God is not in power. Where was the phrase “God is not in power, but in truth,” which later became popular, first uttered? About the one way of salvation

The Cadet Presidium established as the motto of the XIX Cadet Congress the famous saying of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky: " God is not in power, but in truth!".

So said the first saying on the arches of the temple vault in the First Russian Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Cadet Corps, in Bila Tserkva, in Yugoslavia.

Each historically significant country differs from other countries not only in its territory, population and its own sovereign government, but also in its distinctive spiritual, cultural and everyday characteristics. This is where true “pluralism” lies, in the good sense of the word. And democracy itself, the inclination of which in every way today covers up many vices, is absolutely unthinkable without a real opportunity for all countries to freely choose their own own historical profile.

This historical profile is formulated in all countries mainly by their outstanding historical leaders. One of the main signs of such “leadership” is the undoubted, obvious and almost unanimous conciliar consent of a number of generations of a given people in the unconditional recognition of their certain great people as such exponents of the common national historical will. Using modern terminology, we can say what is conciliar consent is the highest form" consensus", "consensus" sustainable, going beyond momentary statements during demographic surveys and extending over many generations of the people. This means that this is not a party one, but nationwide consensus. For example, no one in the United States doubts the leadership of Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Lincoln. Their statements and definitions are an important part of the worldview of this country.

The national and state worldview of Russia was also formulated and determined, for more than a thousand years, by its great people and leaders: Saint Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise, Vladimir Monomakh, Saint Alexander Nevsky, Saint Demetrius of Don, Saint Sergius of Radonezh. Already in the modern era, this list of our historical national leaders can be supplemented with such names as Generalissimo Prince A.V. Suvorov, Saint Theodore Ushakov, Admiral P.S. Nakhimov, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, and so on. We must also not forget our many great figures of Russian culture and Russian science, who infinitely enriched world civilization with their creativity. For example, today's science is unthinkable without the guiding achievements of such great Russian geniuses as Lomonosov, Lobachevsky, Tsiolkovsky and Mendeleev. Also in world literature, music and other branches of art, Russia has its no less worthy and no less outstanding representatives. Moreover, it is very significant that they all worked within the general framework of our great Russian culture, in accordance with our Russian worldview.

Saint Alexander Nevsky occupies a key position in Russian history and in the Russian worldview. Chronologically, his life took place not only at the junction of two great periods of Russian history, when its glorious Novgorod-Kiev era, which lasted exactly four centuries, ended (from the founding of the Russian State in Novgorod in 862 until the death of St. Alexander Nevsky himself, the Grand Duke of Kyiv, in 1263 year). It was from him, through his son Daniel, the first Prince of Moscow, that branch of Russian sovereigns began that again reunited all of Rus', after its first dismemberment at that time. In addition, Saint Alexander Nevsky left Russia forever his spiritual and political will, mainly consisting of two covenants that were fundamental for her from the very beginning of the Russian State: Russia’s preservation of its identity and yours truth.

Under Saint Alexander Nevsky, our identity was simultaneously exposed to two mortal dangers, from the East and from the West. As you can see, it was then, already under Saint Alexander Nevsky, that the same geopolitical modernity began for us, which continues to threaten us today. So the successful policy of our great statesman at that time still guides us in this regard today. This is especially true of his categorical rejection of our spiritual suicide before the West, with the mistaken hope of securing a better position for himself in front of the East.

Idea Russian truth was always present in the Russian State from its very foundation. Today, in Russian the concept " truth"often equated with the concept" truth"However, this concept of truth, in turn, is closely related to the concepts law and law. For example, the Greek term "dikaiosune", corresponding to the Latin "justitia", is translated in the fourth beatitude as " Truth". (This word appears more than eighty times in the New Testament.)

Therefore, “Russian truth” is more likely “Russian law” than “Russian truth,” which is confirmed by the name of the first Russian Code of Laws, compiled by the Grand Duke of Kyiv Yaroslav the Wise in the 11th century. In turn, the Latin words veritas, verus and the German word Wahrheit, meaning “truth,” are etymologically related to the Russian word “vera,” which indicates a close semantic connection between these concepts.

If we take into account that in the Old Testament and in Christian understandings, law ultimately goes back to the Law given by God, then in both these concepts of “truth” and “right” we find objective and even the absolute basis. The absolute nature of truth is confirmed in the Russian language in the field of music by the expression “don’t lie,” in the sense: “you hit the wrong note.” In this case, there is only one truth, since in music the correct note can be precisely determined and expressed by the exact number of vibrations of the sound. Thus, the “right note” is one, absolute, that is, not relative. Only deviations from this one specific frequency (i.e., “lies”) can be multiple (pluralistic) and relative to it.

