ability to wield a sword and spear, ride a horse, etc., since the prince had to be experienced not only in spiritual feats, but also in feats of arms, he must be not only a warrior of Christ, but also an earthly warrior, be able to protect the saint both by the power of the word and, when required, by the power of the sword. And the noble Prince Alexander, the invincible knight, as his contemporaries called him, perfectly mastered this side of princely education and for his comrades was not only a leader, but also a model of military valor.
They began to prepare the young princes early for the government activities ahead of them. And here, for the faithful Alexander, his famous father could serve as a high example and role model; this, according to contemporaries, was a sufferer for the Russian land, who laid down his soul for the country entrusted to him by God to govern.
But the noble prince Alexander did not have to live for long under his parents’ roof and care; Very early he had to embark on an independent path in life.
Wealthy at that time, Veliky Novgorod, which owned almost the entire present north of Rus', a “free” city that prescribed its own laws and orders, chose its own princes and removed them, offered the princely table to the father of the blessed prince Alexander Yaroslav. Yaroslav Vsevolodovich accepted this proposal; but he could not come to terms with the subordinate position in which the prince found himself among the Novgorodians. In 1228, angry with the Novgorodians for their disobedience, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich retired to his Pereyaslavl, leaving in Novgorod, in the care of his trusted boyars, his two young sons Theodore and Alexander. On June 5, 1233, the eldest of the princes died quite unexpectedly, while preparations were underway for his wedding, and the noble prince Alexander remained alone in a city foreign to him.
His position here was not easy. On the one hand, the freedom-loving Novgorodians wanted the young prince not to go out from under their will, to obediently fulfill their wishes, and to take into account their liberties and customs. On the other hand, firm in his aspirations, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich demanded that his son follow the same road that he walked, to take care of the rise of princely power in Novgorod, regardless of the outbursts of dissatisfaction with this among the Novgorodians. How much strength of will, caution and at the same time the ability to deal with people, to be condescending towards their views and habits was required from the young prince, so that, while fulfilling his father’s plan, he would attract the trust and love of the Novgorodians, who did not want to give up any of their liberties . He lived here as if between two fires, always on the alert, successfully avoiding all difficulties. The father was pleased with him; The Novgorodians fell in love with him, called him “our prince” and were proud that they had Alexander as their prince, whom every Russian region would like to see as their prince.
It was not through his intelligence and wise management alone that the noble Prince Alexander attracted the minds and hearts of the Novgorodians. They were attracted to the holy prince by his rare spiritual qualities, as well as, along with spiritual beauty, by his extraordinary physical beauty, which amazed everyone who had ever seen the holy prince. The following news has been preserved in his ancient life about the irresistible impression that the blessed Prince Alexander made with his appearance.
One of the German knights, named Andriash, arrived in Novgorod. Struck by the wondrous beauty of the blessed Prince Alexander, he, upon returning to his homeland, conveyed his impressions to his compatriots in the following words: “I went through many countries, saw many people, but neither among the kings nor among the princes did I meet a single one who could to become equal to Prince Alexander."
The majestic image of the noble prince Alexander made the same impression on the terrible conqueror of Rus' - Batu. As for the Russian people, contemporaries of Saint Alexander, they, describing the appearance of their prince, like a German knight, could not find comparisons from modern life. In terms of beauty, they compared the noble prince with Patriarch Joseph, whom Pharaoh put in charge of the entire Egyptian country, in strength - with the Old Testament judge Samson, in intelligence - with King Solomon, in courage and military prowess - with the ancient Roman emperor Vespasian.
When the noble prince spoke to the people or gave orders to his soldiers, a contemporary writer of the prince’s life notes that his voice sounded like a trumpet.
But the noble prince was even more attracted to him by his spiritual beauty, which to his contemporaries seemed as extraordinary as his physical beauty. “He was more than merciful,” the chronicler noted.
Mercy was a distinctive, hereditary trait in the princely family of the blessed Prince Alexander. His parents, Yaroslav and Theodosius, were distinguished by it, the uncle of the blessed Alexander, the Grand Duke of Vladimir Yuri Vsevolodovich, acquired common love for himself with it, it was commanded by the ancestor of St. Alexander, the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh, the great ancient Russian merciful man, who attracted everyone to himself with his generosity and willingness to help to everyone in need.
The events of Novgorod, during which the youth of the blessed Prince Alexander passed, especially should have contributed to the development in the holy prince of this trait inherited from his ancestors. Rich commercial Novgorod, due to not entirely favorable soil conditions for agriculture, often suffered from crop shortages and lack of bread. At such times, the price of bread rose terribly, and the poor people were sometimes threatened with starvation. A similar misfortune occurred in the first years of the life of the blessed Prince Alexander in Novgorod.
In 1230, due to an early frost, all winter crops died in the Novgorod region. There was no supply of bread, since there was a shortage of bread in other places in Rus'. Novgorodians could receive minor help from their western neighbors, German merchants, with whom Novgorod carried on extensive trade. But what foreign merchants could deliver was too little. Due to the lack of bread, they began to eat moss, linden and pine bark, acorns, then they began to eat horse meat, dogs and cats, but this food was not enough either. Many unburied corpses of people who died of hunger were strewn about the streets; there was no one to take care of their burial; everyone lived under the fear of the same terrible death. Hunger seemed to drown out all human feelings in the hearts of people. Brother to brother, father to son, mother to daughter were denied a piece of bread. Parents sold their children into slavery just to get this unfortunate piece of food for themselves. Finally, mad with hunger and despair, they began to eat human corpses, and some reached such a frenzy that they attacked living people, killed them and ate them. The roads and streets were empty, everyone was afraid to go out or leave the house. No executions stopped those caught and convicted; hunger overpowered the fear of punishment and death. All civil order came to destruction: robberies began, arson of homes began, in order to somehow find supplies of grain, fratricidal massacres began. The noble Prince Alexander, then almost still a child, experienced all these horrors together with the Novgorodians, and one must imagine how they influenced his impressionable childish soul. But this misfortune was not the only one. More than once, to a lesser extent, the same disasters were repeated later; Reminiscent of what they had experienced, they instilled fear for the future.
In the noble prince, these misfortunes of the poor people aroused special pity for him. According to the ancient biography, Alexander Yaroslavich was a true friend of all the needy and disadvantaged, a father to widows and orphans, a nourisher of the poor and wretched. Remembering the Savior’s commandment not to lay up treasures for oneself on earth, he generously gave to those in need, and no one left the princely house unsatisfied in their request.
Along with the terrible disasters of God's punishment, the blessed prince Alexander, living in Novgorod, had to observe a lot of disasters that occurred from human tyranny and injustice.
The free city, which so valued its freedom, was not always and not equally fair and caring towards everyone. In the people's assemblies, at which all state affairs were decided, decisions were often passed, under the influence of rich people, that had a heavy impact on the fate of the poor people and rightly caused grumbling and discontent on their part. The offended could not always find protection from the people in power, since usually this power, which carried out the decisions of popular assemblies, belonged to the same rich people. And often discontent turned into open indignation; the warring parties brutally dealt with those who seemed to them the main culprit; Terrible sights took place on the Volkhov Bridge: living people were thrown into the river, and only the voice of the Novgorod saint, calling to forget enmity and malice, to cleanse oneself of brotherly blood through prayer, stopped this fratricidal enmity. In such cases, the Novgorod prince could not do anything to calm the city; he was forced to remain an outside spectator of the horrors that were taking place, since his intervention, instead of calming, could have caused even greater irritation. According to Novgorodian views, it is not the prince’s business to interfere in the internal affairs of Novgorod.
There were then cases when the cause for popular unrest was given by the princes themselves and especially their boyars and warriors, who did not always treat the local population fairly. The noble Prince Alexander took great care to ensure that his subordinates in their relations with the population did not give any reasons for discontent or complaints. Wise advice He gave his warriors instructions on how they should use their power.
“From God,” he said, “we have received power over the people of God, and on the terrible day of God’s judgment we will have to give an account of the use of this power. Having protected yourself with the fear of God, remembering this day of universal reward to each according to his deeds, carry out judgments with all justice; do not look at the faces and positions of the litigants, be equally attentive to both the rich and the poor. When punishing the guilty, do not be cruel, balance the punishment with mercy. Don't do anything under the influence of anger, irritation or envy. Don’t forget those in need, help everyone, do “merciless” alms in order to earn God’s mercy for yourself.”
There is no doubt that the noble Prince Alexander did not limit himself only to such instructions, but, remembering the behest of his wise ancestor, who advised the prince to delve into everything himself, and not to entrust others to do what he himself can and should do, he carefully monitored the actions of his associates. And thanks to this, peace and harmony between the prince and the Novgorodians were almost never violated; the latter never once expressed a reproach to the prince or his warriors. “Our prince is without sin” - this is the response of the Novgorodians about Saint Alexander. They repeated this review at such moments when, under the influence of ill-wishers, the usual agreement was apparently ready to collapse, when, forgetting about the merits of the prince, the culprits of the discord were ready to say the usual words in such cases: “You, prince, are on your own.” , and we are on our own,” that is, we are no longer needed, go wherever you want.
But the blessed Prince Alexander had to deal with more than just the difficult conditions of Novgorod life. During the years of his youth, the Lord sent down a great test to the entire Russian land. Back in 1223, a terrible conqueror appeared in the south of Russia, unknown to anyone until that time - the Tatars. The South Russian princes suffered a terrible defeat from the Tatars on the banks of the Kalka River, from which, according to contemporaries, the Russian land became sad for 200 years. But the winner, as if satisfied with this victory, did not continue his offensive movement and left Rus' alone for a while. In the northeast of Rus' they did not pay enough attention to the impending disaster, they did not think that a terrible enemy might appear again. There were discords among the princes, which further weakened Rus'. And so, when, 14 years after the Kalki pogrom, the Tatars appeared again within Rus', they met almost no resistance on their devastating path. The Tatar leader Batu, having crossed the Kama and Volga with his hordes, devastated the Russian principalities one after another. Ryazan, Moscow and the capital city of the then north-eastern Rus', Vladimir, were nothing but ruins. Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich tried to stop the Tatars, gave them a battle on the City River, but was defeated and himself died in this unfortunate battle.
