Every country or nation has appeared in the long river of history, who have either turned the tide of the tide or led the country to become strong, becoming a tidemaker of the times, and being praised by future generations.
In 2008, Russians, known as the "fighting nation," conducted a contest of "greatest Russians," and the outcome was unexpected as many debated who Peter the Great or Stalin were at the top of the list. Because a name that has been dusty for nearly seven hundred years has once again inspired the Russians and topped the list, his name is Alexander Nevsky.
So, how powerful is Nevsky, who can make him suppress Peter the Great and Stalin and become the most recognized great figures in Russia?
Russia in the 13th century, still a power of many principalities with Kiev at its core, was far less territorial than it is today. Just as the Duchy of Rus was slowly rising, it was caught between East and West.
In 1223, the Mongol general Tebetsu first went to the Rus' Principality, and for more than a decade, the Mongol iron horse crushed the land, and under the strong impact of the Mongol power at its peak, a large area of Kievan Rus' land was lost. At the same time, crusaders from the West also set their sights on the Duchy of Rus, eyeing it. The Duchy of Rus, caught between east and west, had reached a critical point of life and death. It was in this context that the young Alexander Nevsky stepped onto the stage of history.
First, the rise of heroes on the Neva River
Even after the Mongol occupation of Kiev, the Swedes and Germans in the West could not resist the covetousness of the Rus' Principality, and they hoped to open up trade routes with Eastern Europe by occupying the Baltic coastal areas. In their way was the Novgorod Principality under Nevsky, one of the most important principalities of Kievan Rus' and prosperous in commerce, as if it were a piece of fat in the eyes of Westerners.
In July 1240, a Swedish army of 100 warships landed on the banks of the Neva River in an attempt to destroy Novgorod in one fell swoop. Nevsky, who was only 20 years old at the time, launched a national mobilization order when the principality was completely inferior, and decided to preemptively strike and catch the Swedes by surprise.
In fact, Nevsky could have held the city in this situation and waited for reinforcements from other friendly countries to arrive. However, all geniuses can do what ordinary people cannot do, and Nevsky is like this at this time. With keen insight, he found that although the Swedes were strong, they had the problem of being proud and light enemies, and at the same time, they came from afar, and people were sleepy and tired, and it was inevitable that there would be laxity, which gave him the opportunity to win.
On 15 July, when the morning fog was thick, Nevsky seized the opportunity to lead his guards in a surprise attack on the Swedish army. During the battle, Nevsky showed a very high military command ability, he took the infantry as the center, the cavalry on both flanks, launched a powerful impact, caught the enemy by surprise, and the proud and complacent Swedish army was defeated and could only withdraw. After this battle, Nevsky changed from a nobleman who could only ascend to the throne because of the family's power, to a young grand duke recognized by the people.
Second, the leader of the Ice War is born
The Battle of the Neva River earned Nevsky great prestige. However, this incident aroused the envy of the Novgorod nobles, who watched Nevsky's prestige grow and his power increase, affecting their interests, so there was a great conflict with Nevsky. Nevsky was young and vigorous, how could he bear the face of these nobles, so in a fit of anger, he gave up his position as grand duke and returned to his father.
As a result, as soon as Nevsky left, the Germans, who were jealous of him, immediately organized an army to march towards Novgorod. At this time, the Novgorod nobles realized the truth of the phrase "some people do not know where to be good, but no one can replace them", and in the absence of Nevsky, the army they organized was not at all the opponent of the Germans, and they lost in a short period of time.
At this point, the Novgorods were in a panic, and there was no way, they had to cheekily ask Nevsky to come back and preside over the overall situation. Nevsky was well aware of the gravity of the situation, and this was not the time to gamble, so he immediately returned to his principality, once again dressed up, and led his army against the Germanic attack.
In the spring of 1242, the Germanic army prepared to take the icy Chude Lake, from the frozen Chude Lake. This shortcut attacked Novgorod. Knowing the enemy's intentions, Nevsky led his troops on a rapid march, reaching the eastern shore of Lake Chude before the Germans, blocking the germanic way to the east, and a great armagee was about to break out.
Nevsky's army totaled 17,000 men, outnumbering the Germans' 12,000, but they were inferior in both equipment and combat effectiveness. In the face of the great enemy, Nevsky adopted a pre-emptive tactic, ordering the Already poor Novgorod army to occupy the strategic hot spring island in the lake, where trenches and stakes were dug to block the enemy's attack.
This gave Nevsky's army a head start, and the Germans launched a powerful offensive on the hot spring island, which was stubbornly repelled by Nevsky's army. The confrontation between the two fighting nations, added to the determination of the Rus' people to defend their homeland, ended with the victory of nevsky's side.
The battle, known as the "War on Ice," was, in its scale and results, not the same as the wars led by Peter the Great and Stalin, but of great significance. After this battle, the Western countries temporarily abandoned the conquest of the Rus' Principality, and the western territory finally gained peace, and Nevsky once again increased his prestige in this battle, becoming the recognized leader of the entire Rus' Principality.
Third, to claim to the Mongols to maintain the foundation
After the victory at the Ice River, the deterrent power of the Duchy of Rus allowed the Pope to choose the path of alliance with it. However, the situation at this time is still extremely complex. Because there were more powerful Mongols in the east of the Rus' Principality, it was a dilemma, and whichever side was chosen, the Rus' Principality would establish a formidable enemy.
After judging the situation, Nevsky chose to submit to the Mongols, who could not be shaken at this time. Therefore, in the second half of nevsky's life, he has been running to maintain the relationship between the Mongols and the Rus' Principality, and for this reason, he even did something that was criticized by future generations.
In 1252, Nevsky's younger brother Andrei united with the other grand dukes of Russia and the Western powers to prepare to join forces against the Mongol conquest. When Nevsky received this news, he realized that if Andrei did so recklessly, it would anger the Mongols, and the Rus' Principality would be destroyed, so, after some consideration, he immediately rushed to the Golden Horde to inform. The move left Andrea's plan bankrupt. From then until his death, Nevsky worked to maintain friendly relations with the Mongols, allowing the Mongols to maintain a certain tolerance for the Rus' Principality.
Of course, Nevsky's willingness to betray his brothers and suppress his compatriots who rebelled against the Mongols for the sake of the political interests of the Rus' Principality, although extenuating, was still difficult to accept, and thus became a major point of controversy in his life that could not be erased.
However, this still could not hide the greatness of Nevsky, standing at the height of the nation and the state, Nevsky spent his life driving out the strong enemies of the West and maintaining relatively stable relations with the Mongols, so that the Rus Principality avoided the fate of extinction. It was through his efforts that Russia maintained its usual independence and eventually rose to become a powerful empire, and that was where he excelled. Therefore, many Russians can not forget this national hero, who was rated as the greatest Russian, not overrated, but deserved.