Thus, the saying of St. Alexander Nevsky “God is not in power, but in truth!” has not only a political, but also a much deeper historiosophical and philosophical meaning.

Chronologically - the first mention of law in our history is found in the description of the very establishment of our State. The chronicle notes, under the year 862, the first founding sovereign decision of our people: " We decided within ourselves: let’s look for a prince who would rule over us and judge us. by right ".

At the same time, neighboring Vikings claimed: "We recognize no other right than the right of the sword, we have no other goal than to kill our enemies and plunder." The first Russian Bishop of Novgorod, Luke, answered them: "Have love for every person... Love the truth and for the truth, for God's law, be ready to die."

(Under Bishop Luke, the Novgorod Hagia Sophia was built as the completion of the three-segment spiritual-geopolitical axis of Constantinople, Kyiv and Novgorod, with churches of the same name dedicated to the Wisdom of God).

Our people have always been aware of the vital necessity truth and rights. This consciousness runs like a red thread through our entire history and connects the legitimate government with the people. It was the absence of this highest principle of ours among temporary workers, impostors and thieves that always exposed their power as illegitimate.

Already the people of Kiev said to Prince Igor: “If any of us is offended, then you rule.” His great-grandson, Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise, is " Russian truth", the first Code of Russian laws. The chronicler sees the highest disorder in the fact that during the illness of the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Prince Vsevolod, " people don't get the princes of truth". Vsevolod's son, Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh, in his Will indicates to his warrior children: “Do not be jealous of evildoers, do not envy those who do iniquity, for those who do evil will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will inherit the earth... Above all, do not forget the poor, but as far as you can, feed and give to the orphan and the widow, justify yourself, and do not allow the strong destroy a person... Do not kill, neither innocent nor criminal, nor order to kill; although he will be worthy of death, do not destroy any Christian soul.” The chronicler says about Vladimir Monomakh: “Be more merciful than measure, remembering the word of the Lord.”

The legitimate bearer of Supreme Power in Russia must be Keeping from lawlessness, "Ordering words in judgment, keeping the truth forever, doers of justice and righteousness according to the environment of the earth", as Metropolitan Nikifor says in his message to Vladimir Monomakh.

The legitimacy of power is justified, firstly, by its non-usurper (that is, not revolutionary) origin (at the time of his death, Vladimir Monomakh’s father, Prince Vsevolod, says to his son: “ If God grants you to accept the power of my table, according to your brothers, with truth, not violence ") and, secondly, by his complete subordination to those goals that all The Russian people consider the council to be their highest. All this was summarized by Saint Alexander Nevsky in seven words: “God is not in power, but in truth!”

However, today this motto of ours acquires another very important, hitherto little-noticed projection. After all, it is today, as then, as always, genuine alternative in relation to another, above-mentioned program, expressed in the words: " We do not recognize any other right than rights of the sword !".

According to this motto of ours, only right and truth are a genuine alternative for the sword. Or rather, a sword is generally only permissible and justified if it serves as an instrument of law.

Today the whole world is greedily thirsting for such an alternative to law and truth. The world has no other alternative, especially after the shameful failure of all cosmopolitan ideologies that tried to replace the fundamental moral principles of humanity, including rights, with their myths.

The whole world today knows, sometimes implicitly, and often consciously, that only Russia, if it returns to its own correct path, can be a global catalyst for such alternatives to truth, truth, law and justice. "Walk as children of light: for there is spiritual fruit in all goodness and righteousness and truth.". (Eph. 5:8-9).

Moreover, today the simultaneous demand truth and justice became especially relevant after the systematic atrocities of various misanthropic dictatorships of the twentieth century. In Latin America, all leftist movements, including even the communists, have long put forward the demand: " Verdad and Justicia"(truth and justice). After all, after many atrocities, today it is no longer possible to judge all the perpetrators, but it is necessary at least that the truth about these atrocities be unambiguously established.

This is the minimum justice that no one has the right to renounce.

Today the question of the need for associations, including cadets and Suvorovites, is often raised. However, true unification, like true freedom, is only possible in truth and truth, or as they say in Spanish today in Latin America: " en verdad y justicia". "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" . (John 8:32). Unification also requires the elimination of dividing symbolism, for it is possible only under the symbolism of our common ancestors.

