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ALEXANDER
NEVSKIY - INVASIONS OF
THE SWEDENS AND GERMANS |
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The
efforts of the Germans, Danes and Swedens to penetrate
the east Baltic coast dates as early as the 12th
century. The main objective was the area between the
Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Riga, namely Estonia and
Livonia, as well as, to a lesser degree, Lithuania.
From the military point of view the most convenient
outset was in the mouth of Dvina, and right there
German merchants from Lubeck had founded their first
trade outpost. Further penetration into the
territories of the Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes -
Ests, Letts and Livs - was made by means of sword and
cross. Since the very beginning the conquest of the
Baltic lands was perpetrated by German missionaries
and knight-monks. Forcible conversion of the pagan
tribes into Christianity met a fierce resistance,
which was broken by brutal military force, crusades,
and total extermination or resettlement of the whole
tribes. At the end of the 12th
century there was founded the Diocese of Livonia and
fortress Riga in the mouth of Dvina, and in 1202 there
was founded the Order of the Sword Brothers
(Livonian Knights), |
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which
admitted to its ranks almost exceptionally German
knights. In the virtue of its name and statute the
Order was spreading the "Christ's teaching" mainly by
sword and fire, which quite justly brought them the
nickname of "hound-knights". They grabbed lands from
the conquered Letts and Livs, and controlled them
through the system of strong fortresses and fortified
castles, in their turn transforming with time into the
class of feudal barons. |
The German
drive to the East also threatened Estonia, where German and
Danish interests had clashed relatively early. In 1219 the
Danes occupied northern Estonia, but later quite often
fought together with the Livonians against the relapses of
the Estonian resistance. Quite often along the Ests fought
Russian princes, who could not calmly see the successes of
the German arms. Shortly before the Mongolian invasion on
Rus the Livonians suffered a series of heavy defeats, among
others from the Novgorod army led by prince Yaroslav (1234).
In 1236 the Russo-Lithuanian army destroyed prevailing
Livonian forces in the battle of Siauliai. To recover from
that defeat the Livonians had to join next year the Order of
the Prussian Brothers (Teutonic Knights). But then the
Swedens appeared on the Baltic political scene.
Since some time Swedens were closely watching the
developments on the Baltic east coast, preparing their army
and fleet for the pending contest with the rival, who would
happen to be the weakest at the right moment. In 1240 their
fleet entered the mouth of Neva with the clear design to
grab Novgorod's possessions. It seemed that the place and
time was chosen perfectly for such an action, but the
Swedens had severely miscalculated. The new (since 1236) and
young Novgorod prince, Alexander Yaroslavich, proved to be
an extraordinarily talented and bold militaryman. Having
hastily collected a small band of the Novgorod citizens, he
caught the Swedens unaware and defeated them in the battle
on the Neva, for which the descendants gave him the nickname
Nevskiy, and the Church elevated him to the sainthood. It
happened at the time when the Mongols were conquering Rus;
Kiev was about to fall. Novgorod remained the only
independent Russian force, capable of mobilizing substantial
forces at the right moment. Historian
s and startegists, for that matter, still have no answer to
the question why the Mongols did not march on Novgorod, but
from Torzhok turned to the West. Perhaps they did not dare
to contest Alexander and his army?
But the victory over the Swedens did not dismiss the danger
perpetually coming from Livonia. The Germans, allied with
the Danes, continued their drive to the East, took Izborsk
and Pskov, and were moving towards the Gulf of Finland and
Lake Ladoga. The situation was aggravated by the discords in
Novgorod; Alexander clashed with the boyars and was forced
to leave the city. It was not until people's riots and
explicit demand of the Veche that he returned to Novgorod.
Since then the situation changed diametrally: the Russian
army drove the "hound-knights" from the occupied territories
and liberated Pskov. The decisive battle between the
Russians and germans took place on 5 April 1242 on the
ice-covered surface of the Lake Chud. Tactical advantage
over the prevailing enemy allowed the Russians to destroy
Livonian forces once again. At the time when a substantial
part of the Russian principalities had to acknowledge
Mongolian sovereignty from the East, the "Battle of the Ice"
dismissed the danger of a similar so
vereignty imposed by the West.
