“Treachery does never prosper.What’s the reason?
For if it prosper,none will ever call it treason.”
I can not agree with the moral application of this statement,but in the case of Alexander Nevsky it seems true.This Grand Prince of Russia has been both reviled and praised by different factions for his role in the Mongol invasion of Europe.But regardless of his later decisions,The Grand Prince’s earlier acts were very noteworthy.
Born in 1220,Alexander was born fourth in line for the throne of the Principality of Vladimir,and was trained as a soldier because of that fact. His military ability caused the vital Russian city of Novgorod to ask him to be their Prince;the timing of Alexander’s accession to Novgorod's throne could not have been better as the Swedes and Teutonic Knights decided to commence hostilities.
The Northern European area was in quite a bit of turmoil at that time.The Teutonic Knights were carving their way through the Lithuanian countryside with the approval of the Pope;the Swedish kingdom was in the throes of a civil war,and their army was filled with ambitious generals who wanted nothing more than to add Russia to their territory. These factors, combined with the fact that Russia was growing as well, created a three way slug-fest with control of Northern Europe the prize.
Alexander first shows us his strategic savvy with his first act as Prince of Novgorod. Alexander realized that any invasion of Russia would first come from the Swedes,as the Teutonic Knights were still in the process of subjugating the Lithuanians and would take their time,hoping that the Swedes would drain their resources during an invasion,and the Russian’s as well,leaving behind two easily-conquerable,shattered,states. Alexander realized that the Russian state could ill-afford a prolonged conflict, not with the elite order of Teutonic Knights waiting to devour the victor. The 20 year-old Prince of Russia then decided to commit his troops to a gamble that,if it failed,could have doomed the Russian Bear.
The Swedish needed to control the river of Neva, which was the main trade route between Novgorod and the Black Sea,in order to have any hope of bringing Russia to it’s knees. Alexander, realizing the significance of the River Neva,decided to attack the Swedish expeditionary force at the mouth of the river instead of down stream,where the Swedes would have been more vulnerable. The attack of the entirety of Alexander’s army(a few hundred Russians) was a complete surprise to the numerically superior Swedish,who were thrown into complete disarray. The surprise attack went off without a hitch, and it left the Swedes with little they could do in terms of securing a viable beachhead in Russia. After the Battle of the Neva,Alexander was given the surname of “Nevsky”.
Although the Swedish Kingdom’s invasion was stemmed, the Teutonic Order did not take the results of the Battle of Neva seriously. Regardless of any recent victories against the disorganized Swedes, the Teuton Grandmaster reasoned, the Russians would not be able to defeat the battle-hardened knights of the Teutons. The Knights took cue from the withdrawal of the Swedes,and sent their Livonian Knights to swarm the Russians. Alexander quickly drafted up as many troops as possible from among the populace and nobility, resulting in the creation of an army that ,although numerically superior, was outclassed in armaments,training, and mobility. In order to overcome the slanted odds, the Russians chose as the battlefield a frozen lake.The Iced over lake negated the Teuton’s speed as the horses were unable to operate efficiently on the lake,and also had the effect of causing the heavily armored knights to lose all-most all their movement on foot as well. These factors,along with efficient use of Russian archers and Druzhina(Nobility that utilized tactics akin to that of the medieval Viking), allowed the Russians to rout the Order.The rout ended any further attempt by the Popes to conquer the Russian kingdom via crusades,in fact,later circumstances would put Russia out of the reach of all of the Pope’s influence.
At this time in the reign of Alexander Nevsky rumors began to move that the invincible,terrifying Golden Horde was pushing towards Russia with conquest in their blood.Unfortunately for Russia these rumors proved all too true.Upon reaching the borders of the Russian Kingdom,the leader of the Golden Horde issued an ultimatum to the indigenous rulers:Come and pay homage to your new Lords and live,or prepare to die! The first and only ruler to come was Alexander Nevsky; after becoming a vassal to the Genghis Khan,Alexander assisted his new lords in occupying their new dominion.Going so far as destroying a rebel army under his older brother’s command that was attempting to revolt against the Mongols.
This phase of Alexander’s life is where he receives his most virulent criticism.Was he a traitor to his people,and Europe as a whole?Why did he do what he did?Greed?Ambition?Fear?What was going through the head of this warrior that had been beating the odds since his childhood as he worked to solidify his country under a foreign conquer?
My gut reaction is to condemn his as a gutless traitor who sold out his countries Independence for a position of power,but after studying his circumstances one can understand his situation better. Russia was surrounded by hostile countries:Poland,Teutonic Prussia,Sweden.These countries waited for any sign of weakness to pounce,and although the latter two had been stopped at the time,the threats they posed were still very strong;the Roman Catholic Church had even attempted to agitate a religious revolt in Orthodox Russia. Alexander would have despaired when he heard that yet another enemy appeared,this time from his back door of the Ural mountains,and the Golden Horde was not just “another enemy” they were an implacable foe that had never been defeated in battle.It would easily imagined that Alexander was eager for any solution that would result in a Russia at all. I would think that when Alexander was offered to stay in control of Russia by the Mongols,he leaped at any chance not only to stay in power but to preserve his country. In fact the occupation of Russia was much more lenient due to Alexander Nevsky’s strict program of loyalty to the Khanate.
Whether you agree or disagree with Alexander’s choice no one can say that his choice was easy.In fact,after a long term as the Mongol’s administrator of Russia Alexander took monastic vows and not long after died.
For if it prosper,none will ever call it treason.”
