Blessed prince alexander nevsky in the monuments of iconography. About prayer
Read an excerpt from the hagiography.
“... This prince Alexander was born from a merciful and philanthropic father, and most of all - a meek, prince the great Yaroslav and from mother Theodosia ... And he was handsome like no other, and his voice was like a trumpet among the people, his face was like the face of Joseph , whom the Egyptian king made the second king in Egypt, his strength was part of the strength of Samson, and God gave him the wisdom of Solomon, his courage - like that of the Roman king Vespasian, who conquered the whole land of Judea ... Having heard about such valor of Prince Alexander, the king the Roman country from the northern land thought to himself: "I will go and conquer the land of Alexandrov." And he gathered a great strength, and filled many ships with his regiments, set off with a huge army, puffing with the spirit of war. And he came to the Neva, drunk with madness, and sent his ambassadors, puffed up, to Novgorod to Prince Alexander, saying: "If you can, defend yourself, for I am already here and ravaging your land." Alexander, hearing such words, flushed his heart, and entered the church of St. Sophia, and, falling on his knees before the altar, began to pray with tears: the limits of the peoples, you commanded to live without transgressing the borders of others. " And, remembering the words of the prophet, he said: "Judge, O Lord, those who offend me and protect from those who fight with me, take up arms and a shield and stand up to help me." And, having finished the prayer, he got up and bowed to the archbishop. The archbishop was then Spiridon, he blessed him and let him go. The prince, leaving the church, dried his tears and began to encourage his squad, saying: “God is not in power, but in truth. Let us recall the Songmaker, who said: "Some with weapons, and others on horseback, we will call upon the name of our Lord our God; they, defeated, fell, but we stood and stood straight." Having said this, he went to the enemies with a small retinue, not waiting for his large army, but trusting in the holy trinity. ... After that, Alexander hastened to attack the enemies at six o'clock in the afternoon, and there was a great slaughter with the Romans, and the prince interrupted them innumerable, and left the mark of his sharp spear on the face of the king himself. Six brave men like him from Alexander's regiment showed themselves here. The first is named Gavrilo Oleksich. He attacked the auger and, seeing the prince being dragged by the arms, rode all the way to the ship along the gangplank, along which they ran with the prince; those pursued by him seized Gavrila Oleksich and threw him off the gangway together with the horse. But by God's grace, he came out of the water unharmed, and again attacked them, and fought with the commander himself in the middle of their army. The second, named Sbyslav Yakunovich, is a Novgorodian. This one many times attacked their army and fought with one ax, having no fear in his soul; and many fell at his hand, and marveled at his strength and courage. The third - Yakov, a native of Polotsk, was a cunning prince. This one attacked the regiment with a sword, and the prince praised him. The fourth is a Novgorodian named Mesha. This footman with his retinue attacked ships and sank three ships. The fifth is from the younger squad, named Sava. This one burst into a large royal golden-domed tent and cut down the tent-post. The Alexandrovs' regiments, seeing the fall of the tent, rejoiced ... In the second year after the return with the victory of Prince Alexander, they again came from the Western country and built a city on the land of Alexandrov. Prince Alexander soon went and destroyed their city to the ground, and they themselves - some hanged, others with him, and others, having pardoned, released, for he was immensely merciful. After Alexandrova's victory, when he defeated the king, in the third year, in winter, he went with great force to the German land, so that they would not boast, saying: "We will conquer the Slavic people." And they had already taken the city of Pskov and the German governors were planted. He soon drove them out of Pskov and killed the Germans, and tied up others and freed the city from the godless Germans, and fought their land and burned them and took countless prisoners, and killed others. The Germans, insolent, united and said: "Let's go, and we will defeat Alexander, and we will capture him." When the Germans approached, the guards visited them. Prince Alexander prepared for battle, and they went against each other, and Lake Peipsi was covered with a multitude of those and other soldiers. Alexander's father, Yaroslav, sent his younger brother Andrey with a large squad to help him. Yes, and Prince Alexander had many brave warriors, as in ancient times with David the king, strong and staunch. So the men of Alexander were filled with the spirit of the warrior, because their hearts were like the hearts of lions, and exclaimed: "O our glorious prince! Now the time has come for us to lay down our heads for you." Prince Alexander raised his hands to heaven and said: "Judge me, God, judge my quarrel with the unrighteous people and help me, Lord, as in ancient times he helped Moses defeat Amalek and our great-grandfather Yaroslav the accursed Svyatopolk." It was then Saturday, and when the sun rose, the opponents came together. And there was a cruel slash, and there was a crack from breaking spears and a ringing from the blows of swords, and it seemed that the frozen lake moved, and there was no ice visible, for it was covered with blood ... "
Using the text, select three correct judgments from the list below. Write down the numbers under which they are indicated in response.
1) the events described in the text of the life took place in the XII century.
2) the city, which the German knights built on the captured "land of Alexandrov," was called Koporye
3) for services to Novgorod, the boyars proclaimed Prince Alexander Yaroslavich the Novgorod prince "for all time"
4) in the battle on the Neva River, the army of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich fought with the army of the Danes
5) one of the military deeds of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich described in the life was the victory over the Germans on the ice of Lake Peipsi
6) a squad from the Vladimir-Suzdal principality took part in the battle against the German knights
Explanation.
1) the events described in the text of the life took place in the XII century. - NO, it is not true, the events date back to the 13th century.
2) the city, which the German knights built on the captured "land of Alexandrov," was called Koporye - YES, that's right, the German knights built and built the fortress of Koporye.
3) for services to Novgorod, the boyars proclaimed Prince Alexander Yaroslavich the Novgorod prince "for all time" - NO, wrong, after the victory over the Swedes, Prince Alexander Nevsky left Novgorod having quarreled with the Novgorodians.
4) in the battle on the Neva River, the army of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich fought with the army of the Danes - NO, wrong, on the river Neva in 1240, Prince Alexander Yaroslavich defeated the Swedes.
5) one of the military deeds of Prince Alexander Yaroslavich described in his life was a victory over the Germans on the ice of Lake Peipsi - YES, it is true that in 1242 Russian troops under the leadership of Alexander Nevsky defeated the German knights on the ice of Lake Peipsi.
6) a squad from the Vladimir-Suzdal principality took part in the battle against the German knights - YES, right.
How to pray and what mistakes to avoid
Prayer Rule
What prayers should it consist of prayer rule layman
When to Practice Your Prayer Rule
How to prepare for prayer
How to make your prayer rule at home
What to do when scattering in prayer
How to end your prayer rule
How to Learn to Spend Your Day Prayerfully
How to Force Yourself to Pray
What you need for successful prayer
How to pray and what mistakes to avoid.
In order to express to God our reverence for Him and reverence for Him, we stand during prayer, and do not sit: only the sick and the very old are allowed to pray while sitting.
Aware of our sinfulness and unworthiness before God, we, as a sign of our humility, accompany our prayer with bows. They are waist, when we bend to the waist, and earthly, when, bowing and kneeling, we touch the ground with our head *.
The law of god
[*] On Sundays, as well as from St. Easter until the evening of St. Trinity, as well as from the day of the Nativity of Christ to the day of Baptism, also on the day of the Transfiguration and Exaltation (on this day only three bows to the earth are supposed to be done before the cross), Sts. the apostles completely forbade kneeling and bowing to the ground ... for Sundays and other Lord's feasts contain memories of reconciliation with God, according to the apostle's words: "Bring a slave already, but a son" (Gal. 4: 7); it is not for sons to do slavish worship.
The sign of the cross, according to the teachings of the holy fathers, should be performed as follows: folding the right hand with three fingers, lay it on the forehead, on the belly, on the right shoulder and on the left, and then, putting the sign of the cross on themselves, they bend over. About those who signify themselves with all fives or bow before finishing the cross, or wave in the air or across their chest, it is said in Chrysostom: “the demons rejoice at this frantic waving”. On the contrary, the sign of the cross, performed earnestly with faith and reverence, frightens demons, calms sinful passions and attracts divine grace. Orthodox prayer book
The first three fingers folded together (thumb, index and middle) express our faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, as the Consubstantial and indivisible Trinity, and two fingers bent to the palm mean that the Son of God after His descent to earth , being God, became a man, that is, His two natures mean - Divine and human.
Covering ourselves with the sign of the cross, we put our folded fingers on our forehead - to sanctify our mind, on the belly (belly) - to sanctify our inner feelings, then on our right and left shoulders - to sanctify our bodily powers.
It is necessary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross, or be baptized: at the beginning of prayer, during prayer and at the end of prayer, as well as when approaching all that is holy: when we enter the temple, when we kiss the cross, to icons, and in all important cases of our life : in danger, in grief, in joy, etc.
The law of god
When starting to prayer, one must always sober up one's thoughts, distract them from earthly affairs and interests, and for this one must calmly stand, sit or walk around the room. Then think about whom he intends to stand before and to whom to turn, so that there is a feeling of humility and self-abasement. After that, one should put a few bows and begin prayers, slowly, delving into the meaning of each word and bringing them to the heart. When you read, the holy fathers teach: cleanse us from all filth, - feel your filth; you read: forgive us our debts, as if we are leaving our debtors, - forgive everyone in your soul, but with your heart ask yourself for forgiveness from the Lord, etc. the order of thoughts in prayer. This order was once revealed by an angel to a holy monk (Lev. 28, 7). The beginning of the prayer should consist of praise to God, of thanksgiving for His innumerable blessings; then we must bring God a sincere confession of our sins in contrition of heart and, in conclusion, we can express with great humility our petitions for the needs of the soul and body, leaving reverently the fulfillment and non-fulfillment of these petitions to His will. Each such prayer will leave a trail of prayer in the soul; its daily continuation will root prayer, and patience, without which nothing can be achieved in life, will undoubtedly instill a prayer spirit. Schmch. Met. Serafim Chichagov
Man looks on the face, God looks on the heart (1 Kings 16: 7); but in a person the disposition of the heart is most consistent with the position of his face, his appearance. And therefore, during prayer, put your body in the most reverent position. Stand, like a condemned man, with a drooping head, not daring to gaze at the sky, with your hands down ... Let the sound of your voice be the pitiful sound of crying, a groan wounded by a deadly weapon or tormented by a fierce disease. St. Ignatiy Bryanchaninov
When praying, do everything wisely. When you pour oil into the lamp, then imagine that the Life-Giver every day and hour, every minute of your life supports your life with His Spirit, and, as it were, every day through a bodily sleep, and through prayer and the word of God in a spiritual sense, he pours the oil of life into you. that burns your soul and body. When you put a candle in front of an icon, remember that your life is like a burning candle: it will burn out and go out; or that others make it burn faster than it should, with passions, food, wine and other pleasures. St. right. John of Kronstadt
Standing before the icon of the Savior, stand, as it were, before the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, omnipresent in Divinity, and His icon present in the place where it is. Standing before the icon of the Mother of God, stand, as it were, before the Most Holy Virgin Herself; but keep your mind formless: the greatest difference is to be in the presence of the Lord and to stand before the Lord, or to imagine the Lord.
The elders said: do not want to see Christ or the angel sensually, lest you finally go mad, having accepted a wolf instead of a shepherd and worshiping your enemies, demons.
Only the holy saints of God, renewed by the Holy Spirit, ascend into the supernatural state. A person, before his renewal by the Holy Spirit, is incapable of communion with holy spirits. He, being still in the realm of the fallen spirits, in captivity and in bondage with them, is able to see only them, and they often, noticing in him a high opinion of themselves and self-deception, appear to him in the form of bright angels, in the form of Christ Himself, for the destruction of his soul.
St. Ignatiy Bryanchaninov
When you pray, pay attention to yourself, so that your inner person is praying, and not only the outer one. Although he is sinful without measure, all pray. Do not look at the devil's incitement, guile and despair, but overcome and conquer his wiles. Remember the abyss of humanity and mercy Spasov. The devil will present to you the face of the Lord as formidable and unmerciful, rejecting your prayer and your repentance, and you remember the words of the Savior, filled for us with all hope and boldness: I will not be rid of the one who comes to Me (John 6:37), and - come to Me. all those who are weary and burdened with sins and iniquities, and the devil's wiles and slander, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11, 28). St. right. John of Kronstadt
Read the prayers slowly, listen to every word - bring the thought of every word to your heart, otherwise: understand what you are reading and feel what you understand. This is the whole matter of pleasing God and fruitful reading of the prayer. St. Theophan the Recluse
Ask for what is worthy of God, keep asking until you get it. Although a month, and a year, and three years, and more years will pass, until you receive it, do not retreat, but ask in faith, constantly doing good. St. Basil the Great
Do not be reckless in your petitions, so as not to anger God with your weakness: he who asks the King of kings for something insignificant humiliates Him. The Israelites, disregarding the miracles of God, performed for them in the wilderness, asked for the wishes of the womb to be fulfilled - and I still am screaming at their mouths, the wrath of God came up against her (Ps. 77: 30-31). He who seeks in his prayer the perishable earthly blessings arouses the indignation of the Heavenly King against himself. Angels and archangels - these nobles of His - look at you during your prayer, looking at what you ask of God. They are surprised and rejoiced when they see an earthly person who has left his land and brings a petition to receive something heavenly; they grieve, on the contrary, over the one who has left heavenly things unheeded, and who asks for his earth and corruption. St. Ignatiy Bryanchaninov
When praying to the Lord, the Mother of God or the saints, always remember that the Lord gives according to your heart (the Lord will give according to your heart - Ps. 19: 5), what is the heart, such is the gift; if you pray with faith, sincerely, with all your heart, without hypocrisy, then in accordance with your faith, the degree of fervor of your heart, you will be given a gift from the Lord. And vice versa, the colder your heart is, the less faithful it is, the more hypocritical, the more useless your prayer, moreover, the more it makes the Lord angry ... Therefore, whether you call on the Lord, the Mother of God, angels or saints, call with all your heart; whether you pray for any of the living or the dead, pray for them with all your heart, pronouncing their names with warmth of heart; whether you are praying for the granting of yourself or another of any spiritual blessing, or for the deliverance of yourself or your neighbor from any calamity or from sins and passions, bad habits, pray about it from the bottom of your heart, wishing with all your heart yourself or someone else the requested good, having a firm intention to lag behind, or wanting others to free themselves from sins, passions and sinful habits, and a gift according to your heart will be given to you from the Lord. St. right. John of Kronstadt
The beginning of prayer is to drive away incoming thoughts at their very appearance; the middle of it is that the mind is contained in the words that we utter or think; and the perfection of prayer is admiration for the Lord. Venerable John Climacus
What is continuous prayer for? In order to warm up our cold, tempered hearts in a prolonged bustle with the duration of fervent prayer. For it is strange to think, all the more to demand that a heart matured in the bustle of life could soon be imbued with the warmth of faith and love for God during prayer. No, this requires labor and labor, time and time. St. right. John of Kronstadt
Dwelling in prayer for a long time, and not seeing the fruit, do not say: I have not gained anything. For the very being in prayer is already an acquisition; And what good is higher than this, to cleave to the Lord and to abide unceasingly in union with Him? Venerable John Climacus
At the end of the morning and evening prayers at home, call on the saints: patriarchs, prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, confessors, saints, abstainers or ascetics, unmercenaries, so that, seeing in them the fulfillment of every virtue, and himself become an imitator in every virtue. Learn from the patriarchs children's faith and obedience to the Lord; among the prophets and apostles - zeal for the glory of God and for the salvation of human souls; among the saints - zeal to preach the word of God and, in general, through the scriptures, contribute to the possible glorification of the name of God, to the establishment of faith, hope and love in Christians; among martyrs and confessors - firmness for faith and piety before unbelieving and wicked people; among the ascetics - the timetable of the flesh with passions and lusts, prayer and contemplation of God; among the unmercenaries - non-covetousness and gratuitous help to those in need.
