Shuysky Tribute
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Shuisky tribute was the act of homage of the deposed Mickail Shuisky of Russia and his retinue to the Polish King Sigismund III Vasa and teenage prince Władysław (the then-heir to the Russian throne) on October 29, 1611, in the Senate Hall of the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
Hetman of the Crown Stanisław Żółkiewski, who had captured Moscow the previous year, held a victory procession to the Royal Palace through the city of Warsaw, during which he led the prisoners: the former Russian tsar Vasily IV Shuysky, his two brothers Ivan and Dmitry, the wife of the latter, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Grigoryevna (a daughter of Ivan the Terrible's associate Malyuta Skuratov and sister of a former tsarina, the spouse of Tsar Boris Godunov), military commander Mikhail Shein, and Patriarch Filaret who would ascend to power in Russia later on as the father and de facto ruler behind the back of his son Michael I of Russia, the founder of the Romanov Dynasty.
The internal and external policies of Ivan the Terrible led to a lasting power crisis that also extinguished the direct line of the Rurikids early on. Sigismund III saw this as an opportunity to conclude a personal union with Moscow. He hoped that after uniting Polish and Russian forces he could successfully compete for the Swedish crown. The staunchly Catholic King of Poland was supported in his ambition by Pope Clement VIII, who hoped to increase his influence over the Russian Orthodox Church. After Sigismund III's negotiations with Moscow proved unsuccessful, the Poles invaded Russia in 1604 and took Moscow, introducing Sigismund III's protege, False Dmitry, to the throne.
In 1606 in Moscow an anti-Polish uprising broke out, headed by Vasily Shuysky. After the mob killed False Dmitry and massacred foreigners, Vasily Shuisky was elected tsar, and in 1608 signed a truce with the Polish king. However, fearing Poland and the lack of his subjects' support, he concluded a pact of alliance with Sweden. This event became the pretext for yet another Polish expedition to Russia.
On June 24, 1610, the Russian forces suffered their major defeat in the Battle of Klushino, mainly due to the mismanagement of Dmitry Shuysky. On June 27, the group of Seven Boyars deposed Tsar Vasily and made him a monk against his will to ensure his political death. In September 1610, the Seven Boyars, who now constituted the provisional government, handed Vasily and other members of the Russian royalty over to the Polish forces.
A year later, on October 29, 1611, Hetman Żółkiewski, in a solemn procession, marched his army into Warsaw bringing Vasily Shuysky and his brothers Dmitry and Ivan with him. In the presence of the nobility and the Senate they gave the oath of allegiance to King Sigismund III Vasa.
