Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky

[citation needed] When False Dmitriy II appeared on the political horizon, Vasili IV decided to seek help from the Swedes and sent Skopin-Shuisky to Novgorod to negotiate with them.

[citation needed] On 14 April 1609, Skopin-Shuisky left Novgorod with 12,000 Swedish soldiers under the command of Jacob De la Gardie to save the Russian throne.

Nevertheless, many supporters of False Dmitriy II chose to flee at the sight of Mikhail's army and this gained him a reputation of the saviour of the fatherland.

According to Chester Dunning, "In March 1610, Tsar Vasili's brilliant nephew Skopin-Shuiskii made a triumphal entry into the capital widely hailed as the hero who had ended the siege of Moscow and eliminated the longstanding threat posed by Tushino.

According to Dunning, "Many people claimed that he had been poisoned by a jealous relative,[clarification needed] either the tsar himself or his brother Dmitrii - who was, in fact, hoping to succeed the childless ruler some day.