Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (Александр Ярославич Невский; ɐljɪˈksandr jɪrɐˈsɫavjɪtɕ ˈnjɛfskjɪj; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1246–63) and Grand Prince of Vladimir (1252–63) during the Mongol conquest.
Commonly regarded as a key figure of medieval Rus', Alexander was a grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest and rose to legendary status on account of his military victories over German and Swedish invaders. He preserved separate statehood and Orthodoxy, agreeing to pay tribute to the powerful Golden Horde. Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow canonized Alexander Nevsky as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547.
From Tales of the Life and Courage of the Pious and Great Prince Alexander found in the Second Pskovian Chronicle, circa 1260–1280, comes one of the first known references to the Great Prince:
"By the will of God, prince Alexander was born from the
charitable, people-loving, and meek the Great Prince Yaroslav, and
his mother was Theodosia. As it was told by the prophet Isaiah:
'Thus sayeth the Lord: I appoint the princes because they are
sacred and I direct them.'
"... He was taller than others and his voice reached the people
as a trumpet, and his face was like the face of Joseph, whom
the Egyptian Pharaoh placed as next to the king after him of
Egypt. His power was a part of the power of Samson and
God gave him the wisdom of Solomon ... this Prince Alexander: he
used to defeat but was never defeated ..."
Born in Pereslavl-Zalessky, Alexander was the second son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Feodosia Igorevna of Ryazan. His maternal grandfather was Igor Glebovich, the second son of Gleb Rostislavich, Prince of Ryazan (d. 1178). His maternal grandmother was Agrafena of Kiev, daughter of Rostislav I of Kiev.
In 1236, Alexander was appointed by the Novgorodians to become prince (knyaz) and military leader of the Republic of Novgorod, to defend their northwest lands from Swedish and German invaders.