Having ravaged other cities they encountered along the way, the Tatars moved towards Novgorod. But, a contemporary of these terrible events notes, with the prayers of the Novgorod saints, princes and saints, the Lord protected Veliky Novgorod and the Novgorod prince: not reaching 100 versts to Novgorod, the Tatars turned south and went to destroy the mother of Russian cities - the capital city of Kyiv.
Since this invasion, a difficult period began in Russian history, known as the Tatar yoke. The Grand Duke's throne was occupied by the father of the blessed Prince Alexander, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Arriving in Vladimir, the capital of what was then Rus', he found only ruins and corpses here. The prince's tireless activity began: the city was cleared of corpses, the fleeing population was returned and calmed, and order was restored. But there was no complete calm, since no one knew what the formidable conqueror would do or how he would end his destructive raid. Everywhere they were afraid of a new attack by the khan on Rus' and a repetition of previous horrors. The population was so frightened that, according to a contemporary, having heard only one word “Tatars”, everyone fled wherever they had to, not knowing where they were running.
Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, in order to calm the people and in order to find out what kind of relationship the khan would have with Russia, went to the Horde to ask for mercy from Batu. The noble prince had to endure and experience a lot of labor, grief and humiliation during this journey in order to win over the formidable khan to the mercy of the formidable khan. But Yaroslav Vsevolodovich managed to win over Batu. A contemporary chronicler even reports that the Tatar Horde received the Russian prince with honor and, releasing him to Rus', transferred to him supreme power over all Russian princes.
The Russian people could now calm down somewhat from the horrors they had experienced and from anxious thoughts about the future. True, the Tatars demanded from the Russians a total, very heavy tribute and unquestioning fulfillment of all their demands, but they did not bother them with their raids, lived away from them, left the order of Russian state life intact and, what was especially important, the Russian faith, this basis of civil order of ancient Rus' and the guarantee of its future revival - liberation from the heavy yoke.
Living in Novgorod, far from the Tatars, the noble prince Alexander Yaroslavich did not take immediate part in his father’s activities to restore order in northeastern Rus'. Yes, he had no time to think about this. At the same time that northeastern Rus' was threatened with death from the Tatars, the northwestern Russian cities of Veliky Novgorod and Pskov were threatened by an equally dangerous enemy - the Swedes, Germans and Lithuanians.
Taking advantage of the defeat of Rus' by the Tatars, the inability of the Grand Duke to provide assistance to the Novgorodians and Pskovians, they intensified their attack on the Russian border cities and hoped to subjugate them to their power without much effort.
A terrible danger threatened the Russian north-west. The issue here was not only about the possibility of losing one’s political independence, of being cut off from the Russian land, but also of losing the Orthodox faith. The Western enemy made a daring attempt on this centuries-old Russian shrine, which even the pagan conqueror did not touch. For a long time now, the popes have been calling for the need to fight against the “schismatics” with the force of the sword, with streams of blood, to bring them into submission to the pope and the Catholic Church. The Tatar pogrom seemed to be a very favorable time for this, and it is not surprising if the call to fight against Orthodoxy began to be heard more persistently by the highest representative of the Catholic Church and was listened to more attentively by some of his spiritual children. But in the person of the blessed prince Alexander Yaroslavich, the Lord raised up such a powerful, invincible defender of the Orthodox faith, against whom Catholics could do nothing.
The noble Prince Alexander foresaw the inevitability of the struggle and prepared for it. In 1239, he married the daughter of the Polotsk prince Bryachislav, one of the outlying Russian princes, who was even more threatened by Catholics than Novgorod. In the person of his father-in-law, Alexander Yaroslavich thus acquired a reliable, although not a strong ally. The prince's wedding took place in Toropets, and wedding feasts took place in Torzhok and Novgorod. And as soon as the wedding celebrations ended, the blessed Prince Alexander immediately set about an important task - the construction of fortifications on the borders of the Novgorod-Pskov lands, from where attacks could be expected first of all. A number of fortresses were built on the Sheloni River. But the enemy did not allow these to be completed preparatory work to strengthen the Novgorod-Pskov borders. Four years after Batu’s invasion, a stubborn struggle with the Western enemy began, which did not stop for almost the entire life of the blessed prince Alexander Yaroslavich. The Swedes were the first to start fighting.
At that time, King Erich was on the Swedish throne. The king's closest relative, Birger, a brave knight and commander, already famous for his bold raids on present-day Finland and the Novgorod possessions bordering on it, hoped to take the Swedish throne after the childless Erich. He wanted to win the people's love with new victories and, incited by the pope, began a war against Rus'. With a large detachment of troops, which included, in addition to the Swedes, Norwegians and Finns, accompanied by Catholic bishops, Birger in 1240, unexpectedly for the Russians, appeared at the mouth of the Izhora River and sent a daring challenge to Novgorod to the noble Prince Alexander: “I am already in your land , I devastate it and want to capture you too. If you can resist me, resist.” Birger was convinced of the impossibility of resistance on the part of the noble prince Alexander and had already celebrated the victory in advance. And indeed, his attack was unexpected for the Novgorodians and caught them unprepared to fight back. It was pitiful to see, a contemporary notes, that Grand Duke Yaroslav could not find out about the trouble that threatened his son and help him in time, and that Alexander Yaroslavich could not warn his father about the danger. The Novgorod army was not assembled. Alexander Yaroslavich had only a small squad, which he quickly replenished with Novgorodians. But he was not afraid of the daring challenge of the enemy. Against him, he sought protection and help primarily from God. In the Novgorod Church of St. Sophia, the Wisdom of God, the noble prince turned to the Lord with a fiery, tearful prayer for help, asking Him to judge his dispute with his proud enemy, and not to betray His property into the hands of the wicked.
“Righteous, great, eternal and omnipotent God,” the blessed Prince Alexander prayed. – You created heaven and earth, set the boundaries of the peoples’ possessions and commanded them to live without trespassing into other people’s possessions. You have given hope to the small flock of Your faithful, so as not to be afraid of those who attack them. Look and now, most generous Master, hear the proud words of this enemy, who boasts of destroying Your holy one, destroying the Orthodox faith, shedding innocent Christian blood. Judge my dispute with him. Rise to our aid and protect us, so that our enemies do not dare to say: “Where is their God?” In You, Lord, we trust and we send glory to You now and ever and unto ages of ages.
With the same fiery prayer, the noble prince then turned to the Intercessor of the Christian race, the Victorious Voivode, the Mother of God, and to the patron saints of the Orthodox faith and heavenly representatives and prayer books for Holy Rus' - the noble princes Vladimir, Boris and Gleb.
At the end of the prayer, the noble prince accepted a blessing from the Novgorod ruler Serapion, ordered his entourage to give gifts to the poor and ask for their prayers, and he himself went out to his squad, embarrassed by their small number, to strengthen them for the upcoming feat. “God is not in power, but in truth,” these words encouraged the faithful leader of his companions. Then, with this handful of brave men, he quickly headed towards the enemy, and here, on the banks of the Neva River, on the significant day for Rus' of the blessed memory of its enlightener, the blessed Prince Vladimir (July 15), the famous battle took place, for which Alexander Yaroslavich received the name Nevsky.
To strengthen the defenders of the Orthodox faith for the feat ahead of them, the Lord gave them a miraculous omen.
In the army of the blessed Alexander there was one Izhorian Pelgusius, baptized Philip, to whom Alexander Yaroslavich entrusted the night watch, as an experienced warrior who knew the area well. Among his fellow tribesmen who adhered to paganism, the Christian Pelgusius was distinguished by his pious life: he spent time in prayer, labor and fasting feats; and the Lord honored this pious warrior with the following miraculous vision.
At sunrise, Pelgusius heard a noise from an approaching ship from the direction of the river and, thinking that it was an enemy, redoubled his vigilance. The rowers were covered, as it were, with darkness, hiding their faces. Only two knights standing in the boat were visible. Their bright faces and clothes seemed familiar to Pelgusius; and suddenly he heard a voice that confirmed his assumption, dispelled all his doubts, filling his soul with joy. The eldest of the knights, turning to the youngest, said: “Brother Gleb, order us to row faster, let’s hasten to the aid of our relative Alexander Yaroslavich.” These were the venerable passion-bearers, the noble princes Boris and Gleb, whom the noble prince Alexander prayerfully called for help.
Pelgusy hastened to tell the prince what he had seen. Encouraged by this wonderful omen, Alexander Yaroslavich attacked the enemy that same day. The Swedes did not expect an attack, did not think that the enemy was so close, did not know his number and strength. The stubborn battle continued from morning until evening.
Encouraged by their leader, the squad of the noble prince performed miracles of courage and amazed their enemies. Alexander Yaroslavich himself was at the head of the fighting all the time; he wounded the leader of the Swedes in the face. One of the vigilantes cut down Birger's tent; the other, carried away by the battle, ran onto the Swedish ship, continuing to inflict terrible blows with his sword on the enemies, who were confused by surprise and fear. Defeated at all points, having lost the bravest of their comrades, the Swedes, despite their numerical superiority over the Russian army, did not dare to resume the battle and remain on the battlefield until morning. Having filled two pits with the corpses of those killed in the battle, taking with them onto the ships the more noble of the killed, they hastened that same night to move away from the inhospitable banks of the Neva. The damage from the Russians was insignificant: only twenty people were killed, including one of the six most distinguished warriors in the battle, Ratmir.
But it was not the bravery of the squad and its leader alone that won this glorious Neva victory. The Lord, who encouraged the Russian soldiers with a miraculous vision before the start of the battle, sent down His help during it. The next day, the participants in the battle were surprised to see many enemy corpses on the other side of the Izhora River, in an almost impassable place where none of the Russian soldiers entered during the battle. Angels of God invisibly helped a handful of defenders of the holy faith against the enemies who blasphemed it.
Having given thanks to the Lord for His miraculous help and for the victory won, the noble Prince Alexander returned to Novgorod with great glory, enthusiastically greeted by the Novgorodians.
