The Tale of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky
Bless, little one! - An elderly monk with a wrinkled, cunning face, similar to a fox's muzzle, bowed low to the rector of the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery1 Abbot Matthew. - Again I come to you with a doukoy ... But, excuse me, I don’t know where to start. Actually, I don't dare. What a misfortune that came out ... One word, temptation ...
What happened, Father John? Abbot Matthew interrupted the monk. Because Father John bothered him almost every day. It seems that his favorite pastime was snitching on one of the brethren. Either due to the fault of the monastery cook, the porridge at the meal turned out to be undersalted, and another time it was oversalted, then in the morning he found a mouse in his boot, which one of the novices must have put there, then he heard with his own ears how the bell ringer, Father Sophrony, said to the reader Elijah, that “this John’s tongue grinds like a mill, but it is suspended, which is by the cathedral bell. Whatever he hears, he will immediately call, and whatever he doesn’t hear, he will come up with himself.”... It must be said that in his heart Abbot Matthew was in complete agreement with Father Sophronius. After all, it was precisely for his chatty language and quarrelsome disposition that Father John had already been driven out of two other neighboring monasteries. After that, he appeared to Father Matthew and with tears asked Christ for the sake of accepting him into the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery. Then the old abbot took pity on the homeless monk and took him in with the hope that at least this time he would come to his senses and grow wiser. However, it seems that his hopes were in vain... So who did Father John come to complain about this time?
Why, father, what did your adopted Ratmirka do ... - Father John raised his eyes to the sky with a sigh. “He went fishing with the village boys, but instead he beat Semyon, the blacksmith’s son. What kind of rumor is now going on among the people about our monastery? Like, our novices don’t pray, but only wave their fists a lot, but where does the abbot look, if the very first fighter is his adoptive, but what kind of a monastery is this ... I, father, do not say this in condemnation, but in reasoning ...
You are right, Father John. - Abbot Matthew frowned and ran his hand through his thick gray beard. - Here, first, it is not necessary to condemn, but to judge why Ratmir suddenly decided to fight Semyon. Come on, you go and look for Ratmir. Let him come here. And which of the two of them is right, and which is to blame, I’ll somehow judge for myself. Well, go with God!
... Father Matthew is sitting in a carved wooden chair in his cell. In front of him on the table lies an open book with half written pages. In it, the old abbot writes down his memories of the events, an eyewitness and participant of which he was in his youth. He began to do this after a year ago in late autumn2 he went south to Vladimir, and from there he brought with him six-year-old Ratmir. And the entire brethren of the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery know that this boy is an orphan. However, none of them knows who he is to the abbot. And why does he take care of him like his own son.
And here is Ratmir himself - thin, swarthy, with slightly slanting eyes, slender as a reed, standing in front of Father Matthew. It looks like the boy is seriously disturbed. But why? Maybe he is afraid that he will be punished for a fight with the son of a blacksmith? Or is he worried about something else? Then what exactly?
Well, Anika the warrior, tell me what you fought there? - Father Matthew asks the boy sternly. Ratmir raises his head ... there are tears in his eyes. Never before had Father Matthew seen Ratmir crying. More precisely, the boy never showed his tears to anyone. Still - after all, he is the grandson of that very Ratmir ... But what happened to him after all?
- Father Matthew ... - Ratmir's voice trembles. Tell me, who was my grandfather? You do know...
Of course I know. Matthew replies affectionately, affectionately stroking the boy's coarse black hair. Why is he asking about it? What happened?
They said that my grandfather and I had a Tatar name, not a Russian one. And that my grandfather is a filthy Tatar3. - Sobbing, answers Ratmir. - Then Semka shouted that I got out of here to the Horde to my khan. Because there is no place for Tatars in Russia... And he hit me. And then they wanted to beat me. Only I didn’t give in to them… And when I grow up and become a warrior, I will avenge them for my grandfather… Father Matthew! Is it true that we are Tatars?
Full, full, Ratmirushka. - Father Matthew sits the boy on a small bench next to him. “The bad tongue doesn’t even know what it is. It is not the breed of a person that dishonors, but an evil disposition. So it is said in Scripture that in every nation the one who fears God and acts in the righteousness of God is pleasing to Him. Yes, and to tell you the truth, Ratmirushka, you are not a Tatar, but the most Russian. Your grandmother Anna was Russian, and your father and mother are also Russian, from near Vladimir. Trust me, I knew them well. And your grandfather, Ratmir, was of Polovtsian blood. This is where you were born. In his honor, you were named Ratmir. Yes, and you are similar in temperament to him. That's how I look at you, and remember your grandfather. Rare courage was a man, and his prince - a faithful and devoted servant. For him, he died. After all, your grandfather and I served together with Prince Alexander Yaroslavich ...
Father Matthew! Ratmir's eyes flash with joy. “Will you tell me about Prince Alexander?”
Why not tell! Father Matthew smiles affectionately. “After all, Ratmirushka, I was a witness of both his deeds and his honest and glorious life. Moreover, he found his father, Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, alive, and his mother, Princess Feodosia. Yes, Yaroslav was great and glorious, only his son surpassed him. You should have seen him, Ratmirushka! And I saw it with my own eyes, that's how I see you now. He was taller than other people, and his voice thundered like a battle trumpet. His face was more beautiful than Joseph the Handsome,7 he was stronger than the hero Samson, he was wise, like King Solomon, and brave, like Vespasian, the Roman emperor. No one managed to defeat him, but he himself defeated everyone.
At that time, King Eric of Sweden decided to go to war on our land. And he gathered a great army of Swedes, Finns and Norwegians, and on many ships it went to Novgorod. The Latin bishops also went with that army, in order to forcefully re-baptize the Russian Orthodox people into the Roman faith. And that army was led by the royal son-in-law, Jarl9 Birger, a brave warrior and a brave commander. He boasted that he would subdue the whole land of Novgorod under the rule of his king. Here is how this Birger came to the Neva, to the mouth of the Izhora, he sent ambassadors to Novgorod to Prince Alexander with these words:
“If you can, resist. And I am already here and captivate your land.
He shouldn't have boasted! After all, he led a whole army behind him. And at that time, Prince Alexander had only a faithful retinue with him ... Only, as soon as the prince heard the boast of this Birger, his heart flared up and went to St. Sophia Cathedral. There he fell on his knees before the altar and began to pray to the Lord with tears:
God Great and Strong! You founded the earth and set boundaries for the peoples, and commanded them to live without encroaching on foreign land! Judge me with my offenders, overcome those who fight with me, take a weapon and a shield, become my Helper!
When the prince left the church, he called his squad. And he said to them thus:
God is not in power, but in truth. Let us remember how it is written: “some with chariots, and others with horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God: they staggered and fell, but we stood up and stand straight”10.
And he went to the enemies with only one small squad. Yes, even with those of ours - Ladoga and Novgorodians, who wanted to join her, amuse the strength of the valiant, stand up for their native great Novgorod. There were few of us. Yes, but we did not rely on our own strength - on God's help. The words of the prince sunk into our souls: "God is not in power, but in truth."
And were you there too? - From excitement, Ratmir imperceptibly switches to “you”. - And grandfather?
