The vacant throne was ascended by Prince Shuisky, who afterwards found an unexpected opponent. In spite of a declaration which he caused to bo issued by the widow of Ivan, to the effect that the slain Tsar was an impostor, that he was really the monk Otrepiev, and that she had only neknowledgad him for her son from fear of his ven geance if she had denied him, a notion gained ground not only that he was the genuine Demetrius, but that ho was still alive. A person who is known to the Russian historians as 'the second False Deme trius,' or the Robber of Tushino' (the latter appellation derived from his having established his camp at Tushino, a village near Moscow), asserted that he was the Tsar Demetrius, and that another had been slain for him in the massacre at Moscow, as formerly in the assassi nation at Uglich. One of his bands took prisoner Marina Mniszek and her father the Palatine, as they were being escorted homeward by a troop of Polish cavaliers ; and Marina was required to declare if the pretender was not her husband, as the Tsarina had been required to declare if the pretender was not her son. Marina also gave an answer in the affirmative, and the anarchy into which Russia had fallen was for years prolonged by this bandit, who on one occasion besieged Moscow for eeveuteen months, and seemed ou the point of making himself master. He was killed iu 1610 by a Tartar chieftain, whom he had offended ; and Marina ended her days in prison. Mean while the Poles and Swedes had invaded Russia. Shuisky, defeated by the l'oles at the battle of Kluchino, was compelled by his nobles to resign the crown ; and an arrangement was made that Ladislaus, the son of Sigismund HI., should ascend the throne of the Tsars.
The Poles were driven out in 1612 by the insurrection of Mink and Pozharald, and the long period of confusion was terminated by the election to the throne of a boy of sixteen, Michael, the founder of the present reigning house of Rounnov.
Even the eecoud false Demetrius was not the last of the pretenders; and there was a false sou of the Tsar Feeder who set up claims to the throne ; but uono of them obtained the success of tho earlier claim ants. The story of the false Demetriuses has been a favourite one with dramatists and novelists; the beat novel on the subject is that by Bulgarin, and the best playa are the ' Boris Oodunov ' of Pushkin, and the unfinished 'False Demetrius' of Schiller. The best historical monograph on the subject is that by Prosper Mdrim6e, 'Demetrius the Impostor,' translated into English by A. IL Scoble, Loudon, 1853 ; but, unfortunately, M. Mdrinide had never seen the most vivid narrative of the termination of the first Demetrius'. career, The Report of a bloudie and terrible nissaacio in the city of Masco' (London, 1607, 4to), which was reprinted a few years ago by Mr. Asher of Berlin, from the copy in the British Museum. Uatrialov, the Russian historian, published in 1S37 a collection of translations of the contemporary accounts of Demetrius, which extended to 5 vole. 8vo.