Holy Rus' never forgot this glorious feat of the holy prince and his squad, prayerfully remembered the names of the soldiers who fell in battle and forever retained the name of Nevsky for the blessed Prince Alexander. The enemies also remembered their defeat for a long time. But the Novgorodians, who should have especially treasured this feat of their prince, apparently soon forgot about it. The danger passed, and soon they quarreled with the prince. Alexander Yaroslavich left Novgorod and went to Pereyaslavl. Soon the Novgorodians had to repent of their ungrateful act.
Having heard about troubles in Novgorod and about the departure of St. Alexander from the city, the Livonian Germans decided to take advantage of this and attacked Pskov. Having taken the Pskov border fortress of Izborsk, the Germans then approached Pskov. The people of Pskov could not withstand the siege, especially since there was one traitor among them who secretly let the Germans into the city. The sacred city of St. Olga has now become a German possession. The Germans appointed governors in the city; Following the establishment of German orders, a change of faith was also to be expected: the Germans decided to open a Catholic bishopric in Pskov.
But it wasn’t just Pskov that was in danger: the Germans were also marching on Novgorod. Having captured the Novgorod Vodskaya Pyatina in the winter, they built the Koporye fortress here, took Tesov, carried out robberies and murders thirty miles from Novgorod, took prisoners and sent prisoners to Livonia. In Novgorod, fear fell upon everyone, trade stopped, a siege of the city was expected, but the absence of a leader and leader meant that they were very poorly prepared for the defense of the city. Then the Novgorodians remembered their famous prince, repented of the insult they had inflicted on Saint Alexander and decided at all costs to beg him to return to Novgorod. For this purpose, the Novgorodians sent an embassy to the Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich in Vladimir so that he would release the blessed Prince Alexander to Novgorod.
Yaroslav sent an army to Novgorod with his son Andrei. But the Novgorodians did not need Andrei, but Alexander; They saw that only he could save them from the misfortune that had befallen them, and therefore they hastened to send a new embassy to the Grand Duke, headed by the archbishop, to ask Alexander Yaroslavich to reign again. The gracious prince did not remember the insult inflicted on him by the Novgorodians, and hurried to where he was so needed. With his arrival in Novgorod, everything changed: they quickly and successfully prepared for the fight against the enemy approaching the city, everyone returned to faith in success and inspiration for new exploits with their hero - the prince. Having completed preparations for war, Alexander Yaroslavich with the Novgorod and Nizovsky regiments set out to liberate Pskov. The Germans were expelled from Pskov, and the Pskov residents joyfully greeted their savior.
But the noble prince did not limit himself to only expelling the Germans from Pskov. It was necessary to strengthen peace in the north-west of Rus', teach the enemy a lesson and prevent the possibility of new attacks on his part. The noble prince decided to punish the Germans for their attacks and robberies with an offensive movement against their own possessions.
Having strengthened himself with prayer in the Church of the Holy Trinity, in front of the reliquary of the relics of his faithful relative Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich of Pskov, guided by the prayers and good wishes of the Pskovites, Alexander Yaroslavich headed with his regiments to Livonia. The Germans did not expect such a quick attack and could not resist: Livonia was devastated by Russian troops. On the way back from Livonia to Pskov, the noble prince stopped on the shores of Lake Peipsi and here on April 5, 1242, the famous battle with German knights took place, known in history as the Battle of the Ice.
A large army of knights was confident of victory. “Let's go, let's take the Russian prince Alexander prisoner; the Slavs must be our slaves,” the knights said boastfully. But, hoping for God’s help and believing in the holiness and rightness of the cause he defended, the noble prince was not afraid of these boastful words. The first failure in the clash with the knights did not bother him either. Light advanced detachments, sent by the noble prince to monitor the movement of the enemy, stumbled upon the main German forces and were defeated. Some of them were captured, others ran to the prince with the sad news of the failure that had befallen them. Then the noble prince stopped his troops on the ice of Lake Peipus near the Voronya Stone tract on Uzmen and here he began to prepare for a decisive battle.
The number of his warriors was replenished with fresh forces from the Novgorodians, but even now, in comparison with the knightly army, it was too small. But this small number was compensated by the inspiration of the soldiers, their fearless readiness to lay down their heads for a just cause and for their beloved prince. The leader did not need to reinforce the military spirit of the warriors; everyone was aware of the importance of the upcoming event and selflessly went to battle with the proud enemy. “Oh, our dear and honest prince! The time has come, we will all lay down our heads for you,” such inspired exclamations came from the ranks of the Russian soldiers.
The knights were the first to start the battle. Clad from head to toe in iron armor, they moved towards the Russian army in order to crush it with their numbers. But here they met such a courageous resistance that they were amazed. Instead of the expected disorder or even the flight of the enemy, they saw with horror how the ranks of the Russians closed more tightly, forming a kind of living wall. The knights were embarrassed and stopped. Then the noble prince Alexander, noticing the embarrassment of the enemy, skillfully made a roundabout movement with part of his regiments and attacked from the side from which the knights had not expected an attack at all. A terrible slaughter took place. The terrible noise from the blows of swords on shields and helmets, from the crack of breaking spears, the groans of the slain and drowned did not give the leaders the opportunity to lead the battle and give orders to the army. There was no proper fight. Feeling their defeat, the knights strained all their strength just to break through the Russian regiments surrounding them and avoid captivity. But this also failed. The ice on the lake was covered with blood and in many places could not stand it, it sank, taking with it both the soldiers and their weapons. The battle continued until late in the evening. The losses of the knights were enormous. The survivors sought salvation in flight, but the Russians overtook them and killed them. For seven miles the lake was covered with corpses. Many knights were captured, even more died, and almost nothing remained of such a formidable and numerous militia recently.
The winners, led by their leader, solemnly returned to Pskov. Near the horse of the noble prince walked fifty noble knights, behind the Russian army were many ordinary prisoners. The people of Pskov joyfully greeted their savior.
“The Lord, who helped the meek David to defeat foreigners, helped our noble prince to free the city of Pskov from foreigners and foreigners,” this joyful exclamation was heard everywhere.
Everywhere there was general joy and rejoicing; everyone realized how important this victory was, what service the noble prince provided to the outlying Russian city, which was unable to defend its independence from the attacks of numerous enemies. The people of Pskov should never forget this feat of the holy prince Alexander Yaroslavich. “Oh neveglasy Pskovites! If you forget the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich or retreat from him or from his children and from his family, then you will become like the Jews whom the Lord freed from the slavery of Egypt, fed them with dyes in the desert, and they forgot Him,” says a contemporary chronicler, finishing the description of this glorious victory. With these words, he seems to want to warn the Pskovites against the act of their older brothers - the Novgorodians, who so quickly forgot about the Neva victory and revealed not only their ingratitude, but also their inability to understand and appreciate the feat of their famous prince.
Having solemnly celebrated the liberation of Pskov, the blessed prince Alexander Yaroslavich with his regiments hurried to Novgorod, where he was greeted with no less delight and joy, as in Pskov.
The glorious victory on Lake Peipsi was remembered for a long time in both Russian outlying cities and even at the end of the 16th century. did not stop prayerfully remembering the names of the soldiers who died in this battle. The glory of the winner spread far. On the shores of the Varangian, Black and Caspian seas, in Rome and in distant Asia, notes a contemporary biographer of the noble prince, they reported on the glorious victories of Alexander Yaroslavich.
While the victory was solemnly celebrated in Rus', in Livonia the news of the defeat of the knightly militia quickly spread and terrified everyone. The Germans expected from day to day that the noble Prince Alexander would not hesitate to arrive with his regiments to the capital of Livonia - Riga, and did not hope to repel the attack of the Russian Prince on their own, or to defend their new capital. The Master (chief) of the German Order hastened to send an embassy to the Danish king and asked him for help against the Novgorod prince.
But the noble prince Alexander did not think at all and did not want conquests. Having completed his glorious work, freeing Novgorod and Pskov from the misfortune that threatened them, he left for his Pereyaslavl. Then the Germans, hearing about the prince’s departure from Novgorod, hastened to send their ambassadors there and asked for peace and an exchange of prisoners. They renounced all their conquests, they were ready to cede part of their border possessions to the Novgorod land to the Novgorodians, just to persuade the Novgorodians to peace; and peace was concluded “on the entire will of Novgorod,” that is, on the terms that the Novgorodians themselves proposed.
Thus ended the fight with the Swedes and Germans.
For the Russians, the Neva and Chud victories were of great importance. Now the threat of foreigners to take possession of outlying Russian cities, subjugate them to their power and force the Russian people to change their holy Orthodox faith to Catholicism was no longer scary. God Himself judged the age-old dispute, protected our fatherland from the machinations of the Latins, indicated the limit to the spread of German rule, with the powerful hand of His saint, the blessed Prince Alexander, threateningly warned not to invade foreign borders and not to encroach on the Russian shrine - the Orthodox faith. A great service was rendered to Holy Rus' by its protector, the faithful, “invincible” - as his contemporaries called him - Prince Alexander Yaroslavich, and Holy Rus' has never forgotten and will never forget this great earthly feat of his.
Two strong Western enemies were defeated and no longer seemed as formidable as they had been before. But a new, albeit not so dangerous, but more ferocious enemy appeared - the Lithuanians, from whose devastating raids the southwestern borders of the Novgorod and Pskov possessions suffered.
Along the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, on the plain between the mouths of the Vistula and Western Dvina rivers, a Lithuanian tribe close to us in origin and language lived for several centuries. Poor and undeveloped mentally, at the first stages of its clashes with the Slavs it had to recognize their superiority, submitted to the outlying Russian princes and paid them tribute. The Lithuanians at this time were divided into separate tribes, which were often at odds with each other and did not have a state structure and order. But at the beginning of the 13th century. under the influence of constant attacks by the knights of the German Order, the hitherto scattered Lithuanian tribes began to unite. Warlike princes appeared among the Lithuanians, acquiring increasing power and influence in the country. The Lithuanian princes first fought in alliance with the Russian princes against their common enemy - the Germans, but then they began to attack their allies. In small detachments on their hardy and fast horses, they raided Russian border volosts, carried out devastation and murder. The population of the outlying Novgorod and Pskov cities and villages lived under constant fear of unexpected Lithuanian attacks, and since the Novgorodians and Pskovites, who were primarily engaged in the fight against the Germans and Swedes, kept mostly heavily armed troops and very few light, mobile troops - riflemen, then they could not defend the possessions bordering Lithuania. The noble Prince Alexander appeared as a defender here too.
