Eurasian Interpretation of Alexander Nevsky in the Works of Vernadsky and Klepinin
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St Petersburg State University
Abstract
Within twenty years after the 1917 revolution, the historical memory of Alexander Nevsky
had died away in the Soviet Russia due to a strong association between his veneration and the
Romanov dynasty. By contrast, scholars of the émigré milieu regularly referred to the prince’s
historical and spiritual experience. However, even abroad, although the name of the prince
occurred in fundamental works and scholarly articles, only one book on his biography was
published throughout this period (1927). It is the work by N. Klepinin, whose life happened
to be closely connected with the Eurasianist movement. This circumstance determined
the rapprochement with the Soviet special services, participation in special operations,
homecoming and, eventually, death. The dramatic fate of Klepinin should not diminish the
merits of his main and, unfortunately, the only major historical work. The comparison of this
work with those of G. Vernadsky and the archives of the scholar, published and introduced
by A. Dvornichenko, enable us to trace the ideological connections of two émigré historians.
Their contemporaries, in particular, G. Fedotov and I. Il’in, referred to the similarity of the
approaches of both historians. Indeed, they had similar views on many developments and
historical processes (the interpretation of Mongolian suzerainty, the role of the Orthodox
Church in the national history etc). Living in the United States G. Vernadsky suggested inviting
Klepinin to contribute to a large collective work on Church history. The fact that Vernadsky
also sympathized with the Eurasians, although he objected to their involvement in political
processes, can account for the affinity in the interpretation of historical events.
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Sokolov R. А. Eurasian Interpretation of Alexander Nevsky in the Works of Vernadsky and Klepinin. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History, 2019, vol. 64, iss. 4, рр. 1419–1428.