When we call on the saints in prayer, then to pronounce their name from the heart means to bring them closer to our very heart. Then undoubtedly ask for their prayers and intercession for themselves - they will hear you and present your prayer to the Master soon, in the blink of an eye, like the Omnipresent and all Leading. St. right. John of Kronstadt
Once the brethren asked Abba Agathon: What virtue is the most difficult of all? He replied, “Forgive me, I think the hardest thing is to pray to God. When a person wants to pray, the enemies try to distract him, because they know that nothing opposes them as much as praying to God. In any heroic deed, no matter what a person undertakes, he receives comfort after intense labor, and prayer until the last minute of life requires a struggle. " Venerable Abba Agathon
Prayer Rule.
What is a prayer rule? These are prayers that a person reads regularly, every day. The prayer rule is different for everyone. For some, the morning or evening rule takes several hours, for others, a few minutes. It all depends on the spiritual constitution of a person, on the degree of his rootedness in prayer and on what time he has.
It is very important that a person fulfills the prayer rule, even the shortest one, so that there is regularity and constancy in prayer. But the rule should not turn into a formality. The experience of many believers shows that with the constant reading of the same prayers, their words fade, lose their freshness, and a person, getting used to them, ceases to focus on them. This danger must be avoided by all means.
I remember when I took monastic tonsure (I was twenty years old then), I turned to an experienced confessor for advice and asked him what prayer rule I should have. He said, "You must read the morning and evening prayers, three canons and one akathist. Whatever happens, even if you are very tired, you must read them. And even if you read them hastily and inattentively - it does not matter, the main thing is that the rule is read. " I spent many hours in the church at the services that spiritually nourished, nourished, inspired me. And the reading of the three canons and the akathist turned into some unnecessary "appendage." Saint Theophan the Recluse, a remarkable ascetic of the XIX century. He advised the prayer rule to count not by the number of prayers, but by the time that we are ready to devote to God. For example, we can make it a rule to pray in the morning and in the evening for half an hour, but this half hour should be completely given And it is not so important whether we read all the prayers during these minutes, or just one, or, perhaps, one evening we will devote entirely to reading the Psalter, the Gospel or prayer in our own words. We - we were focused on God so that our attention would not slip away and that every word would reach our hearts. This advice worked for me. However, I do not exclude that the advice I received from a spiritual father would be more suitable for others. Much depends on the individual's personality.
It seems to me that for a person living in the world, not only fifteen, but even five minutes of morning and evening prayer, if, of course, it is pronounced with attention and feeling, is enough to be a real Christian. It is only important that the thought always corresponds to the words, the heart answers the words of the prayer, and the whole life corresponds to the prayer.
Try, following the advice of St. Theophan the Recluse, to set aside some time for prayer during the day and for the daily fulfillment of the prayer rule. And you will see that it will bear fruit very soon.
What prayers should the prayer rule of a layman consist of?
The prayer rule of the layman consists of morning and evening prayers, which are performed daily. This rhythm is necessary, because otherwise the soul easily falls out of the prayer life, as if waking up only from time to time. In prayer, as in any big and difficult task, inspiration, mood and improvisation alone are not enough.
There are three basic prayer rules:
1) a complete prayer rule, designed for monks and spiritually experienced laymen, which is published in the Orthodox Prayer Book;
2) a short prayer rule designed for all believers; in the morning: "Heavenly King", Trisagion, "Our Father", "Virgin Mary", "Rise from sleep", "Have mercy on me, God", "I believe", "God, cleanse", "To You, Master", " Holy Angel "," Most Holy Lady ", invocation of the saints, prayer for the living and the dead; in the evening: "Heavenly King", Trisagion, "Our Father", "Have mercy on us, Lord", "Eternal God", "Blessed King", "Angel of Christ", from " Climbed Voivode"To" It is worthy to eat "; these prayers are contained in any prayer book;
3) a short prayer rule of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov: three times "Our Father", three times "Virgin Mary" and once "I Believe" - for those days and circumstances when a person is in extreme fatigue or very limited in time.
The duration of prayers, their number are determined by spiritual fathers, priests, taking into account the lifestyle of each and his spiritual experience.
You cannot completely omit the prayer rule. Even if the prayer rule is read without due attention, the words of the prayers, penetrating into the soul, have their cleansing effect.
Saint Theophan writes to one family person: “In case you need to be able to shorten the rule. You never know accidents in family life. When things do not allow you to complete a completely prayer rule, then do it in abbreviated form.
And you should never rush ... The rule is not an essential part of prayer, but there is only its outer side. But the main thing is - the prayer of the mind and heart to God, exalted with praise, thanksgiving and supplication ... and finally with surrender to the Lord entirely. When there are such movements in the heart, there is also prayer, and when not, there is no prayer, even if you have stood for whole days on the rule. "
A special prayer rule is performed during the preparation for the Sacraments of confession and communion. On these days (they are called retreats and last at least three days), it is customary to more diligently fulfill their prayer rule: whoever usually does not read all morning and evening prayers, let him read everything completely, those who do not read the canons, let him read at least on one canon. On the eve of communion, one must be at the evening service and read at home, in addition to the usual prayers for the coming sleep, the canon of penitence, the canon of the Mother of God and the canon of the Guardian Angel. The canon for communion is also read and, if anyone wishes, an akathist to Jesus the Sweetest. In the morning, morning prayers are read and all the followings to Holy Communion are read.
During the retreat, the prayers are especially long, for, as the holy righteous John of Kronstadt writes, “in order to disperse our cold, tempered hearts in a long bustle with the duration of fervent prayer. For it is strange to think, all the more to demand that a heart matured in the bustle of life could soon be imbued with the warmth of faith and love for God during prayer. No, it takes work and time. The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force delight it (Matt. 11, 12). The Kingdom of God does not come soon to the heart, when people run away from it so zealously. The Lord God Himself has expressed His will so that we pray not briefly, when he presents as an example a widow who went to the judge for a long time and crawled (for a long time), bothering him with her requests (Luke 18, 2-6) ”.
When to practice your prayer rule.
In the conditions of modern life, given the workload and accelerated pace, it is not easy for the laity to set aside a certain time for prayer. You need to develop strict rules for prayer discipline and strongly adhere to your prayer rule.
Morning prayers are best read before starting any business. In extreme cases, they are pronounced on the way from home. Evening prayer rule prayer teachers recommend reading in free minutes before dinner or even earlier - late at night it is often difficult to concentrate due to fatigue.
How to prepare for prayer.
The main prayers that make up the morning and evening rules should be known by heart, so that they penetrate deeper into the heart and so that they can be repeated in any circumstances. First of all, in your free time, it is advisable to read the prayers included in your rule, to translate the text of the prayers for yourself from Church Slavonic into Russian, in order to understand the meaning of each word and not utter a single word meaninglessly or without precise comprehension. This is advised by the Church Fathers. “Work,” writes the Monk Nikodim Svyatorets, “not at the hour of prayer, but at another, free time, to ponder and feel the prayers. Having done this, even during prayer you will not find any difficulty in reproducing the content of the prayer being read. "
It is very important that those who begin prayer should drive out resentment, irritation, and bitterness from the heart. Saint Tikhon Zadonsky teaches: "Before praying, you need not be angry with anyone, not be angry, but leave any offense so that God himself will forsake sins."
“When approaching the Benefactor, be yourself beneficent; approaching the Good, be good yourself; approaching the Righteous, be yourself righteous; when approaching the Patient, be patient yourself; when approaching the Humanitarian, be humane; and also be to everyone else, approaching the Good-hearted, the Benevolent, the Sociable in blessings, the Merciful of everyone, and if anything else is seen of the Divine, becoming like in all this willfulness, acquire thereby for yourself the boldness to pray, "writes St. Gregory of Nyssa ...
How to make your prayer rule at home.
During prayer, it is recommended to retire, light an icon lamp or a candle and stand in front of the icon. Depending on the nature of the family relationship, it is possible to recommend reading the prayer rule together, with the whole family, or each family member separately. Common prayer is recommended primarily on solemn days, before a festive meal and on other similar occasions. Family prayer is a kind of church, public prayer (a family is a kind of home church) and therefore does not replace individual prayer, but only complements it.
Before starting the prayer, you should overshadow yourself with the sign of the cross and make several bows, belt or earth, and try to tune in to an internal conversation with God. “Wait in silence, until the senses subside, put yourself in the presence of God up to His consciousness and feelings with reverent Fear and raise up in your heart a living faith that God hears and sees you,” reads the beginning of the prayer book. Saying prayers aloud or in an undertone helps many people to concentrate.
“Getting down to prayer,” advises St. Theophan the Recluse, “in the morning or in the evening, wait a little, or sit, or walk, and at this time take the trouble to sober up the thought, distracting it from all earthly affairs and objects. Then, think about who is the One to whom you will turn in prayer, and who you are, who now have to begin this prayer to Him - and awaken in your soul the corresponding mood of self-deprecating and reverential fear of the immersion in the heart of God. This is the whole preparation - to stand reverently before God - small but not insignificant. Here the beginning of prayer is supposed, but a good beginning is half of the work.
So having settled down internally, then stand in front of the icon and, after putting down a few bows, begin the usual prayer: "Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee," "Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of truth," and so on. Read slowly, grasp every word, and bring the thought of every word to your heart, accompanying it with bows. This is the whole matter of reading a prayer that is pleasing to God and fruitful. Perceive every word and thought of a word to your heart, otherwise - understand what you are reading and feel what is understandable. No other rules are required. These two - understand and feel - properly performed, adorn any prayer with full dignity and impart to it all fruitful action. You read: “cleanse us from all filthiness” - feel your filthiness, desire purity and hopefully seek it from the Lord; with a heart that has forgiven everyone, ask the Lord for your forgiveness. You read: “Thy will be done” - and in your heart completely surrender to the Lord your fate and express an unquestioning readiness to meet with complacency everything that the Lord will please you to send.
If you act in this way with every verse of your prayer, you will have proper prayer. "
In another of his exhortations, Saint Theophan summarizes the advice for reading the prayer rule in the following way:
a) never read hastily, but read as if in a chant ... In ancient times, everything recited prayers were taken from the psalms ... But nowhere do I find the word "read", but everywhere "sing" ...
b) delve into every word and not only reproduce the thought of what is being read in consciousness, but also excite the corresponding feeling ...
c) in order to hook the urge for a hasty reading, put it down - either to read it or not, but to stand at the reading prayer for a quarter of an hour, half an hour, an hour ... how much you usually stand ... and then don’t worry ... how many prayers you will read, - and when the time has come, if there is no desire to stand further, stop reading ...
d) putting this, however, do not look at the clock, but stand like this so that you can stand endlessly: thought will not run ahead ...
e) in order to facilitate the movement of prayer feelings in your free time, reread and change your mind all the prayers that are included in your rule - and feel them so that when you begin to read them on the rule, you know in advance what feeling should be aroused in your heart .. ...
f) never read without a break in prayer, but always interrupt them with your own personal prayer, with bows, whether in the middle of the prayers you have to do it or at the end. As soon as something falls into your heart, immediately stop reading and bow down. This last rule is the most necessary and most necessary for the upbringing of the spirit of prayer ... If any other feeling takes a lot, you and be with him and bow down, and leave reading ... so until the very end of the allotted time.
What to do when scattering in prayer.
For a long time, the prayer was recommended to be read slowly, evenly, in order to "enclose attention in words." Only when the prayer that you want to bring to God is meaningful enough and means a lot to yourself, you will be able to “reach out” to the Lord. If you are inattentive to the words you utter, if your own heart does not respond to the words of prayer, your requests will not reach God.
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh said that his father, when he started to pray, hung a sign on the door: “I am at home. But do not try to knock, I will not open. " Vladyka Anthony himself advised his parishioners, before starting to pray, to consider how much time they have, set the alarm clock and pray calmly until it rings. “It doesn't matter,” he wrote, “how many prayers you manage to read during this time; it is important that you read them without being distracted by anything or thinking about the time. "
It is very difficult to pray. Prayer is primarily a spiritual work, therefore one should not expect immediate spiritual delight from it. “Do not seek pleasure in prayer,” writes Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “they are by no means characteristic of a sinner. The sinner's desire to feel pleasure is already self-delusion ... Do not seek prematurely high spiritual states and prayerful raptures. "
As a rule, attention to words, prayer can be held for several minutes, and then thoughts begin to wander, the eye slides over the words of the prayer - and our hearts and minds are far away.
