The novella “The Youth of a Commander” is dedicated to Prince Alexander Nevsky and tells about the prince’s merits as an organizer of the defense of Great Novgorod against the onslaught of the Swedes and the Teutonic Order in the early 40s of the 13th century. At the same time, the author shows that under this prince, Novgorod was the part of the “Russian land” that preserved not only some independence from the Horde, but also obvious military strength in the struggle against aggression from Western neighbors.