In the summer of the memorable year of the Battle of the Ice, news was received in Novgorod about the predatory raids of the Lithuanians, and then the noble prince began to fight them. During one campaign, he managed to disperse up to seven enemy detachments operating separately from each other in different areas. Many leaders of the Lithuanian detachments were beaten by the regiments of the noble prince or taken prisoner. Now the Lithuanians began, as a contemporary chronicler of these events says, to fear the name of Prince Alexander, but did not want to stop their predatory raids.
In 1245, they devastated the outskirts of Torzhok and Bezhetsk and were about to return to their homeland with captured booty and prisoners. But under the walls of Toropets they were overtaken by the united forces of the Novotorzh, Tver and Dmitrov residents and, having been defeated in an open field, settled in Toropets. Then the noble Prince Alexander with his small retinue and the Novgorodians hastened to the defense of ancient Toropets, the inheritance of Prince Mstislav Mstislavich the Udal. On the very first day of the siege, Toropets was taken by the troops of the noble prince. The Lithuanians rushed to flee the city, but were overtaken by the squad of Alexander Yaroslavich and paid dearly for their raids. Eight of their leaders fell in battle; the survivors, abandoning the looted booty, fled.
But the noble prince Alexander did not limit himself to this victory. In order to teach the daring enemy a lesson and protect the Russian borders from further Lithuanian raids and devastation, he, despite the reluctance of the Novgorodians to accompany him on a further campaign, chased after the enemies with only his small squad. Near Lake Zywitsa he overtook the fugitives and exterminated them all to the last man. Then he headed to Vitebsk, where his father-in-law Bryachislav reigned, and after a short rest he again moved against the Lithuanians, already in their possessions, defeated their new militia near Usvyat and brought such fear to the enemies that for a long time they did not dare to attack Russian possessions.
This is how the noble prince Alexander Yaroslavich valiantly guarded his northwestern inheritance. With his extraordinary courage and military talents, even in such a difficult time for ancient Rus' as the first years of the Tatar yoke, he was able to not only protect the ancient Russian northwestern regions, but also completely secure them and at the same time prove to the Western enemy that he had been defeated by the Tatars. Rus' is able to defend its independence and its faith.
Not only in the Novgorod-Pskov land did they rejoice at the victories of the noble prince. The news about them spread throughout the entire Rus' of that time, encouraging the Russian people in times of difficult trials, everyone’s eyes focused on the hero prince, who instilled hope for a better future. North-Eastern Rus', languishing under the rule of the Tatars, no less than Novgorod, wanted to see the blessed Prince Alexander on its grand-ducal throne and was able to evaluate his activities better than the Novgorodians.
The events of 1246 temporarily stopped the activities of the blessed Prince Alexander in the north-west of Rus', recalling him to the north-east. This year, the father of the blessed Prince Alexander, Grand Duke of Vladimir Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, died a martyr in the Horde. According to the ancient Russian order, the right to the grand-ducal throne belonged to the brother of the late prince, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. But now the supreme power and the right to distribute princely tables already belonged to the Tatars, and in order to obtain the approval of the khan, Svyatoslav had to personally visit the Horde. In the same year, Svyatoslav’s nephews, Andrei and Alexander Yaroslavich, also went to the Horde to bow to the khan.
Rumors about the brave Novgorod prince and his famous victories reached the khan. Batu wanted to see the noble prince, about whom they talked so much, and demanded that he immediately appear in the Horde.
“God has subjugated many nations to me; are you the only one who does not want to submit? If you want to save your land, come and bow to me,” Batu ordered to tell Alexander Yaroslavich.
It was impossible to disobey this order of the formidable ruler, and the noble prince hastened to set off on a long journey.
It was unknown what was waiting for him there. His father was received there with honor, but this honorable reception was bought at the price of a whole series of humiliations and insults. The princes were forced to go through purifying fires, bow to the bush, the shadows of dead khans, etc. Not all of the Russian princes agreed to fulfill these humiliating demands for Christians and paid for their disobedience with their lives. The example of the Russian martyr prince Mikhail Yaroslavich of Chernigov was undoubtedly well known to the blessed prince Alexander. But at the same time, the example of his father showed that obedience and fulfillment of all the khan’s demands did not always save. Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, who was received with honor on his first visit to the Horde, was poisoned by the Tatars when he arrived for the second time. And the noble prince Alexander decided to refuse to perform pagan rituals, even if this refusal cost him his life. A courageous defender of the Orthodox faith, a vessel of piety chosen by the Lord from a young age, how could he have acted differently!
Encouraged by the holy gifts and blessing of the archbishop, he headed from Novgorod to the Horde.
When the noble prince arrived in the Horde and when, before being presented to the khan, he was ordered to perform the customary rituals of the Tatars, he refused to carry out this order. “I am a Christian,” he said, “and it is not fitting for me to bow down to the creature. I worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the one God, glorified in the Trinity, who created heaven, earth and everything that is in them.” The calm, firm answer of the holy prince amazed the khan's courtiers; but they were even more surprised when Batu, having heard about Alexander Yaroslavich’s reluctance to perform Tatar rites, instead of the usual order in such cases “Death to the disobedient,” ordered not to force the saint anymore and to bring him to him as soon as possible.
“King,” the noble prince turned to the khan, bowing before him, “I bow to you, because God has honored you with the kingdom, but I will not bow to the creature. I serve one God, I honor Him and worship Him.”
Batu admired the beautiful, courageous face of Alexander Yaroslavich for a long time and, finally, turning to the courtiers around him, said: “They told me the truth about him: there is no prince equal to him.” The noble prince was also received with honor by the Khansha.
Batu was not an independent ruler; he was considered only the viceroy of the Great Khan, who lived in Kara-Korum, in the mountainous outskirts of the Asian Gobi Desert, located beyond Lake Baikal. Having bowed to their closest ruler, the Horde Khan, the Russian princes had to go to bow to the supreme ruler of the Mongols, to his distant capital. By order of Batu, the noble prince Alexander Yaroslavich also had to make this long, extremely difficult journey.
He was graciously received by the ruler of Asia and lived for some time in the capital of the Mongols, carefully studying the character of these rulers of Rus'. Only in 1250 Alexander Yaroslavich and his brother Andrei returned to Rus'. The Khan gave Andrei the grand-ducal throne, and left Kyiv and Novgorod behind Alexander Yaroslavich. But Kyiv, the mother of Russian cities, the ancient capital of Rus', after the Tatar defeat was nothing but ruins. The population of the Kyiv region fled from the Tatars, partly to the southwest, to present-day Galicia, and partly to the northeast, to Vladimir Rus. Alexander Yaroslavich had nothing to do here, and therefore, after spending some time in Vladimir, he returned to Veliky Novgorod.
The Novgorodians greeted him with joy; but this joy was soon overshadowed by sadness and anxiety: the noble prince, tired of the difficult journey and what he had to endure in the Horde, fell dangerously ill. The Novgorodians followed the progress of their prince’s illness with anxious participation; from morning to evening, the churches were crowded with people fervently praying for the recovery of the noble prince. And the Lord did not reject the people’s prayer: the noble prince recovered from a serious illness.
The Novgorodians now enjoyed peace. Their western neighbors, remembering the famous victories of Alexander Yaroslavich, did not dare to repeat their attacks and only the Norwegians occasionally raided the border Novgorod possessions. The noble prince wanted to protect his inheritance from Norwegian attacks; he wanted to attract the Norwegians to an alliance with the Novgorodians. For this purpose, an embassy was sent to the Norwegian king Hakon, who was at the same time instructed to offer the king to enter into family ties with Alexander Yaroslavich - to give his daughter Christina in marriage to Alexander’s son, Vasily.
The proposed marriage did not take place, but the main goal of the embassy was achieved: the Norwegian king, in turn, sent ambassadors to Novgorod to conclude an agreement with the Novgorodians, and from that time on the Norwegian raids stopped. Soon after the conclusion of this agreement, Alexander Yaroslavich left the Novgorod princely table forever.
Andrei Yaroslavich, who received the great reign, had neither the caution nor the governmental wisdom that distinguished his older brother. He was little involved in governance, spent most of his time in various kinds of entertainment, surrounded himself with inexperienced advisers and was unable to get along with the Tatars. The Horde looked at him as a rebellious prince, and Batu’s successor Sartak decided to punish the Russian prince. He sent his hordes against him under the command of Nevruy. Andrei Yaroslavich, as soon as he heard about the approach of the Tatars, fled from Vladimir, first to Novgorod, and then, when the Novgorodians refused to accept him, to Sweden. The population had to pay for the careless actions of the Grand Duke. The noble Prince Alexander came to his defense.
To save his homeland from the Tatar devastation, Alexander Yaroslavich went to the Horde and not only managed to tame the anger of the khan and thus stop the bloodshed that had begun in Rus', but also received from the khan a label for a great reign. From this time on, the ascetic service of the blessed prince began to his homeland, devoting all his strength to easing the burden of the Tatar yoke.
Alexander Yaroslavich did not spare the funds of his princely treasury for the ransom of prisoners, whom the Tatars took en masse to the Horde. He also took care that those who remained in captivity were not deprived of the main consolation in their grief - prayer and worship. Together with Metropolitan Kirill, he obtained permission from the khan to establish a Russian diocese in the capital of the Horde, Sarai.
But the captives were not the only ones who needed the care of the noble prince. After Nevryu's invasion, North-Eastern Rus' was again devastated, and the noble prince Alexander hurried to restore the destroyed temples, gather the scattered people, and help them settle in the devastated ashes. As a father, notes a contemporary of the holy prince, he cared for the people; and thanks to these concerns, peace and order were gradually established in the grand duchy. The noble prince wanted not only to calm the population, but also to alleviate their difficult situation, to weaken, as much as possible, the Tatar yoke itself.
