Rusakovsky O.V. “He Was Unhappy Going to This War”: Tsar Vasily Shuiskii’s Tula Campaign of 1607 [Digital Resource] // Vox medii aevi. 2025. Vol. 1 (12). P. 60–83. URL: https://voxmediiaevi.com/2025-1-rusakovski/
DOI: 10.24412/2587-6619-2025-12-60-83
Oleg Rusakovskiy
Dr. Phil., independent scholar, Yerevan, Armenia
ruso0504@gmail.com
“He Was Unhappy Going to This War”: Tsar Vasily Shuiskii’s Tula Campaign of 1607
The article examines the personal participation, or lack thereof, of Early Modern Russian monarchs in military campaigns, using the example of Tsar Vasily Shuiskii’s military actions against his rebellious subjects with a particular focus on his Tula campaign of 1607. Based on both Russian and foreign sources, two sets of motivations crucial for Shuiskii’s decisionmaking have been analysed. On the one hand, it explores the military and political context that compelled the Tsar to lead his army in person and shaped his actions throughout the campaign. On the other hand, it highlights the symbolic nature of his actions, particularly the choice of the date for the campaign’s start, and the content of contemporary propaganda. The paper demonstrates Shuiskii’s dependence on existing traditions surrounding royal campaigns understood by contemporaries not only as military enterprises with pragmatic objectives but also as a certain kind of pilgrimage. During the campaign, the Tsar was expected to embody both the roles of warrior and ruler, while also displaying piety
through imitation of martyrs. These symbolic instruments were particularly important during the Time of Troubles, as Shuiskii had to assert his rights to the throne, gaining support from the Church and a significant portion of the servitors.
Keywords: Bolotnikov’s Uprising; Boris Godunov; False Dmitry II; Patriarch.