Alexander Nevsky

Alexander Nevsky (c. 1220-1263), Russian national hero and saint. The son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, grand prince of the medieval Russian state of Vladimir, Alexander was elected prince of the state of Novgorod in 1236. In 1240 he won a victory over the Swedes on the River Neva near present St Petersburg, thus acquiring his surname, Nevsky (“of the Neva”). The following year, he led the army of Novgorod against the Teutonic Knights, driving them from Russian soil and defeating them in a battle at Lake Peipus, Estonia, in April 1242. Later generations viewed this victory as having saved Russia from Western domination. When the Mongols invaded Russia from the east, Alexander collaborated with them, acting as mediator between his people and the Mongol Golden Horde. In 1246 the Mongols made him Grand Prince of Kiev, and in 1251 they installed him as prince of Vladimir, replacing his brother Andrei. As ruler of Vladimir, Kiev, and Novgorod, he did much to unify the principalities of northern Russia. Alexander is recognized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church: his feast day is September 12.