Historical story

Self-proclaimed Dmitri. The miraculously survived son of Ivan the Terrible or the crook of the century?

A man claiming to be the son of Ivan the Terrible dragged the Commonwealth into an argument with its eastern neighbor. In return for his help in regaining the throne, he offered great riches. But was Dmitri the Samocan really a tsarevich or just a trickster? After all, he "rose again" three times ...

When Ivan the Terrible died in 1584, the issue of the Russian succession was at stake. The king's second son, also Ivan, should become tsar (the firstborn, Dimitri, who drowned at the age of only a year), but he didn't live to see it. He died three years earlier at the hands of ... his own father - the gentlemen had a strong quarrel, there were fights, and the young tsarevich was injured in his temple and suffered a severe haemorrhage. Doctors were unable to help him. That is why the reign of the empire was taken over by Fyodor, the third most senior.

It was not the happiest choice - sickly, not particularly intelligent and rather phlegmatic successor of Ivan the Terrible was not fit to rule . In practice, the decisions were made by his wife's brother - Boris Godunov, himself dreaming of the tsarist crown. And there was an opportunity for this, for Fyodor had no male heir. Only the youngest of four brothers - Dimitri, remained in the game of thrones, but he was only a child at the time of his father's death.

Death and the first resurrection of the Tsarevich

Baby Dimitri and his mother, Maria Nagoy (the seventh wife of Ivan the Terrible), lived in a residence in the city of Uglich, in the western part of Russia since the tsar's death. On May 15, 1591, the servants found the boy lying on the threshold of the house. Most likely he was stabbed while playing. At the time of the tragedy, the circumstances of which have never been finally clarified, he was only 8 years old.

At the news of a possible murder (somehow no one wanted to believe the version about the accident), the townspeople reportedly got angry and knocked out all the officials entrusted with the supervision of the boy. In turn, Dmitri's desperate mother was convinced that her only child had fallen victim to the attack organized by Godunow.

If Ivan IV the Terrible had not killed his son in anger - also Ivan - the whole thing would not have happened at all.

However, the investigation did not reveal a murder. The Tsarevitch was supposed to die as a result of an unfortunate coincidence:while playing with his peers, he suffered a seizure of apoplexy and ran into a sharp instrument. It was decided to sweep the matter under the rug, and Mary was sent to the convent. Little Dimitri was forgotten for the next 7 years. However, when Tsar Fyodor died and Godunov officially took power in the country, the old rumors that he was behind the attack on the rightful heir revived.

And here, around 1603, a mysterious man appeared at the court of the Polish borderland magnate Adam Wiśniowiecki in Polesie , claiming to be ... the miraculously saved tsarevich! As Iwona Kienzler describes in her latest book "Mysterious deaths of rulers":

He claimed to be the son of Maria Nagoj and Ivan the Terrible and was saved thanks to the mind of one of his guardians, who, upon the news of the planned attempt on the Tsarevich's life, took him away from Uglicz and hid him in a safe place, and Godunov's henchmen killed a completely different boy who was only pretending to be Dimitri.

A mother will always recognize her baby?

In fact, it was probably a monk who had escaped from Moscow - Grigory Otriepiev. The story he told had, however, signs of credibility. Besides, she found fertile ground. The Polish nobility has been observing the situation beyond the eastern border for a long time.

The news about the alleged Tsarevich quickly spread around the magnate manor houses. The voivode of Sandomierz, Jerzy Mniszech, was particularly interested in it. Professor Magdalena Ujma comments:“He was considered an ambitious man who did not spend much money on the way to promotion, but at the same time he was very wasteful. The threat of bankruptcy prompted him to draw attention to the person of the self-proclaimed Dimitri ". The cunning nobleman sensed an opportunity to gain wealth and power, especially since the alleged Tsarevich felt a mint for his daughter, Maryna.

So the magnate began to look for supporters for the expedition to Moscow, which was to restore the heirs of Ivan the Terrible to his throne. He was informally supported by Zygmunt III Waza himself. “The king received the alleged Tsarevich in a private audience and immediately fell for the version about his miraculous saving. It is hardly surprising, since even the papal nuncio Rangoni claimed that the mere appearance of the pretender's hand indicates an aristocratic origin "- relates the author of" The Mysterious Deaths of Kings ".

Meanwhile, Godunov died - which only worked to the advantage of the Self-Prophet. On June 30, 1605, he triumphantly entered Moscow and was crowned tsar a month later. . Before that happened, however, his future subjects decided to check the identity of the alleged Tsarevich. So they brought his mother, Maria Nagoj, to Moscow. She - to the genuine surprise of many people - recognized Dimitri as her son.

Did a tormented woman who lost her beloved child really mature into a grown man? Today it is believed that she only really wanted to see them. Either way, her declaration consolidated the position of the Self-proclaimed One on the throne. On May 18, 1606, he officially married Maryna Mniszchówna. She became the first and only Polish woman on the tsarist throne.