Within the framework of precisely such universal hopes for the final triumph of truth and truth, and with the aim of confirming them, the few still living Russian foreign cadets again put forward today this common old invincible Russian motto of ours:

God is not in power, but in truth!

(Editorial of the magazine "Cadet Roll Call" No. 78, which should be published in May 2007).

First published in the publication "Electronic Cadet Letter", Electronic Bulletin of the "Association of Cadet Russian Cadet Corps in Argentina". N 43. Buenos Aires, April 2007.
Email address: [email protected]
Postal address: Casilla de correo 51, 1653 Villa Ballester, Argentina.

From the life (as presented by E. Poselyanin)
Many enemies disturbed and pressed the Russian land into the reign of St. Alexander, and already in the first years of his independent reign he had to act as a defender of his homeland on the battlefield.

Especially famous is the fight of St. Prince Alexander with the Swedes. The Swedish king Birger Jarl, driven by envy of Alexander's glory, and also encouraged by the Pope to spread the Catholic faith among the “schismatics,” went to war against him. In the army of the Swedish king there were several biskuns appointed to convert the conquered to Catholicism, and this circumstance gave his invasion the significance of a crusade. Suddenly St. Alexander receives news that the Swedes are approaching Ladoga. “Defend yourself if you can, and I’m on your land,” the arrogant Swedish king sent to tell the Novgorod prince...
Alexander showed neither fear nor pride to the ambassadors. He hastily gathered an army and prayed with fervent faith in the church of St. Sophia, accepted the blessing of the archbishop, handed over the outcome of the matter to the will of God and went out to the squad with a cheerful face. Then he told her a short but great historical word, which was confirmed many times in the life of the Russian people:
“We are few, but the enemy is strong.” But God is not in power, but in truth. Go with your prince!..
The Swedes were completely defeated...<…>
The Pope, seeing that all the violent attempts of the Catholic armies to persuade Prince Alexander under the yoke of the Roman throne were ending unsuccessfully, tried to act through peaceful persuasion. He sent learned preachers and a message to the prince, in which he wrote, among other things: “We are taking the place of God on earth. In obeying us there is no humiliation for the honor of the sovereign; on the contrary, in this way temporary and eternal freedom increases. We will consider you the most famous among all the Catholic princes and will always try with special care to increase your glory.” In response to this message, an Orthodox statement of faith was sent to the pope, and his ambassadors were told:
– We know the history of faith from the beginning of the world to the Nativity of Christ and from the Nativity of Christ to our time; Why do we need new preachers?
Soon the Swedes once again opposed Alexander with the aim of spreading papism, but this time it was very unsuccessful. Alexander unexpectedly attacked the Swedes in their own region, defeated them and returned with many captives.
Memory of St. Alexander Nevsky takes place on August 30/September 12 and November 23/December 6

“I must defend the path I follow, not because it is my path, but because it is the path of Christ, He opened it, He paved it, He secured it. This is the first and only way... to the heights of the fragrant sky. The first and only – there is no other” (St. Justin Popovich).

About the one way of salvation

Metropolitan John (Snychev, +1995)
Faith is undoubtedly a good thing. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6), the holy supreme apostle Paul teaches us. But this faith must be right and immaculate, that is, exactly the kind that the Savior of the world Himself brought to earth and which He passed on to the holy apostles and His Church.
It is in such faith that the dogmatic teaching of Christianity and the rules of spiritual and ascetic life are fully and without any distortion contained - that is, everything that serves for eternal salvation. It is precisely this Orthodox faith that Christ commanded to His disciples, saying: Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you... (Matthew 28:19-20). It was this only saving, holy faith - the apostolic faith, the paternal faith - that established the Universe and put to shame all the devil’s attempts to hinder the Divine economy of human salvation.
It is set out in the most concise and satisfactory way in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, which we read in morning prayers and sing in our churches during the Liturgy. This faith taught those who wished to heed its admonitions to do good and crucify their flesh with passions and lusts. Through repentance and holy Baptism, she introduces every person into the blessed bosom of the church, and through the great Sacrament of the Eucharist into close communion with Christ Himself. We all need to follow this faith relentlessly and maintain it unchanged.
What should you avoid, what false teachings should you guard your heart and mind? First of all, from all pagan faiths that deify natural phenomena; from eastern teachings - Hare Krishnas, Vaishnavist, yogis and the like; from all non-Christian worldviews. From faiths, although Christian, that allowed human false wisdom, fabrications and deviations from its original Divine purity into the teaching of Christ. These include Catholicism, which fell away from the grace-filled fullness of church life back in 1054, Protestantism, which broke away from Catholicism in the 16th century and itself gave rise to numerous religious movements: Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism and others.
These apostasies, in turn, produced many sects: Baptists and Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonites and Mormons, Presbyterians and others. In addition, already in our time, the sects of the “Virgin Center” and “White Brotherhood”, the “Church of Moon” and adherents of occultism, spiritualism, astrology, hypnotic methods of influence, etc. have appeared in Russia. and so on.
Why should one move away from these faiths and sects? Because they contain earthly, sinful wisdom, contradicting and opposing the true Christian doctrine and perverting the rules of a pious and righteous life. One should not be at enmity with their adherents and should not withdraw from communication on everyday matters, either, but one should not enter into prayerful communication and in no case should they make their teachings the basis of one’s practical and spiritual life. Beloved, stand in faith, take courage, strengthen yourself in good deeds, remaining faithful to holy Orthodoxy, and may the God of peace be with you all! Amen.

