May 17 — uprising and overthrow of False Dmitry I.
This was the central event of the year, determining the дальнейший course of the Time of Troubles.
Causes: Discontent among the boyars, especially Vasily Shuisky, over the growing influence of the Poles and the impostor’s pro-Western conduct. Ordinary Muscovites were irritated by the behavior of the Polish retinue and the “tsar’s” failure to fulfill his promises.
Course of events: The conspiracy was led by the Shuisky brothers. On the morning of May 17, the alarm bell announced the start of the uprising. A crowd broke into the Kremlin. False Dmitry tried to flee but was captured and killed.
Reprisal: The impostor’s body was desecrated and then burned. The ashes were loaded into a cannon and fired toward the West, from where he had come.
May 19 — accession of Vasily IV Shuisky.
One of the main conspirators became the new tsar.
“Acclamation” to the throne: Unlike previous rulers, Vasily Shuisky was “acclaimed” tsar on Red Square by a crowd of his supporters, without convening a Zemsky Sobor. This greatly undermined the legitimacy of his power in the eyes of many.
Cross-kissing oath: Seeking to secure the support of the boyars and prevent new abuses, Shuisky became the first Russian tsar to issue a “cross-kissing oath.” He officially swore not to execute anyone without a trial and a boyar verdict, and also not to persecute the relatives of those who had fallen from favor. This was the first oath in Russian history by which a tsar swore to his subjects, limiting his power.
June 3 — transfer of Tsarevich Dmitry’s relics to Moscow.
Vasily Shuisky, who in 1591 led the investigation into the death of Tsarevich Dmitry in Uglich and declared it an accident, made a symbolic gesture.
Goal: To put an end once and for all to the myth of the “miraculously saved” tsarevich, the relics of the real Dmitry were solemnly transferred from Uglich to Moscow, to the Archangel Cathedral, and declared wonder-working. In this way, Shuisky tried to prove that False Dmitry I was an impostor and to strengthen his own legitimacy.