Saint Alexander Nevsky in the history of Russia and Finland: points of contact

The holy right-believing Great Prince Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky is one of the iconic figures of Russian civil and church history. The article reveals plots that trace the role of the prince and his image in the history of Russian-Finnish relations. The focus is on the era of Alexander Nevsky, his military and diplomatic enterprises in the northern direction, historiography, and the role of the emperors Alexander I, Alexander II, and Alexander III, who bore the prince’s name, in the development of Russian-Finnish relations. The authors come to the conclusion that those pages of Russian-Finnish relations that are associated with the name of St. Alexander Nevsky are not marred by any negative aspects. The activities of the right-believing prince on the territory of present-day Finland or in relation to the peoples inhabiting it can be assessed as beneficial, even against the background of the policy of his father Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. After the blessed death of St. Alexander’s, the image of the right- believing prince continued to be significant in the history of Russian-Finnish relations.