42). Even Bussov, who is generally hostile to Russians, makes an exception only in favor of Basmanov, known for his patronage of foreigners, and Skopin, whom he calls “a hero and a great man” (Tale of the self-proclaimed 1.98, 114). The general cry of the Swedish governors and troops after the death of Skopin serves as the best confirmation of these merits of the Russian leader, who, despite all the obstacles on the way, managed to keep them in obedience, being always “kind and affectionate” towards them, according to contemporaries (Stolyar. chronicle in Karam XII, irim. 580; in Izborn. Popov, 344).
It is very natural that, not loving the Shuiskys, the people and the party hostile to them placed their hopes on Skopin and, among the general celebrations, could express the idea of transferring the throne to Skopin, although the chroniclers in this case try to justify the latter (Tales Palits. 230; Nikon. 132; L'Iov. let. 114). But one completely contradicts the other. There is no doubt that, under the circumstances of that time, he would not have dared to encroach on the power of Tsar Vasily; but the tsar from a late marriage had one or two daughters who died in infancy (Karamzin, vol. XII, note 519), and in this case Skopin could count on general election, as a representative, by primogeniture, of the rights of the branch of the house of Rurik, closest to the royal line (Buturlin. Ist. troubled times. III, 132), which the brothers certainly could not allow Tsar, and especially the proud Prince. Dmitry. Meanwhile, given the difficult circumstances of the Poles at that time, with the help of the Swedes and a strong Russian army, Skopin would have been able to force the king to lift the siege of Smolensk and cleanse Russia, and then he would have returned to Moscow with new signs of triumph - a very unfavorable prospect for the Shuiskys. But the People's Party does not want to wait. Her aspirations are clearly expressed in an interesting legend about the election of Mikhail Fedorovich to the kingdom *). In modern
') “When they took the Moscow state from the filthy Polish people, the people of all ranks of Moscow and other Russian cities began to say: “We must not live without a tsar for more than a single hour; but let us recruit a tsar for ourselves.” And the boss of Laki wanted a king for himself from the Gentiles, but the people and the army did not want this to be, but in the words of the
V. 0. ICONNIKOV,
in a dispatch from a French agent who was in Moscow (found in a collection of manuscripts belonging to the Paris National Library), we read the following no less interesting passage: “they say that Shuisky, being himself very rich and powerful, intends to leave power and allow free election of officials, and they believe that Skopin will be preferred to everyone” (Notes of Zholk., 2nd ed., 47-66, appendix) ').
This report was written on April 5. (April 15, new style), therefore, three and a half weeks after Skopin entered Moscow (March 12), and almost three weeks before his death (April 23), and since he was ill for about two weeks, the events reported in the dispatch took place just a few days before Skopin’s illness. Thus, not long before the last, political agitation in Moscow had already reached its extreme limit, and therefore the news reported above (Diary Pokh. Sigism.) about the conversation that took place between the Tsar and Skopin receives some confirmation. But in the same source we find the following contemporary news, reported from Moscow to the king, which, in connection with the above data, is of particular importance. “The Velizh elder, we read there (page 579), let the royal army know that news had come from Rzhev that Skopin and Vasily Shuisky were fighting an exemplary battle near the capital, that it had come to a serious battle and that quite a few people had fallen on both sides”;
The whole ego convinces us of the existence of a plan in favor of
In this place of the brave prince Mikhail Skopin, God raised up the second Michael, the unforeseen one, whom he himself chose; and the lot fell on him and set him on the kingdom" (Approx. to Pskov. let. 69. Pol. sob. r. let. vol. V).
') This dispatch was found by Mukhanov in a collection entitled: ViiioIefiye Vouaie, zesiiop be shapizsgiriz; tizziops yoigatsiiogev, 277. On page 374: Ichoiteiiez zerieShgiopaih bi yuoz b’aigii 1610. On the field: Mozootye. 1610. Nuncio Simonetta from April 16. (April 6) Card wrote from Vilnius. Borghese: “Ega apso piotà, sé bogaiapo Spâtia Getiiáiopi, é bizragegi 1ga іі 8ізкі, еі Ио Зсоріпо зо ГГаеІІо, іі се зяпо іоззе іго, порігебо і” vop arrogiag cyotatepio aiie soze bi zia Maezy (se'epe anso ei bese, s'ez'ipiepbaaoinzete)". Shvi Koya. Mopit. N, 199.
KOPIN-SHUISKY.