Dimitri the False

(1581-1606)

Dimitri Ioannovich was Tsar of Russia from July 21, 1605 until his death in May 17, 1606. He had the tittle of Dimitri II but his real name is reported to have been Grigory Otrepyev.   

 He was one of three people who during the Time of Troubles claimed to be the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsarevitch Dimitri Ivanovich, who it was rumored escaped assassination which had been ordered by his uncle Boris Godunov in 1591.

Dimitri claimed that his mother was the widow of Tsar Ivan and had given him to a doctor to save him from assassination. The doctor had hidden him in a Russian monastery and after the doctor died he fled to Russia where he worked as a teacher before he was in service to a noblemen. Many who knew Tsar Ivan thought Dimitri looked like the Tsar's son. 

Several powerful noblemen decided to support him against Tsar Boris Godunov. The king of Poland decided to support Dimitri but not give any aid to help him gain the thrown. He also recived the support of the Jesuits. Dimitri converted to Roman Catholicism in 1604 and convinced the papal nuncio Claudio Rangoni to back his claim.

Some of the Russian boyars claimed to accept Dimitri's claim to have a reason to not pay taxes to Tsar Boris.

 Dimitri had a large number of followers, a small army and the support of the commonwealth magnate who gave him 3500 soldiers from their private armies. In June of 1604 he rode into Russia with the added support of the southern Cossacks. Dimitri and his army fought two battles, wining the first but lost the second. On April 13, 1605 news arrived of of Tsar Borris' death.

Russian troops switched sides and on June 1,the newly crowned tsar, Feodor II, was imprisoned and later killed. July 21st Dimitri was crowned tsar.

Dimitri planned to introduce a series of political and economical reforms. He brought back Yuri's Day; when serfs were allowed to move to another lord, to make their lives easier.

In foriegn affairs, Dimitri tried to make an alliancew with the Polish-Lithuanian Connonwealth and the Roman Pope. He planned war against the Ottoman Empire and ordered the mass production of firearms. He refered to himself as the "Emperor of Russia".

To show appreciation of his Polish supporters he converted Russia to Catholicism after gaining the throne. This angered the Russian Orthodox Church and increased support of his enemies. The boyars, began ploting against him, accusing him of spreading Roman Catholicism and sodomy.

On May, 17 1606 the kremlin was stormed by Dimitri's emiemies. Demitri tried to escape through a window but broke his leg in the fall. He was shot dead by the time he hit the ground. His body was put on display and then cremated, the ashes were shot from a cannon towards Poland. Demitri's reign only lasted 10 monthes. Vasili Shuisky became the new Tsar.