Yes, and your grandfather, Ratmir, was also with us. Father Matthew answers. - He served in the prince's squad. It was then that we became friends and brothers, became each other's brothers of the cross11. And we were also helped by the holy princes-martyrs Boris and Gleb, intercessors for the Russian land. True, I later learned this ... There was one man, an elder in the Izhora land, named Philip, and in the local Pelgusy. A good man, kind, pious. I must tell you, Ratmirushka, that at that time only Pelgusius was baptized out of his entire clan-tribe, and his fellow countrymen and relatives prayed to their pagan gods in the old fashioned way. Only later, seeing how honestly and righteously their relative lives, they also began to be baptized ... So one night, just at the time when the Swedes on their ships came to the mouth of Izhora, this Philip-Pelgusius was on guard on the seashore. First he saw the Swedish ships. There were many of them ... And already in the morning, when the sun began to rise, Philip looks - another ship is sailing on the sea. Rowers sit in it, only they are shrouded in mist - you can’t see them. But Philip had a good look at those who sailed on that ship, so that he remembered what he saw for the rest of his life:
“I look, there are two men in red robes, their hands folded on their chests. And suddenly one of them says to the other:
-Brother Gleb, they ordered us to row as soon as possible so that we could help our relative Alexander.
As soon as I heard this, fear and trembling seized me. It turns out that the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb themselves are in a hurry to help Prince Alexander! Wonderful are the works of the Lord! And then soon Prince Alexander came to us with a retinue. I told him about how I saw the saints Boris and Gleb, and I retold their speeches. Yes, but he told me to keep quiet about it.
Then how do you know about it? Ratmir asks.
Philip himself told me this before his death, - Father Matthew explains. - You see, Ratmirushka, as I decided to write about the glorious deeds of Prince Alexander, I went to those parts where we fought with the Swedes. I wanted to ask the Izhors what they remember about the Battle of the Neva. It was then that I learned that Philip was alive, only blind from old age, he could hardly walk. After all, he was already in his eighties then ... We met with him as old friends. Still would! After all, as they say, friends in grief are known. And then we had a common misfortune - to drive the Swedes across the sea. We talked for a long time: we remembered the battle on the Neva, and our prince ... It was then that Philip told me about his vision:
- The prince's secret, - he says, - should be kept. But it is not appropriate to be silent about the wondrous deeds of God. I do not want the memory of this miracle to go to the grave with me.
And what happened next? Ratmir is curious.
-Then there was a great battle. Father Matthew answers. - And Prince Alexander beat countless Swedes. He fought with Birger himself, and with his sharp spear made a mark on his face, so that the proud jarl would forever remember: there are defenders of the Russian land! And most of all, six warriors distinguished themselves in that battle. One was called Gavrila Aleksich. On horseback, he rode directly on board the Swedish ship and there he fought with the enemies until they threw him and his horse into the water. Yes, only he, with God's help, swam out, and again rushed into battle. And he fought with their commander himself.
The other was called Yakov. He fought alone against an entire regiment, praising God. And, as the battle ended, the prince praised him for his courage.
The third was Savva, from the junior combatants. He cut down Birger's tent. You see, Ratmir, how the Swedes landed on our shore, so they set up camp and pitched their tents on the shore. Jarl Birger had the largest and richest tent with a golden top. During the battle, Savva made his way to this tent and cut down the pillar on which it was held. The tent collapsed - only the golden top flashed in the sun. The Swedes saw that and were sad, but we were delighted: our beret!
The fourth brave man was from ours, Novgorod, and was called Sbyslav Yakunovich. Oh, and this guy had a daring little head! He attacked the Swedish regiment without a sword - he attacked with an ax, but more than once. Prince Alexander was so brave and strong, and even then he marveled at his strength and courage. And then he took him to his squad.
Well, the fifth of those heroes was your grandfather, Ratmir. He served under the prince, and accompanied him everywhere. So during this battle, Ratmir was also with him. And, when one Swedish warrior threw a spear at the prince, Ratmir covered him with himself. He managed to see our victory ... That's what a hero your grandfather was. One of those six...
-And who was the sixth? Ratmir asks. “You said there were six of them…”
-That's bad luck - I forgot, - Father Matthew smiles. - The sixth was Misha-Novgorod. He sank three Swedish ships.
In that battle, a myriad of Swedes fell. There are only twenty of our own. One word - the miracle of the Lord. Prince Alexander was right - God is not in power, but in truth. With victory, glorifying God, we returned to Novgorod.
Since then, the Swedes were afraid to go to war with us. Only fifteen years later they grew bolder - they came again, and even took their neighbors Finns with them. Apparently, they forgot how we beat their Birger on the Neva. Yes, only Prince Alexander again drove them away. Let the uninvited guests know and remember: whoever comes to us with a sword will die from the sword. We will be able to fight back any enemy.
After that battle on the Neva, Prince Alexander Nevsky was nicknamed. And to this day he is called so: Prince Alexander Nevsky.
Only soon he again had to defend our land from enemies. This time from the German knights. They came to Russia in great power. And many nations have already managed to conquer and baptize in their Roman faith. Dog-knights boasted: "We will shame the Slavic people, and we will take Prince Alexander with our bare hands." First, they took the city of Pskov and installed their governors there. Then they went further ... only three dozen miles - and they would have reached Novgorod. Then ours changed their minds. And they sent to the south, to Pereslavl, for Prince Alexander, to pray for his help ...
How so? - Ratmir is perplexed. - He reigned in Novgorod! Why, then, did he live in Pereslavl?
- Oh, Ratmirushka-Ratmirushka. Father Matthew sighs bitterly. “You don’t know us Novgorodians. We are a free people. In other parts of the world, the princes govern the people, and we, the people of Novgorod, invite them to ourselves, whomever we want. And if the prince turns out not to his liking, we will give him a turn from the gate. Yes, but, to tell the truth, from liberty to self-will is one step. And an evil will leads to an evil lot. So with Prince Alexander, our initial people had some kind of quarrel. Simply put, they offended him with something. And he left us for his father Yaroslav, in the Suzdal land. It was then that the Germans showed up for us. Apparently, they found out that we were left without a defender. Then our initial people regretted that in vain Prince Alexander was expelled from Novgorod. It is not in vain that it is said: do not spit in the well - it will come in handy to drink water. Our initial people had to hide their pride in a chest, and go to bow to Prince Alexander. Yes, this is not so bad - they were afraid that he would not even listen to them - he would drive them away. That is why they decided to put the Archbishop of Novgorod Spiridon at the head of the embassy. For they knew how Prince Alexander honored bishops and priests. They only hoped that Vladyka Spiridon would somehow persuade him to help Novgorod ...
Here we come to Pereslavl. They brought us to the prince. And Vladyka Spiridon began to pray to him:
-For the Lord's sake, help us, prince. Do not remember the old insult. Stand up for the land of Novgorod. We will all die without you!
The prince listened in silence. And then he said:
- I will stand up for the Russian land.
And they thought that he would take revenge on them for his offense - that's how you want to take revenge on your offenders ... Just know, Ratmirushka - weak people live on hatred and revenge. And the one who can forgive his offense is truly great in soul. Because, as Prince Alexander said, God is not in power, but in truth. And not only did he say it, but he did it.
