Alexander I, Grand Prince of Tver
Encyclopedia
Vladimir-Suzdal
The Vladimir-Suzdal Principality or Vladimir-Suzdal Rus’ was one of the major principalities which succeeded Kievan Rus' in the late 12th century and lasted until the late 14th century. For a long time the Principality was a vassal of the Mongolian Golden Horde...
as Alexander II.
Life
Aleksandr was a second son of Prince Mikhail of Tver by his wife Anna of KashinAnna of Kashin
Saint Anna of Kashin was a Russian princess from the Rurik Dynasty, who was canonized in 1650.-Life:Anna was a daughter of Prince Dmitry Borisovich of Rostov and a great-granddaughter of Prince Vasily of Rostov. From her earliest years, Anna was brought up strictly Christian. She was taught the...
. As a young man, his appanage
Appanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
s included Kholm
Kholm
Kholm is a town and the administrative center of Kholmsky District of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Lovat and Kunya Rivers, north of Toropets, southwest of Staraya Russa, and south of Veliky Novgorod. Population:...
and Mikulin
Mikulin
Alexander Alexandrovich Mikulin was a Soviet aircraft engine designer and chief designer in the Mikulin OKB. His achievements include the first Soviet liquid-cooled piston aircraft engine Mikulin AM-34 and the Mikulin AM-3 turbojet engine for Soviet Union's first jet airliner Tupolev Tu-104...
. In 1322, he continued the Tver princes' opposition to the rise of Moscow when he rather spectularly waylaid Yury of Moscow as the grand prince (who had schemed against Aleksandr's father to gain the iarlik or patent of office) as Yury journeyed with the tribute from Novgorod to Moscow. Four years later, Aleksandr succeeded his childless brother Dmitry the Terrible Eyes who had been executed on behest of Uzbeg Khan
Uzbeg Khan
Sultan Mohammed Öz-Beg, better known as Uzbeg or Ozbeg , was the longest-reigning khan of the Golden Horde, under whose rule the state reached its zenith...
in the Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
after Dmitry avenged his father's death by murdering Yury.
In 1327, a Tatar official, Shevkal (the cousin of Uzbeg), arrived in Tver from the Horde, with a large retinue. They took up residence at Aleksandr's palace and, according to chronicle reports, started terrorizing the city, randomly robbing and killing. Rumors spread that Shevkal wanted to kill the prince, occupy the throne for himself and introduce Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
to the city. When, on 15 August 1327, the Tatars tried to take a horse from a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
named Dyudko, he cried for help and a mob of furious people rushed on the Tatars and killed them all. Shevkal and his remaining guards were burnt alive in one of the houses where they had attempted to hide.
The massacre led, inevitably to Tatar reprisals. (Indeed, the whole incident may have been a provocation by the Tatars to destroy Aleksandr and the Tver princes). Ivan Kalita of Moscow
Ivan I of Russia
Ivan I Danilovich Kalita was Prince of Moscow from 1325 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1328.-Biography:Ivan was the son of Prince of Moscow Daniil Aleksandrovich....
, brother of Yury of Moscow
Yury of Moscow
Yuriy Danilovich, also known as Georgiy Danilovich was Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of Vladimir ....
who had been murdered by Dmitri the Terrible Eyes in 1322, immediately went to the Horde and, before Aleksandr had time to justify himself to Uzbeg Khan, persuaded the khan to grant Moscow the yarlik or patent of office for the throne of Vladimir. The khan also sent Ivan at the head of an army of 50,000 soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s to punishment Tver. Alexander fled with his family to Novgorod, but he not was accepted there for fear of the Tatars, so he went on to Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
.
Pskov not only allowed Aleksandr to enter their city, but made him their prince. Desiring to save the Russian land from further devastation - had Ivan Kalita left Aleksandr in Pskov, the Tatars would have certainly sent another punitive expedition
Punitive expedition
A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a state or any group of persons outside the borders of the punishing state. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavior, but may be also be a covered revenge...
which would have destroyed that city - Aleksandr agreed to abandon the city, but Pskov residents would not let him go. Metropolitan Feognost (Theognostus
Theognostus
Theognostus was Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus'.Theognostus was born in Constantinople and later in his life became Peter's successor as Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus'...
) arrived in Novgorod and he and Archbishop Moisei of Novgorod (1325–1330; 1352–1359) excommunicated the city at the behest of Ivan Kalita. In 1329, fulfilling the order of the khan, Ivan Kalita and many other princes declared war to Pskov. Aleksander fled into Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
and then to Sweden, after which the metropolitan lifted the ban of excommunication against Pskov. Aleksander returned to Pskov a year and a half later under the patronage of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania.
In 1335, Aleksandr sent his son, Fyodor, to the Horde in order to gain forgiveness. Two years later in 1337 he went there himself. Uzbeg Khan, at least for a time, forgave his old enemy and sent him back to Tver. This led to renewed hostilities with Moscow, which Tver' could not sustain.
On October 29, 1339, Aleksander and Fyodor were quartered in Sarai by orders of the Khan.
Family
Alexander was married ca. 1320 to Anastasia of Halych and had eight children:- Fyodor of Tver (died 1339)
- Lev (born 1321, date of death unknown)
- Mikhail II of TverMikhail II of TverMikhail Alexandrovich was Grand Prince of Tver and briefly held the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir. He was one of only two Tver princes after 1317 to hold the grand princely title, which was almost the exclusive purview of the Muscovite princes.Mikhail Alexandrovich was the third son of...
(1333–1399) - Vsevolod of Kholm (died 1364)
- Andrey (died 1365)
- Vladimir (died 1365)
- Maria (died 1399), married to Simeon of RussiaSimeon of RussiaSimeon Ivanovich Gordyi was Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of Vladimir. Simeon continued his father's policies of supporting the Golden Horde and acting as its leading enforcer in Russia. Simeon's rule was marked by regular military and political standoffs against Novgorod Republic and...
- Uliana (ca. 1325 – 1392), married to AlgirdasAlgirdasAlgirdas was a monarch of medieval Lithuania. Algirdas ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377, which chiefly meant monarch of Lithuanians and Ruthenians...