If someone prays to the Lord, but thinks about something else, then the Lord will not listen to such a prayer, ”writes the Monk Silouan the Athonite.
At these moments, the Church Fathers advise to be especially careful. Saint Theophan the Recluse writes that we must prepare in advance for the fact that when reading prayers we are scattered, often mechanically read the words of a prayer. “When during prayer the thought runs away - return it. Run away again - return again. So every time. Every time, what will be read during the running away of thought and, therefore, without attention and feeling, do not forget to re-read. And even if your thought ran off several times in one place, read it several times until you read it with a concept and feeling. Once you overcome this difficulty, the next time, it may not be repeated, or it will not be repeated in such force.
If during the reading of the canon a prayer breaks through in your own words, then, as the Monk Nicodemus says, "not allowing this occasion to pass by for a fleeting moment, but stop at it."
We find the same thought in St. Theophan: “Another word will have such a strong effect on the soul that the soul will not want to extend further in prayer, and although the language reads prayers, and thought all runs back to the place that had such an effect on her. In this case, stop, do not read further, but stand with attention and feeling in that place, feed your soul with them, or with those thoughts that it will generate. And do not rush to tear yourself away from this state, so if time is pressing, leave the unfinished rule, and do not ruin this state. It will overshadow you, maybe all day, like a Guardian Angel! Such beneficial effects on the soul during prayer mean that the spirit of prayer begins to take root and that, therefore, the preservation of this state is the most reliable means of educating and strengthening the prayer spirit in us. "
How to end your prayer rule.
It is good to end the prayer with thanksgiving to God for the bestowed fellowship and contrition for your inattention.
“When you finish your prayer, do not immediately move on to your own activities, but also, at least a little, wait and think that this has been done by you and what it obliges you to do, trying, if it is given to feel something during prayer, to preserve it after prayers, ”writes St. Theophan the Recluse. "Do not immediately rush into everyday affairs," teaches the Monk Nicodemus, "and never think that having completed your prayer rule, you have finished everything in relation to God."
When getting down to business, you must first think about what you have to say, do, see during the day, and ask God for blessings and strength to follow His will.
How to learn to spend the day in prayer.
After finishing the morning prayers, we should not think that everything is fulfilled in relation to God, and only in the evening, during the evening ritual, should we return to prayer.
The good feelings that arose during the morning prayers will be drowned out in the hustle and bustle of the day. Because of this, there is no desire to stand for evening prayer.
We must try to do so that the soul turns to God not only when we stand in prayer, but also throughout the day.
Here is how St. Theophan the Recluse advises to study this:
“First, it is necessary during the day to often cry out to God from the heart in short words, judging by the need of the soul and current deeds. You start by saying, for example, "God bless!" When you finish the job, say: "Glory to you, Lord!", And not only with your tongue, but also with the feeling of your heart. What passion will rise, say: "Save, Lord, I am perishing!" The darkness finds embarrassing thoughts, cry out: "Bring my soul out of prison!" Wrong deeds are coming and sin attracts them, pray: "Instruct me, Lord, on the way" or "Do not give my feet into confusion." Sins suppress and lead to despair, cry out in a publican's voice: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." So in any case. Or just often say: “Lord, have mercy; Lady Mother of God, have mercy on me. To the angel of God, my holy guardian, protect me, ”- or in whatever other word call out. Only make these appeals as often as possible, doing your best so that they come out of the heart, as if squeezed out of it. When you do this, we will often make intelligent ascents to God from our hearts, frequent appeals to God, frequent prayer, and this increase will impart the skill of an intelligent interview with God.
But in order for the soul to cry in this way, one must first force it to turn everything to the glory of God, every work of its own, great and small. And this is the second way how to teach the soul to turn to God more often during the day. For if we make it a law to fulfill this apostolic commandment, so that we do everything to the glory of God, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, you do everything to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), then we will certainly remember about every deed God, and remember not just, but with caution, how not to act in any case wrong and not offend God in any way. This will cause fear to turn to God and prayerfully ask for help and admonition. As we almost incessantly do something, we will almost incessantly turn to God in prayer, and, therefore, almost continuously go through the science of prayer in the soul to God.
But in order for the soul to fulfill this, that is, doing everything for the glory of God, as it should, it is necessary to tune it to this from early morning - from the very beginning of the day, before a person leaves for his work and for his work until evening. This mood is produced by the thought of God. And this is the third way of teaching the soul to turn to God frequently. Divine contemplation is a reverent meditation on Divine properties and actions and on what their knowledge and their relation to us obliges us, this meditation on the goodness of God, justice, wisdom, great power, omnipresence, omniscience, on creation and providence, on the dispensation of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, about the goodness and word of God, about the holy sacraments, about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Which of these subjects do not begin to ponder, this meditation will certainly fill the soul with a reverent feeling for God. Begin to meditate, for example, on the goodness of God, and you will see that you are surrounded by the mercies of God both physically and spiritually, and unless you are a stone, so as not to fall before God in an outpouring of humiliated feelings of thanksgiving. Begin to reflect on the omnipresence of God - you will understand that you are everywhere before God and God is before you, and you cannot but be filled with reverential fear. Begin to meditate on the omniscience of God - you will realize that nothing in you is hidden from the eye of God, and you will certainly put yourself to be strictly attentive to the movements of your heart and mind, so as not to offend the all-seeing God in some way. Begin to reason about the truth of God, and you will be sure that not a single bad deed will remain unpunished, and you will certainly set aside to cleanse all your sins with heartfelt contrition and repentance before God. So, no matter what property and action of God you begin to argue about, any such meditation will fill the soul with feelings and dispositions reverent for God. It directs the entire being of man directly to God and is therefore the most direct means to accustom the soul to ascend to God.
The most decent, convenient time for this is morning, when the soul is not yet burdened with many impressions and business worries, and that is - after the morning prayer. Finish your prayer, sit down and, with a thought consecrated in prayer, begin to think now about one thing, tomorrow about another God's property and action, and create a disposition in your soul corresponding to this. “Go,” said Saint Demetrius of Rostov, “go, holy thought of God, and let us immerse ourselves in meditation on the great deeds of God,” and he passed through the thought of either the works of creation and providence, or the miracles of the Lord Savior, or His suffering, or something else, which touched those hearts his own and began to pour out his soul in prayer. Anyone can do this. There is not much work, only desire and determination are needed; but there is a lot of fruit.
So here are three ways, how, apart from the prayer rule, to teach the soul to ascend prayerfully to God, namely: to devote a few time in the morning to contemplation of God, to turn every business to the glory of God and often turn to God with short appeals.
When the thought of God is done well in the morning, it will leave a deep mood for thinking about God. Thinking about God will force the soul to carefully perform every action, both internal and external, and convert it to the glory of God. Both will put the soul in such a position that prayer appeals to God will often come out of it.
These three - the thought of God, all for the glory of God, creation and frequent appeals are the most effective instruments of intelligent and heartfelt prayer. Each of them lifts the soul to God. Whoever has set out to exercise them will soon acquire the skill of ascending to God in his heart. This labor is like climbing a mountain. The higher someone climbs the mountain, the freer and easier it is to breathe. So here too, the more someone gets used to the exercises shown, the higher the soul will rise, and the higher the soul ascends, the more freely prayer will act in it. Our soul is by nature an inhabitant of the Divine heavenly world. There she should have been inanimate both in thought and in heart; but the burden of earthly thoughts and attachments attracts and burdens her down. The shown methods tear it off the ground little by little, and then completely tear it off. When they are completely torn off, then the soul will enter its area and it will sweetly dwell in sorrow - here it is heartfelt and mentally, and afterwards, by its very being, it will be vouchsafed before the face of God to dwell in the faces of Angels and saints. Why may the Lord vouch for all of you with His grace? Amen".
How to force yourself to prayer.
Sometimes prayer does not come to mind at all. In this case, Saint Theophan advises to do this:
“If this is a prayer at home, then you can put it off a little, for a few minutes ... to bend over, they take him by the forelock and bend him down ... Otherwise, this is what might happen ... now there is reluctance - tomorrow there is reluctance, and then prayer is completely over. Take care of this ... and bother yourself with willing prayer. The labor of self-compulsion overcomes everything. "
The holy righteous John of Kronstadt, also advising to force oneself in prayer when it does not go, warns:
“Forced prayer develops hypocrisy, makes him incapable of any occupation that requires reflection, and makes a person sluggish to everything, even to the performance of his duties. This should convince everyone praying in this way to correct their prayer. One should pray willingly, with energy, from the heart. Pray to God neither out of sorrow, nor out of need (by compulsion), - Each one give according to the disposition of his heart, not with grief and not with compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9: 7) ”.
What is needed for successful prayer.
“Desiring and seeking success in prayer work, adapt everything else to this, so as not to ruin with one hand what the other is creating.
1. Keep your body strictly in food, and in sleep, and in rest: do not give him anything just because it wants it, as the apostle commands: Do not turn cares for the flesh into lusts (Rom. 13: 14). Give no rest to the flesh.
2. Reduce your external intercourse to the most inevitable. This is for the time of teaching yourself to pray. After the prayer, acting in you, it will indicate what can be added without prejudice to it. Especially take care of feelings, and between them most - eyes, hearing, tie your tongue. Without observing this, you cannot even take a step forward in prayer. Just as a candle cannot burn in the wind and rain, so it is impossible to light up in prayer with a surge of impressions from outside.
3. Use all your free time after prayer for reading and meditation. For reading, choose mainly those books in which it is written about prayer and, in general, about the inner spiritual life. Think exclusively about God and the things of the Divine, about the Incarnate Economy of our salvation, and in it especially about the suffering and death of the Lord Savior. By doing this, you will immerse yourself in the sea of Divine light. Add to this going to church as soon as you can. One presence in the temple will overshadow you with a prayer cloud. What will you get if you stand the entire service in a truly prayerful mood!
4. Know that you cannot succeed in prayer without prospering in the Christian life at all. It is imperative that not a single sin lay on the soul that has not been cleansed by repentance; and if during prayer work you do something that confuses the conscience, hurry to be cleansed by repentance, so that you can boldly look to the Lord. Keep humble contrition in your heart at all times. Do not miss a single upcoming opportunity to do any good or to show any kind disposition, especially humility, obedience and renunciation of your will. But it goes without saying that zeal for salvation must burn inextinguishable and, filling the whole soul, in everything, from small to great, must be the main driving force, with the fear of God and unshakable hope.
5. In this attitude, bother yourself in prayer, praying: now with ready-made prayers, now with your own, now with short invocations to the Lord, now with the Jesus prayer, but without missing anything that can contribute to this work, and you will receive what you are looking for. Let me remind you what Saint Macarius of Egypt says: “God will see your prayer work and that you sincerely desire success in prayer - and will give you prayer. For know that although prayer, both done and achieved by one's own efforts, is pleasing to God, but real prayer is that which dwells in the heart and becomes persistent. She is a gift from God, a work of God's grace. Therefore, while praying for everything, do not forget to pray for prayer too ”(Monk Nikodim Svyatorets).
Date of publication or update 15.12.2017
Gallery of icons.
Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky was born on May 30, 1219 in the city of Pereslavl Suzdal and lived in the world for forty-four years and five and a half months. The paternal grandfather was the famous Grand Duke of Vladimir Vsevolod the Big Nest, or the Great, and his father was Yaroslav-Theodor, one of the eight sons whom Maria Ossetian gave birth to to Vsevolod. He inherited Pereslavl Suzdalsky from his father. There, in 1214, a bride was brought to him from Veliky Novgorod - the daughter of Mstislav the Bold Feodosius-Rostislav. She became the mother of Alexander.
Icon of the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky. Feodorovsky Cathedral of the Theotokos-Rozhdestvensky Bobrenev Monastery.
The life of Alexander Nevsky was written in the 13th century, some time after his death. The author praises his father, Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, as a meek man, "merciful and manly lover." In his youth, however, he was far from always meek and merciful, and at times showed immoderate cruelty in the struggle for power with his relatives and with Novgorodians. After an unsuccessful battle with his relatives on Lipitsa in 1216, his father-in-law and one of his opponents, Mstislav Udaloy, took his daughter from him.
Memorable places associated with the name of Alexander Nevsky.
Holy noble grand duke was buried in Vladimir in the Nativity of the Mother of God Monastery, and later, by order of Emperor Peter I, his relics were transferred to St. Petersburg.
Monument Alexander Nevsky installed in Vladimir near the Nikolo-Kremlin Church, not far from the walls of the Mother of God-Rozhdestvensky Monastery.
Also a monument Alexander Nevsky installed in
Pereslavl-Zalessky in front of the Transfiguration Cathedral.
Monument Alexander Nevsky price Pereslavl.
Holy noble prince was born in
Pereslavl-Zalessky in the prince's chambers near the Transfiguration Cathedral. On the Cathedral Square of Pereslavl-Zalessky there is the Church of Alexander Nevsky.
The Alexander Monastery in Suzdal, standing on the high bank of the Kamenka, according to legend, was founded in 1240. Alexander Nevsky.
Novgorodians more than once forced Yaroslav to leave their city. In 1218, at the next disagreement with them, Yaroslav was forced to leave "in all the will of Novgorod" two of his sons. One of them was nine-year-old Alexander, the other was his older brother Theodore. One night in the same year, the brothers-princes, seizing the moment, fled from Novgorod to their father in Pereslavl.
The image of the faithful prince Alexander Nevsky.
Two years later, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich was again invited to reign in Veliky Novgorod, but he spent only two weeks there and left, again leaving the sons of Theodore and Alexander there. In 1233, Theodore was supposed to marry, but at the time of preparations for the wedding he unexpectedly died. Alexander was left alone in Novgorod. Just on the eve of Batu's invasion, in 1236, setting off with the Novgorodians to reign in Kiev, recently ravaged by civil strife with the participation of the Polovtsy, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich erected "his son Alexander the Brave" on the Novgorod princely table.
Icon of St. book Alexander Nevsky with a particle of holy relics. Church of the Great Martyr Catherine on Vspolye in Moscow.