Maryna Mniszchówna - the only Polish woman on the tsarist throne.

Sigismund III's dream of a great Russia under the supervision of the Republic of Poland seemed to be coming true. By the time. When it turned out that Dmitry walks in Polish fashion and apparently prefers to surround himself with allies from the Vistula rather than his own , Ruthenian boyars formed a conspiracy. During the coup, just 10 days after Maryna's coronation, Samozwaniec was murdered - and with him about 500 Poles and Lithuanians. The Tsarina reportedly survived the slaughter hidden under the stewardess's skirt.

The architect of the revolution took over power, Prince Wasyl Szujski. However, he could not feel very confident in the new function. It soon turned out that he was dealing with an extremely tenacious opponent. For Dimitri ... once again "rose from the grave"!

Dimitri is back for a second time

On the fringes of the Russian empire, a man has reappeared claiming to be a descendant of Ivan the Terrible. Nothing is that the ashes of the fallen Samozwaniec were placed in a cannon and fired towards Poland (this is how the rebellious subjects treated him). In a time when there was no mass communication, the people hundreds of kilometers from the capital had no idea what was going on in Moscow. The trickster could then advertise left and right that he was the surviving Tsarevich.

Where did it come from? Historians have been puzzling over this to this day. There is no lack of opinions that it was "staged" by Poles who saved themselves from the Szujski pogrom. The vision of the conquest of the East once again affected many, including perhaps the greatest thugs and adventurers of the Polish nobility, i.e. the Lisowczyk family. After the two-day battle of Bolkhiv, on June 24, 1608, the participants of the Second Dimitry began a blockade of Moscow.

Frightened boyars headed by the newly elected tsar wanted talks. As a result, Maryna Mniszchówna and her father (previously imprisoned by Wasyl) were released - and the next act of this tragicomedy began . This is how Iwona Kienzler describes it in her book "Mysterious deaths of rulers":

The woman, probably succumbing to the persuasion of her ambitious father, immediately went to Tuszyn, where Dmitri Samozwaniec No. 2 was staying, and after reaching the place she recognized him as her husband. Meanwhile, the alleged son of Ivan the Terrible was not at all similar to his predecessor, and even differed from him in terms of upbringing and education, but Maryna not only saw him as a spouse, but also decided to support him in the struggle for power.

Dmitri II The Self-Prophet at the head of the army supporting him.

In the end, the Tsarevich "risen" a second time, just like Dimitri I, ended up pitifully - he was murdered by a soldier during an argument. At the same time, under the influence of the dimitriads, the army of the Republic of Poland officially moved against Moscow. Zygmunt III Waza for casus belli recognized Szujski's alliance with Sweden.

After spectacular victories, Poles, including on July 4, 1610 near Kluszyn, stood at the gates of Moscow, which they finally conquered. Vasyl was brought to Warsaw, where he bowed down before the Polish king in his loyal submission.

Up to three times a piece

“As for Dimitri II, there is no doubt that he was an impostor. However, in relation to Dimitri I, I would be hesitant. Various doubts emerge, 'comments Professor Wojciech Polak, who specializes in Polish-Moscow relations in the 16th and 17th centuries. We will probably never know what actually happened. Moreover, if things weren't complicated enough, there is… another usurper in the story.

Up to three times art - one could say in the context of this story, among the resurrected Dimitri there was also the third one . The last swindler announced his "true" origin to the world in 1611. In fact, he was an Orthodox deacon named Sidorka. The trickster managed to gather a Cossack unit and approach Psków. His career, however, ended as soon as it had begun. He was captured and executed in 1612.

The Fourth Dimitri no longer appeared. On the battlefield, on the other hand, the Commonwealth remained entangled in the whole affair from the very beginning. The Polish-Russian war continued for another 6 years . It was only ended by the truce in Dywilinie, concluded in January 1619. It is true that he did not give Poles power in Moscow, but Sigismund III Vasa gained for his country the lands of Chernihiv, Siewier and Smolensk.

And what was the fate of the Polish Tsarina? After the sudden death of Dmitri II, Maryna Mniszchówna joined the Cossack ataman, Ivan Zarudzki. She hoped that another chosen one of her heart would help her claim the right to the throne. However, she bet on the wrong horse - her husband had to escape from the rebellious army.

“It was unfortunate that all three fell into the hands of supporters of the new Tsar Michael I Romanov. The ruler was not going to show them mercy. He sentenced both Zarudzki and the only three-year-old son of Maryna [the alleged descendant of Dmitri II - ed. ed.] to death "- reported Iwona Kienzler in the book" Mysterious deaths of rulers ". The boy was hanged and his stepfather impaled. Maryna escaped alive, but was imprisoned in Kołomna, where she died after a year.

On the other hand, the legend of the surviving son of Ivan the Terrible survived longer. The romantic myth returned several years later - voiced by Jan Faustina Łuba, who claimed to be ... the grandson of the great tsar. Like his father before, he was to avoid death during the execution. But that's a completely different story…