... And he went to the Germans, and won Pskov from them. And he killed some of them, took others prisoner, and then let many of them go home. But those of our traitors who helped the Germans were executed without pity. He did not tolerate when they betray their enemies. And he severely punished traitors, even ordinary people, even the initial ones.
And the most important battle we had with the Germans was on Lake Peipsi, on the morning of Saturday, April 5th. Oh, and that was an evil slash, Ratmirushka! Spears crackled and swords clanged so that it seemed that the ice was breaking under us. Yes, there was no ice to be seen - it was all covered in blood. Ours and the enemy. Only that their blood, that ours ... human blood has one color ...
Abbot Matthew falls silent. Silent and Ratmir. He understands that now the old monk again sees the faces of enemies distorted by anger, the death of his comrades, hears the crack of breaking spears and the clang of swords. Here is one of the warriors falling under the hooves of horses on the bloody snow ... And over the heads of those fighting, princely banners victoriously fly. But what is this new army rushing at the enemies? Terrible winged warriors rush not on the ground, but through the air ... Who are they? Really? Lord, glory to You!
A little later Father Matthew continues:
Already after that battle, one of ours said that he saw an angelic regiment in the air that came to our aid. And with the help of God, we began to win, and the enemies showed their backs, and we drove them away, so that there was no salvation for them. And their leader, the German master, who boasted that he would take Prince Alexander with his bare hands, the Lord gave him into his hands, and with him many noble knights, and even simple warriors - without number.
That battle is now called the Battle of the Ice. Because we fought with the Germans on the ice of Lake Peipsi. Yes, since then the fame of the feats of arms of Prince Alexander has spread throughout the world until the end of the universe. And many foreigners came to us just to see him. I remember once a noble man named Andreyash came from the western lands, the head of the knights, and in the local way - the master. So he later said about our Prince Alexander:
I have been in many countries, but nowhere have I seen such a thing either in the kings of the king, or in the princes of the prince.
But this man, Ratmirushka, was one of our enemies - a German and a Latin! You see, even the enemies respected Prince Alexander. And those of them who were intelligent sought friendship with him. However, the Lord endowed our prince with a great mind and the gift of reasoning: he welcomed honest people, but he drove away treacherous cunning people. Once came to him from the same western lands as the knight Andreyash, other guests - ambassadors from the pope. Their names were Gald and Gemont, and they were, as they say, of the papal servants the most skillful in speeches and persuasion. Gald and Gemont began to assure Prince Alexander that his late father, Yaroslav, was going to accept the Catholic faith, but he just didn’t have time - he died. That's just, since the father gave the word, then the son, out of love and respect for his father, must fulfill it. You see, Ratmirushka, how cunningly they turned things around! Only they did not care about princely honor - about their own self-interest. Foreigners wanted to conquer our land, as they say, not by washing, but by rolling. It was not possible to take it by force, so take it by cunning. Here Gald and Gemont were flooded with nightingales. Like, if Prince Alexander accepts the Latin faith, he will do great good for his land. And they are always happy to teach him the true faith. Only our prince interrupted them in mid-sentence:
- I learned the true faith from my fathers and grandfathers. And I firmly know everything that happened from Adam to the Seventh Ecumenical Council14. I will not accept your teaching.
The papal ambassadors had to return unsaltedly to Rome. This is how Prince Alexander defended our Russia and our faith: both with a sword and with his firm princely word. Everyone knows about his feats of arms and will remember him as long as the world stands. But who knows how in the Horde, before the Tatar Khan, he grieved for our land? What was it like for him, the winner of the Swedes and Germans, to bow to Batu for the sake of peace in Russia? But he did it, Ratmirushka. Because he knew for sure: God is not in power, but in truth.
Ratmir looks warily at Father Matthew. Still would! After all, on the Vladimir land, where he was born, the name of Batu Khan is still pronounced in a whisper, and mothers frighten naughty children: “Look, the evil Batyga will come, drag him to the Horde” ... Half a century ago, in 1240, the Mongol troops swept like a bloody tornado in Russia: they ruined Ryazan, Suzdal, Vladimir, and even the “mother of Russian cities” - Kiev, so that it still lies in ruins. Ratmir also knows something else: since then, the Russian princes have been paying tribute to the Mongol khans. And they are forced to go to them to bow to the Horde in order to get permission to rule their lot. And there the princes are forced to bow to some Mongol idols. And yet - to pass between the lit fires. Because the Mongols believe: if a person who wishes harm to their khan passes among these fires, then evil will lose its strength. And those who refuse to do so are killed.
Meanwhile, the old abbot continues his story:
Batu Khan heard about the glory and courage of Prince Alexander and sent his people to him with these words:
“Do you know, Alexander, that God has subdued many nations to me? Will you not submit to me alone? If you want to protect your land, then come quickly to me and you will see the honor of my kingdom.
And the prince understood that if he did not go to Batu, he himself would come to Russia with an army. Matthew explains. - But will she survive the second Batu invasion? Eh, it’s not in vain that they say: Tatar honor is bitterer than bitter. Yes, only for the good of the Russian land, Prince Alexander was ready not only to go to the Khan, but also to accept death in the Horde. We reasoned as follows: where the prince - there we, his squad. Let's go with him to the Horde, and if necessary, we'll die there with him.
So we went to Batu in such great strength that the Tatar women, seeing us, frightened their children: "Alexander is coming."
As soon as we arrived at the Khan, Prince Alexander refused to go through the fires and bow to idols.
- Khan, - he said, - is ready to bow, for the Lord God honored him with the kingdom. And I will not worship soulless idols, because I serve and worship the Lord alone.
We thought that the Tatars would kill him for this. May the Lord save him. Apparently, Batu Khan understood that Prince Alexander would rather die than give up his faith. As the martyr prince Vasilko of Rostov did before him, he refused to serve Batu and said to him: “Oh, the dark kingdom! Do not separate me from my Christ!” And the khan allowed our prince not to pass through the fires and not bow to idols. But Batu did not make such a concession to any of the Russian princes before or after him ... And when he saw him, he said to his nobles:
- They told me the truth: there is no one like this prince.
The khan honored him and released him with honor. And he promised that Russia would not go to war.
After that, Prince Alexander traveled three more times to the Horde: now to Batu's son Sartak, then to his successor Bergay15, to intercede for the Russian land. More than once he prevented Tatar raids. Achieved that in the Horde an Orthodox diocese. And so that, under pain of death, the Mongols would not offend Orthodox bishops and priests, they would not dare to blaspheme our faith. And by the labors of Prince Alexander, our land began to be built again, filled with wealth and glory. He erected churches, rebuilt cities, people whom the Tatars had deprived of their homes, returned to their homes, ransomed the captives and those driven into captivity. Not deceived by the blessings of the earth, not forgetting about the needs of the poor, widows and orphans - according to God's truth, he ruled over his people. And he was a great intercessor for the Russian land. Although, to tell the truth, not everyone understood this. There were those who reproached him: they say, he beat the Swedes, drove the Germans away, and leads friendship with the Tatars, carries tribute to them. Wouldn't it be better to fight them instead. You look, and Prince Alexander would have won them. After all, he himself says that God is not in power, but in truth ...
