ALEXANDER NEWSKI, or NEVS11/, a Russian hero and saint, b. at Vladimir in 1219 A.D., was the son of the grand duke Jaroslav, of Novgorod. In order to defend the empire, which was attacked on all sides, but especially by the Mongols, his father quitted Novgorod, leaving the cares of the government to his sons, Fedor and Alexander, the for mer of whom died soon afterwards. The later vigorously resisted the enemy; yet Russia was forced to submit to the Mongol dominion in 1238 A.D. A. now fought to defend the western fiontier against the Danes, the Swedes; and the Teutonic knights. He received the surname of Newski, on account of the splendid victory over the Swedes, which he achieved in 1240, on the Newa (Neva), in the province St. Petersburg now stands. In 1243 A.D., on the ice of lake I'eipus, he defeated the Livonian knights of the sword, who had been stimulated by the pope to attack the Russian heretics. At the death uf
his father in 1247, he became grand duke of Vladimir. Pope Innocent IV. now made a diplomatic attempt to reunite the Greek and Roman churches, since his military scheme had failed, and with this view sent an embassy to A., which, however, proved as ineffectual as the former. To the end of his life, however, he remained a vassal of the Tartars or Mongols. Thrice had he to renew his oath of fealty to the Asiatic barbarians, making in each instance a journey to their camp.' He died in 1263 A.D., at Kassimcow, on his return from the last of these journeys; and the gratitude of the nation perpetuated his memory in popular songs, and even canonized him. Peter the great honored his memory by building a magnificent convent on the spot where A. had fought his great battle, and by founding the knightly order of A. N.