What Should You Know about Writing a Critical Précis (With a Sample Essay)

What Should You Know about Writing a Critical Précis (With a Sample Essay) A critical précis is commonly assigned in academic programs in the humanities and liberal arts and is a type of expository essay that summarizes another text. Its purpose is to inform your readerâ€"who is assumed to have not read the text in questionâ€"what the text is about, details regarding its author and publication, and any major elements or plot points that summarize it.It might contain quotes from the other text being summarized but these should be limited to short passages and it should be carefully noted that it is a quote to avoid plagiarism. In short, a critical précis should include the following:The main ideas presented in the textAny arguments that are present in the text, mentioned by the author, and the outcome of those argumentsA precise summary of what occurs in the text (this is often limited to one paragraph and should be a part of the introduction of your critical précis)A critical précis is commonly assigned in academic programs in the humanities and liberal arts and is a type of expository essay that summarizes another text.How long should my critical précis essay be?Since the purpose of the critical précis is to briefly summarize and provide information about another text, its length should be between 400 and 1200 words. The length of the text used will also determine how long your critical précis might be. For example, a short story critical précis might be right at 400 words, while a book might require a critical précis closer to the 1200-word range. There are no hard and fast rules related to the word count of a critical précis essay; however, your professor might require a minimum and/or maximum word count for the assignment based on his or her preferences.Do I include personal opinions in my critical précis essay?Since this is not an analytical or reflection essay, the writer shouldnt include any personal opinions. The authors tone and mood should be preserved, allowing the reader to get a good overall glimpse of the text . Also keep in mind that the critical précis is different than a book review and should not be your review of the text. The writer should not use first-person pronouns and should limit the point of view to an objective, third-person point of view.How do I structure my critical précis essay?Since a critical précis is an expository essay, you will need to have an introduction, body and conclusion, just like with other types of essays. Also, as with other essays, its important to create an outline before you begin writing and return to that outline often to ensure youre staying on the right track and that your writing is logical. Without first creating an outline, you run the risk of writing a critical précis that jumps around, is structured incorrectly, and generally confusing for your reader.IntroductionIn the opening paragraph, you need to provide information about the work you are analyzing, including the author, title of the work, genre, intended audience and date of publicati on. If there is something unique about this work, either in the authors career or in popular reception, the introduction would be a good place to do that, as well. Just keep in mind that whatever information you include should be objective rather than simply your opinion. If you think a certain book was the best the author has ever written, that should not be included in the critical précis. However, if the book was the highest grossing book the author has ever written, that is certainly information that could (and should) be included.BodyThe body of the critical précis should offer information about important points concerning the analyzed text. Each paragraph of the body should focus on something specific, such as plot points, setting, characters, or an argument the author is attempting to make (if relevant). The easiest way to make sure you are following this rule is to create a topic sentence for each body paragraph and then ensure that the entire paragraph has something to do with that topic sentence. This, of course, can be done as you are outlining the draft of your critical précis paper.ConclusionThe conclusion is the paragraph where you restate your thesis statement or the main idea of the author of the analyzed text.Sample critical précis essayThe Masque of the Red Death is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe, an American writer, editor, and literary critic. It was published in 1842 in Grahams Magazine under the original title of The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy and is part of the Gothic fiction genre. While it has been often analyzed as a metaphor for the inevitability of death, it also contains many standard elements of Gothic fiction and was directly influenced by the first Gothic novel written by Horace Walpole entitled The Castle of Otranto. Although Poe was one of the first American writers to be able to live on writing alone, he struggled to do so, despite the mass appeal and popularity of short stories like The Masque of the Red Death. It still remains to be one of his best-known and most beloved works, and was published within a decade of his death.The setting of Poes story is a castle owned by the wealthy Prince Prospero, who is described by Poe as happy and dauntless and sagacious. He, along with 1,000 other nobles, attempt to escape a plague that is sweeping the land by walling themselves in the castle and holding a masquerade ball. There, Prospero leads his guests through seven colored rooms, the first six of which are blue, purple, green, orange, white and violet. The last room is black with light illuminating the room through stained glass that is a deep blood color. The last room also holds an ebony clock that chimes every hour, causing the people to stop dancing and the orchestra to stop playing.At midnight, another reveler appears wearing a dark, blood splattered cloak. At first, the guests are shocked that he would dare to wear such a costume, especially one resembling a funeral shroud. He passes through the six rooms until the Prince chases him with a dagger, angered that he would interrupt his masquerade party and make his guests uncomfortable. After the chase, they both arrive at the final and seventh room. When the mysterious figure faces him, the Prince falls dead. The other revelers are enraged and remove the figures costume by force, only to find that there is nothing underneath and to fall dead themselves.While the descriptive and horrific nature of the story lends itself to an allegorical analysis, it can be taken at face value and read as a simple Gothic horror tale. The enclosed halls of the castle, the mysterious and macabre, the rich and luxurious décor, and the obsession with death are all common elements in the Gothic fiction genre and appeal to audiences who are looking for a chilling story to read with or without the didacticism involved in finding a greater moral to the story.

