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Alexander Nevsky

Type Figure Region Novgorod Time 1221–1263 Also known as Alexander Yaroslavich

Grand Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal (1221–1263), a 13th-century Russian political and military leader who defeated Sweden on the Neva in 124…

Timeline

  1. 1221–1236Pereslavl-Zalessky · Pereslavl-ZalesskySon of Yaroslav II, he grew up in the Grand Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal in the 1220s; before 1236 he had already taken part in the politics of the Rus' principalities, preparing for his later rule of Novgorod.
  2. 1236–1240Novgorod · NovgorodSummoned to Novgorod to rule in 1236, he mediated between the city's nobility and neighboring principalities; facing Swedish and Teutonic Knight pressure on the Gulf of Finland coast in the late 1230s, he organized defenses and secured Novgorod's trade routes.
  3. 1240–1242Neva River · Neva RiverIn July 1240 he defeated the Swedish invasion of Birger Jarl on the Neva, earning the epithet 'Nevsky'; on April 5, 1242, the Battle on the Ice of Lake Peipus devastated the Teutonic Knights and halted their eastward advance, becoming an iconic victory in Russian national memory.
  4. 1252–1263Vladimir · VladimirWith Mongol khagan support he became Grand Prince of Vladimir in 1252, repeatedly traveling to Sarai to pay homage to the Golden Horde, trading tribute and diplomacy for relative autonomy of the Rus' principalities; he died at Gorodets in 1263 while returning to Novgorod and was canonized by the Orthodox Church in 1547.

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