DEMETRIUS, Tsar of Muscovy, called the FALSE DEMETRIUS. — On 15 May 1591 the child-prince Demetrius, son of Ivan the Terrible, had ceased to live. The death of the infant, still shrouded in mystery, was attributed by public opinion to Boris Godunov. At the beginning of 1604, in Cracow, a man proclaimed himself the Tsarevich D., miraculously escaped from the assassins sent against him by Godunov.
Russia was passing through one of the most troubled periods of her history: a struggle between the remnants of the old noble families humbled by Ivan the Terrible and the “upstart muzhiks” raised by the Tsar to the highest offices, bitter personal rivalries, Polish pressure on the western frontiers, years of tragic famines accompanied by agrarian revolts and the formation of bands of brigands. The “resurrected” D., not very learned but certainly intelligent and bold, immediately found strong support in the Polish magnate Jerzy Mniszech. Perhaps also with political considerations in view, D. secretly converted to the Catholic faith. Still in 1604 he burst into Muscovite territory with a band of Polish volunteers. The most diverse social strata hoped that the “true” Tsar would improve their conditions. The unexpected death of B. Godunov (13 Apr. 1605) removed every obstacle to the invasion, which, amid the enthusiasm of the population, seated him “on the throne of his ancestors.” Demetrius’ reign lasted only from June 1605 to May 1606. In Moscow, D. declared himself “faithful to the Orthodox religion,” emphasizing his desire for independence from Poland. Nevertheless, despite this, he soon aroused widespread discontent: the upper classes found his behaviour unbecoming in a prince; he moreover neglected numerous religious functions and feasts; he was surrounded by very many Poles, mostly adventurers who had accompanied him on the expedition. His marriage to Mniszech’s daughter, the disregard on that occasion of the vigil of St Nicholas, and finally numerous other indiscretions provoked the indignation of the common people, cleverly exploited by the boyars who saw themselves completely sidelined. The soul of the aristocratic conspiracy was Basil Shuisky; at dawn on 17 May 1606 D. was barbarously stabbed in his bed, while in the city the massacre of the Poles broke out. Thus collapsed the dream of the nuncio in Poland Alessandro Rangoni, who had hoped, from the benevolent words of D., to bring Russia back into the bosom of the Catholic Church.