A “Cold War” has the definition of, “a conflict...

A â€Å"Cold War† has the definition of, â€Å"a conflict characterized by the use of means short of sustained overt military action†. This is exactly what happened between two world superpowers, the United States, which was led by President Kennedy, and the Soviet Union, which was led by Premier Khrushchev, between the years of 1945 and 1990. The U.S. tried to keep communist contained so that it would not spread, but the U.S.S.R. had other plans. Though no large scale military attack between the two directly, there were several small skirmishes in which both countries had a hand in and high, war threatening moves were made by both sides. These small skirmishes and threatening movements by both sides caused the closest thing to WWIII publicly known†¦show more content†¦This is important because it shows the lengths the U.S. government would go to remove Castro from power. Eventually, diplomatic relations between Castro and the U.S. broke down, and with Castroà ¢â‚¬â„¢s influence, the U.S.’s and Latin America’s diplomatic relations broke down also. This was due to the fact that Castro’s influence on other South American countries was hurting America’s relationships with said countries, so the United States government felt that he had to go. To do this, the United States tried to hurt Cuba economically by putting a trade embargo on Cuba. This didn’t bring about the desired results, because the Soviet Union helped them out economically, increasing relations between the two. Due to the failure of the trade embargo Eisenhower’s administration planned the Bay of Pigs invasion, which was later carried out by Kennedy. This invasion involved training ex-Cubans militarily, and sending them back to Cuba to overthrow Castro with support of U.S. air support. Though the Soviets and Castro new of the invasion date, April 17th, 1961, President Kennedy continued with the invasion as planned. The invasion was an embarrassing failure, due to the fact that at the last moment, Kennedy decided against providing air support. Kennedy admitted to the American public that the U.S. government was behind the failed invasion, but instead of backlash from the public, Kennedy gained