-Why didn't he do that? - Ratmir is perplexed. Indeed, why did such a brave and skillful warrior as Prince Alexander endure the power of the Mongol Khan over himself? If Ratmir were in his place, he would not humiliate himself in front of his enemies. He would show them...
You see, Ratmirushka. - the old abbot sighs sadly. - We still do not have such strength to throw off the Tatar yoke. And because no, because there is no truth and harmony in people. We are proud and self-willed: we think only of ourselves and our own benefit. Everyone only stands for himself, and he does not care about others. For example, the younger brother of Prince Alexander, Andrei Yaroslavich, who reigned in Suzdal, was tired of humbled his pride in front of the Mongols. He began to be impudent to Batyev’s people, saying that I am a prince here, I do what I want, and you and your khan are not a decree for me. And what? Batu was angry with him and sent his commander Nevryuy to ruin the Suzdal land. Prince Andrei fled to the Swedes, threw his inheritance and his people to the Tatars to be torn to pieces. It is not for nothing that they say: the princes fight among themselves, and the forelocks of the peasants crackle ... But his elder brother Alexander hurried to the Horde: to ask the khan to change his anger to mercy. He could hardly beg him ... Yes, Ratmirushka, he took a lot of work for the sake of the Russian land! In these labors, he accepted death.
Once the Tatar Khan Bergai started a war with his neighbors. And he ordered that, together with his army, the Russian warriors go to that war. Then Prince Alexander went to the Horde to pray for our people from this misfortune: shed their blood for the khan in a foreign land. He managed to persuade Bergay. Yes, only in the Horde he began to get sick. And, as I went home, I fell ill on the way. Then it was said that the insidious Tatars had drugged him with poison, as they had poisoned his father Yaroslav before. Because, although he was their tributary, and knew how to get along with them, they were afraid of him. After all, the enemy, Ratmirushka, is fierce because he senses his weakness ...
The prince wanted to die in his capital city of Vladimir, but he could only get to Gorodets. There he sensed that his hour of death was approaching, and wished to take monastic vows, and then the great schema. And, by the end of that day, when he was tonsured a monk with the name Alexy, our prince Alexander departed to the Lord.
I was at his death. I just don't have the words to describe it! Oh, Ratmirushka... A man can leave his father, but what a man to lose a good master! If I could, I would lie down in the coffin with him. Only the Lord did not grant ...
Father Matthew's voice trembles, he turns away, and therefore does not see how Ratmir also furtively wipes away his tears ... After a while, the abbot continues:
-And, as he rested in the Lord, Metropolitan Kirill said:
“-My children! Now the sun of the Russian land has set!
Many people came together to see off our prince on his last journey: Metropolitan Kirill, and priests, and deacons, and monks, and princes with boyars, and warriors, and beggars. And they wept, saying this:
“Who did you leave us to, prince? We're dying without you!"
It seemed that the whole Russian land was then following his coffin. And they buried Prince Alexander in the monastery of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, on the 23rd day of the month of November, on the day of memory of the holy father Amphilochius. Grant him, O Merciful Lord, to see Your face in the future life, for he labored much for Novgorod and for all the Russian land.
Such was our Prince Alexander. There had never been such a great and glorious prince in Russia before him, and there never will be, unless the Lord sends. So his youngest son, Daniil,16 who now reigns in Moscow, did not follow his father with prowess, but was born into his mind with his mind. God willing, Ratmirushka, you will grow up, you will serve in his team. Or maybe you will stay in our Novgorod - you will defend it from enemies. After all, both Moscow and Novgorod are one Russian land!
Father Matthew! Ratmir suddenly asks. - Do they say the truth that you are the same Misha from Novgorod who, together with Prince Alexander, fought on the Neva and sank the Swedish ships?
-Look how curious you are. - Father Matthew smiles, looking at the boy who is so similar to his brave brother, who was also called Ratmir ... - Look, you will know a lot, you will grow old soon. Okay, the time will come, I'll tell you about Misha-Novgorod. In the meantime, I’ll say one thing: for the rest of his life he remembered the testament of his prince Alexander:
"GOD IS NOT IN POWER, BUT IN TRUTH."
NOTES:
1Novgorod Nativity-Bogoroditsky St. Anthony Monastery was founded at the beginning of the 12th century by St. Anthony the Roman. Hegumen Matthew and the boy Ratmir are fictional characters.
2Probably, Father Matthew went to venerate the holy relics of Prince Alexander Nevsky, whose memory is celebrated on December 6 (November 23 according to the old style). The second time the memory of Alexander Nevsky is celebrated on September 12 (August 30 according to the old style), when in 1724 Tsar Peter the Great transferred the relics of the holy prince from Vladimir to St. Petersburg. Now they are there in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Prince Alexander was canonized as a saint in 1547, under Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
3So in the old days they called the Mongols (Mongol-Tatars), who in the first half of the 13th century conquered and enslaved Russia. The word "nasty" (from the Latin "pagan" - "rural"), which is often found in Russian epics and fairy tales, indicates their faith (from the Latin "pagan" - "rural", that is, "the faith of an ignorant redneck") - paganism. The Mongols in those days were indeed pagans, and later, under the Khan Berk mentioned below, they became Muslims.
4 This is how the Apostle Peter speaks about this in the book of the Acts of the Apostles: “...in every nation, he who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him…” (Acts 10:35).
5Polovtsy - a nomadic people who lived in the steppes in the south of Russia, and more than once made raids on Russia. In turn, Russian princes went to war against them. The history of one such campaign is described in the Old Russian "Tale of Igor's Campaign". In the 13th century, the Mongol-Tatars defeated and subjugated the Polovtsians.
6 The story about the life and exploits of Alexander Nevsky is based on his life (“The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Blessed and Grand Duke Alexander”). Its text can be found, for example, in the book "Epics, Russian folk tales, old Russian stories", M., Det. lit., 1979). By the way, the author of this life calls himself a "seer-viewer of the deeds" of the holy Prince Alexander. In other words, their eyewitness. The story of Father Matthew is largely based on this life. It also mentions the names of six heroes of the Battle of Neva, including Ratmir and Misha the Novgorodian.
7Following the custom of ancient Russian writers, Father Matthew compares Prince Alexander with the great men of antiquity: the beautiful and wise Joseph, the hero Samson, the wise King Solomon - biblical characters whose names have become common nouns, and Emperor Vespasian, whose troops in 70 AD (from Christmas Christ) conquered and destroyed the city of Jerusalem.
8 That is, Catholic bishops. In those days, and even later, Catholics in Russia were called "Latins". The purpose of the campaigns of the Swedes and Germans in Russia was not only to conquer our lands, but also to force the Russian people to accept Catholicism. In other words, to enslave him spiritually. Therefore, they were much more dangerous than the Mongol-Tatars, who robbed and oppressed the conquered peoples, but did not impose their faith on them. That is, they left them spiritually free. It was faith that helped our people not only survive the Mongol-Tatar yoke, but eventually throw it off.