But the victories over the foreign invaders did not
guarantee domestic peace yet. Domestic discords relapsed
with new energy. The grand duke Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich did
not enjoy the power given him from the Tartars - only two
years. He died from the hand of his nephew, who perished
even sooner. Thus started the struggle between Alexander
Nevskiy with his brother Andrew. The Golden Horde originally
favoured Andrew, to whom it gave the yarlik for the
princedom in Vladimir the Great. Alexander, undiscouraged,
continued his struggle until he made The Horde to side with
him, and he expelled Andrew from Vladimir. As a Grand Duke
(1252-1263) Alexander Nevskiy had demonstrated great
organizational and diplomatic skills, and since he had
demonstrated his military skills even earlier, he beyond any
doubts belongs among the greatest statesmen of the
contemporary epoque. He ruled directly in Vladimir,
Pereyaslavl and Tver, and held the grip on the power in
Novgorod, where he appointed his sons as governors, as long
a
s they obeyed him, and recalled them if they upset him.
Other princes strove to live in peace with Alexander and
often succumbed to his will, and since they possessed modest
forces, they would not take risk not only to challenge the
Grand Duke openly, but even to intrigue against him. Often
Alexander used to strengthen his influence through
well-matched marriages. Apparently, he considered his own
position so unshakeable that he allowed his brothers to
return from the exile, which was quite an unusual event in
the history of Rus.
But one must also mention that Alexander Nevskiy, a talented
militaryman and skilful statesman, was also a typical feudal
lord, and a very vainglorious on top of that. He had put his
vainglory above everything else. He stood firmly against his
prothers, and mercilessly crushed his enemies; he even
resolutely persecuted anti-Tartar guerilla. He had forced
the Novgorodites to accept the grand census that the Tartar
baskaks conducted in 1257 and later (altogether it lasted
two years). In 1262 the whole Suzdal-Vladimir Rus was
engulfed in people's uprisings. Being not able to bear the
burden of taxes and other services, city dwellers mutinied
and expelled the Tartars from Vladimir, Suzdal, Rostov and
Yaroslavl, while in the country the guerilla resumed again.
Alexander Nevskiy realised that the mutinies and guerilla
would bring a bloody retaliation, but being not able to
contain the riots he went on embassy to The Horde, where he
achieved a favourable reception. He died on the way back in
1263.
It is difficult to write simply about Alexander's relations
with his people. It is enough to recall that after his death
his son Dimitriy was immediately expelled from Novgorod.
Then the Novgorodites gave power to the new Grand Duke,
Yaroslav (1263-1272) - one of Alexander's brothers. On that
occasion for the first time there was concluded a special
agreement that regulated mutual relations. Yet despite of
the agreement the relations went badly. The prince pursued
his dynastic interests, and the Novgorod nobility constantly
opposed them; Yaroslav would turn to The Horde for help, and
the Novgorodites remained hostages of their political
intrigues. With The Horde's help one could hold Novgorod
subdued for a while, but soon Yaroslav had to travel to
Sarai for a new yarlik. On the way back he was poisoned -
the favourite means of the Tartar khans before, and after,
and ever, to remove unruly figures. The same was the fate of
Yaroslav's descendant, Vasiliy (1272-1276), the youngest of
Alexander's brothers.
Then started a long, protracted process of the struggle for
the Grand Duke's throne between Alexander's sons - Dimitriy
and Andrew. They would not disdain to any means just to
achieve their goals; they both turned to the Tartars for
help and they both fought each other eagerly, with no regard
to the undoings of the people, who gradually pauperized from
Tartar mercenaries' looting and pillaging. Eventually
Dimitriy died in 1294 and Andrew firmly held the throne till
1304.
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