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This study examines the evolution of the image of Aleksandr Nevskiy in close connection with the dynamics of the political and cultural history of medieval Russia. It demonstrates that historians often misinterpret the Life of Aleksandr Nevskiy and treat it as a source for political and military history. By putting the Life in the context of Christian (not only Orthodox) culture, the study achieves remarkable and impressive results in its analysis of the Life. With its mature and innovative methodology it also demonstrates how the Life impacted on common historical consciousness, as it was placed into the historical framework of the medieval Russian chronicles. This researches places Isoaho among those scholars of medieval Russian history, who study the role of political leaders in the formation of the Russian state.
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THE IMAGE OF ALEKSANDR NEVSKIY IN MEDIEVAL RUSSIA
THE NORTHERN WORLD North Europe and the Baltic c. 400-1700 AD Peoples, Economies and Cultures
EDITORS
Barbara Crawford (St. Andrews) David Kirby (London) Jon-Vidar Sigurdsson (Oslo) Ingvild Øye (Bergen) Richard W. Unger (Vancouver) Przemyslaw Urbanczyk (Warsaw)
VOLUME 21
THE IMAGE OF ALEKSANDR NEVSKIY IN MEDIEVAL RUSSIA Warrior and Saint BY
MARI ISOAHO
BRILL LEIDEN • BOSTON 2006
Cover illustration: Icon of St Aleksandr Nevskiy. Despite our efforts we have not been able to trace all rights holders to some copyrighted material. The publisher welcomes communications from copyrights holders, so that the appropriate acknowledgements can be made in future editions, and to settle other permission matters.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A C.I.P. record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISSN 1569–1462 ISBN-10: 90 04 15101 X ISBN-13: 978 90 04 15101 7 © Copyright 2006 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill Academic Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910 Danvers MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ......................................................................
vii
Introduction ................................................................................
1
PART ONE: THE MEDIEVAL IMAGE OF THE IDEAL RULER
1. The worldly and the biblical combined in Aleksandr’s battles ...................................................................................... 1.1. Aleksandr as a good ruler rewarded by God ............ 1.2. The battle of the Neva and the medieval concept of truth .......................................................................... 1.3. SS Boris and Gleb as examples of just war .............. 2. The 2.1. 2.2. 2.3.
29 29 41 53
image of a defender ...................................................... Defending the frontier .................................................. Defending the interests of the dynasty ........................ Defending Orthodoxy ....................................................
67 67 78 88
3. The quest for a godly ruler .................................................. 3.1. The alleged role of Metropolitan Kirill in the writing of the Life .......