9Jarl - in the Scandinavian countries, the highest rank after the king.
10This is a text from the Psalter. Namely, the 8th and 9th verses of Psalm 19. As you can see, Prince Alexander had the habit of often reading the Psalter, and therefore he could quote it by heart.
11 In the old days, friends often fraternized among themselves. And as a sign that from now on their friendship is indestructible and they consider themselves brothers to each other, they exchanged crosses among themselves. Such people were called crusaders or brothers. So Ratmir and his father Matthew fraternized before the Battle of the Neva. That is why the hegumen sheltered the orphaned grandson of his cross brother, Ratmir.
12The words of Prince Alexander are borrowed from S. Eisenstein's film "Alexander Nevsky".
The battle on the ice (battle on Lake Peipus) took place in 1242.
14 With these words, Prince Alexander shows both his knowledge of church history and his firm faith. Ecumenical councils, in the words of St. Philaret of Moscow: "a meeting of pastors and teachers of the Christian ... Church, if possible, from the whole world, to establish the true teaching and deanery among Christians." In total, we, Orthodox, had seven of them.
15This is how they used to call Khan Berke, the younger brother of Batu.
16Father Matthew speaks of the holy noble Prince Daniel of Moscow, who is the patron saint of the city of Moscow. His relics are in the Moscow St. Danilov Monastery.
Sometimes on weekends we publish answers to various quizzes for you in the Q&A format. Our questions range from simple to complex. Quizzes are very interesting and quite popular, but we just help you test your knowledge. And we have another question in the quiz - Where was the phrase “God is not in power, but in truth” first uttered, which later became winged?
- in Novgorod
- in the movie "Brother 2"
- in the White Sea
- at Notre Dame Cathedral
Correct Answer: Novgorod
The hagiographic tale reports the following about preparations for the battle with the Swedes: the enemy leader "... 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 the land yours." Alexander, having heard such words, flared up in his heart and entered the church of Hagia Sophia, and, falling on his knees before the altar, began to pray with tears: nations, you commanded to live without transgressing foreign borders. And, remembering the words of the prophet, he said: “Judge, Lord, those who offend me and protect from those who fight with me, take up arms and a shield and stand to help me.” And, having finished his prayer, he stood up and bowed to the archbishop. The archbishop was then Spiridon, he blessed him and released him. The prince, leaving the church, wiped away his tears and said, in order to encourage his squad: “God is not in power, but in truth.”
The Swedish camp was located near the confluence of the Izhora River with the Neva. He was attacked by Russian detachments on Sunday, July 15 at about 10 am. The battle dragged on for many hours. In the end, the Swedes could not stand the battle and went to the ships, giving up their foothold on the shore. They had to fill two ships with the dead bodies of noble (“higher”) warriors, and others, as Russian sources say, were buried in a common pit “without number”.
The victory brought Alexander Yaroslavich great fame. This success added the honorary nickname "Nevsky" to the prince's name.
Essay
pupils of the 10th grade Mustaykina Anzhelika
"God is not in power, but in truth."
Since ancient times, people have turned to God. Most often, they mention his name at those moments when they need help, when they lack the strength to prove their case. People's requests are heard, miracles happen.
In one famous saying of Prince Alexander Nevsky: “God is not in power, but in truth,” truth is contrasted with power, and not, as is customary, with a lie. Is there any power in the truth, which is brought up in us from childhood? After all, it is from childhood in our minds, together with the concept of “truth”, that faith in God is formed.
To believe in God or not is the business of each individual person. But even in ancient times, faith inspired Russian soldiers on the battlefields. Almost all warriors believed in God, and in moments of the most serious battles they turned to him for help. Even the great commanders always asked God for blessings before military campaigns.
One of the most revered and beloved among the people of the heroes-defenders of the Russian Land is Alexander Nevsky. We know him as one of the most successful rulers of Russia, the reason for this was his numerous military successes, and his most important success is, perhaps, the victory in the “Battle on the Ice”. Based on the aforementioned saying of Alexander Nevsky: “God is not in power, but in truth,” you involuntarily think about the existence of God, because the small army of Alexander beat the huge army of the Teutonic knights. Maybe that is why, often, it is not force that wins, but justice. In the hearts of people lives the faith on which people rely even in the most difficult moments of their life path.
One example is the film by the famous director Sergei Eisenstein "Alexander Nevsky", filmed in 1938. This film was created in order to instill faith in people, inspire them to defend the Fatherland from the impending threat of fascism.
The heroic music of the composer Sergei Prokofiev is heard, which enhances the emotional impact on the viewer.
Two great artists, S. Eisenstein and S. Prokofiev, managed to achieve an impressive connection between visual and musical images.
Based on this, we can conclude that the saying of Alexander Nevsky "God is not in power, but in truth" affected not only the military theme, but also the field of art, in particular cinema and music. For example, in Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka's opera "Ivan Susanin" we encounter such concepts as "strength" and "truth". Strength was on the side of the Polish invaders, but the truth was on the side of the Russian hero Ivan Susanin. Definitely in this work we observe the victory of truth over force, and this indicates that God is on the side of justice and truth.
In the modern world, there is the fact that the truth is always in the minority, but, in practice, always wins. It seems to me that this gives hope to every person that it is not so important whether you have followers or you are alone in your convictions, but if you are right, then justice will still be on your side.
From the life (as presented by E. Poselyanin)
Many enemies disturbed and pressed the Russian land during the reign of St. Alexander, and already in the first years of his independent reign, he had to act as a defender of his homeland on the battlefield.
Especially famous is the struggle of St. Prince Alexander with the Swedes. The Swedish king Birger Jarl, driven by envy of Alexander's glory, and also prompted by the Pope to spread the Catholic faith among the "schismatics", went to war with him. In the army of the Swedish king there were several biscuons appointed to convert the conquered to Catholicism, and this circumstance gave his invasion the significance of a crusade. Unexpectedly, St. Alexander receives news that the Swedes are approaching Ladoga. “Defend yourself if you can, and I am on your land,” the arrogant Swedish king sent to the Novgorod prince to say ...
Alexander showed neither fear nor pride to the ambassadors. He hastily gathered an army, prayed with ardent faith in the church of St. Sophia, accepted the blessing of the archbishop, handed over the outcome of the matter to the will of God, and with a cheerful face went out to the squad. Then he said to her a short but great historical word, which was confirmed many times in the life of the Russian people:
We are few, but the enemy is strong. But God is not in power, but in truth. Go with your prince!..
The Swedes were utterly defeated ...<…>
The Pope, seeing that all the violent attempts of the Catholic army to persuade Prince Alexander under the yoke of the Roman throne, ended unsuccessfully, tried to act by peaceful persuasion. He sent learned preachers and a message to the prince, in which he wrote among other things: “We are taking the place of God on earth. In obedience to us there is no humiliation for the honor of the sovereign; on the contrary, temporal and eternal freedom increases in this way. We will consider you the most famous among all the Catholic princes and will always try with special care to increase your fame. In response to this message, an Orthodox statement of faith was sent to the pope, and his ambassadors were told:
– We know the history of faith from the beginning of the world to the birth of Christ and from the birth of Christ to our time; why do we need new preachers?