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August 30 / September 12 is the day of the transfer of the relics of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky. He was born on May 30, 1219 in Pereyaslavl in the family of Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Princess Feodosia, daughter of Prince Mstislav the Udal.

Like other princes, from childhood he studied the Bible, especially the Psalter, and also mastered the secrets of military art.

At that time, the most independent and freedom-loving city in Rus' was Novgorod. The Novgorodians chose their own princes, and often quarreled with the newly elected rulers.

They invited Yaroslav Vsevolodovich to take the Novgorod throne. It was a great honor and he agreed. So Alexander ended up in Novgorod with his father.

Yaroslav Vsevolodovich did not want to submit to the will of the Novgorodians in everything and decided to establish full-fledged princely power in the city. The Novgorodians did not like this, and a conflict arose, which ended with Yaroslav Vsevolodovich returning to his native Pereyaslavl in 1228, leaving his sons, Alexander and Theodore, in the care of trusted boyars. Five years later, Theodore died, and Prince Alexander was left completely alone in the city.

The people of Novgorod fell in love with the young ruler, but they did not want to completely submit to his will. At the same time, the father demanded that his son take care of strengthening the princely power in Novgorod.

It was very difficult for the young prince, but his amazing spiritual qualities, the ability to communicate with different people, delve into their problems, be merciful to everyone and ready to help everyone who needed help, smoothed out the situation somewhat. “He was merciful beyond measure,” the chronicle says.

The father was pleased with his son, and the Novgorodians proudly and lovingly called Alexander “our prince.”

Alexander conquered people with both his inner, spiritual and outer, physical beauty.

He was compared in beauty to the Old Testament Joseph, in strength - with Samson, in intelligence - with Solomon, in courage and military prowess - with the Roman emperor Vespasian.

Alexander had to reign in difficult times. Not only did he get the most freedom-loving city and he had to fight with internal problems, but external enemies began to overcome him.

After the southern Russian princes were defeated in a battle with the Tatars on the Kalka River in 1223, and then another failure on the City River, a period of Tatar power began in Rus' - the yoke. It got to the point that the khan began to decide who should be called the Grand Duke.

It took Alexander’s father a lot of work to achieve this title from Khan Batu. He appeased him in order to make the life of his subjects as easy as possible during this difficult time. Residents of Russian lands were obliged to pay a huge poll tax to the Horde, but the khan left the Russian Church inviolable.

While his father was establishing order in the territory enslaved by the Tatars, Alexander had to repel the onslaught from the West.

To strengthen the western borders, Alexander Yaroslavich enlisted the support of the Polotsk prince Bryachislav and even married his daughter Alexandra.

The Swedes were the first of the Western enemies to attack.

In Sweden itself, things were not very calm then either. The king was the childless Erich. Knowing that there was no heir in the state, his relative Birger decided to take the Swedish throne after him. To strengthen his influence and gain the support of the people, he decided to become famous as a commander.

After bold raids into the territory where Finland is now located, the knight decided to move to Rus', weakened, as he was informed, by Tatar raids.

In 1240, Birger with a large army, which consisted of Swedes, Norwegians and Finns, and also accompanied by Catholic bishops, invaded the mouth of the Izhora (a tributary of the Neva).