The Civil Rights Movement And Segregation - 1759 Words

This world would not be what it is today without the amazing people who fought for what it has become.We used to live in a world of segregation and discrimination. If it wasn t for the†¦show more content†¦Without the accomplishments made from this amazing movement and the people that participated in it the country would not be what it is today. The events that started the civil rights movement were very peaceful. People who were for the civil rights movement almost never used force.One way the people made accomplishments during the civil right movement was by sit ins. A group of college students attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College go to a town by the name of Woolworth in North Carolina.These men were denied service until they moved but this did not stop them. The men pridefully sat at the restaurant counter until closing. This event was unsuccessful but it did start the act of sit ins to protest during the civil rights movement. Sit ins became more and more successful after time when more and more people started participating. Students put together a whole systems for the sit ins so they stayed non-violent. By august of 1961 there was over 70,000 participants in the sit ins. Sit ins made a great impact on the civil rights movement. According to Louis Lomax a journalist,They were proof that the Negr o leadership class, epitomized by theShow MoreRelated Segregation and the Civil Rights Movement Essay1651 Words   |  7 Pagesthe African American experience. The origins of the civil rights movement date much further back than the 1954 Supreme Court ruling on Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka which said, separate but equal schools violated the Constitution. From the earliest slave revolts in this country over 400 years ago, African Americans strove to gain full participation in every aspect of political, economic and social life in the United States. Segregation was an attempt by white Southerners to separate theRead MoreRacial Segregation And The Civil Rights Movement837 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The civil rights movement was based on faith. Many of us who were participants in this movement saw our involvement as an extension of our faith. We saw ourselves doing the work of the Almighty. Segregation and racial discrimination were not in keeping with our faith, so we had to do something.† Although today we may not see it as often, segregation was a very big problem throughout our country in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Over time it didn’t get better, it got worse. Around the year ofRead MoreRacial Segregation And The Civil Rights Movement1550 Words   |  7 PagesGrowing up in rural Mississippi during a time of racial segregation Anne Moody had experiences that were extremely different then other children at the time. The gender-based and economic hardships she faced were factors that played a role in her experiences as a child. 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African Americans experienced the hatred of the whites everywhere they went and soon it wasRead MoreRacial Segregation And The Civil Rights Movement1407 Words   |  6 Pagesthe United States could not understand how it was possible that, even in light of the concessions made during the Civil Rights Movement, members of black communities were listening to funk and embracing their own racial identity rather than considering themselves American. In the eyes of many, the times of racial division had ended with the laws passed during the Civil Rights Movement. From this followed the belief that since everyone was allegedly equal, any effort to differentiate on the basisRead MoreRacial Segregation During The 1960 s Civil Rights Movement Essay2048 Words   |  9 PagesA primary technique used to overcome racial segregation during the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement in the United States was direct action. One of the most influential leaders of the Civil Rights Movement was Martin Lu ther King Junior who is known for his use of nonviolent direct action, which often entailed the violation of laws as an act of civil disobedience. On April 16, 1963, King composed his â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† where he accepted the consequences for his disobedience against the BirminghamRead MoreHidden Figures By Margot Lee Shetterly Segregation / Civil Rights Movement1402 Words   |  6 Pagesexample: segregation. Segregation was the discrimination of colored people and being separated from the white community. It occurred from 1619-1954. During this time, all facilities were segregated and colored (Black, latina, Indian, etc.) people were given poorer treatment than white people, and everything was segregated, from buses to schools to water fountains/bathrooms. Segregation was portrayed in two books. The book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly represents segregation/Civil Rights MovementRead MoreHidden Figures By Margot Lee Shetterly Segregation / Civil Right s Movement1288 Words   |  6 Pagesexample: segregation. Segregation was the discrimination of colored people and being separated from the white community. This time period, the 1960’s, was shown in both Hidden Figures and The Help. The book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly represents segregation/Civil Rights Movement as a nonfictional story about three black women who strive to be engineers at the Langley lab in Virginia and their efforts to get there. However, The Help by Kathryn Stockett represents segregation/Civil Rights MovementRead MoreHidden Figures By Margot Lee Shetterly Segregation / Civil Rights Movement1347 Words   |  6 Pagesexample: segregation. Segregation was the discrimination of colored people and being separated from the white community. This time period, the 1960’s, was shown in both Hidden Figures and The Help. The book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly represents segregation/Civil Rights Movement as a nonfictional story about thre e black woman who strive to be engineers at the Langley lab in Virginia and their efforts to get there. However, The Help by Kathryn Stockett represents segregation/Civil Rights MovementRead MoreThe Time Periods Of Jim Crow Segregation, The Civil Rights Movement And Desegregation1924 Words   |  8 PagesShe was born in 1945, and she is a white American woman. This paper will be discussing the time periods of Jim Crow segregation, the Civil Rights Movement and desegregation. Jim Crow segregation began during the late 1800’s and continued on until about the 1960’s. It was a time of racial tension and inequality. Many southern states of the time would enforce local laws of segregation on African Americans, which would separate them from the whites in public places such as schools, restaurants, trains