Soon the Swedes once again opposed Alexander with the aim of spreading papism, but this time too unsuccessfully. Alexander unexpectedly attacked the Swedes in their own area, defeated them and returned with many captives.
Memory of St. Alexander Nevsky is celebrated on August 30/September 12 and November 23/December 6
“I must protect the path I am walking on, not because it is my path, but because it is the path of Christ, He opened it, He paved it, He made it safe. This is the first and only way... to the heights of the fragrant sky. The first and only - there is no other ”(St. Justin Popovich).
On the One Way of Salvation
Metropolitan John (Snychev, +1995)
Faith is an undeniably good thing. It is impossible to please God without faith (Heb. 11:6), teaches us the holy supreme apostle Paul. But this faith must be right and blameless, that is, exactly the kind that the Savior of the world Himself brought to earth and which He passed on to the holy apostles and His Church.
It is in such faith that the dogmatic teaching of Christianity and the rules of spiritual, ascetic life are fully and without any distortion, that is, everything that serves for eternal salvation. It was precisely this Orthodox faith that Christ commanded His disciples, saying: Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you... (Matt. 28:19-20). It was this only saving, holy faith - the apostolic faith, the faith of the fathers - that established the Universe and confounded all the attempts of the devil to hinder the Divine economy of human salvation.
It is stated in the most concise and satisfactory way in the Nicene-Tsaregrad Creed, which we read in the morning prayers and sing in our churches at the Liturgy. This faith taught those who were willing to heed its admonitions to do good and crucify their flesh with passions and lusts. Through repentance and holy Baptism, she brings each person into the fertile bowels of the Church, and through the great Mystery of the Eucharist, into close communion with Christ Himself. We all need to follow this faith relentlessly and keep it unchanging.
From what, then, should one avoid, from what false doctrines should one guard one's heart and mind? First of all - from all pagan faiths that deify the phenomena of nature; from Eastern teachings - Krishnaites, Vishnuists, yogis and the like; from all non-Christian worldviews. From faiths, although Christian, but allowing human false wisdom, fabrications and deviations from its original Divine purity into the teaching of Christ. These include Catholicism, which fell away from the graceful fullness of church life as early as 1054, Protestantism, which broke away from Catholicism in the 16th century and itself gave rise to numerous religious movements: Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism, and others.
These apostasy produced, in turn, many sects: Baptists and Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonites and Mormons, Presbyterians and others. In addition, already in our time, the sects of the “Mother of God Center” and “White Brotherhood”, the “Church of Moon” and adherents of occultism, spiritualism, astrology, hypnotic methods of influence, etc. have appeared in Russia. etc.
Why should one move away from these faiths and sects? Because they contain earthly, sinful wisdom that contradicts and opposes the true Christian doctrine and perverts the rules of a pious and righteous life. You should not be at enmity with their adherents and move away from communion on worldly matters, too, but you should not enter into prayerful communion and in no case should they consider their teachings as the basis of your practical and spiritual life. Beloved, stand firm in the faith, take courage, strengthen yourself in good deeds, remaining faithful to holy Orthodoxy, and may the God of peace be with you all! Amen.
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St. Alexander Nevsky was born on May 30, 1219 in the inheritance of his father - Pereyaslavl Zalessky.
Father - Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, son of Vsevolod the Big Nest and grandson of Yuri Dolgoruky - was a typical Suzdal prince. Deeply religious, pious, stern and withdrawn, with outbursts of anger and mercy - this is the image of Father Alexander before us. Very little is known about his mother, Princess Feodosia. Chronicles are contradictory even in the indications of whose daughter she was. Her name is occasionally and briefly mentioned in the annals, always only in connection with the name of her husband or son. She had nine children.
The life of St. Alexander tells that as a boy he was serious, did not like games and preferred the Holy Scriptures to them. This feature remained with him for the rest of his life. Prince Alexander is a clever hunter, a brave warrior, a hero in strength and build. But at the same time, there is a constant turning inward. It can be seen from the words of his life that this sharply distinguishing feature of his - the combination of two seemingly contradictory character traits - began to manifest itself even in the years of early childhood.
But these childhood years in Pereyaslavl were very short. St. Alexander had to come out early in life. The reason for this was his move with his father from Pereyaslavl to Novgorod. In 1222, Yaroslav, with Princess Theodosia, his sons Theodore and St. Alexander, and his retinue, came from Pereyaslavl to reign in Novgorod.
All the time of Alexander's childhood, the time of Yaroslav's strife with Novgorod, his comings and goings, was a time of disasters and signs of a new impending disaster. Especially these disasters have increased since 1230, i.e. just in time for the second independent reign of Theodore and St. Alexander in Novgorod. In 1233 Theodore was to marry. Relatives of the bride and groom came to Novgorod. But just before the wedding, Theodore fell ill. On July 10, he died and was buried in the monastery of St. George.
In chronicles the names of Theodore and Alexander are always mentioned together. They grew up and studied together, were left alone in Novgorod, fled from it, returned to it, reigned together in it during the famine. So, along with the misfortunes of the whole earth, Alexander was first visited by family grief in the joyful atmosphere of the upcoming wedding feast.
Two years later, in 1236, Yaroslav became the Grand Duke of Kiev, and from that year, the completely independent reign of seventeen-year-old Alexander began in Novgorod.
In 1239, Alexander married Princess Alexandra, daughter of the Polotsk prince Bryachislav. The wedding took place in Toropets. In the same place, St. Alexander arranged a wedding feast. Returning to Novgorod, he arranged a second wedding feast - for the people of Novgorod.
In the same year, he began to build fortifications along the banks of the Shelon. After the Tatars turned south from Ignach Krest, St. Alexander could clearly see the whole difficulty of Novgorod's position. The long stubborn struggle was not over, it was just beginning.
In the east, there was a devastated land, cities being restored, and inhabitants gradually returning from the forests. There reigned the severity of ruin, the oppression of the Tatar Baskaks and the constant fear of a new invasion. There was no help from there. Each principality was too preoccupied with its own misfortune to repel invasions from others. Meanwhile, during the last decades, another enemy stood against Novgorod, the onslaught of which was constantly repelled with the help of Suzdal. It was the world of Latin Catholicism, its vanguard - the Livonian Order of the Sword - established itself on the shores of the Baltic Sea and was advancing on the Novgorod and Pskov borders.
At the same time, another avant-garde of Europe - the Swedes were advancing north, threatening Ladoga.
The struggle with the West was carried on throughout the first decades of the 13th century. The moment of the weakening of Russia and the loneliness of Novgorod coincided with the intensification of the onslaught from the West and the Novgorod princes realized themselves as the defenders of Orthodoxy and Russia. Prince Alexander had to come to this defense during the years of the highest tension of the struggle and at the same time the greatest weakening of Russia. The entire first period of his life was spent in the struggle with the West. And in this struggle, two features stand out first of all: tragic loneliness and ruthlessness. Despite all the horrors of the Tatar invasions, the Western war was no less fierce. And this difference between the hostile waves coming from the west and from the east explains two completely different periods of Alexander's life: the difference between his western and eastern policies.