Without changing the Russian political system, keeping the holy faith and church structure intact, the Tatars imposed a heavy tribute on Rus' for this. They took everything that was best and valuable and in their demands did not take into account whether their tributaries were able to pay taxes in the amount that was demanded of them. The Tatars took universal tribute, without distinguishing between rich and poor; They took the insolvent tributaries into the Horde without any pity and enslaved them.
In 1257, in order to more accurately determine the income that could be received from Rus', the Tatars sent their officials to count all Russian people. The Grand Duke understood well that no matter how difficult this measure was, it was necessary to submit so as not to provoke even worse resistance from the Tatars. But not everyone thought so.
At the insistence of the prince in Vladimir-Suzdal Rus', the counting took place calmly, and Alexander hurried to the Horde to win over the khan, satisfied with the obedience of the Russian people and their prince. But in the Horde it was decided to include Veliky Novgorod, where hatred of the enslavers of Rus' was especially strong. Knowing about such excitement among the Novgorodians, the Grand Duke returned to his homeland with heavy, preoccupied thoughts. And his fears came true.
As soon as people in Novgorod heard about the upcoming census, ferment began among the people, they began to organize veche meetings and decided to die rather than submit to the khan’s demand. The Novgorodians did not want to agree to the transfer because Novgorod was not conquered by the Tatars, and it seemed to many that for this reason the Tatars did not have the right to dispose of the region of St. Sophia as they wanted. “We will die for Saint Sophia and for the houses of the angels (holy monasteries),” shouts were heard on the streets of the city, and the townspeople were preparing for an uprising.
Alexander Yaroslavich, in order to prevent terrible Tatar revenge from Novgorod, hurried here. He hoped that the Novgorodians would listen to his prudent advice. But even before the prince’s arrival, disagreements began in the city: while the mob wanted to fight against the Tatars, rich people preferred to pay the required tribute so as not to irritate both the Tatars and the Grand Duke. Alexander Yaroslavich took advantage of this and, with his firmness, managed to persuade the Novgorodians to take the census. However, the appearance of Tatar officials and the abuses that occurred during the census not only from the Tatars, but also from wealthy Novgorodians, again aroused a movement in Novgorod. This time the Novgorod prince Vasily Alexandrovich took the side of those who were worried, but, fearing his father, he fled to Pskov.
The noble prince Alexander ordered the capture of his rebellious son and, depriving him of the Novgorod reign, sent him to Suzdal Rus'. The instigators of the rebellion were also severely punished, and since even after these strict measures the Novgorodians did not want to calm down and agree to the khan’s demands, the noble prince Alexander, together with the Tatars, immediately left Novgorod, leaving the Novgorodians themselves to reckon with the wrath of the khan. The departure of the Grand Duke had an effect stronger than any conviction: the Novgorodians reconciled, accepted the khan's officials, and thus the defeat of Novgorod by the Tatars was prevented.
But a little over two years passed, and again unrest began in Rus' against the Tatar tribute collectors, threatening to turn into open rebellion and cover almost all the cities of north-eastern Rus'. The reasons for these unrest were the following circumstances.
The new khan - Berke - in view of the abuses committed by the tribute collectors, the concealment of the amount collected by them, handed over its collection to the Khivan merchants or Bessermen. The latter, naturally, for the purpose of profit, collected much more than the amount they paid to the khan, and allowed even greater oppression of the population, compared to the previous Tatar collectors. The people could not bear this oppression, and indignation began in various localities. But this indignation reached its extreme when one monk apostate from the Orthodox faith, named Zosima, appeared among the collectors, who not only oppressed his fellow tribesmen, but also boldly insulted the Orthodox faith. The people could not bear these insults, and the hated apostate was killed in Yaroslavl, and after this a rebellion began in other Russian cities of the Rostov and Suzdal principalities; they drove away the Tatar collectors and beat up the most hated of them. Rumors spread that Grand Duke Alexander himself had sent letters “to beat the Tatars” to the cities and was preparing to become the head of the popular movement.
The reprisal against the Khan's collectors was supposed to provoke terrible retribution from the Tatars. Again, the Grand Duke needed to rush to the Horde, to prevent the impending disaster from Rus'. The noble prince faced a difficult feat. But at this moment of terrible mood in north-eastern Rus', things were also unfavorable in the north-west, in the Novgorod-Pskov borders.
After the Battle of the Neva and the Battle of the Ice, Western enemies did not dare to attack Rus'. Convinced of the impossibility of defeating the Neva hero, they decided to try another means to subjugate him.
In 1248, Pope Innocent IV sent an embassy to Alexander Yaroslavich, headed by two learned cardinals - Gald and Gemont. In the letter that the ambassadors were supposed to hand over to the Russian prince, the pope wrote: “We heard about you as a wondrous and honest prince, and that your land is great, and we sent two of our cardinals to you so that you would listen to their teachings.” Expressing feigned grief that the great land of the Russian prince was not subordinate to the Roman Church, the pope convinced Alexander Yaroslavich to submit to his authority and take care of bringing his people to the Latin faith. Convincing that only in the Latin Church can salvation and true faith be found, the pope also pointed to the earthly benefits that his submission to papal authority would bring to the prince. At the same time, he tried to warn that this submission would not in the least humiliate the Russian prince, especially, the pope added, that “we will consider you the best among the Catholic sovereigns and will always try with special zeal to increase your glory.” Finally, knowing how dear the memory of his father was to the noble prince, the pope deliberately falsely reported in his letter that Yaroslav Vsevolodovich had already expressed a sincere desire to subjugate the Russian pope and that only the premature death of Yaroslav prevented him from fulfilling this intention.
But all these tricks of the pope had no success. To Innocent’s long message, Alexander Yaroslavich gave a very short and at the same time powerfully convincing answer: “What happened from the creation of the world to the flood, and from the flood to the division of languages and to Abraham, from Abraham to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and to the passage of the Red Sea and until the death of King David, from the beginning of the reign of Solomon and to the Roman Emperor Augustus, under whom the Savior of the world Christ was born, and to the passion, resurrection and ascension of the Lord and to the first ecumenical council and the other seven ecumenical councils - we know all this well , but we do not need your teaching and will not accept it.”
The popes did not remain in debt: they began to raise Swedes and knights against the rebellious Russian prince; but these new campaigns were also unsuccessful.
In 1256, the Swedes made an attempt to take possession of the Finnish coast again, and in alliance with the Danes and the Finns began to build a fortress on the Narova River. Then the Novgorodians sent envoys to the Grand Duke with a request for help, sent them around their volost to gather an army, and the enemy, frightened by these preparations, hastened to go overseas. In winter, the noble prince came to Novgorod and, together with the Novgorodians and his regiments, went to Em, in Finland, in order to intimidate the Finns and prevent the possibility of further attacks on the Novgorod outskirts. The path through an unfamiliar country was extremely difficult: due to the snowstorms, the army saw neither day nor night; but despite the difficulties, the campaign was very successful: the Russians devastated the land, and the enemy did not dare to think about resistance.
In 1262, hostile clashes with the Germans began. The Grand Duke was preparing for a campaign against the Germans, but the rebellion against the Tatars prompted him to rush to the Horde. The Russian army, under the command of the brother of the Grand Duke, Yaroslav, and his son, Prince Dimitri Alexandrovich, and this time won a series of brilliant victories: the city of Yuryev, an ancient Russian city, the building of the Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise, was taken, and with great booty and many captives the army returned to Novgorod.
Meanwhile, the faithful Grand Duke Alexander safely reached the Horde, and the Lord helped him to appease the irritated khan. The latter not only forgave the Russians for beating the Tatar collectors, but, at the intercession of the holy Prince Alexander, gave them a new mercy - he freed them from the heavy duty of carrying military service in the Tatar regiments.
The noble prince was in a hurry to return to his homeland with good news. But the Russian people could not hear this joyful news from the lips of the prince himself. This was the last feat of the noble prince. Tired of the difficulty of the journey and the anxieties that he had to experience, the noble prince Alexander Yaroslavich fell dangerously ill on the way back from the Horde to Gorodets. Anticipating his blessed death, he called his companions and addressed them with a final farewell conversation, which brought bitter tears to everyone at the thought of the impending loss. Then the noble prince called the abbot to himself and took monastic vows, replacing his princely name with a monastic one - Alexy. Having accepted the Holy Mysteries and said goodbye to the monks around him, the noble prince-monk quietly departed to the eternal abode, betrayed his pure soul to the Lord, Whom he served so passionately in his earthly life. It was November 14, 1263. He died in the prime of his life, not yet 45 years old. Invincible in battle, he was exhausted under the burden of the Grand Duke's crown, which at that difficult time for Rus' was truly a crown of thorns, required constant exertion of strength and in return brought only grief and anxiety to the Grand Duke.
In Vladimir they soon learned about the blessed death of the Grand Duke, before deliberate messengers arrived from Gorodets. The Lord miraculously revealed this to the then Saint of Vladimir, Metropolitan of All Russia Kirill.
When the Bishop, surrounded by the clergy, offered up fiery prayers for Holy Rus' and for her Grand Duke, he was rewarded with the following miraculous vision: he saw how the angels of God carried the blessed soul of the blessed Prince Alexander to heaven. Struck by this vision, the saint remained silent, and then, going out to the pulpit, he told the worshipers the sad news: “Brothers, know that the sun of the Russian land has already set.” When the people listened to these words in bewilderment, the saint, after a short silence, explained the meaning of the words he had spoken: “The blessed Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich has now reposed.” Horror gripped everyone at this sad news. The temple was filled with cries of grief and despair; “We are perishing,” the prayers repeated in one voice. What deep sorrow the death of the blessed prince caused can be judged by the words of a contemporary of the holy prince with which he begins the description of his death.