The author of the Life of Alexander, "a self-seeker of his age" (contemporary and close), says that the prince was taller than other people, that his voice sounded like a trumpet among the people, his face was beautiful, like that of the biblical Joseph, strength was part of Samson's strength, God gave him wisdom to Solomon, and in courage he was like the Roman Caesar Vespasian - conquering, he was invincible.
In 1238, during the Batu invasion of Russia, the Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich died, and the Grand Duke's throne in Vladimir was taken by his brother Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, Alexander's father. Going to Novgorod, the Tatars besieged Torzhok, there was no help from Novgorod, and the city was taken. As you know, the Tatars did not reach Veliky Novgorod itself a hundred miles and turned south. So the young Novgorod prince, like his father, did not participate in attempts to resist them. Like his father, when he reigned in Novgorod, Alexander Yaroslavich, as a politician, first turned his main attention to the west. From there they also looked at him. The master of the Livonian Order, Andrei Velven - Andrejash, according to the Life, - specially came to Novgorod to get acquainted with Alexander - "as in ancient times the Queen of Yuzhskaya came to Solomon, wanting to listen to him a wise speech." Returning to his own people, he said: "I went through many countries and peoples, but I have not seen this either in the king's kings or in the prince's princes."
Theotokos-Rozhdestvensky monastery in Vladimir Taking advantage of the defeat of Russia by the Tatars and the inability of the Grand Duke to provide assistance to the Novgorodians and Pskovians, the Swedes and Lithuanians at that time intensified their onslaught on the border Russian lands, hoping to subjugate them to their power without much effort. The popes approved and sanctified the struggle against the "schismatics" ("schismatics"), as the Catholics called the Orthodox, hoping that the force of arms would bring them, together with the pagans, into submission to the Roman Church. In 1240, when the conquest of Russia by the Tatars was still going on, the Swedish army, accompanied by Catholic bishops, invaded the Novgorod lands.
Icon of St. blgv. Prince Alexander Nevsky, Nikolskaya Church in Kolomna.
Image from the page "Renaissance" of the book "Temple of St. Nicholas Gostiny in Kolomna".
Prince Alexander Yaroslavich in 1239 married Alexandra Bryachislavovna, the daughter of the Polotsk prince, who was also under pressure from the west. The wedding took place in Toropets, wedding feasts in Torzhok and Novgorod. Immediately after the end of the celebrations, Prince Alexander and the Novgorodians set about constructing border fortifications and cut down a city on the Sheloni River. But the attack of the Swedes nevertheless almost took him by surprise.
The ark with the relics of the holy noble princes Alexander Nevsky and Daniel of Moscow. From the page of the Monastery Shrine of the book Serpukhov Most Pure Theotokos Vysotsky Monastery.
The Swedish army was commanded by Birger, a brave knight and commander, a relative of the Swedish king Eric. In addition to the Swedes, there were Norwegians and Finns in the army. Having entered the Neva on ships, to the mouth of Izhora, Birger sent ambassadors to Novgorod to Alexander with the words: "If you can, resist me, otherwise I am already here, I am capturing your land." According to the Novgorod chronicle, Birger intended to "perceive" Ladoga, Novgorod and the entire Novgorod region.
The author of the Life writes that when Alexander heard the words of the ambassadors, his heart flared up, and he entered the Church of St. Sophia, fell on his knees in front of the altar and began to pray with tears the words of the psalm: “Judge, Lord, those who offend me, overcome those who fight me ... Take your weapon and shield, rise to my aid. " After finishing his prayer, he got up and bowed to the archbishop. Archbishop Spiridon of Novgorod blessed him and released him. And the prince left the church, wiped away his tears and began to inspire his squad, saying: “God is not in power, but in truth. Let us remember the Psalmist and his words: “They are on chariots and they are on horses; but in the name of the Lord our God we will call. They were tied up and fell, but we got up and straightened. "
Icon of St. Alexander Nevsky, written in memory of the rescue of Alexander III from the assassination attempt of revolutionary terrorists. Kaluga St. Tikhon's hermitage.
Having said this, he went to the enemies with a small retinue, without waiting for the collection of much of his strength, trusting in the Holy Trinity. Unfortunately, his father, Grand Duke Yaroslav, did not know about this attack on his dear son Alexander, and he did not have time to send a message to his father, for the opponents were approaching; that is why many Novgorodians did not join him, because the prince hastened to set out on a campaign. The chronicle says that as soon as the news came to Novgorod that "svei" were coming to Ladoga, Prince Alexander, without hesitation, went to them with Novgorodians and Ladoga residents. On July 15, 1240, the prince reached the enemy camp.
Icon of St. Alexander Nevsky.
Upper shopping arcade (GUM building) in Moscow.
According to the Life, the Russian prince was helped in this battle by his saints "relatives", relatives, the princes brothers Boris and Gleb. They were seen by a sentinel shortly before the battle. “The sentinel was a certain named Pelguy, or Pelgusiy, an elder in the Izhora land. He was entrusted with the night watch by the sea, by the Gulf of Finland. He himself received holy baptism, but he lived among a kind that remained pagan. In baptism, he was named Philip.
Mosaic icon of the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky. Danilov Monastery in Moscow.
He lived piously, spending Wednesday and Friday in abstinence. " For this, the author of the Life believes, God honored him with an amazing vision that day. Having spent the night in vigil and patrol on the seashore, at sunrise he heard a noise from the sea with dismay and saw a rowing boat sailing, in the middle of which stood in red robes, holding their hands on their chest, the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb. The rowers sat as if shrouded in darkness. The watchman heard Boris say: "Brother Gleb, they took us to row so that we could help our relative Prince Alexander." Pelgusius stood trembling until the ship was out of his sight. Soon the prince arrived, and the watchman told him about his vision. The prince replied: "Do not tell this to anyone." After a short time, the prince led his squad into battle.
In this battle, six brave men showed themselves in Alexander's regiment, who fought together with him bravely and steadfastly. One of them, named Gavrila Aleksich, rode onto the ladder and reached the ship, but the enemies ran into the ship in front of him, and then, turning around, threw him from the board along with his horse into the water. By God's grace, he got out of the Neva unharmed, and again attacked the Swedes, and fought with the commander himself in the middle of their regiment.
Another, Zbyslav Yakunovich from Novgorod, repeatedly threw himself into battle, fighting with one ax, having no fear in his heart, and Prince Alexander Yaroslavich marveled at his strength and courage. The third, Yakov Polochanin, was a cunning prince; meeting an enemy regiment with a sword, he fought bravely, praising God, and the prince praised him. The fourth - a Novgorodian named Misha, he attacked the ships of the Romans on foot with his retinue and sank three ships. The fifth, a young man named Sawa, attacked a high golden-domed tent and cut a pillar near the tent. Seeing that the tent fell, Alexander's regiments rejoiced. The sixth is one of the prince's servants named Ratmir; he fought on foot, and many enemies surrounded him; having received many wounds, he fell and died. All this the author of the Life himself heard from his master, Prince Alexander, and from other people who were at that time in that section.
They told him about an amazing miracle that happened then, similar to what happened during the reign of King Hezekiah, when the Assyrian king Senacherim attacked the Holy City: then suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and beat one hundred and eighty-five thousand people from the Assyrian regiment; and, getting up in the morning, found their corpses. The same happened during the battle of Alexander, when he defeated the king: on the other side of the Izhora River, where Alexander's soldiers had no access, there were many people beaten by the angel of God.
The remains of the enemies fled, and the corpses of their dead were thrown into ships and drowned in the sea. The chronicler writes that Novgorodians and Ladoga residents died twenty people, and the enemies were countless. Only the most noble ones were loaded into two ships, and the rest were thrown into a dug hole, and, taking advantage of the darkness that fell, the disgraced retreated at night from Sunday to Monday. And Prince Alexander returned to Novgorod with a victory, praising and glorifying his Creator. For this battle, he received the nickname Nevsky.
In the same summer, the Germans moved to the Pskov lands and cities, defeated the Pskovites, took possession of Pskov and put their governors there, and then began to plunder the Novgorod villages. However, they did not receive an immediate rebuff, for Alexander Nevsky, having quarreled for some reason with the Novgorodians, left their city “to the bottom” - to the Suzdal land, to his father. The Novgorodians, who came to their senses, sent Vladyka Spiridon to Pereslavl, and he barely persuaded the Grand Duke Yaroslav to return Alexander to them.
This was all the more timely since the next year after the Battle of the Neva the Germans entered Novgorod possessions, imposed a tribute, built their fortress in Koporye on the shores of the Gulf of Finland and plundered Russian merchants already three dozen miles from Novgorod. Returning Alexander went with the Novgorod army on a new campaign and crushed the new fortress of the Germans, and hanged some of its inhabitants, took others into captivity, pardoned others, released others, for - the author of the Life notes - "was merciful beyond measure."
A year later, in the winter of 1242, Alexander Yaroslavich set out with a large army to liberate Pskov. “And soon he took the city of Pskov and killed the Germans there, and tied up others, and liberated the city from the godless Germans, and fought their land and burned them and took prisoners without number, and cut some of them,” says the Life of Alexander. And the Livonian chronicler reports that seventy courageous knights laid down their heads there and some officials were hanged victorious.
In Livonia, where Alexander went after Pskov, one of his detachments was attacked by the Germans and was defeated. The Germans rallied and prepared for a decisive battle. “Let's go and defeat Alexander and take him with our hands,” they said. Alexander retreated, choosing a place, and stood on Lake Peipsi, still covered with ice.
The approaching Germans were noticed by the sentinels, and Prince Alexander prepared his army for battle. “Alexander's father, Prince Yaroslav, sent his younger brother Andrey with a large retinue to him; and even Prince Alexander himself had many brave men, as in ancient times with King David, strong and strong. These men of Alexandrov were filled with a warlike spirit, for their hearts were like the hearts of lions, and they said: “Oh, our valiant prince! Now is the time to lay down our heads for you! " And Prince Alexander, raising his hands to heaven, said: “Judge me, O God, and judge my quarrel with the unrepentant people. And help me, Lord, as in ancient times Moses against Amalek and our great-grandfather Yaroslav against the accursed Svyatopolk! "
Rati on the ice went to meet each other, and Lake Peipsi was covered with many warriors, both. It was Saturday morning, April 5th, and the sun was rising when the shelves came together and an evil battle began: "Breaking spears crackled, the sounds of sword blows were heard, and the frozen lake seemed to move, and the ice was not visible, for it was covered with blood." An eyewitness told the author of the Life that he saw in the air an angelic regiment of God, who came to the aid of Alexander. And Prince Alexander Nevsky began to defeat the opponents, and they offered him their shoulders, and the princely soldiers flogged them, catching up, as if through the air, and there was no place to run away from. "
Here God glorified Alexander in front of all the shelves, like Joshua at Jericho. And the one who said: "Let us take Alexander with our hands," God gave him into his hands, and he never happened to be his opponent in battle. And Alexander returned from the battle with a glorious victory, and his soldiers led by their horses into the multitude of barefoot those who call themselves God's knights. " The chronicle reports that the Germans were killed four hundred people, and fifty were taken prisoner, and that in the same year they sent an embassy to Alexander with a bow: "What we captured with the sword, we retreat from that."
“When the victorious prince approached the city of Pskov, hegumen, priests and all the people with crosses met him in front of the city, singing praise to God and glory to their lord, Prince Alexander:“ You, Lord, who helped the meek David and our faithful prince to defeat foreigners with arms Godfathers freed the city of Pskov from foreign languages by the hand of Alexandrov. "
The prince made a speech here: “O unreasonable people of Pskov! If you forget this before the generation of Alexander's great-grandchildren, then you will become like the Jews, whom the Lord fed in the desert with manna and baked quails, and they forgot all this and their God who brought them out of Egypt, where they were slaves. " And from that time his name began to be famous in all countries - and to the Egyptian Sea, and to the Ararat mountains, and on the other side of the Varangian Sea, and to the great Rome, ”says Life.
Alexander inevitably had to decide also in relation to the Horde. "At that time there was a strong king in the Eastern country, to whom God conquered many nations from east to west." It was the Khan of the Golden Horde Batu, the conqueror of Russia. “That king, hearing that Alexander was so glorious and brave, sent ambassadors to him with the following words:“ Alexander, do you know that God has subdued many nations to me? And you alone do not wish to submit to me? If you want to save your land, then come quickly to me and you will see what the honor of my kingdom is. "
Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, Alexander's father, was the first Russian Grand Duke to reign with the permission of the Tatars. In 1243 he first went to Batu in the Horde, and in 1246 he died “in Tatarekh”, returning poisoned from Central Asia from the great khan. His brother Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, Alexander's uncle, began to reign in Vladimir. Refusal to recognize the primacy of the eastern "tsar" would have made Alexander an enemy of the most powerful Mongol-Tatar empire, which, of course, he would not have enough strength to resist, fighting both in the west and in the east.
And besides, this refusal would mean for Alexander a break with his family, with the totality of people of Russian princely blood, belonging to which gave the right to power in Russia. He could then lose the moral right to power in the eyes of the population of Novgorod. The connection with the clan demanded obedience to the Tatars. And yet, when Alexander Nevsky "with great strength" went after the death of his father from Novgorod to Vladimir, the Tatars and the princes obedient to them did not have any clarity about how he would behave towards them. “And his arrival was formidable,” says the Life, “and news of this rushed to the very mouth of the Volga, and the Muslim wives began to frighten their children with it, saying:“ Alexander is coming! ”
The Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich made the final choice, apparently, only in Vladimir, after consulting with Bishop Kirill. The Life says that Alexander treated priests and monks with love, and honored and listened to the metropolitan and bishops, like Christ himself. Both the prince and the bishop understood that under the Tatar rule the country suffered, but Orthodoxy remained, and under the German, Swedish or Hungarian rule the country suffered and Orthodoxy was eradicated.
It is not difficult to imagine that the bishop should have advised the prince to obediently go to the Horde. “Prince Alexander thought, and Bishop Cyril blessed him, and he went to the king in the Horde. And when he saw him, King Batu was surprised and said to his nobles: "You told me the truth that there is no one like this prince." And having paid him due honor, he dismissed him. " It is known from the chronicle that, in addition to Alexander, Batu had his brother Andrei, and that Baty sent both of these important Russian guests to his superiors, "to the kanovichs," to Karakorum.