Tatars found avalanches in Russia. They heavily crushed her with extortions and the arbitrariness of the khan's officials. But the Tatar rule did not penetrate into the life of the conquered country. The Tatar conquests were devoid of religious motives. Hence their wide tolerance. The Tatar yoke could be waited out and survived. The Tatars did not encroach on the inner strength of the conquered people. And temporary obedience could be used to strengthen this force with the ever-growing weakening of the Tatars.
The world of Catholicism, advancing from the west, was quite different. The external scope of his conquests was infinitely smaller than the Tatar invasions. But behind them stood a single integral force. And the main impulse of the struggle was religious conquest, the assertion of one's religious worldview, from which the whole way of life and way of life grew. Monks-knights marched from the West to Novgorod. Their emblem was a cross and a sword. Here the attack was directed not at land or property, but at the very soul of the people - at the Orthodox Church. And the conquests of the West were genuine conquests. They did not pass through vast spaces, but seized the land span by span, firmly, forever strengthened in it, erecting castles.
In 1240, in the summer, in the very midst of field work, news came to Novgorod of an attack from the north. The son-in-law of the Swedish king, Folkung Birger, entered the Neva on boats and landed with a large army at the mouth of the Izhora, threatening Ladoga.
An unequal struggle has begun. The enemy was already within the Novgorod borders. St. Alexander Nevsky had no time either to send reinforcements to his father or to gather people from the far-flung Novgorod lands. According to the chronicle, he "burned his heart" and opposed the Swedish army only with his squad, the sovereign's regiment and a small Novgorod militia.
Having reached Ladoga, St. Alexander joined the Ladoga militia to his army and went through the forests to the Neva against the Swedes, who were encamped at their boats at the mouth of the Izhora. The battle took place on July 15, the day of memory of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir. The battle was over by evening. The remnants of the Swedish rati boarded the boats and went to sea at night.
According to the chronicler, the bodies of the killed Swedes were filled with three boats and several large pits, and the Novgorodians lost only twenty people killed. One might think that the chronicler incorrectly conveys the ratio of those killed in the battle, but, in any case, his story expresses the consciousness of the great significance of this victory for Novgorod and all of Russia. The onslaught of the Swedes was repelled. The rumor of victory spread throughout the country.
Novgorod, embraced by that fear and anxiety about the outcome of the unequal struggle, rejoiced. At the ringing of bells, St. Alexander returned to Novgorod. Archbishop of Novgorod Spiridon with the clergy and crowds of Novgorodians came out to meet him. Having entered the city, St. Alexander drove straight to St. Sophia, praising and glorifying the Holy Trinity for the victory.
In the winter of the same 1240, he left for Suzdal with his mother, wife and the whole princely court, having quarreled with the Novgorodians.
Apparently, the Novgorodians did not understand that the war did not end with the Neva victory and that the Swedish offensive was only the first attack of the West, followed by others. In Alexander's attempts to strengthen their power as the prince-leader of the rati, they saw the former princely Suzdal will hostile to them. The very glory of Alexander and the love of the people for him made him in the eyes of the Novgorod boyars even more dangerous for Novgorod liberty.
In the same winter, after Alexander's departure, the sword-bearers again came to the Novgorod possessions of Chud and Vod, devastated them, imposed tribute and erected the city of Koporye on Novgorod land itself. From there they took Tesovo and approached Novgorod 30 versts, beating the Novgorod guests along the way. In the north they reached Luga. At this time, Lithuanian princes attacked the Novgorod borders. Sword-bearers, Chud and Lithuanians ransacked the Novgorod volosts, robbing the inhabitants and taking away horses and cattle.
In this trouble, the Novgorodians sent ambassadors to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich with a request for a prince. He sent them his son Andrei, the younger brother of Alexander. But the Novgorodians did not believe that the young prince would lead them out of unprecedented troubles. They again sent Archbishop Spiridon with the boyars to Yaroslav, begging him to let Alexander go to the principality.
Yaroslav agreed. In the winter of 1241, Alexander, after a year of absence, again entered Novgorod, and "the people of Novgorod were happy." Common troubles and hardships firmly connected Alexander with Novgorod.
Upon arrival, Alexander gathered a militia from Novgorodians, Ladoga, Korelians and Izhorians, attacked Koporye erected on Novgorod land, destroyed the city to the ground, killed many swordsmen, took many into captivity, and let others go. In response to this attack, the brothers of the order, despite the winter time, attacked Pskov and, having defeated the Pskovites, put their governors in the city. Hearing about this, Alexander at the head of the Novgorod and grassroots troops with his brother Andrei went to the order. On the way, he took Pskov by storm and sent the order's governors chained to Novgorod. From Pskov, he moved on and entered the possession of the order.
At the news of the Russian invasion, the master gathered the entire order and the tribes subordinate to him and marched to the frontiers. Having learned that a large army was coming against him, Alexander retreated from the order's possessions, crossed Lake Peipsi and set up his regiments on its Russian shore, on Uzmeni near the Raven Stone. It was already April, but there were still snows, and the lake was covered with strong ice. A decisive battle was being prepared. The whole order went against the Novgorodians. The Germans were "boasting", confident in their victory. From the story of the chronicle it is clear that the entire Novgorod army was aware of the deep seriousness of the battle. In this story, in the tense expectation of the battle, there is a feeling of the Russian land lying behind, the fate of which depended on the outcome of the battle. Filled with a military spirit, the Novgorodians said to Alexander: “O our honest and noble prince; Now is the time to lay down your heads for you." But the pinnacle of this consciousness of the decisiveness of the battle lies in the prayers of Alexander, which the chronicle cites: Alexander entered the Church of the Holy Trinity and, raising his hands and praying, said: on Amalek and my great-grandfather, Prince Yaroslav, on the accursed Svyatopolk.
On Saturday (April 5), at sunrise, an army of swordsmen in white cloaks thrown over their armor, with a red cross and a sword sewn on them, moved across the ice of the lake to the Novgorodians. Forming a wedge - "pig" - and closing their shields, they crashed into the Russian army and made their way through it. Confusion began among the Novgorodians. Then St. Alexander with a reserve regiment struck behind enemy lines. The slaughter began, “evil and great ... and a coward from the breaking mines and the sound of a sword cut ... and you can’t see the lake, and everything was covered with blood.” Chud, who was walking along with the order, could not resist, ran, overturning the swordsmen. Novgorodians drove them across the lake for seven miles, to the other side of the lake, called Suplichsky. On the wide expanse of ice, the fugitives had nowhere to hide. In the battle, 500 swordsmen and many Chud fell. Fifty knights were taken prisoner and brought to Novgorod. Many drowned in the lake, falling into the polynya, and many wounded disappeared into the forests.
The struggle with the West did not end with the Neva and Chudskaya battles. It, resuming during the life of St. Alexander, continued for several centuries. But the Battle on the Ice broke the enemy wave at a time when it was especially strong and when, thanks to the weakening of Russia, the success of the order would have been decisive and final. On Lake Peipsi and on the Neva, St. Alexander defended the identity of Russia from the West in the most difficult time of the Tatar full.
On September 30, 1246, Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich died in distant Mongolia "necessary", that is, a violent death.