I can not agree with the moral application of this statement,but in the case of Alexander Nevsky it seems true.This Grand Prince of Russia has been both reviled and praised by different factions for his role in the Mongol invasion of Europe.But regardless of his later decisions,The Grand Prince’s earlier acts were very noteworthy.
Born in 1220,Alexander was born fourth in line for the throne of the Principality of Vladimir,and was trained as a soldier because of that fact. His military ability caused the vital Russian city of Novgorod to ask him to be their Prince;the timing of Alexander’s accession to Novgorod's throne could not have been better as the Swedes and Teutonic Knights decided to commence hostilities.
The Northern European area was in quite a bit of turmoil at that time.The Teutonic Knights were carving their way through the Lithuanian countryside with the approval of the Pope;the Swedish kingdom was in the throes of a civil war,and their army was filled with ambitious generals who wanted nothing more than to add Russia to their territory. These factors, combined with the fact that Russia was growing as well, created a three way slug-fest with control of Northern Europe the prize.
Alexander first shows us his strategic savvy with his first act as Prince of Novgorod. Alexander realized that any invasion of Russia would first come from the Swedes,as the Teutonic Knights were still in the process of subjugating the Lithuanians and would take their time,hoping that the Swedes would drain their resources during an invasion,and the Russian’s as well,leaving behind two easily-conquerable,shattered,states. Alexander realized that the Russian state could ill-afford a prolonged conflict, not with the elite order of Teutonic Knights waiting to devour the victor. The 20 year-old Prince of Russia then decided to commit his troops to a gamble that,if it failed,could have doomed the Russian Bear.
The Swedish needed to control the river of Neva, which was the main trade route between Novgorod and the Black Sea,in order to have any hope of bringing Russia to it’s knees. Alexander, realizing the significance of the River Neva,decided to attack the Swedish expeditionary force at the mouth of the river instead of down stream,where the Swedes would have been more vulnerable. The attack of the entirety of Alexander’s army(a few hundred Russians) was a complete surprise to the numerically superior Swedish,who were thrown into complete disarray. The surprise attack went off without a hitch, and it left the Swedes with little they could do in terms of securing a viable beachhead in Russia. After the Battle of the Neva,Alexander was given the surname of “Nevsky”.
Although the Swedish Kingdom’s invasion was stemmed, the Teutonic Order did not take the results of the Battle of Neva seriously. Regardless of any recent victories against the disorganized Swedes, the Teuton Grandmaster reasoned, the Russians would not be able to defeat the battle-hardened knights of the Teutons. The Knights took cue from the withdrawal of the Swedes,and sent their Livonian Knights to swarm the Russians. Alexander quickly drafted up as many troops as possible from among the populace and nobility, resulting in the creation of an army that ,although numerically superior, was outclassed in armaments,training, and mobility. In order to overcome the slanted odds, the Russians chose as the battlefield a frozen lake.The Iced over lake negated the Teuton’s speed as the horses were unable to operate efficiently on the lake,and also had the effect of causing the heavily armored knights to lose all-most all their movement on foot as well. These factors,along with efficient use of Russian archers and Druzhina(Nobility that utilized tactics akin to that of the medieval Viking), allowed the Russians to rout the Order.The rout ended any further attempt by the Popes to conquer the Russian kingdom via crusades,in fact,later circumstances would put Russia out of the reach of all of the Pope’s influence.
At this time in the reign of Alexander Nevsky rumors began to move that the invincible,terrifying Golden Horde was pushing towards Russia with conquest in their blood.Unfortunately for Russia these rumors proved all too true.Upon reaching the borders of the Russian Kingdom,the leader of the Golden Horde issued an ultimatum to the indigenous rulers:Come and pay homage to your new Lords and live,or prepare to die! The first and only ruler to come was Alexander Nevsky; after becoming a vassal to the Genghis Khan,Alexander assisted his new lords in occupying their new dominion.Going so far as destroying a rebel army under his older brother’s command that was attempting to revolt against the Mongols.
This phase of Alexander’s life is where he receives his most virulent criticism.Was he a traitor to his people,and Europe as a whole?Why did he do what he did?Greed?Ambition?Fear?What was going through the head of this warrior that had been beating the odds since his childhood as he worked to solidify his country under a foreign conquer?
My gut reaction is to condemn his as a gutless traitor who sold out his countries Independence for a position of power,but after studying his circumstances one can understand his situation better. Russia was surrounded by hostile countries:Poland,Teutonic Prussia,Sweden.These countries waited for any sign of weakness to pounce,and although the latter two had been stopped at the time,the threats they posed were still very strong;the Roman Catholic Church had even attempted to agitate a religious revolt in Orthodox Russia. Alexander would have despaired when he heard that yet another enemy appeared,this time from his back door of the Ural mountains,and the Golden Horde was not just “another enemy” they were an implacable foe that had never been defeated in battle.It would easily imagined that Alexander was eager for any solution that would result in a Russia at all. I would think that when Alexander was offered to stay in control of Russia by the Mongols,he leaped at any chance not only to stay in power but to preserve his country. In fact the occupation of Russia was much more lenient due to Alexander Nevsky’s strict program of loyalty to the Khanate.
Whether you agree or disagree with Alexander’s choice no one can say that his choice was easy.In fact,after a long term as the Mongol’s administrator of Russia Alexander took monastic vows and not long after died.
wow!! Great job!!
ReplyDeleteinteresting person to say the lest. good post but I was wondering are monastic vows like joining a order of monks or something?
ReplyDeleteI believe that Monastic vows are a dedication of sorts to Christian Orthodoxy.(akin to baptism but much more ritualistic.) Alexander became Alexis Nevsky after the fact(his Christian name).
ReplyDelete