Alexander's visit to the Horde meant that the Novgorod land became a border vassal of the Tatar-Mongol empire. As a commander with a successful experience of fighting Western Europeans, Alexander was given power both in southern Russia and in Kiev - along the western border of the lands conquered by the Tatars. Andrei Yaroslavich, by the grace of the Tatars, became the Grand Duke of Vladimir, that is, he received the right to expel his uncle Svyatoslav from Vladimir.
Soon after returning to Russia, Alexander Yaroslavich was supposed to read the message of Pope Innocent IV, written on February 10, 1248 in Lyon. The message was brought by "two of the wisest" of the twelve papal cardinals, as stated in the Life, Gald and Gemont. The Pope offered to listen to their teachings about the law of God. In addition, Innocent informed Alexander that his father Yaroslav, being with the great khan, gave John de Plano Carpini a promise to join the Latin Church and, undoubtedly, would have fulfilled it if sudden death had not prevented him. The son is obliged, he wrote, to follow the example of his father; and if he does this, then both he and the Russian people will find peace and glory under the canopy of the Western Church. As a faithful guardian of Christians, Alexander must immediately notify the knights of the Livonian Order about the approach of the Mongols to the borders of Europe.
In conclusion, the pope praised Alexander for the fact that he did not recognize the power of the khan over himself. “Prince Alexander,” says Life, “having thought with his wise men, wrote to him in reply:“ From Adam to the flood, from the flood to the division of nations, from the confusion of tongues to the birth of Abraham, from Abraham to the passage of Israel through the Black Sea, from of the sons of Israel until the death of King David, from the beginning of the kingdom of Solomon to Augustus to the birth of Christ, from the birth of Christ to His passion and resurrection, from His resurrection and ascent to heaven until the accession of Constantine, from the beginning of the kingdom of Constantine to the first council and to the seventh - we all know this very well, but we do not accept teachings from you. "
However, Alexander did not fully perceive the Mongols' view of Catholics as enemies who had yet to be conquered and began to think about improving relations, at least with the neighboring part of the Western world. He sent an embassy to the Norwegian king Haakon with a proposal for a peace treaty and a dynastic union, asking him to marry Princess Christina to his son Basil. The king answered both with consent and sent his ambassadors to Novgorod. Peace was concluded, but they did not have time to play the wedding, because relations with the Horde demanded urgent travels there for Alexander and, possibly, a revision of his Western policy.
In 1252, the Grand Duke Andrei Yaroslavich lost the position of the Tatars, the punitive expedition of Nevryu defeated his squad near Pereslavl, and he fled to Sweden. The Vladimir-Suzdal lands were "fought" by the Tatars. Alexander Nevsky in the Horde managed to prove his loyalty to Sartak, the son of Batu, and received the great reign thrown by his brother. Leaving his son Vasily to reign in Novgorod, he sat down on the Vladimir table and began to restore what was destroyed - he erected destroyed churches, rebuilt cities, gathered the frightened population, began to ransom the prisoners. "And God blessed Alexander's land with riches and glory, and prolonged his years."
In 1255, the Novgorodians invited their younger brother Alexander Yaroslavich to reign, and Prince Vasily Alexandrovich was expelled, while unrest broke out in the city, and Alexander went on a campaign to Novgorod, trying to restore order there, but achieved little. And the next year, knowing about the absence of the prince in Novgorod, the Swedes with the Finns and Livonian knights invaded the Novgorod lands and began to build a city on the Narova River. The alarmed Novgorodians sent for help to the Grand Duke Alexander in Vladimir.
Upon learning of this, the Swedes abandoned the city unfinished and went overseas. Alexander nevertheless arrived in Novgorod - with a retinue and with Metropolitan Kirill. Having replenished his army with Novgorodians, he led him without telling them where. The Metropolitan walked with them. It was winter. When they reached Koporye, the Metropolitan and part of the Novgorodians returned, while the rest, with Alexander at their head, went to Finland across the ice of the Gulf of Finland. They walked day and night, many perished in this difficult campaign, "but the Novgorodians," the Novgorod chronicler wrote, "God observes." Having entered the Finnish land, the Russians killed whom they took prisoner and took them to Novgorod. Leaving Novgorod for Vladimir, the Grand Duke restored his son to reign, and took with him the Novgorod ambassadors and hostages.
The Tatars at this time decided to make a census of the Russian population in order to impose a tribute on it. At the same time, for the first time, a network of the Horde military administration was established across the country - foremen, centurions, thousanders, temniks ("ten-thousanders"). Only clergy and monasticism were exempted from tribute. First, a census was made in the Vladimir-Suzdal land. When the news came to Novgorod from there, “from Rus,” that soon the same would happen with them, unrest began there again. Indeed, soon, next winter, Tatar ambassadors arrived in Novgorod. Alexander Nevsky came with them. The Novgorodians refused to pay taxes to the Tatars, their prince Vasily Alexandrovich, apparently frightened, fled to Pskov. The Novgorodians, however, conveyed gifts to the khan through ambassadors and released them in peace. Alexander Yaroslavich summoned his son from Pskov and sent him to the Suzdal land, and severely punished his advisers, cutting off his nose, tearing out his eyes.
The Novgorodians were deceived, frightened that in the lower lands there were regiments ready to ruin their city if they did not allow themselves to be counted and imposed a tribute. This was in 1259. They surrendered. The Tatars arrived in the city, and extortions and unrest began. Fearing that they would be killed, the Tatars asked Alexander for a guard. The Grand Duke ordered the son of the mayor and all the boyars' children to guard them at night. In the end, the city, with a noise, surrendered, and the Tatars began to boldly ride the streets, "writing the houses of the Khrestyanskiy", and left, "take the number." Prince Alexander left the city after them, placing his other son, Demetrius, on the table.
In 1261 Alexander Nevsky had a son, Daniel, from whom a branch of the Moscow princes came. In the same year, through the efforts of Metropolitan Kirill and Prince Alexander, an Orthodox Russian bishopric was established in the capital of the Golden Horde on the lower Volga and in Sarai.
The business of collecting taxes for the Tatars in Russia was undertaken by Muslims, experienced in handling money, Muslims, as well as Russian apostates. At the same time, they did a lot of evil and insulted the religious feelings of people. All over the Vladimir-Suzdal land in 1262 an uprising broke out against them, some of them were expelled from the cities, some were killed. Alexander decided to go to the khan in the Horde in order to "pray" people out of trouble. Before leaving, he sent brother Yaroslav and son Dimitri with Novgorod and his regiments "to the Western countries", to Yuryev Nemetsky, perhaps to please the Tatars: in any case, it was clear that he was not going to defend his lands from a possible punitive expedition.
Alexander came to Khan Berke in the city of Saray and was detained there by the Khan. Khan at this time was waging wars in the southern borders. Khan wanted the Russians to help him. “Then there was a great burden from the foreigners: they drove Christians to war, commanding them to fight with them. The great prince Alexander went to the king to pray the people out of this trouble. He succeeded in this, too, living in the Horde. But I started to get sick there. "
In the meantime, the city of Yuryev by Dimitri Alexandrovich was taken from the first attack, the Russian princes and troops returned to their land "with a lot of crowds and with great honor." And Prince Alexander, returning along the Volga, reached Nizhny Novgorod, spent a little time there, then got to Gorodets, already very sick, "ward off ill health." Weakening, on November 14, 1263, he took monastic vows, followed by a larger monastic rank - schema and died that night.
“Metropolitan Kirill said then:“ My children, know that the sun of the land of Suzdal has set! ” Priests, deacons, monks and other people, beggars and rich, said: "We are already perishing!" The holy body of the prince was carried to the city of Vladimir. The Metropolitan, princes, boyars and all the people, young and old, met him in Bogolyubovo with candles and censers. The people crowded in, trying to touch the bed on which his venerated body lay. There was a scream and a scream, everyone grieved as never before, so that the earth also shook. And his body was laid in the monastery of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God, in the great archimandrite, on November 23, on the feast day of Holy Father Amphilochius.
An amazing and worthy miracle happened then, the author of the Life of Alexander Nevsky concludes his story. “When his holy body had already been placed in the shrine, then the steward Sevastian and Metropolitan Kirill wanted to unclench his hand in order to put a spiritual letter into it. And he, as if alive, stretched out his hand and took the letter from the hand of the metropolitan. And they were seized with terror, and they barely managed to retreat from his crayfish. Everyone heard about this from Metropolitan Kirill and from his housekeeper Sevastyan. Who won’t be surprised at this, for the body was soulless and was transported from a distant city in winter. So God has glorified his saint. " And the Novgorod chronicler accompanied the message about the death of Alexander Nevsky with his next prayer: "Gracious Lord, let him see your face in the next century, for he worked for Novgorod and for the entire Rus land."
About Prince Alexander Nevsky on the pages of the book
Chapter IX
In 1240, in the dead of summer - in the hardest time of field work - news of an attack from the north came to Novgorod. The son-in-law of the Swedish king, Folkung Birger, entered the Neva on boats and landed with a large army at the mouth of the Izhora, threatening Ladoga.
An unequal struggle has begun. The enemy was already within the Novgorodian boundaries. St. Alexander Nevsky had neither the time to send to his father for reinforcements, nor to gather people from the far-flung Novgorodian lands. According to the chronicle, he "warmed up his heart" and came out against the Swedish army only with his squad, the regiment of the Lord and a small Novgorod militia.
Before the performance, he came to the Sophia temple, fell on his knees in front of the altar and with tears began to pray to St. Sophia, saying: "Praising God, righteous God, great and mighty God, eternal God, making heaven and earth, and set limits with your tongue and gig the commander not to attack in the chyuzhaa part ", and having heard the psalm being sung at that time, said:" Judge, O Lord, those who offend me and oppose those who fight me, take up arms and a shield, rise up to help me "(1).
After finishing his prayer, he got up and bowed to the archbishop. The archbishop blessed him and released him in peace.
St. Alexander, leaving the temple, turned to his militia, strengthening it and saying: "God is not able, but in righteousness; let us remember the songwriter David, saying: these are in arms, and these are on horseback, but in the name of the Lord God we will call you are asleep and fall "(2).
Then he mounted a horse and led his army from Novgorod to the north: "and go on them in the fury of your courage, in your little howl, not waiting for your many howls, with great strength, but a catch for the Holy Trinity" (3).
Walking upstream of the Volkhov, St. Alexander led his army under the walls of Ladoga, which lay on the rapids of the Volkhov, among pine forests, near the shores of the gloomy Lake Ladoga. It was the posad of Novgorod, its stronghold in the north - a monument of austere and simple Novgorod architecture in the northern regions, with the Church of St. Clement and living rooms, protected by low walls made of round cobblestones and flagstones, with round corner towers and elongated cracks in the walls for throwing arrows ...
Reaching Ladoga, St. Alexander annexed the Ladoga militia to his army and went through the forests to the Neva against the Swedes, who were encamped at their boats at the mouth of the Izhora.
This slaughter, on the night before her, was preceded by a miracle. Among the Izhora elders there was a certain Pelgusiy - a Christian, baptized as Philip. Among his pagan tribe, he led a godly life, strictly observing the fasts. After tracking down the Swedish camps, he went with his regiment to meet St. Alexander, to tell him about the strength and disposition of the enemy. On the night before the battle, he stopped at the very shore and spent her in vigil, watching the sea.
As the sun rose, he heard a noise and saw a bait walking on the sea. In it they stood in scarlet clothes, putting their hands on each other's shoulders, Sts. passion-bearers Boris and Gleb; the rowers in the head sat as if they were clothed with darkness. St. Boris said: "Brother Gleb! We were led to row, so let us help our relative, the Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavlich" (4).
Pelgusius, seeing the vision and hearing the voice of the saints, stood in fear until the nozzle disappeared. Then he galloped towards St. Alexander and, seeing him, told him with "joyful eyes" about the vision. St. Alexander answered him: "This is not rci to anyone, oh, friend!"
By 11 o'clock in the afternoon the sun had dispelled the fog lying on the forests. At this time, St. Alexander struck at the Swedes.
The attack was unexpected. It found the Swedes in their camp. All the same, the Swedes stubbornly defended themselves: "the battle was very strong, terrible and terrible." They fought alone, among the camp and rooks. St. Alexander himself, making his way to Birger, wounded him in the face with a spear.
The chronicle mentions the names of six Novgorodians who distinguished themselves in the battle, and describes their exploits. Gabriel Oleksich, seeing the Swedish prince, whom his entourage drew from the battle to the boats, chased him and jumped on the boards of the gangway. The Swedish warriors who ran up pushed him into the water with his horse. Having got out unharmed ashore, Oleksich fought again with the Swedes and in the middle of their regiment killed the Swedish governor and bishop.
Another Novgorodian, Sbyslov Yakunovich, cut himself with one heavy ax and surprised many with his courage.
Yakov Polovchanin, the hunter of the prince, cut himself with a sword and "courage is strong, and the prince praised him."
The princely youth Sava cut through on horseback through the Swedes to the golden-domed tent of Birger, which stood in the middle of the camp, and cut down the pillar. The tent collapsed to the great confusion of the Swedes.
Another princely youth Ratmir in a foot battle was surrounded by a whole crowd of enemies and for a long time defended himself from them alone until he fell from many wounds (5).
The Life reports that angels came to the aid of the Novgorodians, as in ancient times during the invasion of Jerusalem by Senacherib, king of Assyria. Behind Izhora, where the Novgorod army did not pass, the bodies of the slain Swedes, who had fallen from angelic swords, were found.
The battle ended in the evening. The remnants of the Swedish army boarded the boats and went to sea at night. According to the chronicler, the bodies of the slain Swedes filled three boats and several large pits, while the Novgorodians lost only twenty people. One might think that the chronicler incorrectly conveys the ratio of those killed in the battle, but, in any case, his story expresses the consciousness of the great importance of this battle for Novgorod and all of Russia. The onslaught of the Swedes was repelled.
The rumor of victory spread throughout the country. Novgorod, seized by that fear and anxiety about the outcome of the unequal struggle, rejoiced. At the ringing of bells, St. Alexander returned to Novgorod.