“Woe to you, poor man! How can you describe the demise of your master! How can your apples not fall out of your eyes along with your tears! How can one’s heart not burst from bitter sadness! A man can forget his father, but he cannot forget his good master; If it were possible, I would go into the coffin with him.”
All eyewitnesses of this sad event experienced the same feeling. As soon as people in Vladimir heard that the body of the noble prince was approaching the city, everyone rushed to meet him. Metropolitan Kirill, together with the clergy, met the body of the deceased prince in Bogolyubovo. Countless people - rich and poor, adults and children - occupied the entire surrounding area. And as soon as the coffin appeared, everyone rushed uncontrollably towards him, everyone tried to kiss the coffin in which the body of the noble prince was located. The crying of the people covered everything: the voices of the clergy and singers could not be heard; according to a contemporary, it seemed that the groans and screams could shake the earth.
On November 23, in the cathedral church of Vladimir, the metropolitan and the sacred rite solemnly, in the presence of a mass of people, performed the rite of burial. The Lord sent down consolation to those mourning the death of the noble prince. During the funeral ceremony, the following miracle occurred.
When Metropolitan Kirill's housekeeper Sebastian approached the coffin and wanted to separate the hand of the deceased so that the metropolitan could put a “farewell letter” (a prayer of permission) into it, the noble prince, as if alive, extended his hand, accepted the scroll and then folded his hands again crosswise on the chest. Aweful horror gripped everyone present. Everyone was surprised and glorified the Lord, who showed such a wonderful sign. Having reverently taken the shrine containing the body of the noble prince, they buried him in the monastery Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
By order of Metropolitan Kirill, the miracle that happened during the burial was reported to everyone, and thus throughout all pious Rus', which mourned its guardian prince, who laid down his life for Holy Rus', along with the sad news of his untimely death, the comforting news spread that in In the person of the blessed prince Alexander, Rus' acquired a new prayer book and intercessor before the throne of the Almighty. How much consolation this news brought to the sorrowful souls of the Russian people, who were anxiously looking at the near future!
The entire life of the blessed prince Alexander Yaroslavich was devoted to serving his fatherland. With his unparalleled courage and military prowess, he preserved his northwestern inheritance from the constant claims of Western Catholic peoples; with the power of the sword and wisdom he protected the Orthodox Church both from the attacks of the Latins and from the machinations of the popes; With caution and wise government activity, he eased the heavy Tatar yoke, gave the Russian people the opportunity to bear it more calmly, supported their faith in the power of Rus', instilled hope for better times; forced the enslavers themselves to respect the conquered country and its prince. This great service of the noble prince was perfectly defined by his contemporary biographer in the following words: “He worked a lot for the Russian land, and for Novgorod, and for Pskov, and for the entire great reign, giving his belly (life), and for the Orthodox faith.”
But even after his death, the blessed prince Alexander Yaroslavich did not stop his great service to the Russian land; he was always a representative and an ambulance in the most difficult moments in the life of our fatherland.
For more than two hundred years after the death of the noble prince, our homeland endured the heavy Tatar yoke. She experienced a lot of troubles and threats from the Tatars, until, under the wise rule of the descendants of the blessed Prince Alexander, the princes of Moscow, she grew stronger, entered into a fight with her enslavers and not only overthrew their yoke, but also subjugated the once formidable Tatar kingdoms to her power. 120 years after the death of the blessed Prince Alexander, under the Moscow Grand Duke Dimitri Ivanovich Donskoy, for the first time, the Russians defeated the Tatars on the banks of the Don River. This victory was very costly for the Russians, but it was also precious for them, as it raised the people’s spirit and instilled confidence that the time of Tatar domination was passing. And at this important historical moment, her heavenly patron, the blessed Prince Alexander Yaroslavich, came to the aid of Holy Rus'. This is what is conveyed in the ancient life of the blessed prince about the miraculous help he provided to his relative, Grand Duke Dimitri Ivanovich.
In the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos in Vladimir, where the relics of the blessed prince rested, one God-fearing monk, who led a pious ascetic life, at night in the church vestibule with tears prayed to the Lord for the deliverance of Rus' from the hordes of the Tatar leader Mamai. In his prayer he called upon the blessed Prince Alexander to help Grand Duke Demetrius. And during his prayer, he saw that in front of the tomb of the blessed prince the candles lit up by themselves, then two splendid elders came out of the altar and, approaching the tomb of the saint, said: “Get up, hasten to the aid of your relative, the noble prince Demetrius Ioannovich.” And the holy prince Alexander immediately stood up and became invisible. Struck by this miracle, the monk remained silent, and only after it was learned that the glorious Don victory had taken place just at that time, did he report his vision to Saint Vladimir. By order of the bishop, the relics of the noble prince were then examined, which were found incorrupt. The masses of the sick turned with prayer to the newly-minted saint of God, and when his holy relics were buried, many healings took place.
The famous Don victory, one of the most joyful moments in the life of our ancestors during the difficult era of the Tatar yoke, has not yet liberated Rus' from foreign power. The Horde was weakened, but Rus' was not yet strong enough to defend its independence. Tatar rule continued, only it had already lost its former character. And the Tatars themselves saw that the Moscow princes had created a strong unified state from the previously scattered Russian principalities, which would not fail to use its strength, as well as those discords and divisions that then occurred among the Tatars and weakened their former power. A hundred years have passed since the Don victory, and the great-grandson of Dimitri Ivanovich Donskoy, Grand Duke John III, managed to destroy the Tatar yoke without a battle and free Rus' from two centuries of Asian power. Now the previous relations between Russians and Tatars have finally changed. Rus', during the reign of the noble prince Alexander Nevsky, an obedient tributary of the Tatar khan, now begins its offensive movement against the Tatars and gradually subjugates them to its power. The once formidable Tatar kingdoms, one after another, are part of our state, and only fragments of memories of the domination of conquered foreigners over Russia are preserved in the people's memory. In this long and stubborn struggle with the Tatars, our fatherland was still not abandoned by the help and protection of its heavenly protector, the blessed prince Alexander Nevsky.
In 1552, setting out on a campaign to conquer the Kazan kingdom, Tsar John Vasilyevich prayed in Vladimir before the reliquary of the relics of the blessed Prince Alexander, calling on him for help. As if as a pledge of his help, the noble prince performed the following miracle.
His boyars prayed with the tsar, including the future descriptor of the miracles of the noble prince. When he, together with others, venerated the relics of the saint, he put three fingers of his sick hand into the well (hole) of the reliquary. It seemed to him that he had soaked them in some kind of fragrant mastic, and when he took out his hand, not a trace remained of the previous illness. All those present at this miraculous healing reverently glorified the blessed Prince Alexander, who had been granted the gift of healing by the Lord, and with the hope of his help they set off on their further journey.
The Kazan campaign ended successfully. The Tatar kingdom, located near Moscow and disturbing the Russian border regions with its raids for a whole century, submitted to the Moscow Tsar. Holy churches appeared on the site and next to the Tatar mosques, the preaching of the Holy Gospel began in this Mohammedan region, and our ancestors could calmly look forward. Following Kazan, another Tatar kingdom was annexed - Astrakhan, and the queen of Russian rivers - the Volga, with its riches, along its entire length has now become a Russian river. The Russians successfully began to spread their power in the far east, in Siberia, gradually moving towards the shores of the Great Ocean. But in the south, in Crimea, there was still a strong enemy - the Crimean Tatars, with whom the Russian state had to fight for a long time. An ally of the Moscow sovereign before the annexation of Kazan and Astrakhan to Moscow, the Crimean Khan now, seeing the strengthening of Rus', began a struggle with it, all the more dangerous for us since he was supported by the supreme defender - the Turkish Sultan. And during this struggle, the heavenly patron of Rus', the blessed prince Alexander Yaroslavich, did not cease to pour out his help.
In 1571, during the attack on Moscow by the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray, in Vladimir the elder of the Nativity Monastery, Anthony, a man of prayer and a faster, during his prayer before the icon of the Mother of God for the aversion of the terrible khan’s invasion from his homeland, received the following miraculous vision. While he was grieving over the disasters that befell his homeland, he suddenly saw two young men in light clothes, approaching the monastery with the speed of lightning on white horses. Dismounting from their horses, they left them at the monastery gates, and they themselves entered (these were the noble princes Boris and Gleb). Elder Anthony followed them. As soon as the noble princes entered the temple, the royal doors opened and candles were lit. Approaching the shrine of the blessed Prince Alexander, Saints Boris and Gleb addressed him with the following words: “Arise, our brother, Grand Duke Alexander, let us hasten to the aid of our relative, the blessed Tsar John Vasilyevich.” Blessed Alexander immediately stood up and, together with them, left the temple to the monastery gates. Here stood three white horses prepared for battle, on which the noble princes mounted. Setting off on their journey, they said: “Let's go to the cathedral church of the Most Pure Mother of God and invite with us our relatives, the noble princes Andrei, Vsevolod, George and Yaroslav.
The elder followed them. And here, as in the monastery church, at the entrance of the holy princes the royal gates opened, the noble princes rose from their tombs and through the city wall miraculously went through the air to Rostov with the following words: “Let's go to Rostov to Tsarevich Peter, let him help us too.” " With the help of these heavenly warriors, victory was won over the Crimean Khan.
This is how the noble prince Alexander Yaroslavich kept his fatherland from the Tatars, whose entire earthly life was devoted to the same concern - protecting holy Rus' from the formidable conqueror.
The heavenly intercessor of the Russian state, who was distinguished during his life by his great mercy, who helped every destitute and suffering person, the blessed Prince Alexander, even after his death, did not cease to pour out his mercies to all those in need and who prayerfully turned to him for help. During the cancer of his holy relics, the sick received healing, the grieving and embittered received grace-filled consolation and help. Not all of these miracles were recorded, but even that insignificant part of them, which was described by the ancient biographers of the holy prince, clearly shows what an abundant source of healings and miracles flowed from the holy relics of the blessed Prince Alexander, what a precious vessel of God’s mercy was acquired by holy Rus' in its heavenly patron and leader. Repeatedly, even before the establishment of the celebration of Saint Alexander, the monks of the Nativity monastery were vouchsafed to see heavenly signs that predicted the holiness and godliness of the blessed prince; More than once they, the monastery, and the city of Vladimir received heavenly help from the holy prince.