Star Light, Star Bright Won’t You Find Me a Home Tonight Free Essays

There I lay looking up at the incandescent glow of the moon and stars, millions of them even billions just looking over me; each one with the beauty of a diamond, glistening so brightly. I truly loved the sky, the endless beauty it held, it made me feel safe. Sometimes I wondered if by some mysterious magical way the stars knew my thoughts and knew where I truly belonged. We will write a custom essay sample on Star Light, Star Bright Won’t You Find Me a Home Tonight? or any similar topic only for you Order Now I hoped that when I looked up into the sky, that answers would seem clearer. All I’ve ever wanted was freedom, the feeling of being alive and the feeling of belonging somewhere real. That’s when I finally decided that the only way for me to be free was to run. When a door is closed, another door will open at the right time, this was my time. Why had I felt like this for so long? If people knew how I really felt would they of treated me differently? No, probably not. It was fact that I was the invisible girl in school; I was even invisible to my own family, I was doing them a favor in leaving. Besides, everything happens for a reason and nothing really lasts forever, so why hold on? Was I holding on because I wanted to fight for something, something that seemed like it mattered? But that something was what was holding me back. So I let that feeling go, I had to be free. I quickly got up and jogged to my house to pack. All my thoughts rushing around in my head, I was excited. I couldn’t wait to start on this adventure! Before I knew it I was standing in my room looking through my belongings and finding what I should take. Packing was never a strong suite of mine, but I’d have to say that this time I did a pretty good job. First my betty boop towel I’d bought myself on my 17th birthday, then my pyjamas that were old and fading, I then just shoved whatever type of clothes I had. My Country Road bag wasn’t very big, but it managed to fit the essentials. I then had to sneak past my parents which I knew wasn’t going to be very hard, they hadn’t even noticed I had walked in. They both just sat there perched on the couch watching some ridiculous reality TV show. I wanted to say bye, I wanted them to care; but all I could do was blame them for making me lean towards my decision in leaving anyway. I stood outside my house with my black Country Road bag pressed against my right shoulder; I was ready for this, ready to start feeling alive, to be able to feel like I belonged somewhere and to feel free from all the problems I carried. I looked back at my house; it looked old and even tired. It’s white paint now a creamy brown, and the mailbox merely held on by one screw, the grass so long that it was almost impossible to walk in. As I stared back at it, all I could see were memories from the past 18 years of me feeling trapped and alone. I don’t think I was ever truly happy here, this was never home to me, it was simply a house I was forced to live in, I had no trouble with saying goodbye. I started walking; I didn’t know where my final destination was, all I knew was that there was so much more out there. It wasn’t like I didn’t have any money either, I did I had a lot of it. My fear at that point was whether that money would stay with me, could someone sense my fear and protection of my pocket? I hope not, because what was in my pocket was my ticket out of here, and I needed every cent. Before I knew it I was standing in front of the airport, it was like I’d never seen it before, gleaming over me like a gate, a path towards my next move- the next chapter in my life. I suddenly felt a cold sweat running through my body. â€Å"One way to Chicago please†. What on earth was I doing? And why had a chosen Chicago? I stood there for a few seconds, just stunned at myself, what on earth had I gotten myself into? I took a deep breath and swallowed hard and thanked the lady who was handing me my ticket. It was only then I realised that I was leaving, leaving the only place I ever really knew. There I sat alone in the cold air conditioned room, waiting for my flight. I looked around the room and everyone seemed so happy, kids running around like nothing in the world mattered, young couples asleep on each other’s shoulders. Would I ever be as happy as these people? Why was my life so hard to turn good? Or was it me with the flaw? I realised that asking questions lead me nowhere except to a throbbing head from trying to find answers, answers