DEMETRIUS. The assumed name of four pretenders to the throne of Russia between the years lial3 and 1013. In 1584 Ivan the Terrible died, leaving two sons. Feodor and Demo rills, the former of whom ascended the throne, but proved a weak ruler. and fell completely under the con trol of his brother-in-law Boris Codnooff. The second son. Demetrius, was bronght up at a dis tance from the Omit and when only nine or ten years old either aeeidentally killed himself or was put to death. In 1598 Peodor died also. and Boris ascended the throne, hut his tyrannical measures rendered him very unpopular. In 1603 a rumor spread through Ilussia that Demetrius was not dead, hut mid appeared III l'o111141. The fa et ,vas that at per,011 111111-4'11 D•lll•t 11111 NV 110, it is sail, ttas III r...1111y a Illonk I lined tiregor• threpictr. helot gin,.: to the I oment of hail succeeded in persuading Prince \\ isniewski in 1-itimania, and afterwards Alnisick, Palatine of sandoniii. that he was the true son of Ivan. The •itt( r introduced him to sigisimind III., King ho sow in him a useful instrument for introdueom Polish influence into Russia, and ,41 aided hill, III his designs against Boris. the 01 16m1 1)(111•1rillS. In n nun 1..•. of Polish nobles invaded Russia. defeated Boris, v. lio died in .\pril. 1605, and entered .)loseow in diine, 1005, the people receiv ing hint uitli great Ile tilled for some mom h. M1111 t ipit: but his manifest pre dilection for the Poles soon excited the Russians against him, and t lie arrival of his bride, Marina Nlniszek, the daughter of the Palatine of Sando mir, with a Polish 4,11 \lay 12, 101111, brought the discontent to a head. Sixteen (lays
later an insurrection broke out in the capital, headed by Prince Shuiski. Th, pretender 1%
slain, and a multitude of Ihe Poles mas sacred.
mow a-wended the throne: but in 1607 an individual appeared, alleging that lie was lkinet rills and that another had been mistaken for hint in the .Nlos•ow massacre, lie found :I com.iderable number of adherents, and Alarina acknowledoed him to be her husband. The Poles helped him and for some time it secured likely that he would succeed: hut at length he
put to death at 1::aluga. in 11110. The third pretender gave himself out to be the son of the first. .\ f*.er a brief career he fell into the power of the Czar and was strangled. The fourth made the sante
Inn, falling into the
of the Cossacks, was carried to Alo,cow, where he was executed in 1613. Con sult: Scipkin. " \Ver war pseudo•1)einttriu.s I.," :I retie fur Nlurisrhe vol. v. (Berlin.
:
7'h4' Ms(' of Elie I:us.siarr Ihtipirc 1¶1110) 1