In 1491, a terrible fire occurred in Vladimir, during which the temple where the relics of the blessed Prince Alexander rested was burned down. During this fire, the worshipers saw the blessed prince, as if on a horse, rising into the air towards the sky. And after the fire it turned out that despite the fact that the entire interior of the temple was burned, the relics of the noble prince remained undamaged by the fire.
In 1541, after the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, after the end of Vespers, in front of the shrine of the relics of the blessed Prince Alexander, candles lit up of their own accord, and many of the brethren and those praying observed this with surprise. The monastery sexton, in his simplicity, did not see anything unusual here, so he came up and extinguished the candles. Then they reported what had happened to the abbot, Archimandrite Euphrosynus, and when he approached the tomb and felt one of the candles, he noticed that some kind of special warmth was spreading from it. Everyone understood this miracle as a special sign of the holiness of the blessed Prince Alexander.
The monk of the Nativity Monastery, Elder David, was very ill for a long time. Lying on his bed and shedding tears, he prayed to the blessed Prince Alexander for healing. He soon felt relieved and intensified his prayer. At the end of the prayer, he received complete healing from his illness.
A monk of the same monastery, by the name of Krasovtsev, was in relaxation for a long time. He was brought to the shrine of the relics of the blessed Prince Alexander, and when he looked at her with tenderness, shedding warm tears and remembering his sins, he felt that strength had returned to his weakened limbs, and soon completely recovered.
The monastic man Terenty was subject to demonic possession. When they brought him to the shrine of the relics of the blessed prince and prayed for him, he immediately became meek and began to prayerfully thank God and His saint for the healing.
Even more were recorded by ancient biographers of healings that were performed on worldly people of various conditions and ages.
One boyar’s son, Semyon Zabelin, who lived in Pskov, was so sick that he had no use of his arms or legs and could not eat or drink at all. Having deep faith in the noble prince Alexander, of whom a reverent memory was always preserved in ancient Pskov, he began to ask his family to take him to Vladimir to pray in front of the shrine of the relics of the noble prince, and here, during prayer, he received healing from his illness.
Another boyar's son, Golovkin, was struck by the same disease, did not hope for recovery and only thought about death. He gave away almost all his property to doctors, but did not receive any help or benefit from the treatment. And so, through the intercession of the blessed Prince Alexander, during the cancer of his holy relics, he received from the Lord what the art of medicine could not give him: complete healing from his incurable illness.
A relaxed woman was brought from one village in the Vladimir district and laid on the steps near the holy relics of the noble prince. During a fervent prayer to the saint of God for healing, she suddenly felt how the Holy Prince, miraculously appearing to her, took her hand and raised her from her sick bed.
The Vladimir nobleman Maxim Nikitin had a son, the youth John, who was mute and paralyzed. The parents, with faith in the noble prince, brought their unfortunate son to the Nativity monastery, and here he received healing.
Many, through the intercession of the blessed Prince Alexander, received healing from blindness. Thus, one blind man from the city of Vladimir, David Josephov, suddenly saw the light in the church while reading the Gospel. Excited to the depths of his soul by the flashing hope of healing, he intensified his prayer to the saint of God and asked to be taken to the shrine of his holy relics. When here, at the holy relics, he was sprinkled with holy water, he completely regained his sight.
A woman who had lost her sight was brought from the village of Krasnoye, Vladimir province, and at the shrine of the holy relics of the noble prince she received complete healing, as if she had never been sick.
Mercy from the miraculous relics of the blessed prince was repeatedly poured out on those suffering from the terrible disease of demon possession. Here are some cases recorded by ancient biographers.
A demoniac was brought from the village of Staroye to the monastery, who with his terrible appearance terrified everyone: he uttered terrible words, like a beast rushing at people. He was brought to the monastery bound, and during a prayer service he received healing.
Another demoniac did not even recognize his close relatives, tore out his hair, bit his tongue; his body was covered with sores from beatings that he inflicted on himself. And through the intercession of the faithful Prince Alexander, he was honored to receive complete healing from his terrible illness.
In the monastery village of Ugryumova, Vladimir district, the peasant Afanasy Nikitin suffered fits of insanity, so that he did not recognize those around him, refused to eat, and completely lost sleep. Suddenly, in a moment of enlightenment, he began to ask his family to take him to the Nativity monastery to the relics of the blessed Prince Alexander. His relatives fulfilled his wish, and on the way to the monastery the sick man felt healthy and, having arrived at the monastery, in heartfelt emotion he told everyone how the holy Prince Alexander appeared to him and how he himself instructed him to seek healing at the shrine of his holy relics.
The sick and embittered in soul were honored to receive so many mercies through faith in the noble prince! And the memory of the good deeds of the saint of God and his earthly exploits for the glory of our fatherland never faded in our ancestors. The life of the blessed prince Alexander Yaroslavich immediately after his death became the subject of edifying descriptions. Following the life written by a contemporary of the blessed prince, other, more detailed lives appeared, which were compiled in different places Russian land and especially where the holy prince lived and did good: in Vladimir and in the Novgorod-Pskov region. We tried to preserve, for the edification of our descendants, all the features from the life and work of the sufferer for the Russian land, this bright star that illuminated the path of life of our ancestors in the darkest, most difficult time of the Tatar yoke. At the same time as biographers, ancient Russian chroniclers included in their works stories about the life of the noble prince, and thanks to this, not so much information and stories have reached us about any of the princes of northeastern Rus' as about the noble prince Alexander.
Immediately, almost after the blessed death of the holy prince, his church glorification began. The very miracle that occurred during his burial clearly testified to everyone about his holiness and pleasing to God; This was also evidenced by other miracles that constantly poured out, as from an inexhaustible source, from the reliquary of his holy relics. In 1547, at the request of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, a church council was held in Moscow, chaired by the famous Metropolitan of All-Russia Macarius, at which an all-Russian celebration of Russian saints, who had been revered locally until that time, was established. At this cathedral, an all-Russian holiday was established in honor of the blessed prince Alexander Nevsky and, by order of the metropolitan, a service was compiled (for November 23, the day of the repose of the blessed prince) and a new, more extensive life. At the beginning of the 17th century. in Moscow there was also a temple in honor of the blessed prince Alexander.
In 1724, a new holiday was established - August 30, on the occasion of the transfer of the relics of the blessed prince from Vladimir to St. Petersburg.
On the banks of the Neva, about 500 years after the death of St. Alexander, Emperor Peter I won new brilliant victories over the old enemy of Russia - the Swedes. Here in 1703 the foundation was laid for the new capital of the Russian state, and in 1717 for the new Russian shrine - the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Emperor Peter I wanted the relics of the noble prince to be transferred from Vladimir to St. Petersburg, and as soon as Russia felt secure in the newly conquered region, an order was made to transfer the relics. The emperor himself drew up a detailed decree on how to carry out this transfer, and he himself carefully monitored the construction of the new monastery and temple, where the holy relics of the blessed Prince Alexander were to be placed. But the wars with the Swedes and Turks slowed down the implementation of this order, and only in 1723 was it started to be executed.
Vladimir solemnly celebrated his memorable shrine, which for about five centuries constituted a precious decoration of this ancient city. From August 10 to 11, an all-night vigil was held in all churches, and the Divine Liturgy was held the next morning. The clergy of the city and surrounding monasteries, with a large crowd of people, went to the Nativity Monastery, and after the prayer service, the cancer with the holy relics in the hands of the clergy was carried out of the temple and led out of the city. On August 17, the relics of the blessed prince were greeted with even greater solemnity in Moscow, and then the church procession headed through Tver and Novgorod to St. Petersburg. The transfer of the relics of the blessed Prince Alexander was an all-Russian celebration. Divine services were held in all cities and villages, and crowds of people accompanied the shrine all the way. It was planned to bring the holy relics to St. Petersburg on August 30, the day on which the Treaty of Nystadt, concluded recently with the Swedes, was celebrated. But the distance of the journey did not make it possible to carry out this plan exactly, and only on October 1 did the holy relics arrive in Shlisselburg. By order of the emperor, they were placed in the local cathedral church of the Annunciation and their transfer to St. Petersburg was postponed until August 30 of the next year (1724).
The meeting of the shrine in St. Petersburg was distinguished by special solemnity. The emperor and his retinue arrived on a galley at the mouth of the Izhora River. Having reverently placed the holy relics on the galley, the Emperor ordered his nobles to take the oars, while he himself, standing at the stern, steered the rudder. A special pier was built in St. Petersburg, where the galley with the holy relics stopped. Accompanied by the clergy and people, the most noble nobles carried the shrine of holy relics. The ringing of bells and the firing of cannons increased the solemnity. The relics were placed in a church dedicated to the noble prince. The next day, the celebration continued in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery: the Emperor distributed to those present the plan of the buildings proposed in the monastery, and then it was established to forever celebrate the transfer of the relics on August 30.
So it came true cherished wish king He failed to complete the plan he had drawn for the construction of the new monastery: six months after this celebration, Peter died. But Peter's successors finished what he started. His daughter, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, built a magnificent silver shrine in which the holy relics now rest. Empress Catherine II ordered the construction of a new one on the site of the old cathedral, and on August 30, 1790, the consecration of the new temple took place and the relics of the blessed prince were transferred into it.
And now the noble prince Alexander Yaroslavich preserves the inheritance given to him by God - our fatherland. And now he is close and quick to obey all who with faith call on his holy name, pours out his mercy and appears before the throne of the Almighty God - to Him, who glorifies His saints, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Troparion, tone 4:
Because you were a pious and most honorable person, more blessed than Alexandra: manifest Christ as a kind of divine treasure of the Russian land, a new miracle worker, glorious and pleasing to God. And today, having come together in your memory with faith and love, in psalms and singing we joyfully glorify the Lord, who gave you the grace of healing: pray to him to save this city, and for the power of your relatives of God-pleasing existence, and for the sons of Russia to be saved.