that probably didn’t even exist. â€Å"Flight 239 to Chicago, please get your boarding passes out and wait in line to board the plane. Thankyou† I guess this was it, no regrets, no fears. Just me and whatever life brings. I stood there shaking as I handed the lady my ticket. I tried pulling myself together by giving her a reassuring yet trembling smile. I was terrified as thoughts ran through my head, all of a sudden I suddenly then felt bad that I never said goodbye to my family. Sure, my family never noticed me but maybe if I gave them a chance to stop me we would’ve been more caring and loving towards each other? I boarded the plane and sat done in my seat, luckily enough I had gotten one by the window. Trying to calm myself down I closed my eyes and remembered all the good and fun times I had at home when life and my family were good and when there were good times and memories. I opened my eyes, only to realise that I had fallen asleep, but something didn’t feel right. I felt cold and light, my body was tingling all over but most importantly I felt relieved. I’d never felt like this before, was I dreaming? No, I couldn’t have been. Everything looked so real, everyone was still on the plane; some asleep some looking scared and worried. I looked outside my window and saw the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen in my life- clouds and we were in them. It was then I realised where I was. I was floating, I was happy, I was unstoppable, I was dead but most importantly, I was home. Was it normal to feel so relieved and alive? Wasn’t that kind of ironic? To finally feel like you matter when you really have no matter at all. I made a choice to get on that plane and I wouldn’t look back and regret it. It’s funny how life is so ironic, but you take what you get and if you don’t like it? Well you learn to adjust; besides everything dies happen for a reason. COMMENTARY In my first assignment some comments made were that I needed to take more care with my wording and punctuation. Throughout my creative writing piece I tried to work on my punctuation by re-reading it and getting others to read and check it for me. My use of syntax was a major factor in my first assignment, I tried to improve this by also making others to read it and seeing if the way I structured my sentences made sense. I also read it out aloud to see if it sounded odd in some areas, this helped me a lot in this assignment. Another comment I was given on my previous assignment was that I wasn’t consistent with my format and my sentences weren’t tightened up. With my creative writing piece I tried to stick to my first person perspective. I wrote my creative writing piece as though I were retelling a story as it was happening, I let the readers get inside the girls head and see what she was thinking and feeling. I thought that this might add a bit of emotion and sympathy throughout my story. In my first assignment I was also told that I wrote a little to much considering the genre, with my creative writing piece I made sure to stick to the word count and that the story didn’t drag on for pages and pages. Some elements that I need to improve in my writing are still punctuation and syntax, these two areas are always a little confusing to me as I don’t tend to know when to put a comma or full stop. I’ll try and improve this by writing more and more, and asking others to read what I’ve written and see if they understand the points I’m trying to get across. My main strength in this assignment was that it was a creative writing piece. I had a broad imagination and can muster up many unusual scenarios from different things. I think in unrealistic ways so I find writing a creative writing piece somewhat fun and interesting. With ‘Star Light, Star Bright Won’t You Find Me A Home Tonight? ’ I made the girl die as that was what she truely needed in the end. She’s a confused young girl who was holding herself back from seeing the world and was too scared to start living her own life. I thought that her death would be ironic to the whole story and plot, as her death was her freedom the one thing she had been waiting for to feel alive. There’s more to living than being alive. I named my creative writing piece ‘Star Light, Star Bright Won’t You Find Me A Home Tonight? ’ referencing to the beginning of the story about her love for the stars and sky, I incorporated that with her desire to finally find a ‘home’, somewhere where she belonged. How to cite Star Light, Star Bright Won’t You Find Me a Home Tonight?, Papers

