Memory of the Holy Princes Mikhail of Chernigov and Alexander Nevsky in the Era of the Russian Kingdom Making Up and Russian Empire Formation

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the historical memory of the two contemporaries of Batu invasion – the Grand Princes Mikhail Vsevolodovich of Chernigov and Alexander Yaroslavich (Nevsky) – in the era of the formation of the Russian Kingdom and of the Russian Empire. During the Mongol-Tatar invasion, neither prince proved himself as defender of the Russian land: Mikhail fled his lands and picked his way to the West, while Alexander, most likely, preferred to wait out in Novgorod without getting involved with the clash with the Tatars. Nevertheless, in the subsequent period, their services to the Orthodox Church overshadowed the history of their behavior during the invasion. In the reign of Ivan IV, who initiated the transfer of the relics of Mikhail Vsevolodovich from Chernigov to Moscow, the aura of the defender not only of the faith, but also of the Fatherland formed around the prince, and his Christian feat even became a model for writing the new version of the “Life of Alexander Nevsky”. In the period of victories over the “pagan kingdoms” (Kazan and Astrakhan khanates), as well as in the conditions of incessant clashes with the Crimeans, the veneration of St. Michael became the most important factor in the confrontation with the “infidels”. However, by the time of the formation of the Russian Empire, the relevance of that topic, as well as the interest of those in power in the figure of Mikhail Vsevolodovich declined. In the reign of Peter I the leading role among Russian princes passed on to Alexander Yaroslavich: the first Russian emperor was perceived by his contemporaries as the successor of the hero of the Battle of the Neva, as a kind of alter ego of the holy prince.