Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"If successful, the Swedes would have gained control of a trade route that had long been under Novgorod control. . . . On July 15, 1240, Alexander's small army faced the invaders at the River Neva. . . . Nevsky's political influence was strengthened, and his victory at Neva can be seen as one in a sequence of victories that were significant in the development of Muscovite Russia." [Furtado: 1001 Days] "Alexander Yaroslavich (c. 1220-1263) was a prince of Novgorod, Kiev, and grand prince of Vladimir. In 1240, he halted the eastward expansion of the Swedes at the Neva river, earning himself the name Nevsky (of the Neva). When Teutonic knights invaded Russia, at the behest of the pope, Nevsky turned them back, decisively defeating them in 1242. He also inflicted many defeats on pagan Lithuanians and Finns. An outstanding military commander, he chose to collaborate with invading Mongols, securing the title of grand prince. He forced rebellious Novgorod to submit to a Mongol census and taxation, and may have lessened the local people's suffering by acting as a mediator with the khans." [DK Timelines, p. 215]