The Last Frontier Of The United States Was A Great Time Period Where A

The last frontier of the United States was a great time period where Americans and immigrants from around the world came and settled for new land. It was a time where the federal government encouraged western settlement and economic exploitation. The United States of America came of age after the civil war. In a period of less than fifty years, it was transformed from a rural republic to an urban state. The frontier had vanished. Great factories and steel mills, transcontinental railroad lines, flourishing cities, vast agricultural holdings marked the land. And in them came accompanying evils: monopolies tended to develop, factory working conditions were poor, cities developed so quickly that they could not properly house or govern their teeming populations, factory production sometimes outran practical consumption. The American frontier was an escape and a place of hope for those willing and able to take their futures into their own hands. In the United States the frontier moved in stages, beginning with the Eastern settlements, the original 13 colonies. After the American Revolution, the pioneers gradually crossed the Appalachians and went into the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys, then, in the mid-19th century, across the Mississippi. Settlement did not proceed directly across the continent, however. Most of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountain regions were temporarily bypassed in the rush to get to California. The rush was for gold, and the Mexican War had given California, along with the whole Southwest, to the United States. Settlement was spurred by the Homestead Act of 1862 which granted free farms of 160 acres to citizens who would occupy and improve the land. By 1880, nearly 56,000,000 acres was and found their way into private hands. Going to the west was a very hard thing to do since people didn't know what was out there. Since the beginning of white settlement in America, the Indians had given way befo re the advancing cabins of the pioneer farmers. The states wanted the Indians removed from their borders. White farmers and land speculators demanded their land. White communities feared having Indian tribes as neighbors. Under the Removal Act of 1830, Congress offered to buy the lands of tribes living in the settled states east of the Mississippi and to give them new land in the West. The Indians of the Plains were persuaded to admit the tribes moved from the East. An Indian Bureau was established to look after their needs. Troops were sent to guard the frontier. The government made treaties with the tribes as sovereign nations. It granted them land forever as long as the grass shall grow and the waters run. These promises were not kept. Once the notion of the American Desert was found to be largely a myth, white travelers, traders, and settlers began following the overland trails into the West. The government did not keep them out of the lands given to its Indian wards. Friction a nd warfare between the two peoples followed After the indian war was done miners had ranged over the whole of the mountain country, tunneling into the earth, establishing little communities in Nevada, Montana, and Colorado. Cattlemen, took advantage of these enormous grasslands, had laid claim to the vast region stretching from Texas to the upper Missouri River. Sheepmen, too, had found their way to the valleys and mountain slopes. Then the farmers swarmed into the plains and valleys and closed the gap between the east and west. By 1890, the frontier had disappeared. Five or six million men and women now farmed where buffalo had roamed only two decades before. Speeding the process of colonization were the railroads. In 1862, Congress voted a charter to the Union Pacific Railroad, which pushed its track westward from Council Bluffs, Iowa. At the same time, the Central Pacific began to build eastward from Sacramento, California, toward an undetermined junction point. The whole country was stirred as the two lines steadily approa ched each other, finally meeting on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Point in Utah. The transportation between East and West was improved when the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met in Utah. The importance of the wagon trails soon began to diminish. Twenty years later irrigation ditches were

How to Cite a Website in IEEE Referencing

How to Cite a Website in IEEE Referencing How to Cite a Website in IEEE Referencing With so much information available online these days, it is vital to know how to cite online sources. In this post, then, we’re looking at how to cite a website in an essay or paper using IEEE referencing. Referencing a Website with In-Text Citations In IEEE referencing, you cite sources with a number in the text. These numbers each point to a different source in the reference list: The internet relies on standardized communication protocols [1]. Number sources in the order that you first cite them. The source in the example above, for instance, would be the first source cited in the document and the first source in the reference list. And if you cite a website more than once, make sure to use the same number in each citation. As shown above, you will usually give citations at the end of a clause before terminal punctuation. However, if you name the author in your writing, you should give the citation number immediately afterwards: Rouse [1] identifies TCP/IP as key for networking devices. This clearly shows the connection between author and source. Listing a Website in an IEEE Reference List The reference list is where you provide full information for every source you use. If you cite a website, this means using the following format: [#] INITIAL(S). Surname, â€Å"Page Title,† Website Name, date of publication. [Online]. Available: URL. [Accessed Date]. In practice, then, the entry for an online source would look like this: [1] M. Rouse, â€Å"TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol),† SearchNetworking, Aug. 2017. [Online]. Available: https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/TCP-IP. [Accessed Sept. 19, 2018]. Usually, you will find all this information if you look closely enough. However, IEEE does supply rules for handling missing information: If a page does not name its author, use an organizational author (e.g., the publishing company or the overall website). If no organizational author is available, use the source title in its place in the reference list entry. The date of publication can be the date the page went online or when it was last updated. If neither is available, use the abbreviation â€Å"n.d.† instead. Finally, don’t forget to include a hanging indent for each line after the first in each reference list entry, as this is required in IEEE referencing. And if you need any help checking the referencing in your work, let us know.

