Alexander Peresvet – also spelled Peresviet (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: Александр Пересвет, d. 8 September 1380) – was a

Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

who fought in a

single combat Single combat is a duel between two single warriors which takes place in the context of a battle between two armies. Instances of single combat are known from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants who repres ...

with the

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

champion Temir-murza (known in most Russian sources as Chelubey or Chelibey) at the opening of the

Battle of Kulikovo The Battle of Kulikovo (russian: Мамаево побоище, Донское побоище, Куликовская битва, битва на Куликовом поле) was fought between the armies of the Golden Horde, under the command ...

(8 September 1380). The two men killed each other. Peresvet is believed to have hailed from the

Bryansk Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population: Geography Urban layout The location of the settlement was originally ass ...

area and to have taken the monastic habit at the

Rostov Rostov ( rus, Росто́в, p=rɐˈstof) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population: While t ...

Monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb. He moved to the Monastery of

Pereslavl-Zalessky Pereslavl-Zalessky ( rus, Переславль-Залесский, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈslavlʲ zɐˈlʲɛskʲɪj, lit. ''Pereslavl beyond the woods''), also known as Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located on the main Mosc ...

, in the service of

Dmitry Donskoy Saint Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy ( rus, Дми́трий Ива́нович Донско́й, Dmítriy Ivanovich Donskóy, also known as Dimitrii or Demetrius), or Dmitry of the Don, sometimes referred to simply as Dmitry (12 October 1350 – 1 ...

. He later moved to the Trinity Lavra where he became a follower of

Sergius of Radonezh Sergius of Radonezh (russian: Се́ргий Ра́донежский, ''Sergii Radonezhsky''; 14 May 1314 – 25 September 1392), also known as Sergiy Radonezhsky, Serge of Radonezh and Sergius of Moscow, was a spiritual leader and monastic ref ...

. Alexander and his friend Rodion Oslyabya joined the Russian troops set out to fight the Tatars under the leadership of

Mamai Mamai (Mongolian Cyrillic: Мамай, tt-Cyrl, Мамай, translit=Mamay; 1325?–1380/1381) was a powerful military commander of the Golden Horde. Contrary to popular misconception, he was not a khan (king), but a warlord and a kingmaker f ...

. The battle of Kulikovo was opened by single combat between the two champions. The Russian champion was Alexander Peresvet. The champion of the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fr ...

was Temir-murza. The champions killed each other in the first charge. According to a Russian legend, Peresvet did not fall from the saddle, while Temir-murza did. Peresvet's body, together with that of his brother-in-arms

Oslyabya Rodion Oslyabya (russian: Родион Ослябя) was a Russian monk from Saint Sergius's Trinity Abbey who became famous for his part in the Battle of Kulikovo. Most details of his life are legendary. According to a 15th-century source, he was ...

, was brought to Moscow. The two men were buried at the 15th-century

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or ''Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are " ...

Church in

Simonov Monastery Simonov Monastery (russian: Симонов монастырь) in Moscow was established in 1370 by monk Feodor, a nephew and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh. It became one of the richest and most famous monastery, comprising six major churches ...

Commemoration

Pereswetoff-Morath Pereswetoff-Morath (; russian: Пересветов-Мурат or just ) is a Swedish nobility, Swedish noble family of Russian origin, one of the so-called ''russian bayors, bayor'' families. Varyingly traced to the Beatification, Blessed Alexande ...

, a bayor (Russo-Swedish nobility) family, claimed to be descendants of Peresvet. * The Russian ''Peresvet'' battleship class, ships of which saw action in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

* A Volga boat is named ''Alexander Peresvet'' * The town of

Peresvet Peresvet (russian: Пересве́т) is a town in Sergiyevo-Posadsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Kunya River (Dubna's tributary) northeast of Moscow and north of Sergiyev Posad, the administrative center of the district. ...

near Moscow * A fast train running between Moscow and

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

since 2003. * 33rd Special purpose unit of Internal Troops * Russian military laser ‘

’ named so after a 2018 'name that weapon' vote

References

In Russian Language * Титов А. А. Предание о ростовских князьях. М., 1885 * Описание Свято-Димитриевского монастыря в г. Скопине. Издательство Свято-Димитриевского монастыря, 2000. * Рязанские епархиальные ведомости. 1891, No. 2, 3. * Лошиц Ю. М. Дмитрий Донской., М., 1996 * Розанов Н. П. История церкви Рождества Пресвятые Богородицы на Старом Симонове в Москве. К её пятисотолетию (1370—1870). М., 1870 * Благословение преподобного Сергия. Под редакцией В.Силовьева. Изд.совет РПЦ, 2005

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peresvet, Alexander Russian military leaders Russian knights Russian Orthodox monks Russian folklore characters 1380 deaths 14th-century births Russian duellists