The death of Yaroslav liberated the throne in Russia. Yaroslav's brother, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, temporarily became the Grand Duke. The change in the grand reign caused movements on other tables. The transfer also affected St. Alexander, as the eldest son of the deceased Grand Duke. The occupation of the new table depended on the Tatars. To receive the principalities, St. Alexander and his brother Andrei had to go to the Horde for a label.
“The same summer, Prince Andrei Yaroslavich went to the Horde to Batyev. Tsar Batu sent his ambassadors to Alexander Yaroyelevich, saying: “God subdued many languages for me, are you the only one who doesn’t want to submit to my drzhava, but if you want to keep your land now, then come to me,” this is how the life and chronicle tell .
Alexander Nevsky monumentKipchatsky khans from their headquarters followed Russia. The name of Alexander was already glorified throughout Russia. His victories over the Swedes, sword-bearers and Lithuania made him a national hero, the defender of Russia from foreigners. He was a prince in Novgorod - the only region of Russia where the Tatars did not reach. And, probably, many Russians at that time lived in the hope that this prince, who defeated foreign armies with a small militia, would free Russia from the Tatars. This suspicion should have arisen in the Khan's headquarters. Therefore, Batu's order to appear in the Horde is quite understandable.
Just as understandable is the hesitation of St. Alexander - his unwillingness to go to the Horde. This was the most decisive and tragic moment in the life of St. Alexander. There were two paths before him. One of them had to stand. The decision predetermined his future life.
This step was full of heavy hesitation. A trip to the Horde - it was a threat of inglorious death - the princes went there, almost as if to death, leaving, leaving wills - giving at the mercy of the enemy in the distant steppes and, after the glory of the Nevsky and Chudsky battles, humiliation before idolaters, "filthy, those who left true God, creatures worship."
It would seem that both glory, and honor, and the good of Russia demanded a refusal - war. It can be firmly said that Russia and, especially, Novgorod, were waiting for disobedience to the will of the Khan. Countless uprisings testify to this. Before Alexander was the path of direct heroic struggle, the hope of victory or heroic death. But he rejected this path. He went to the Khan.
This is where his realism comes into play. If he had the strength, he would go to the Khan, as he went to the Swedes. But with a firm and free look, he saw and knew that there was no strength and no way to win. And he reconciled. And in this humiliation of oneself, bowing before the power of life, there was a greater feat than a glorious death. The people with a special flair, perhaps not immediately and not suddenly, understood the Saint. Alexandra. He glorified him long before his canonization, and it is difficult to say what attracted the love of the people to him more: the victories on the Neva, or this trip to humiliation.
Batu's order found Saint Alexander in Vladimir. All those traveling to the Horde were especially embarrassed by the demand of the Tatars to bow to idols and go through the fire. Alexander also had this anxiety, and with it he went to the Metropolitan of Kiev Kirill, who lived at that time in Vladimir. “The saint (Alexander), hearing this from the messengers, was sad, greatly hurting his soul and wondering what to do about this. And the saint went and told the bishop his thought. Metropolitan Kirill said to him: “Let no drink and drink enter your mouth, and do not leave God who created you, as if you had done it, but guard for Christ, like a good warrior of Christ.”
Alexander promised to fulfill this instruction. Tatar officials sent Batu to tell him about the disobedience of the prince. St. Alexander stood by the fires, waiting for the decision of the khan, like the year before St. Michael of Chernigov. Ambassador Batu brought an order to bring St. Alexander to him, not forcing him to pass between the fires. Khan's officials brought him to the tent and searched him, looking for weapons hidden in his clothes. Khan's secretary proclaimed his name and ordered him to enter, without stepping on the threshold, through the eastern doors of the tent, because only the Khan himself entered through the western ones.
Entering the tent, Alexander went up to Batu, who was sitting on an ivory table decorated with golden leaves, bowed to him according to the Tatar custom, i.e. fell on his knees four times, then prostrating himself on the ground, and said: “King, I worship you, because God honored you with the kingdom, but I do not worship the creature: for the sake of man it was created, but I worship the one God, I serve and honor Him.” Batu listened to these words and pardoned Alexander.
In the winter of 1250, after more than three years of absence, Alexander returned to Russia. The Kiev principality, to which he received a label, was devastated. In 1252, St. Alexander entered Vladimir, the patrimony of his fathers and grandfathers. Since that time, his life has been connected with Vladimir. From here he ruled all of Russia, Vladimir became his permanent residence.
The Vladimir period shows in Alexander new features of a prince - a peaceful builder and ruler of the earth. These features could not be manifested in the Novgorod principality. There he was only a warrior prince who defended the Russian borders. His attempts to come closer to the management of the land caused feuds with the Novgorodians. Only here, in Suzdal Rus, is he fully the prince, whose work in the minds of both princes and the people is inseparable from the very concept of princely service. From the time of Alexander's reign in Vladimir, his close friendship with Metropolitan Kirill began and lasted until the end of his life.
His work went in two directions. On the one hand, by peaceful construction and ordering of the land, he strengthened Russia, supported its inner essence, accumulated strength for the future open struggle. This is the essence of all his long-term, hard work on the management of Suzdal Rus. On the other hand, by obeying the khans and carrying out their orders, he prevented invasions, outwardly protected the restored power of Russia.
It is only from this point of view that the whole work of Alexander Nevsky's life is understandable. Before him lay the difficult task of containing the indignant and embittered people. All his many years of work created a building on the sand. One revolt could destroy the fruits of many years. Therefore, he sometimes by force and coercion forced the people to humble themselves under the Tatar yoke, constantly realizing that the people could get out of his power and incur the khan's wrath. This external difficulty was exacerbated by the internal difficulty. The Russian prince became, as it were, on the side of the khan. He became an assistant to the Khan's Baskaks against the Russian people. Alexander had to carry out the khan's orders, which he condemned as pernicious. But in order to preserve the common main line for the salvation of Russia, he also accepted these orders. This tragic situation between the Tatars and Russia makes St. Alexander a martyr. With a martyr's crown, he enters the Russian Church, and Russian history, and the consciousness of the people.
In the autumn of 1263, Alexander felt the approach of death. Calling on the abbot, he began to ask for tonsure into monasticism, saying: “Father, I’m very sick ... I don’t have a stomach for myself and I ask for tonsure.” This request aroused the despair of the boyars and servants who were with him. The rite of passage began. Alexander was tonsured into the schema with the name of Alexy. A cockle and monastic attire were placed on him. Then he again called his boyars and servants to him and began to say goodbye to them, asking everyone for forgiveness. Then he took communion with the Holy Mysteries and quietly passed away. It was November 14, 1263.
Metropolitan Kirill was serving mass at the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, when a messenger entered the altar and informed him of the death of the prince. Coming out to the people, the Metropolitan said: “My child! Understand that the sun of the Suzdal land has already set. And the whole cathedral - the boyars, priests, deacons, Chernorizians and beggars answered with a sob and a cry: "We are already perishing."
The burial took place in the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Vladimir on November 23rd. The life tells that when Metropolitan Economist Sevastyan approached the coffin to put a permit into the hand of the deceased, the prince's hand stretched out and took the letter itself and clenched again.
