Person

Vasili IV of Russia

1552–1612 · 16th century · Also known as Vasily Shuisky, Vasili Shuisky

Vasili IV Shuisky was tsar of Russia from 1606 to 1610, during the Time of Troubles. A leading boyar of a Rurikid princely family, he took the throne after the murder of the first False Dmitry but faced the Bolotnikov rebellion and a second pretender. His alliance with Sweden provoked Polish intervention, and after the Russian defeat at Klushino in 1610 he was deposed, forced to become a monk and taken to Poland, where he died in captivity.

Vasili IV of Russia — Image: Collective of Kremlin armory · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Vasili IV of Russia. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vasili-iv-of-russia
MLA: “Vasili IV of Russia.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vasili-iv-of-russia. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Vasili IV of Russia.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vasili-iv-of-russia.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Vasili IV of Russia’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vasili-iv-of-russia (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