Archbishop Spiridon of Novgorod with the clergy and crowds of Novgorodians came out to meet him. Having entered the city, St. Alexander drove straight to St. Sophia, "praising and glorifying the Holy Trinity" for the victory won.
(1) Stories about the life and bravery of the Blessed and Grand Duke Alexander (Historical-Literary Reader by V. Sokolov and P. Borzakovsky. Odessa, 1887, p. 181). Poly. collection Letop. Volume VII, p. 147. Volume XV, p. 377.
(2) Ibid, p. 182; p. 147; p. 377.
(3) Poly. collection Letop. Volume VII, p. 147.
(4) Ibid, p. 148.
(5) Ibid, p. 148.Vol. XV, pp. 378 and 379.
Chapter X
In the summer of 1240 St. Alexander, with the ringing of bells and the jubilation of the people, entered Novgorod.
In the winter of the same 1240, he and his mother, wife and the entire princely court left for Suzdal, having quarreled with the Novgorodians.
This strife against the background of the general misfortune of Russia and the constant threat of enemies seems incomprehensible. But the former struggle of Novgorod with the prince, hidden by external events, continued since the time of Yaroslav. While the threat was only a threat, Novgorod lived its usual free life. Only when the enemy approached the lines did the veche noise cease, the temples were filled and Novgorod sought protection from the prince. Only in the days of campaigns the will of the prince and the will of Novgorod merged together. When peace came, after a short jubilation of victory, they became hostile again.
St. Alexander, apparently, was not blinded by the Neva victory. This victory was only the beginning of a long war. Its signs were evident in everything. During the campaign of the Novgorodians to the Neva, the sword-bearers raided Pskov. Therefore, St. Alexander prepared for further struggle.
For him, Novgorod continued to remain in martial law, as in the campaign.
But, apparently, the Novgorodians did not understand that the war did not end with the Neva victory and that the Swedish offensive was only the first attack of the West, followed by others. In St. Alexander's attempts to strengthen his power of the prince-leader of the army, they saw the former hostile princely Suzdal will. The very glory of St. Alexander and the love of the people for him made him in the eyes of the Novgorod boyars even more dangerous for the Novgorodian liberties. This misunderstanding of the terrible hour of Russia caused St. Alexander's irritation and annoyance. On this basis, there was a strife, which caused a rebellion. Then St. Alexander bowed to St. Sophia and drove off to Pereyaslavl.
In this strife, St. Alexander was on the right. Back in the summer of 1240, while St. Alexander with the Novgorod militia was repelling the Swedes on the Neva, the sword-bearers, together with the Bears, Yurievites, Veliades and Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich took Izborsk - the mantle of Pskov in the west, lying on the rise of a high hill, over two lakes , against the Lithuanian and Livonian forests. Having learned about the capture of their suburb, the Pskovians went out to the whole city near Izborsk. An evil slaughter took place. The Pskov voivode Gavrila Borislavlich was killed. The swordsmen drove the Pskovites; many were killed and many were captured. Chasing the Pskovs all the way to the city, they lit the posad. Many churches were burned down. The swordsmen plundered the icons and all the church utensils and devastated the villages around Pskov. They stood near Pskov for a week, they did not take the city and, having captured many Pskovites, left. But peace did not come. In Pskov itself there was a defector, Tverdilo Ivankovich. He seized power in the city and, with the support of the sword-bearers, began to fight the Novgorod villages. Many of the Pskov boyars who opposed the Germans fled with their families from the power of Tverdil to Novgorod.
In the same winter, after the departure of St. Alexander, the sword-bearers again came to the Novgorod possessions of Chud and Vod, devastated them, imposed a tribute and erected the city of Koporye on the Novgorod land itself. From there they took Tesovo and approached 30 versts to Novgorod, beating Novgorod guests along the roads. In the north, they reached Luga. At this time, Lithuania attacked the Novgorod borders. Swordsmen, Chud and Lithuanians prowled the Novgorod volosts, robbing residents and taking away horses and cattle; in the coming spring, the smerds had nothing to plow.
In this trouble, the Novgorodians sent ambassadors to Yaroslav Vsevolodovich with a request for a prince. But the Novgorodians did not believe that the young prince would lead them out of unprecedented troubles. They again sent Archbishop Spiridon with the boyars to Yaroslav, begging him to release to the principality of St. Alexander.
Yaroslav agreed. In the winter of 1241 St. Alexander, after a year of absence, entered Novgorod again, and "the Novgorodians were happy." Common misfortunes and hardships tightly linked St. Alexander with Novgorod. Throughout the life of St. Alexander passes love for the violent, often rebellious Novgorod, despite the quarrels and disagreements, and, sometimes, open struggle. For Novgorod, St. Alexander was one of the few princes whom he loved and honored as his prince. And this love, sometimes hidden behind dissatisfaction and murmuring, veche like a candle burning under soot, sometimes suddenly flashed and burned with a bright light. So it was in the days of St. Alexander's grave illness, and so it was in the days of the impending all-Russian trouble.
St. Alexander, arriving in Novgorod, found him gloomy and silent. The veche bell fell silent and the strife subsided temporarily. Fortifications were hastily built, militias were pulled together and the churches were filled with worshipers.
Upon arrival, St. Alexander gathered a militia of Novgorodians, Ladoga residents, Korelians and Izhorians, attacked Koporye, erected on Novgorod land, destroyed the city to the ground, killed many sword-bearers, took many prisoners, and released others - "more merciful than measure", - and he ordered the deserters, the leaders and the chud, to be executed (1).
In response to this attack, the order brothers, despite the winter time, attacked Pskov and, having defeated the Pskovites, put their governors in the city.
Hearing about this, St. Alexander "carried on an insult for the blood of Christianity and, not hesitating in the least, but inflamed in spirit and his zeal for the Holy Trinity and St. Sophia, and we sing along with our brother and all our own, and came to Novutorod and worship Saint Sophia with prayer and plaque "(2).
At the head of the Novgorod and grassroots army, St. Alexander and his brother Andrey went to the order. On the way, he took Pskov by storm and sent the governors of the order chained to Novgorod. From near Pskov, he moved on and entered the possession of the order.
Having entered the lands of the Order, St. Alexander started up the shelves in prosperity. The sword-bearers attacked the forward regiment of Novgorodians and hacked it to pieces. Domash Tverdislavovich, brother of the Novgorod mayor, "a good husband", was killed. Of the entire regiment, only a few managed to escape to their prince.
At the news of the Russian invasion, the master gathered the entire order and the tribes subordinate to him and marched to the borders. Learning that a large army was approaching him, St. Alexander retreated from the order's possessions, crossed over Lake Peipsi and set up his regiments on its Russian bank, on Uzmen near the Crow Stone. It was already April, but there was still snow and the lake was covered with hard ice. A decisive battle was being prepared. The entire order went to the Novgorodians. The Germans walked "boasting," confident of their victory. From the story of the chronicle it is clear that the entire Novgorod army was aware of the deep seriousness of the battle. In this story - in tense anticipation of the battle - there is a feeling of the Russian land lying behind the back, the fate of which depended on the outcome of the battle. Filled with the spirit of war, the people of Novgorod said to St. Alexander: "Oh, our honest and precious prince; now the time has come to lay down your heads for you" (3). But the pinnacle of this consciousness of the decisiveness of the battle lies in the prayers of St. Alexander, which the chronicle cites: St. Alexander entered the Church of the Holy Trinity and, raising his hands and praying, said: “Judge, God, and judge my words from my tongue: help, Lord, like the ancient Moses on Amalik and my great-grandfather, Prince Yaroslav, on the accursed Svyatopolk "(4).
On Saturday (April 5), at sunrise, a host of swordsmen in white cloaks thrown over their armor, with a red cross and a sword sewn on them, moved across the ice of the lake to the Novgorodians.
Constructing like a wedge - a "pig" - and closing their shields, they crashed into the Russian army and made their way through it. Confusion began among the Novgorodians. Then St. Alexander with a reserve regiment struck behind enemy lines. A slaughter began, "evil and great" ... and a coward of hundreds of mines, breaking-laziness and the sound of the sword cut ... and if you don't see the lake, everything is covered with blood. " The Novgorodians drove them along the lake for seven miles, to the other side of the lake, called Suplichskoe. In the wide ice-covered expanse, the fugitives had nowhere to hide. In the battle, 500 sword-bearers and many Chudi fell.
Fifty knights were taken prisoner and brought to Novgorod. Many drowned in the lake, falling into openings, and many wounded hid in the forests.
As in the time of the Neva battle, contemporaries saw God's regiment in the air, helping the Novgorodians.
St. Alexander entered Pskov with glory. Captured knights followed his horse. Abbots and priests and a multitude of people, with images and banners, went out to meet him.
St. Alexander drove straight to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, where a prayer service was served.
The chronicler, finishing the description of this slaughter, exclaims: "Oh, neveglasy Pskoviches, if you forget the great prince Alexander Yaroslavich, or depart from him, or from his children, or from all his family, become like the Zhidom, the Lord is feeding them in the desert with baked crustles, and these of all the forgetfulness of his God, known from the work of the Egyptian by Moses; behold, I say to you: if someone comes to last the race of his great princes, or in sorrow comes to you to live in Pskov, and do not accept him or do not honor him, the second Zhidov will be called " (5).
The rout at Lake Peipsi hit the order hard. The Swordsmen put up all their strength against the Russians, and all this strength was defeated. In the same summer, the master sent ambassadors to Novgorod with a proposal for peace. The order renounced its conquests in the Novgorod possessions and offered to exchange the captured swordsmen for the Novgorodians and Pskovians captured by them.
The struggle with the West did not end with the Neva and Peipsi battles. It, renewed during the life of St. Alexander, continued for several centuries. But the Battle on the Ice broke the enemy wave at a time when it was especially strong and when, thanks to the weakening of Russia, the success of the order would have been decisive and final. On Lake Peipsi and on the Neva, St. Alexander defended the originality of Russia from the West in the most difficult time of the Tatar flood. Both of these battles were battles that did not bring either peace or complete liberation, but which signify a deep turning point, directing the historical life of the people in a different direction.
The memory of these battles lived for a long time both in Novgorod and in Pskov. For more than three hundred years, all the litanies commemorated those who fell in the battlements on the Neva and Lake Peipsi.
(1) Stories of life, etc., p. 183. Complete. collection Letop. Volume VII, p. 149.
(2) Full collection Letop. Volume VII, p. 150.
(3) Ibid, p. 150.
(4) Ibid, p. 150.
(5) Ibid, p. 151.
Chapter XI
The two main opponents of Novgorod - the Swedes and the sword-bearers - were repelled and temporarily retreated from the attacks. The third enemy remained - a warlike and semi-savage Lithuania, and the Swedes and the order were putting together a host of people. The defeat of this army also meant the defeat of the enemy, the offensive - if not peace, then a long-term truce.
It was different with Lithuania. Divided into many small principalities, it raided Russia in relatively small detachments. These detachments emerged from the Lithuanian forests in front of this or that Russian city, sometimes captured it and plundered the surroundings. Then they disappeared into the woods again. If the Russian princes overtook such a detachment and destroyed it, this did not stop the raids. One Lithuanian prince or several Lithuanian princes, joining together, again came to Russia.
The constant struggle with Lithuania was different from the struggle with the order and the Swedes. There was no threat of another world and another culture in it. There was no tragic expectation of a battle in it, as on the Neva or at the Crow's Stone. The fight was a constantly dragging out guerrilla war. She was gradually bleeding the earth. As in the Kiev region, the raids of the steppe nomads, so the raids of Lithuania made the life of the population uneasy and unstable. In dangerous times for Novgorod, this enemy hidden in the forests became a serious threat, weakening Novgorod and strengthening other, more powerful enemies.
All Novgorod princes waged a constant war with Lithuania. This became part of the Novgorod princely tradition, as well as the war with the sword-bearers.
The graves in the monastic crypts and the crosses on the village graveyards of the Pechersk region, erected over the "slain from Lithuania" in the 13-15th centuries, remain the monuments of this constant war.
St. Alexander Nevsky had to defend the Russian land from this enemy as well. The constant raids of the Lithuanians intensified especially in 1242, in the summer following the Battle of the Ice.
“In the same summer,” says the chronicle, “the language of Lithuanian multiplied and started nasty things in the area of the Great Duke Alexander” (1).
St. Alexander went to Lithuania. With the Novgorod army, he defeated, one after another, seven Lithuanian detachments that penetrated the Novgorod land. The Novgorodians caught the Lithuanians who survived the defeat and, angry with them, took them prisoner, tying their horses to their tails. This swift rout ended the Lithuanian raids. "Ottole began to observe and tremble in his name" (2).
Several years after the Battle of the Ice and the defeat of Lithuania passed calmly. The constant enemies of Novgorod - the Swedes, the Order and the Lithuanians - fell silent. There was peace in Novgorod too. During this time, it was not heard of any mutinies, or uprisings, or quarrels with the prince. This rare case in the history of Novgorod testifies to the strong connection between St. Alexander and Novgorod and to the peculiarities of his historical path. As Prince of Novgorod, St. Alexander took part in the administration of Novgorod. In the difficult days of constant war with many enemies, its external strength and its ability to defend depended on the internal state of the principality. The past centuries distinguish St. Alexander from all those who lived at that time. The names of his political opponents - Novgorodians - have been forgotten. Above the intertwining of Novgorod parties, we see only his clear and direct view, leading Russia along the correct historical path. Along the way, he was constantly confronted with misunderstanding, blinding by his local interests and personal tenacity. With the awareness of the correctness of the path, it is especially difficult to yield to those who are in error. There are historical figures who have always gone ahead. St. Alexander was not one of them. It has a special combination of a clear and direct path, adamant towards its goal and at the same time great flexibility and ability to yield. We will see further that there were clashes between St. Alexander and Novgorod, when he became adamant and became an enemy of Novgorod up to the threat of his army. But the years of long peace after the Swedish and Order wars testify to St. Alexander's flexibility, his ability to give in if these concessions could be made.
