What made Alexander Nevsky famous? The main activities of the prince

The chronicle of the Russian state has hundreds of heroes. One of them left an indelible mark on history. What Alexander Nevsky became famous for is known to every person who is interested in the formation of the Russian state. Today there is a lot of controversy among modern historians regarding the life and work of this interesting personality.

The childhood and youth of the prince

(the main dates are concentrated in 1233-1263) in history is considered in terms of his military successes. But the moments of youth and the formation of the character of the Grand Duke are also interesting.

According to some sources, Alexander was born in May 1220 in the city of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, other sources name 1221 as the date of his birth, and still others indicate an even later time - 1238-1240.

Alexander was the son of a prince and the grandson of the legendary grandfather Vsevolod the Big Nest. His mother is Theodosia Mstislavna Toropetskaya, daughter of Mstislav Udatny, Prince of Novgorod and Galicia.

From childhood, his father paid special attention to the upbringing of Alexander. In 1225, the boy passed the rite of passage into the warriors. From an early age, the prince mastered military affairs and excelled in tactics. At the age of 13, he made his first campaign under the leadership of his father to Derpt, where he fought the Livonians for the first time. These skills will be useful to him during the reign and in the fight against enemies. He bribed someone with cunning, someone with his mind, but mostly he used the old proven method - the use of force, this is the main thing that Alexander Nevsky became famous for centuries.

Domestic politics

In 1226, his father left nine-year-old Fyodor and eight-year-old Alexander to rule in Novgorod, the boyar Fedor Danilovich and the elder Yakim looked after the princes. But the tough temper of the Novgorodians did not allow the young nobles to sit on the throne for a long time, and they left these lands. But already in 1230, the inhabitants of these lands again called on Yaroslav to rule them, he signed an agreement with the locals and again left his sons as governors.

From 1231, Alexander, together with his brother, became the formal prince of Novgorod. After 2 years, on the eve of his marriage, Fedor suddenly died, and all the reins of government passed to Alexander.

In 1236, he occupies the throne of Kiev and independently rules Novgorod. The internal policy of the young prince is aimed at strengthening his power and protecting the lands from external enemies, and there were many of them in those days.

Alexander builds fortifications, strengthens the boundaries of his possessions. He collects taxes, receives labels from the Khan for possession of Russian lands, and harshly suppresses riots and uprisings of the mob. In the 1950s, after the Tatar invasions of Vladimir, he rebuilt the city, paying special attention to temples. But they were focused on foreign policy. Prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky applied all his mind, cunning and talent in this particular field.

Foreign policy vectors

The activities of the Novgorod prince Alexander are remarkable for the fact that he was a talented commander and diplomat. Strengthening the cordons of his own possessions and fighting against the constant attacks of the Livonian and Swedish knights, the prince tried by tricks of diplomacy to balance relations with the Golden Horde and avoid the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars. The destruction and human casualties after such clashes were colossal. Reflecting on the question of what Alexander Nevsky became famous for, it is simply necessary to remember his diplomatic successes and attribute this vector of activity to his main achievements as well.

Another direction of foreign policy is relations with the Vatican. One of the chronicles mentions that the Pope offered the Russian prince to convert to the Latin faith, but he categorically rejected this option.

Relations with Swedes, Danes, Germans and Lithuanians

Warriors, guided by the papal finger, went to war in 1238. This time, the Danes, Swedes and the Livonian Order took part in the campaign. The first thing that Alexander Nevsky became famous for even before the battle was the defeat of the enemy on Izhora. In 1240, a battle takes place at the mouth with the Danish knights. The independent leadership of the troops and the courage shown during the battle brought victory to the Novgorodians.

In 1242, Alexander returns Pskov under his control. In April of the same year, a famous event took place in which the commander put the German knights to flight and received the nickname Nevsky. In 1245 he finally defeated the Lithuanian army.

As is known from primary sources, the prince not only fought with these peoples, but also established trade relations, married his children.

The Golden Horde and the policy of the prince

After the death of his father, Alexander hoped to get a label to rule in Vladimir, but according to the will, these lands were transferred to his brother Andrei, and Nevsky himself remained in Novgorod. Andrei was an ardent opponent of the Tatars, while Alexander pursued a policy of obedience. In 1252, Andrei, together with his brother Yaroslav, opposed the Tatars and were completely defeated, and the cunning Andrei went to Khan Mengu and received a label on the possession of all Russian lands. Until his death, the prince adhered to the policy of appeasing the Tatars.

Historians, talking about what Alexander Nevsky became famous for, in addition to the victory over the Livonian Order, often mention his diplomatic policy towards the Tatars. The prince was able to restore the cities and did not allow their complete destruction, nevertheless, it was his descendants who managed to overthrow the Tatar-Mongol yoke in Rus'.