The military campaign began well, and he sent a daring letter to Novgorod to Alexander, who reigned there.

“I’m already in your land,” wrote the brave knight, “I’m devastating it and I want to take you captive too. If you can resist me, resist.”

This flaunting can be explained by the fact that Birger was convinced of the impossibility of resistance from Novgorod: the attack was unexpected, Rus' was exhausted, and the Novgorodians had not assembled a ready army.

However, Alexander was not afraid of the daring Swede. Trusting in everything in the help of the Lord and the prayers of the Mother of God, he asked the Novgorod ruler Serapion for a blessing for the battle, prayed in the Church of St. Sophia of the Wisdom of God and marched with his squad against the Swedish knight.

Before the battle, the Lord sent a sign to the Novgorodians. One of Alexander's warriors, the Izhorian Pelgusius (baptized) was on the night watch.

At dawn, he heard the noise of an approaching ship from the river. At first Pelgusius decided that they were enemies, and then he saw two knights in the boat, surprisingly similar to Saints Boris and Gleb, as they were depicted on the icons.

“Brother Gleb, order us to row faster, let’s hurry to the aid of our relative Alexander Yaroslavich,” said one of them.

Pelgusius immediately told the prince about the vision, and Alexander decided to immediately attack the Swedes. This largely decided the outcome of the battle.

The Swedes did not expect that the Novgorodians would resist them, and certainly did not imagine that they would dare to attack them so suddenly. The spirit of the Swedes was finally broken by the courage with which the Russian soldiers went into battle. The prince himself fought in the forefront. One must think that Birger’s warriors were also struck by something else.

The battle lasted from morning to evening and ended with the flight of the Swedes. When the next day the Russian soldiers inspected the battlefield, they saw on the other side of Izhora (where the Novgorodians did not cross) many dead Swedish soldiers, that is, the angels of God invisibly helped the Russians in this battle and together with them crushed the enemy troops.

Thanks to the Lord for the victory, Alexander returned to Novgorod.

The people of Novgorod joyfully greeted their beloved prince, but soon fell out with him. Alexander, like his father once, left for his homeland - Pereyaslavl.

A quarrel with a prince, especially one like Alexander, who after the battle with the Swedes received the nickname Nevsky, did not lead to anything good.

Having learned about Alexander's departure, the Livonian Germans took the Pskov border fortress of Izborsk, entered Pskov, occupied part of the Novgorod lands and began to shamelessly plunder the lands 30 versts from Novgorod.

Who were these conquerors? Livonia is the present-day Baltic region. The Germans came there in the 2nd half of the 12th century, and in 1201 they built a capital here, which they called Riga. The following year they founded a spiritual-knightly Order, the goal of which was not only to conquer the surrounding lands, but also to convert their inhabitants to Catholicism.

In 1237, the Order of the Swords united with the same Order of the Teutonic Order, which by that time had managed to establish its dominance along the lower reaches of the Vistula.

Having learned that they were besieged by the Livonians, the Novgorodians were horrified. They immediately repented of having quarreled with Alexander Nevsky and decided to beg him to come back.

To do this, they decided to turn to the prince’s father, and sent messengers to Vladimir so that Yaroslav Vsevolodovich would let his son go to Novgorod.

Yaroslav sent another son to them, Andrei. But the Novgorodians understood that only Alexander could save them. Then they sent an embassy to him headed by the archbishop.

Alexander was a merciful prince and a talented commander. He knew that only he could save Novgorod, and therefore, forgetting about the insult inflicted on him, he went to the city gripped by fear.

With the arrival of Nevsky, everything changed. Most importantly, the townspeople regained faith in victory.

Having gathered an army, Alexander set off to liberate Pskov. But the prince did not limit himself to this and decided to prevent the possibility of new attacks.

Having prayed in the Church of the Holy Trinity in front of the shrine containing the relics of Vsevolod Mstislavich and having secured the prayerful support of the Pskov people, Alexander headed to Livonia.

The Germans, like the Swedes a little earlier, did not expect such a turn of events, and Livonia was devastated by Russian troops. On the way back from Livonia to Pskov, the noble prince stopped on the shores of Lake Peipus, and here on April 5, 1242, the famous battle with the German knights took place, known in history as the Battle of the Ice.

Oddly enough, the Germans were confident that they would win this battle. “Let's go take the Russian prince Alexander prisoner; the Slavs must be our slaves,” the knights said boastfully.

