Alexander Nevski

Alexander Nevski, a Russian hero and saint, born in 1218 A.D., was the son of the Grand-duke Jaroslav, of Novgorod, who was forced to submit to the Mongol dominion in 1238. Alexander received the surname of Nevski on account of the splendid victory over the Swedes, which he achieved in 1240, on the Neva, near where St Petersburg now stands. At the death of his father in 1247, he became his successor, and opposed a papal attempt to reunite the Greek and Roman churches. To the end of his life he remained a vassal of the Tartars or Mongols, but knew how to moderate their tyranny. He was a good prince; and when he died in 1263, the gratitude of the nation canonised him. Peter the Great honoured his memory by building a magnificent convent on the spot where Alexander had fought his great battle, and by founding the knightly order of Alexander Nevski.