Time of Difficult Decisions: Alexander Nevsky and the Political Struggle of the Mid‑13th Century

Abstract

The article is devoted to the political struggle in Rus’ and around in the middle of the 13th century, after the establishment of Mongol rule, and the role in these processes of Alexander Yaroslavich, later nicknamed Nevsky, Prince of Novgorod, then Grand Duke of Vladimir. Assessments of this role in historiography are different. Opinions are known that make Alexander Nevsky responsible for the establishment of the Horde yoke, in particular for the overthrow of his brother Andrei from the Vladimir throne, and the so-called “Nevryuy’s campaign”. The article examines the course of events based on the few surviving primary sources. It is shown that Alexander, recognizing his dependence on the Horde forcedly and later than Andrei, was not the initiator of inter-princes’ rivalry, and made practically no real contribution to the formation of the Horde administration of North-Eastern Russia.