Another troparion, tone 4:
Know your Russian brethren Joseph, not in Egypt, but reigning in heaven, faithful Prince Alexander, and accept their prayers, multiplying the lives of people with the fruitfulness of your land, protecting the cities of your dominion with prayer, and supporting your heir to our faithful emperors in resisting.
Kontakion, tone 8:
As we honor your bright star, which shone from the east and came to the west: you enrich this entire country with miracles and kindness, and enlighten with faith those who honor your memory, blessed Alexandra. For this reason, today we celebrate your dormition, your existing people: pray to save your fatherland, and the power of our Orthodox Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, and all those who flow to the race of your relics, and truly cry out to you: rejoice in the establishment of our city.
Another kontakion:
Just like your relatives, Boris and Gleb, appeared to you from heaven to help you asceticize against Weilger of Suey and his warriors: so you too now, blessed Alexandra, come to the aid of your relatives, and overcome us who are fighting.
Information about the life of the blessed prince Alexander Yaroslavich is found in his ancient lives and in chronicles. In Ancient Rus', five lives of the noble prince were compiled, of which the first, brief, was written by a contemporary of Alexander Yaroslavich, and the last, most detailed, already in the 17th century, on the basis of the most ancient lives, successively supplementing one another.
– Mikhail Vladimirovich Tolstoy 70.1K“The Life of Alexander Nevsky” is dedicated to Prince Alexander Yaroslavovich, a great commander and wise ruler. The story was supposed to show that despite the subordination to the Horde, there were princes in Rus' who were ready to resist the enemies of the Russian land, and their valor and courage inspired respect from other peoples.
Creation date and author
The work was written in Vladimir in the Nativity Monastery, where the prince was buried. According to D. S. Likhachev, Metropolitan Kirill was involved in the writing of “The Life of Alexander Nevsky,” a summary of which is presented below. In composition, individual stylistic devices and phraseological units, “The Tale” is close to the works in which he took part. Kirill died in 1280, so researchers are confident that the story was written between 1263 and 1280.
This is evidenced by a number of characteristic features of the story, written in the hagiographic genre. Firstly, in the preface the author talks about himself with emphasized self-deprecation, which corresponds to the canons of this genre: “thin and sinful.” Secondly, he reports about the prince’s parents and his birth, which also corresponds to the spirit of hagiography. Thirdly, the story of the miracle after Alexander's death is also hagiographical in nature. And finally, the text contains digressions that are of an ecclesiastical and rhetorical nature.
The author of the work states at the very beginning of the story that he knew the prince personally and witnessed his military exploits. The formulation “I am a self-witness” gives every reason to assert this. According to researchers, in hagiographic works the authors always report where details about the hero’s life are known. This formulation has not been recorded in any life and is encountered for the first time. And there is every reason to believe that Metropolitan Kirill took part in the compilation of the biography.
Prince Alexander
The story “The Life of Alexander Nevsky,” a summary of which you are reading, begins with a preface by the author, who says that he heard about Prince Alexander “from his fathers.” He is glad to tell of the holy and glorious life of this great man, having witnessed it himself. Calling on the Holy Mother of God and Prince Alexander for help, the author continues the story with a story about the parents of the hero of the story.
Alexander's father Yaroslav was a merciful, meek and peace-loving prince. The mother of the hero of the story was called Theodosia. The book of Isaiah says that the Lord himself places a person in a principality. And indeed, the reign of Prince Alexander was not without God's blessing. He was handsome, like Joseph, who became second only to the Egyptian king. Alexander was strong, like Samson. And the Lord gave him wisdom to Solomon. He was brave and invincible, like King Vespasian, who conquered Judea.
One eminent servant of God came from the West to see with his own eyes the maturity of the power of Prince Alexander. So the Queen of Sheba went to Solomon. Andreas returned to his people and said that he had seen many peoples, but he had never met anyone like Alexander.
In continuing the summary of “The Life of Alexander Nevsky,” it is necessary to clarify that the author of the story almost does not name the names of his opponents. In this episode, he refers to the Swedish king as “the king from the Midnight Land.” He heard about Alexander's valor and decided to conquer the prince's land. He gathered a great army, equipped many ships and came, blazing with the military spirit, to the Neva. And he sent his ambassadors to Novgorod to tell the prince that he had come to destroy his land, let him defend himself if he could.
Appeal to God for help
Prince Alexander's heart was kindled and he entered the church with a prayer to the Lord, who commanded all peoples to live without crossing other people's borders. The prince raised his hands to him and asked the Lord to take the shield and protect him from the enemies. Having finished his prayer, the prince rose from his knees and asked for a blessing from Archbishop Spiridon.
Coming out of the church, Prince Alexander told his squad that God is in truth, not in power. Those who were with weapons and on horses were defeated and fell; only those who will with the name of the Lord on their lips will stand. Trusting in the Holy Trinity, the prince did not wait for the “large army” and set out “with a small squad.” The enemies were approaching, so Alexander had no time to send news to his father Yaroslav. This is why many Novgorodians did not join him, because they did not know about the enemy attack.
Battle of the Neva
We continue to convey a summary of the “Life of Alexander Nevsky” with the author’s story about the elder Pelugia, who was assigned to watch the sea. He lived among the pagans, but was baptized, receiving the name Philip. He lived a godly life, fasted twice a week, and the Lord honored this obedient man with a wonderful vision.
All night he stood by the sea and watched both routes. And in the morning, at sunrise, he heard a loud noise from the sea and saw a floating boat - the martyrs Boris and Gleb were standing on each other’s shoulders. They were dressed in red, and the rowers were dressed in darkness. Boris turned to Gleb with a request to order him to row, since Prince Alexander needed help. Having seen and heard the martyrs, the elder stood there until the attack disappeared.
Having met Alexander, Pelugius told him about the vision. Afterwards, Prince Alexander attacked his enemies and there was a great battle with the Romans. Countless numbers of them were killed. And the prince left the imprint of his spear on the face of the king himself. Six soldiers from Alexander’s squad behaved bravely and with dignity in this battle, as the prince himself told the author of this story.
We will continue to convey a brief summary of the “Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” by comparing the author of the battle for Jerusalem under King Hezekiah and the battle of Alexander. Just as in ancient times, the Angel of the Lord came and put down countless Assyrian troops, so it was after the victory of the prince. On the other side of Izhora, where Alexander’s squad could not pass, they found countless dead enemy soldiers, struck down by the Angel of the Lord. The prince returned from the campaign in victory, praising the name of the Lord.
Ice battle
Then the author, without focusing on the prince’s many victories, mentions them in abbreviation. We will continue the summary of “The Life of Alexander Nevsky” with a description of the famous battle on Lake Peipsi. Three years after the prince’s victory, the Germans decided to conquer the Slovenian people. They occupied the city of Pskov and even put a governor in it. Prince Alexander and his retinue liberated the city and took many prisoners captive.
The Germans then gathered a large army and marched against Alexander. Lake Peipus was covered with dead soldiers of both. Yaroslav, Alexander's father, sent his youngest son Andrei and his retinue to help the prince. When the opponents met, there was a fierce battle. It seemed as if the frozen lake had moved, as it was covered with blood so that no ice was visible.
The author of the story heard this from an eyewitness to those events, who saw that the army of God came to help Alexander. The enemy fled, and the one who said that he would capture Alexander was given into the hands of the prince. Alexander returned with a glorious victory, leading many captives. All the people and the priests met the winner with crosses, praising and glorifying the name of God.
Trip to Horda
The name of Alexander became famous in all countries. At the same time, the Lithuanian princes began to plunder the lands of Alexander. He went out and beat them. Once Alexander defeated seven regiments in one trip. One Eastern king, who conquered many nations, heard about his glory, and sent envoys to the prince, telling him that Alexander should come to see his power.
Bishop Kirill blessed Alexander and he went to the Horde. Tsar Batu saw him and said that they told him the truth about Alexander - there is no prince like him. But Batu was angry with Yaroslav’s youngest son Andrei, and sent the governor to ruin the land of Suzdal. Prince Alexander then gathered the dispersed people into their homes, rebuilt cities and erected churches. And according to His Word, God filled Alexander’s land with wealth and extended his years.
Envoys from Rome
We continue the summary of “The Life of Prince Alexander Nevsky.” One day the Pope sent cardinals to Alexander so that they could tell him about their faith. The prince gathered the wise men and wrote a response to the pope that they knew everything from Adam to the Seventh Council, and they would not accept any other teaching. Then the infidels persecuted Christians all over the earth, forcing them to fight on their side. Alexander went to Batu to pray his people out of this misfortune.
The prince sent his son Dmitry with his regiments to the West. He conquered the German land and returned to Novgorod with a great victory. His father Alexander returned from the Horde and fell ill. The prince worked a lot on earth, and before his death he decided to become a monk and accepted the schema. Soon he gave up his spirit to the Lord. His holy body was carried to Vladimir, where he was greeted with candles and censers, and each of the great multitude of people who were here wanted to touch the holy body.
We conclude the very brief summary of “The Life of Alexander Nevsky” with a description of the miracle that occurred on the day of Alexander’s funeral. They laid his body in the Church of the Nativity, when an amazing thing happened: Metropolitan Kirill tried to unclench the prince’s fingers in order to insert the spiritual letter, but the prince, as if alive, raised his hand and took the letter from Kirill’s hands. Confusion gripped everyone, and they retreated from his tomb.
Writing feature
As can be seen from the story, the author’s task did not include compiling a complete biography of Alexander. He spoke about the main episodes of his life, which would allow us to recreate his heroic image of an intelligent politician, a valiant warrior and commander - about the victories on Lake Peipsi, on the Neva, about his visit to the Horde and his response to the Pope.
The author of the life does not give exact dates; he is not always consistent in his presentation of events. But the story is full of quotes and analogies from the Bible, which are not given in the summary. In the story “On the Life of Alexander Nevsky,” the narrator wanted to emphasize with these comparisons the eternal and timeless nature of the prince’s actions, to give them majesty. Constantly mentioning the heavenly protection of Alexander, the author of the story sought to show that “God despises” such people, helps them, “bestows and shows” his mercy.