THE RURIK DYNASTY. (2019) Episode 5. In Russian with English subtitles.

Conquest and the struggle of power, victory and defeat, love and betrayal, the rise of culture and the ashes of conflagration - these are just some of the elements of the Rurik dynasty. Founded by Viking/Varangian prince, the Rurik dynasty ruled the territory of Kievan Rus from 882, and later, several neighbouring principalities including the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Their rule continued until 1610 and the Time of Troubles, after which they were succeeded by the Romanovs. Throughout their rule, the Rurikids fortified, defended and expanded their territory - sometimes with fierce and terrifying battles, sometimes with reconciliation and peace treaties. Most importantly, however, it was under their rule that Russian culture developed, and the Russian nation emerged to become the vast transcontinental and multi-ethnic state that exists today.

Episode 5 mostly narrates the life of Alexander Yaroslavich (Nevsky). When the Prince was 16 years old, the Mongol-Tatar invasion of North-Eastern Rus' began, perceived by contemporaries as a harbinger of the end of the world. His father, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, was the first of the Russian princes to go to the Horde and was the first to receive a label for the great reign of Vladimir from the hands of Batu Khan. But he stubbornly resisted attempts to penetrate into the Novgorod lands of Western European crusader knights. Alexander Yaroslavich continued his father's policy. He acquired the glory of the great commander in his youth, defeating the Swedish knights in the battle on the Neva, for which he received the nickname - Nevsky. He defeated the German crusaders in the Battle of Lake Peipsi, known as the Battle of the Ice.

He resolutely refused an alliance with the Pope, perhaps realizing that the ethnic and state independence of Rus' was at stake. And he humbled princely pride, recognizing dependence on the Horde, because to some extent it protected the Russian lands and created at least some semblance of stability. It is this feat of humility that will subsequently give the Russian Church grounds to glorify Alexander Nevsky as a saint. The lands dependent on the Horde will remain Russian and Orthodox. The rest will become part of the Catholic Western European states and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. With his tactical choice, Alexander Yaroslavich predetermined the further course of Russian history. In the 16th century, he was canonized as a miracle worker. In 2008, he was elected "in the name of Russia" by popular vote.