Alexander Nevsky - Prince of Novgorod and Kiev

Alexander Nevsky - Prince of Novgorod and Kiev The son of an important Russian leader, Alexander Nevsky was elected prince of Novgorod on his own merits. He succeeded in driving invading Swedes from Russian territory and fending off the Teutonic Knights. However, he agreed to pay tribute to the Mongols rather than fight them, a decision for which he has been criticized.  Eventually, he became Grand Prince and worked to restore Russian prosperity and establish Russian sovereignty. After his death, Russia disintegrated into feudal principalities. Also Known As Prince of Novgorod and Kiev; Grand Prince of Vladimir; also spelled Aleksandr Nevski and, in Cyrillic, Ð Ã »Ã µÃ ºÃ' Ã °Ã ½Ã ´Ã'€ Ð Ã µÃ ²Ã' Ã ºÃ ¸Ã ¹ Alexander Nevsky was noted for Stopping the advance of the Swedes and the Teutonic Knights into Russia Occupations Roles in Society Military LeaderPrinceSaint Places of Residence and Influence Russia Important Dates Born:  c. 1220Victorious in battle on the ice:  April 5, 1242Died:  Nov. 14, 1263 Biography Prince of Novgorod and Kiev and Grand Prince of Vladimir, Alexander Nevsky is best known for stopping the advance of the Swedes and the Teutonic Knights into Russia. At the same time, he paid tribute to the Mongols instead of attempting to fight them off, a position that has been attacked as cowardly but which may have been simply a matter of understanding his limits. The son of Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich, grand prince of Vladimir and foremost Russian leader, Alexander was elected prince of Novgorod (primarily a military post) in 1236. In 1239 he married Alexandra, the daughter of the Prince of Polotsk. For some time the Novgorodians had moved into Finnish territory, which was controlled by the Swedes. To punish them for this encroachment and to bar Russias access to the sea, the Swedes invaded Russia in 1240. Alexander scored a significant victory against them at the confluence of the Rivers Izhora and Neva, whereby he got his honorific, Nevsky. However, several months later he was expelled from Novgorod for interfering in city affairs. Not long afterward, Pope Gregory IX began urging the Teutonic Knights to Christianize the Baltic region, even though there were Christians already there. In the face of this threat, Alexander was invited to return to Novgorod and, after several confrontations, he defeated the knights in a famous battle on the frozen channel between Lakes Chud and Pskov in April 1242. Alexander eventually stopped the eastward expansion of both the Swedes and Germans. But another serious problem prevailed in the east. Mongol armies were conquering portions of Russia, which was not politically unified. Alexanders father agreed to serve the new Mongol rulers, but he died in September 1246. This left the throne of the Grand Prince vacant, and both Alexander and his younger brother Andrew appealed to Khan Batu of the Mongol Golden Horde. Batu sent them to the Great Khan, who violated Russian custom by selecting Andrew as Grand Prince, probably because Alexander was favored by Batu, who was out of favor with the Great Khan. Alexander settled for being made the prince of Kiev. Andrew began to conspire with other Russian princes and western nations against the Mongol overlords. Alexander took the opportunity to denounce his brother to Batus son Sartak. Sartak sent an army to depose Andrew, and Alexander was installed as Grand Prince in his place. As Grand Prince, Alexander worked to restore Russian prosperity by building fortifications and churches and passing laws. He continued to control Novgorod through his son Vasily. This altered the tradition of rule from one based on a process of invitation to institutional sovereignty. In 1255 Novgorod expelled Vasily, and Alexander put together an army and got Vasily back on the throne. In 1257 a rebellion broke out in Novgorod in response to an impending census and taxation. Alexander helped forced the city to submit, probably fearing that the Mongols would punish all of Russia for Novgorods actions. More uprisings broke out in 1262 against the Muslim tax farmers of the Golden Horde, and Alexander succeeded in averting reprisals by journeying to Saray on the Volga and speaking to the Khan there. He also obtained an exemption for Russians from a draft. On the way home, Alexander Nevsky died in Gorodets. After his death, Russia disintegrated into feuding principalities but his son Daniel would found the house of Moscow, which would eventually reunite northern Russian lands. Alexander Nevsky was supported by the Russian Orthodox Church, which made him a saint in 1547.