These years of inner tranquility mark only brief information about the life of the princely family and about the Lithuanian raids.
In 1244, on May 5, the mother of St. Alexander, Princess Theodosia Yaroslavna, who lived in Novgorod, died. Before her death, she was tonsured into monasticism at the monastery of St. George with the name Euphrosinius and was buried in the same monastery, next to her son Prince Theodore.
In 1245, Lithuania again raided the Novgorod possessions. Several Lithuanian princes, joining together, marched as far as Bezhetsk and Torzhok. The inhabitants of Torzhok with their prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich opposed them and were defeated. The Lithuanians captured a large polon and turned back to Lithuania. This raid raised the whole of northern Russia. Tverichi, Dmitrovites and Novotorzhites chased after Lithuania, which was leaving with full, and defeated it near Toropets. The Lithuanian princes with their army hid behind the walls of the city. The Russians laid siege to the city. The next morning after this battle, St. Alexander approached Toropets with the Novgorodians. Taking the city by storm, he took the whole city away from the Lithuanians. Eight Lithuanian princes fell in this section.
Here, under the walls of Toropets, St. Alexander had a disagreement with the Novgorodians. The Novgorodians believed that the campaign was over. But St. Alexander knew that the defeat of one Lithuanian detachment would not save Novgorod from further raids. After lengthy disputes between the prince and the mayor and the governors, the Novgorod army was divided. The Novgorod militia and the Vladychin's regiment with the mayor and the tysyatsky returned to Novgorod, and St. Alexander with his princes' squad went to the Lithuanian borders.
Entering the Smolensk land, he met Lithuania at Zhizhich and defeated it. On the way back, he met another army near Usvyat. “Go to Novgorod in a small squad,” says the chronicle, “and shit from other people, and fight with them, and God help him, beat them, and when you come you are healthy and all his howling” (3).
The defeat of the Lithuanians not on the Novgorod land, but in the Lithuanian forests stopped the raids for a long time. This war, like all the wars of St. Alexander, was defensive in essence, but offensive in action. Military actions of St. Alexander are distinguished by speed and impetuosity. He did not wait for the enemy, but he himself went to him, and, having entered the war, he brought it to the end, until the final defeat of the enemy, which for a long time could provide peace, stopping the possibility of attacks.
(1) Poly. collection Letop. Volume VII, p. 151.
(2) Ibid. Volume XV, p. 386.
(3) Ibid. Volume VII, p. 152.
Chapter XII
The march to Lithuania in 1246 ends the first period of St. Alexander's life. Until then, he was facing the West. Before him is a small area of the Russian land with its border towns, Lithuanian, Livonian and Swedish forests. He walked this space with his retinue, rushing from north to south, from the Neva to Toropets. In this period of his life - tightness, strong and stubborn upholding of every inch of his land. Until that time, nothing is known about the attitude of St. Alexander to the Tatars. Novgorod was protected from them by the Suzdal land. While his father was alive, St. Alexander was relieved of the need to pursue an all-Russian policy towards the Tatars. But with the death of Yaroslav, this situation changed. Fate put before him the question of one or another attitude towards the khans, as it had previously set the task of protecting the Novgorod regions.
After the Lithuanian campaign, in 1246, he turned to face east towards the Asian expanses.
And this turning from west to east, from Europe to Asia, changes his whole life, opens up a different enemy, different paths and other horizons.
According to the division of the khan's possessions, the conquered Rus entered the Batu ulus, who roamed with his horde in the Azov and Volga steppes.
With great independence, individual uluses of the Tatar kingdom were subordinate to the supreme power of the great khan who lived in Karakorum. The spirit of Genghis Khan continued to live in his descendants, manifesting itself in the cohesion and concentration of power, with a huge scattering and diversity of uluses. Distributing to the Russian princes labels for reign, Batu sent some of them to bow to the Hagan, as if indicating their dependence on the higher power.
Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, father of St. Alexander, having arrived to Batu, suffered this fate. With a small detachment, he made a long journey into the depths of Asia. Many of his companions died on the way in the steppes from thirst and exhaustion.
Yaroslav's arrival in the Horde and the subsequent change in the life of St. Alexander coincided with changes in the Tatar kingdom itself.
When Yaroslav arrived in the Horde, Khan Ogodai had already died, and before the election of a new khan, the beloved wife of the deceased, Turakin, ruled the kingdom for five years. Under Yaroslav, a new khan was elected. Plano Karpini, who was at the same time with Yaroslav in the Horde, mentioning his name among other khans and princes, left a description of the Great Kurultai, which the Russian prince had to witness.
By this time, the khans and princes of the Mongol hordes and ulus gathered in the Horde, who were to elect a Khagan from among the descendants of Genghis Khan.
“We found a light purple tent there,” writes Plano Carpini, “so large that, in our opinion, it could accommodate more than two thousand people. Being there with the Tatars accompanying us, we saw a large gathering of khans and princes who came together on the first day they were dressed in light purple, on the second day in red - Gayuk then came to the tent, on the third day they were in purple, on the fourth in crimson. .. All the khans and princes were under the tent, where they talked and discussed the election of the Great Khan. The rest of the people were outside the fence, waiting for a decision "(1).
There were long disputes about the choice of the khan. Separate branches of the Chingizids could not agree, each nominating its own contender. Finally, under pressure from Turakini, the choice fell on the son of the deceased khan - Gayuk.
On August 25, 1246, huge crowds gathered at the khan's tent. When reading prayers, they bowed in the direction of the grave of Chinggis Khan. The princes and khans, entering the tent, seated Gayuk on a golden table, laid a sword in front of him and fell on their knees, saying: "We want, we ask, we demand that you take power over all of us." The crowds that stood around the tent and far beyond the tent on the plain also fell to their knees.
If you want me to own you, - said Gayuk, - is each of you ready to do what I command him, come when I call, go, where I will send, kill, whom I command?
Those on their knees agreed.
If so, - said Haiuk, - then henceforth the word of my mouth, let it be my sword (2).
Then those present put Gayuk and his wife on felt and, lifting them up, with loud shouts announced the Great Khan. Then they brought the rich treasury of the deceased khan and handed it over to Hayuk. The new khan presented those present from her.
After the feast, which lasted all day, Gayuk, sitting on a golden table, began to accept the gifts of the conquered peoples. The ambassadors entered the tent in a line, kneeled four times, prostrated on the ground in front of the khan and laid their gifts in front of him. At the foot of the golden khan's table, a pile of gifts gradually grew: there was velvet, purple, gold-woven blankets of Khovzarem, silk, lacquerware from China, Russian furs, chiseled ivory. In this variety and multicolored gifts, it was like a symbol of the Tatar kingdom - the union at the feet of the khan of many peoples, kingdoms, dialects, cultures and beliefs. After Gayuk's enthronement, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich was released home. But he was not destined to see Russia. He died in the steppes on September 30, 1246. Both Plano Carpini and the chronicle claim that he left the Horde already sick, as he was poisoned on the orders of Tura-kini.
This lonely death in alien steppes, far from Russia, deeply impressed his contemporaries. She put the stamp of martyrdom on Yaroslav. "The Scripture speaks of such," says the chronicler, describing the "necessary" death of Yaroslav, Russian, and the Lord numbered him to his chosen flock; he is merciful to everyone, and those who demand unrestrainedly give, hedgehog demand "(3).
(1) Voyages tres curieux etc., pp. 10-11.
(2) Ibid, p. 14; D. Ilovaisky, "History of Russia", Part II, p. 397.
(3) Poly. collection Letop. Volume VII, p. 156.
Chapter XIII
The death of Yaroslav freed the Grand Ducal throne in Russia. Yaroslav's brother, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, temporarily became the Grand Duke. The change in the great reign caused displacements on other tables. The transfer also affected St. Alexander as the eldest son of the deceased Grand Duke. The occupation of the new table depended on the Tatars. To obtain the principalities, St. Alexander and his brother Andrey had to go to the Horde for a shortcut. "That same summer, Prince Andrey Yaroslavovich went to the Horde to Batuvi. Tsar Batu received his ambassadors to Alexander Yaroslavich, saying:" God conquered many languages to me, are you the only one who does not want to submit to my druzhava? but if you want to keep your land now, then come to me, "- this is how the life and chronicle tell about it (1).
The Kipchak khans from their headquarters followed Russia. The name of St. Alexander was already glorified throughout Russia. His victories over the Swedes, the sword-bearers and Lithuania made him a national hero, the defender of Russia from foreigners. He was a prince in Novgorod - the only region of Russia, where the Tatars did not reach. And, probably, many Russians at that time had a hope that this prince, who defeated foreign armies with a small militia, would free Russia from the Tatars. This suspicion should have arisen at the khan's headquarters. Therefore, Batu's order to appear in the Horde is quite understandable (2).
It is also understandable and the hesitation of St. Alexander - his unwillingness to go to the Horde. In Novgorod he was free. He fought openly with his enemies. Didn't he have a thought to oppose the Tatars? We can only assume this, but many data make this assumption quite reasonable.
The idea of overthrowing the yoke was put into action by many princes, who had much less reason to hope for success than St. Alexander. Defender of Russia from enemies, could he not think about getting rid of the most powerful enemy?
Batu's order put him in front of the need for an answer. Agreeing or refusing to come meant peace or war.
This was the most decisive and tragic moment in the life of St. Alexander. There were two paths before him. One of them had to stand. The decision predetermined his future life.
This step was full of great hesitation. A trip to the Horde - it was the threat of an inglorious death - the princes went there, almost as if to death, leaving will left their wills - surrender to the mercy of the enemy in the distant steppes and, after the glory of the Nevsky and Peipsi massacres, humiliation in front of idolaters, "filthy, who left true God, creatures worship. "
It would seem that both glory and honor and the good of Russia demanded a refusal - war. We can firmly say that Russia and, especially, Novgorod, expected disobedience to the will of the khan. Countless uprisings bear witness to this. Before St. Alexander there was a path of direct heroic struggle, the hope of victory or heroic death. But St. Alexander rejected this path. He went to see the khan.
Here his realism affected. If he had the strength, he would go to the khan, as he went to the Swedes. But with a firm and free gaze, he saw and knew that there was no strength and there was no way to win. And he resigned himself.
For a medieval knight, this would be the end of glory. The troubadour would not compose songs in honor of a knight who took a humiliating step. But St. Alexander was not a knight. He was an Orthodox prince. And in this humiliation of oneself, bowing before the power of life - God's will - there was a greater feat than a glorious death. The people with a special instinct, perhaps not immediately and not suddenly, understood St. Alexander. He glorified him long before canonization, and it is difficult to say what attracted the love of the people to him more, whether the victory on the Neva, or this trip to humiliation.
From now on, St. Alexander bears the stamp of martyrdom. And it was precisely this martyrdom, suffering for the land, that the people felt and appreciated in him, through all the murmur and indignation that were rich in the path of St. Alexander after his submission to the evil Tatar captivity.
Batu's order found St. Alexander in Vladimir, where he arrived from Novgorod after the death of his father.
All those traveling to the Horde were especially embarrassed by the Tatars' demand to worship idols and go through the fire. St. Alexander also had this anxiety, and with it he went to Metropolitan Kirill of Kiev, who was living in Vladimir at that time.
“The Holy One (Alexander), hearing this from the sent ones, was sad, the velma ached in his soul and wondered what to do about this.
Metropolitan Kirill told him: "Let not drink and drink enter your mouth, and do not forsake God who created thee, as another" did, but guard for Christ, as a good warrior of Christ. "
St. Alexander promised to fulfill this instruction. Metropolitan Kirill gave him spare Holy Gifts "as companions of being" and let him go with the words: "May the Lord strengthen you" (3).
From Vladimir St. Alexander with a small retinue went to the Azov steppes. On the banks of the Don there was a Russian village founded by Batu to transport ambassadors from the Horde to Russia across the river. Deaf Zadonsk steppes after the Tatar invasion were completely deserted. Only gangs of robbers roamed in them. Those traveling to the Horde did not meet a single dwelling up to the Volga, where there was again a village of captured Russian carriers.
The descriptions of Plano Carpini, sent to the Tatars by Pope Innocent IV, and the monk Rubrikvis, sent by King Louis IX, speak of the deaf steppe path that St. Alexander made through the Don and Volga to the Volga steppes to the very headquarters. Plano Carpini describes the bet itself.
"Batu lives splendidly ... He has gatekeepers and all sorts of officials, like the emperor, and he sits in a high place, as if on a throne, with one of his wives. All the others, like his brothers and sons, and others nobles, sitting lower in the middle, on a bench, and the rest of the people behind them on the floor, men on the right, and women on the left. especially in a congregation, they do not drink otherwise than with the sound of songs or stringed instruments. When he leaves, they always wear a shield from the sun or a tent on a horse over his head. This is what all Tatar noble princes and their wives do.
Batu himself is very affectionate to his people; yet they are extremely afraid of him. In battles he is very fierce, but in war he is cunning and cunning, because he fought a lot "(4).
Like other princes, St. Alexander, upon his arrival in the Horde, was led to two bonfires, between which he had to pass in order to undergo purification and then worship idols. St. Alexander refused to perform the rite, saying: "It is not for me, a Christian to dry land, to bow down to creatures, except God; but worship the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, who also create heaven and earth, and the sea, and everything else in them. essence "(5).
Tatar officials sent to tell Batu about the disobedience of the prince.
St. Alexander stood by the fires, awaiting the decision of the khan, like the year before that St. Michael of Chernigov (b).
Ambassador Batu brought the order to bring St. Alexander to him, not forcing him to pass between the fires.
Khan officials took him to the tent and searched him, looking for weapons hidden in his clothes.
Khan's secretary proclaimed his name and ordered to enter, without stepping on the threshold, through the eastern doors of the tent, because only Khan himself entered through the western doors.
Entering the tent, St. Alexander approached Batu, who was sitting on an ivory table decorated with golden leaves, bowed to him according to the Tatar custom, i.e. fell on his knees four times, prostrating himself on the ground, and said:
"Tsar, I worship you, before God has honored you with a kingdom, but I do not worship creatures: that was created for man's sake, but I worship only God, I also serve and honor Him" (7).
