Suchergebnisse

The years of adolescence, youth and early youth of Prince Alexander Nevsky are practically unknown or known only to a narrow circle of historians. This topic is of considerable interest and has become the subject of discussion at the regular XXIXth International Educational Christmas Readings: "Alexander Nevsky: West and East, the historical memory of the people." Prince Alexander was a representative of the second generation of the "Big Nest" baby birds – of Yuri Vsevolodovich, the Grand Duke of Vladimir- Suzdal. In his adolescence, Prince Alexander went through a difficult school of government in Veliky Novgorod. Together with his elder brother Theodor, he went through a difficult time of hunger, pestilence, disease and helped the Novgorodians cope with the consequences of these hardships. After the untimely death of Prince Theodore in June 1233, the young 15-year-old Prince began to rule alone in Novgorod the Great, pursuing the policy of the Grand-Ducal Vladimir-Suzdal dynasty in the North-West of the Russian land. In 1234, at the age of 16, Prince Alexander received his first baptism of fire. During the Mongol- Tatar campaign to Europe in 1237 – 1242 and the crusading encroachment on the lands of Pskov and Novgorod, he pursued the political course adopted by his father Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, the Grand Duke.

Historical sources and evidence of the eyewitnesses of the 4th crusade in many respects reflect the complexity and sharpness of the contradictions between the Western and Eastern Christendom at the turn of the 12th – 13th centuries. The evidence and narrations proceed from the most direct participants in the military events, broke out on the shore of the Bosporus in 1203–1204. The authors of those materials belonged to the two opposing camps, and therefore the analysis of those sources represents a sufficiently complete and detailed picture of the occurred tragedy. A thorough analysis of the sources makes it possible to at least partially see and comprehend the causes of the military confrontation between the Western and Eastern Christians, who represented – just a while ago, in the first half of the 11th century – the united Ecumenical Church. The sources vividly reflect the mood that prevailed in the crusaders' encampment in April, 1204, hesitation and doubt of the bulk of the Cross Warriors who were not sure of the rightness of their actions in the preparation for the assault of Constantinople. Many of them understood that they would have to raise the sword against their fellow believers – the Christians of the East. But the most tragic outcome of the 1202–1204 Crusade was the crushing defeat of Constantinople by the Cross Warriors. For the Romans (Byzantines) that became the reason for the disintegration of the Roman Empire. For all Eastern Christians it indicated the demise of the capital of the Orthodox Christendom.