It was named after the medieval Kievan Rus' prince and military leader Alexander Nevsky.

It was formed originally on 17 January 1811 in St Petersburg as a battalion and was given various names before being named for Alexander Nevsky on 25 March 1891, as the Alexander Nevsky Infantry Reserve Battalion.

In 1916 the regiment fought in the Brusilov Offensive on the Southwestern Front against Austria-Hungary.

[4] It was one of the four Russian regiments that went to war in 1914 with its banner, which dated back to the times of Paul I.

[4] Includes commanders of the earlier Alexander Nevsky Reserve Infantry Battalion.