Batu listened to these words and pardoned St. Alexander.
It is difficult to establish the exact reason for this favor. The life of an individual meant little to the Tatar khans. In their spontaneous movement, which destroyed many kingdoms and razed cities to the ground, death was an ordinary natural phenomenon, a law that did not surprise anyone, did not interest anyone. Asiatic cruelty emanates from the words of Chinggis Khan, recorded by the Arab Rashid-ud-Eddin: "The pleasure and bliss of man consists in suppressing the insurgent, defeating the enemy, pulling him out of the root, making their servants scream, and making tears flow down their faces and nose. "... (eight). In the cruelty of these words, there is already something dispassionate, deeply indifferent to the suffering and death of an individual. But along with cruelty in the Tatar khans, respect for the courage of the enemy coexisted. Sometimes the consequence of this was the pardon of the enemy, which came partly as a whim, under the influence of immediate sensation. So, Batu, who executed St. Michael of Chernigov, unexpectedly pardoned the Kiev mayor Dimitri, who was captured and wounded after the destruction of Kiev, "for his courage."
He also pardoned St. Alexander - perhaps for his courage, perhaps under the influence of his external appearance and inner strength: The "Manuscript Legend" tells that, letting go of St. Alexander, he said: "The truth is me Skazasta, as if there is like this prince. "
(1) Poly. collection Letop. Volume VII, p. 156.
(2) The fact of St. Alexander's trip to the Horde not on his own initiative, but on the orders of Batu, confirmed by his life, is disputed by many historians. If a contradiction arises between the story of a life and historical research, then it is ultimately resolved by faith or unbelief, accepting or rejecting a greater certainty of the life than the search for the human mind. However, approaching this disagreement in a purely rationalistic way, one must weigh whether there are ample grounds for rejecting, in this or that question, the life as a historical document. In this matter of the voluntary or compulsory trip of St. Alexander to the Horde - which, however, has no special significance either for his inner appearance or for his historical path - it must be said that, considering the story of the life, even in the form of an ordinary historical document, there are not sufficient grounds reject its truth.
The opposite assumption does not have much basis for it, for the whole situation of that time makes the version quite reasonable and trustworthy that St. Alexander went to the Horde for the first time precisely on the orders of Batu.
As for the words of the chronicle "go another way to Batuvi", it should be noted that trips to the Horde are conveyed by the chronicle inaccurately and with errors for several years, which can be cited several examples. Comparing the chronological dates of Batu's campaigns and his participation in Asian affairs with the constant mention of the name of St. Alexander as a participant in Novgorod affairs, just at the time when he could go to the khan, it is very difficult to assume that St. Alexander was in the Horde before 1247 year.
(3) Prologue. Book I. November 13th day. SPB. 1895. Sheet 101.
(4) D. Ilovaisky. "History of Russia", part II, p. 395.
(5) Prologue. Sheet 101.
(6) The description of the martyrdom of St. Michael of Chernigov and his boyar Theodore, in addition to its deep ecclesiastical hagiographic significance, also gives some details of the reception in the Horde and those rituals that St. Alexander refused to perform. Therefore, we give below this description as, to a certain extent, supplementing the life of St. Alexander.
The martyrdom of St. Michael, the rival of Yaroslav and St. Alexander in the reign of Novgorod, is all the more remarkable because his previous life was not heroic. When Batu approached Kiev, St. Michael fled to Ugria, leaving his principality to defend on its own. Not the prince, but the Kiev mayor Dimitri courageously defended the city. Kiev was taken and plundered. St. Michael, after many years of wandering abroad, returned to Russia and settled in Chernigov. From there, Batu summoned him to the Horde. The prince's spiritual father, John, exhorted St. Michael and his companion, boyar Theodore, not to worship idols and not to perform Tatar cleansing rites. When St. Michael and Theodore made this promise, he blessed them for the trip and gave them spare Holy Gifts on their way.
Upon the arrival of St. Michael to the Horde, the Tatars, according to the established custom, began to force him to pass between the fires in order to undergo purification, before appearing before Batu. Having reached the fires, Prince Michael and Theodore refused to perform the ceremony. Leaving them in this place, the Tatars sent to Batu to tell him about the disobedience of the Russian prince. Baty "was furious" and sent his steward Eldeg to convey to the prince: "From now on, choose your belly or death: if my command is done, you will live and you will all accept your great reign, if you have not passed through the fire and will not bow to the bush and the sun and an idol, then die an evil death. " After hearing these words, Prince Mikhail refused to perform the ceremony again. Then Edsega threateningly said to him: "Michael, vedaa you will be as if you are dead." St. Michael replied: "I want that one to suffer for Christ."
A crowd gathered around St. Michael and Eetsegi. Among her was the grandson of St. Michael, the young Rostov prince Boris Vasilkovich, the son of Vasilko, tortured by the Tatars, and his boyars, who had come by that time to the Horde for a shortcut. Boris, hearing Edsegi's words, with tears began to convince his grandfather to carry out the order of the khan.
Rostov boyars, supporting their prince, promised to accept penance for breaking a vow on themselves and on their entire volost.
Then the boyar Theodor, seeing the tears of Boris and hearing the convictions of the Rostov boyars, was afraid that his prince would weaken in spirit, remembering his land, wife and children, and surrender to their requests. He began to convince Michael, saying: "Do you remember, Michael, the word of your father who is spiritual, if you teach us from the Holy Gospel? The Lord speaks: someone else wants to save his soul, he will destroy; and someone else will destroy his soul for me, that will save; ... who else will be ashamed of Me and My words of this kind, and the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, "Boris and the Rostovites did not cease to beg St. Michael to submit to the khan. Then St. Michael took off his princely cloak, threw it to the Rostovites and said: "Receive glory of this world, if you want it."
Eldega, hearing that the admonitions had no effect on the prince, galloped back to Batu. St. Michael and Theodore began to sing church songs and, taking the Holy Gifts, received Holy Communion. At this time the Rostovites shouted: "Michael, they are coming from the Tsar to kill you murderers; bow down and you will live." But Michael and Theodore answered: "Do not bow to you, nor listen to you, for glory for the sake of this light" and continued to sing. The murderers jumped off their horses, seized St. Michael, threw him to the ground and, holding hands and feet, began to trample and beat on the heart. One apostate Christian named Damas cut off the prince's head with a sword. Then they killed Theodore and threw the bodies of both martyrs in the steppe.
(7) Utterance 29 (V. Ivanov, "We", p. 92).
Chapter XIV
Having kept St. Alexander in the Horde, Batu did not resolve the issue of dividing the Russian princedoms. He sent St. Alexander and Andrew, as he had sent their father before, to Karakorum, to bow to the Great Khan.
Before the Russian princes lay a long path, already traversed by Yaroslav. This path led through the Urals, through the Kyrgyz steppes, the lands of the Besermen (Khiva), through the mountain passes to Karakitai and through the plateaus of Mongolia to the thresholds of China to Karakorum. The princes rode with a Tatar escort along the roads laid out by the Tatars, changing horses at the pit stations. The chronicle does not say anything about this journey. She only mentions: "Go St. Alexander to Kanovich." For the chronicler, who remained in Russia, both the distant Asian path and the khan's headquarters with its entire life remained distant and unknown. We do not know the details of the path and stay of St. Alexander in Karakorum. But, according to the descriptions of witnesses who visited the Horde in those days, it is possible to restore its life and the environment that St. Alexander saw and somehow acted in, seeking a label to reign.
On the plains of Europe, every century deeply changes the entire appearance of the area. But in those places through which St. Alexander passed, the face of the earth has not changed for seven centuries. The path of St. Alexander to the Karakorum was exactly the same as the path of a modern explorer penetrating into the threshold of Tibet.
This long path through the cut ridges of mountains, plateaus and passes, in the conditions of a usual journey through Central Asia, that is, on horseback, with overnight stays at the fire on spread felt, with rare encounters on the way, lasted for many months, while St. Alexander and Andrew with their escort and companions did not reach the khan's headquarters.
Karakorum during his visit by St. Alexander changed, as well as the Tatar kingdom itself. An empire arose from a nomadic tribe. Therefore, at the headquarters, among the primitive nomad camps, with herds of grazing horses and with a crowd of nomads in dirty clothes and felt hats, the city was already growing. The Tatar kingdom touched China in the east, ancient Arab culture in the west, India in the south, and all these cultures began to change the face of the Mongol nomads.
A real city was erected between the yurts, surrounded by earthen ramparts. From their campaigns, the khans brought comedians, artists, artisans and artisans. These craftsmen and artists worked on the decoration of the Karakorum.
There were also Russians among them. Plano Carpini met a young Russian prisoner in the Horde - Kozma, the "cunning" one who knew how to forge gold. He saw with him the khan's throne and the khan's seal made by him. Rubrikvis met another prisoner in the Horde - an architect.
Ambassadors and foreign merchants infiltrated the Tatar crowd. Their shops gradually penetrated into the Karakorum, which was being erected from the nomadic camps.
“There are two large streets,” Rubrikvis writes, “one of which is called Saracen; there is a bargaining and a fair on that street. Many foreign merchants travel along it, because there is a palace on it, as well as a large number of different embassies arriving from different countries. Another street is called Chinese, and artisans live on it.In addition to these two streets, there are chambers where the khan's secretaries live, (the city) is surrounded by earthen ramparts with four gates.
At the eastern gate, they sell millet and other types of grain, of which there is very little. Westerners sell rams and goats; for the southern ones - by bulls and carts, and among the northern ones - with horses "(1).
There were twelve temples of idolaters of different sects and nations in Karakorum, two Muslim mosques and a Christian church.
In the very center of the city was the Hagan's dwelling. The Khan's palace was built several years after the arrival of St. Alexander. Under him, it was a light purple tent on pillars decorated with golden leaves, behind a painted wooden fence. “We found a light purple tent there,” says Plano Carpini, “so large that it could hold more than two thousand people. Around was a balustrade filled with various paintings and statues.” (2)
The influence of China, India and the Khovzarem cities most of all affected the Haganah and his entourage. These were no longer ordinary nomadic princes, who lived one generation ago in yurts, like their subjects. The luxury of Asian rulers entered their life.
The khan lived in this tent, separated from the people by a whole staircase of courtiers, secretaries and officials.
"In the palisade near the tent there were two gates, through one of which the emperor himself entered, even without bodyguards, so these gates remained closed all the time, and no one dared to enter them, but entered others, where bodyguards with swords and bows stood , arrows.
If any of the simple ones approached the gate, they would beat him, or even shoot him "(Plano Carpini).
"In the fence near the tent there were two large gates, through one of which the Hagan himself entered. There were no guards, although these gates remained open all the time, for none of those entering and leaving dared to pass through them, but entered the others, where they stood bodyguards with bows and arrows. If someone approached the tent closer than the prescribed limits, they beat him or even threw arrows at him "(Plano Carpini) (3).
This was, according to the descriptions of eyewitnesses, the appearance of Karakorum at the time of St. Alexander's arrival there.
In the inner life of the khan's headquarters, troubles and preparations for the election of a new khan took place under him.
Hayuk died in 1247, having been the Great Khan for only one year. Under him, the conquests were renewed. In one year, there were raids on Mossul, Diabekir and Georgia.
A new great march to the west was being prepared for the conquest of Europe.
It is not known whether St. Alexander found Gayuk alive and whether he saw him. But, in any case, he was a witness of long troubles and preparations for a new Great Kurultai.
The horde was temporarily ruled by Gayuk's widow. This reign lasted for several years. The huge distances that separated individual khans prevented them from quickly gathering in Karakorum.
In addition, due to the absence of a specific law establishing the right to occupy the throne, feuds began between several lines of Genghisids.
The dispute was between the senior line of the Ogodaevichs, from which the deceased Gayuk came, and the youngest, the Tuluyevichs. Tului's sons were gifted and more energetic than their projectors. The eldest of them, who was nominated as a contender for the throne, was Meshu. In him more than all the other khans, the features of his grandfather, Chinggis Khan, were reflected. He was gloomy and taciturn, did not like feasts and luxury, preferred war, hunting and the former primitive simplicity of life. Mengu had strong supporters, among them Batu, with whose horde Mengu came to Russia in 1238, and the governor Mangusar, the chief adviser of the deceased Gayuk and the great Judge of the Tatar Kingdom. The struggle became fierce.
One of the supporters of the Ogodaevichs, Prince Shira-non, conspired against Mengu. This conspiracy was exposed and about seventy conspirators were executed in the Karakorum square.
Troubles lasted almost 5 years, until 1251, when the Great Kurultai proclaimed Mengu the Great Khan.
St. Alexander left the Horde before this Kurultay. But all the troubles in the Horde took place under him. This interregnum for a long time, at least for a year, delayed him and Andrei in Karakorum. With the entire system of Tatar government, in order to obtain a label, one had to go through many steps, everywhere richly endowing officials and scribes. The troubles in the horde absorbed all the attention of the Tatar khans and governors and made it unimportant for them to divide the principalities in the distant outskirts.
Finally, the Russian princes achieved a solution. St. Alexander received a label for the Grand Duchy of Kiev, and Andrew for the Grand Duchy of Vladimir. After that, they were released to Russia.
In the Horde, St. Alexander saw with his own eyes the power of the Tatars, whose united kingdom, despite internal strife, stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the borders of Europe. From Karakorum, campaigns were conceived and carried out, which encircled half the world. The health and strength of the nomadic people, who had just awakened to life, still lived in the Tatar kingdom. This was evidenced by the swiftness of conquests, and the speed of borrowing, and the undoubted cultural growth that changed the entire appearance of the Tatars.
St. Alexander chose the path of submission to the Tatars even before his trip to Karakorum. But, undoubtedly, the lively contemplation of the Tatar force confirmed him on this path. Therefore, staying at the headquarters in many respects predetermined all his further activities in relation to the Tatars.
(1) Voyage remarquable de Guiiaume de Rubriquis, envoye en Ambassade par le roi Louis IX, en differentes parties de L "Orient: principalement en Tartane et en Chine. La Haye, 1735, p. 106.
(2) Plano Carpini, "Voyages tres curieux ...", pp. 10.11.
