The 800th Anniversary of the Birth of the Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky

Obverse

the mirror field of the disc bears a relief image of the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation, over it along the rim there is the semicircular inscription ‘РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ’ (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) framed on both sides by doubled rhombuses, below under the coat of arms there are indications of the precious metal and its fineness on the left and the fine metal content and the mint trade mark on the right, at the bottom in the centre, in three lines, there is an inscription ‘БАНК РОССИИ’ (BANK OF RUSSIA), the denomination of the coin ‘100 РУБЛЕЙ’ (100 RUBLES), and the year of issue ‘2021 г.’ (2021).

Reverse

the mirror field of the disc features a relief image of the ‘Battle on the Ice’ monument against the background of a panoramic view of the medieval Pskov; below, along the rim there is an inscription: ‘АЛЕКСАНДР НЕВСКИЙ’ (ALEXANDER NEVSKY).

Authors

Designers: E.V. Kramskaya (obverse), O.G. Shepel (reverse).
Sculptors: A.A. Dolgopolova (obverse), O.G. Shepel (reverse).
Mint: Saint Petersburg Mint (СПМД).
Edge: 240 corrugations.

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Alexander Nevsky (1221–1263) was a military leader who defeated the Teutonic Knights on frozen Lake Peipus. He was also a distinguished diplomat masterfully asserting national interests against the Golden Horde Khan.

In 1240, the Swedes landed at the mouth of the Neva River to march against Novgorod, and the Livonian Knights besieged Pskov. Without waiting for an assault from the Swedes, Alexander Nevsky with a small detachment of Novgorod and Ladoga residents advanced towards the Neva River and, catching the Swedes off guard, decisively defeated their troops. On 5 April 1242, Novgorod and Suzdal residents vanquished the Livonian Order forces, thus destroying the opportunity for the Western neighbours to advance further to the East.

A memorial was erected in Pskov in 1993 to commemorate the famous deed of the Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky. The thirty-metre sculptural composition made of bronze and granite and weighing more than one and a half hundred tons embodies the unity and valour of the nation in the fight against enemies and the unity and integrity of the Russian land that defended its independence from the Catholic West.

Alexander Nevsky was also a far-sighted diplomat who managed to make peace with the Golden Horde, which enabled his successors to become strong and establish the powerful Russian centralised state.

Source: https://www.culture.ru