As before, trusting in the Lord’s help, Alexander prayed and did not pay attention to such words.

At first, luck was on the side of the Germans: thick armor made them invulnerable to the enemy, and powerful spears easily crushed the lightly armed Slavs. But soon the situation changed. Thanks to a successful maneuver, Nevsky’s troops attacked the Germans from a direction where the knights did not expect. It was necessary to quickly find one's bearings, but heavy weapons made the knights clumsy. The Slavs tried to lure the Germans to the middle of the lake, where the ice was thinner. The knights were too heavy, and many of them simply fell through the ice.

The Russians won a brilliant victory.

The people of Pskov joyfully greeted their liberator, after which Alexander went to Novgorod, and from there to Pereyaslavl.

In Livonia there was panic. The Master of the German Order sent an embassy to the Danish king so that in case of war he would provide him with support. When it became clear that Alexander was not going to go to war with Livonia and take Riga, the Germans sent ambassadors to Novgorod to make peace and exchange prisoners.

The Lithuanians attacked Rus' next. The Lithuanians had threatened the Pskov and Novgorod lands before, but their troops were always too weak compared to the Russians. In the 13th century The knights of the German Order were sent to defeat Lithuania. To resist them, the Lithuanian tribes united, created an army and at first entered into alliances with the Russians to resist the Germans, and then began to raid the Russian border lands from time to time.

Alexander defeated Lithuanian troops in Russian lands several times. And in the end he chased them to Lithuania and there inflicted a final crushing defeat on them.

The news of Alexander's victories spread throughout Rus'. She encouraged people forced to live under the rule of the khan and instilled in them hope for liberation. Many wanted Alexander to take the title of Grand Duke.

In 1246, Alexander Nevsky's father died, and the prince and his brother Andrei went to the Horde. According to the old order, the title of Grand Duke was supposed to be taken by Alexander’s uncle, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich, but now everything was done with the knowledge of the khan.

When the Russians came to the Horde, they were forced to observe some pagan customs (worship idols, walk through fire), and only then were allowed to bow to the khan. Those who refused to honor the Horde gods faced death.

Prince Alexander flatly refused to perform the rituals.

“I am a Christian,” he said, “and it is not fitting for me to bow down to the creature. I worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the one God, glorified in the Trinity, who created heaven, earth and everything that is in them.”

Contrary to custom, Khan Batu saved the life of the Russian prince. Alexander bowed to him with these words: “King, I bow to you, because God has honored you with the kingdom, but I will not bow to the creature. I serve one God, I honor Him and worship Him.”

Batu was amazed by the prince’s beauty, his wisdom and spiritual qualities.

Batu was not an independent ruler; he was considered only the viceroy of the Great Khan, who lived in Kara-Korum, in the mountainous outskirts of the Asian Gobi Desert, located beyond Lake Baikal. Having bowed to their closest ruler, the Horde khan, the Russian princes had to go to bow to the supreme ruler of the Mongols in his distant capital. This distant, extremely difficult journey, by order of Batu, was also to be made by the noble prince Alexander Yaroslavich.

He was graciously received by the ruler of Asia and lived for some time in the capital of the Mongols, carefully studying the character of these rulers of Rus'. Only in 1250 Alexander Yaroslavich and his brother Andrei returned to Rus'. The Khan gave Andrei the grand-ducal throne, and left Novgorod behind Alexander Yaroslavich.

Prince Andrey, unlike his brother, turned out to be not a very good ruler. He could not get along with the Tatars, and Batu’s successor Sartak sent troops against him under the command of Nevruy. Andrei fled to Sweden, and Alexander again had to save the Russian cities. He went to the Horde and settled relations with the new khan.

In 1257, in order to more accurately determine the income that could be received from Rus', the Tatars sent their officials to count all Russian people.

At the insistence of the prince, the counting took place calmly in Vladimir-Suzdal Rus', but when the Horde wanted to count the inhabitants of Novgorod, the inhabitants of the freedom-loving city rebelled. The Novgorodians began to organize veche meetings and decided to die rather than submit to the khan’s demand, because Novgorod had not been conquered by the Tatars.

Alexander persuaded the nobles to agree to the khan’s demands and pay tribute, but the common people were against it. He was supported by the son of Alexander, for which his father deprived him of his reign and sent him to Suzdal. Realizing that it was pointless to suppress the rebellion, Alexander... left the city. Then the Novgorodians were afraid that they would be conquered and decided to submit to the prince.