Alexander I, Grand Prince of Tver

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"Prince Alexander of Tver in Pskov", engraving by Boris Chorikov

Grand Prince Alexander of Tver (Russian: Александр Михайлович Тверской) (7 October 1301 – 29 October 1339 was a Grand Prince of Tver and, for some time, of Vladimir.

Alexander was a second son of Prince Mikhail of Tver by his wife Anna of Kashin. As a young man, his appanages included Kholm and Mikulin. In 1326, he succeeded his childless brother Dmitry the Terrible Eyes who had been executed on behest of Uzbeg Khan in the Horde.

In the next year into Tver arrived as ambassador of the Horde Shevkal (the cousin of Uzbeg) with numerous guards. He drove away the Grand Prince from his court and occupied it himself with his guards. Tatars started terrorizing the city, randomly robbing and killing. Among the robbed people spread a groundless rumor, that Shevkal wanted to kill the Prince, occupy the throne for himself and introduce Islam to the city. On 15 August 1327 deacon Dyudko had just led a mare to a watering place when the Tatars began to take it away. The deacon cried for help; 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 thoughtless enthusiasm of the dwellers of Tver was used by Ivan Kalita of Moscow, brother of Yury of Moscow who had been murdered by Dmitry the Terrible Eyes. He immediately went to the Horde, before Alexander had time to justify himself to Uzbeg Khan. The angered khan gave to Ivan an army force of 50,000 soldiers for the punishment of Tver. Alexander fled with his family to Novgorod, but he not was accepted there for fear of the Tatars, and he directed his steps to Pskov.

Pskov residents, aspiring to isolation from Novgorod, with happiness recognized Alexander as their Prince. Desiring to save the Russian land from further devastation, Alexander agreed to go into the Horde, but Pskov residents would not let him go. Metropolitan Theognostus, in the favor of Kalita, excommunicated and damned them. In 1329, fulfilling the order of the khan, Ivan Kalita and many other princes declared war to Pskov.

Pskov voluntary obeyed to claims of Moscow and Alexander was forced to fled into Lithuania. Theognostus removed the curse and excommunication. After living one-and-a-half year in Lithuania, Alexander was again accepted by Pskov residents to the government, under patronage of Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania.

In 1335 he sent his son Fyodor to the Horde in order to learn if there was hope for forgiveness. He came himself in 1337. Uzbeg Khan forgave his old enemy and returned him to Tver. This led to the renewal of hostility with Moscow, in which Tver suffered the final defeat.

In October 1338 Aleksander and Fyodor were quartered by orders of the Horde.

[edit] Family

Alexander was married ca. 1320 to Anastasia of Halych and had eight children:

Fyodor of Tver (d. 1339)
Lev (b. 1321)
Mikhail II of Tver (1333 – 1399)
Vsevolod of Kholm (d. 1364)
Andrey (d. 1365)
Vladimir (d. 1365)
Maria (d. 1399), married to Simeon of Russia
Uliana (ca. 1325 – 1392), married to Algirdas

Preceded by Dmitry	Grand Prince of Vladimir 1326–1327	Succeeded by Yury of Moscow
Preceded by Dmitry	Grand Prince of Tver 1326–1327	Succeeded by Konstantin
Preceded by Konstantin	Grand Prince of Tver 1338–1339	Succeeded by Konstantin