Editing False Dmitry I (section)

==Russian throne==
Boris Godunov received word of Dmitry's Polish support, and spread claims than the younger man was simply a runaway monk called '''Grigory Otrepyev''' ({{langx | ru | Григорий Отрепьев}}, born Yuri Otrepyev; "Grigory" was the name given to him at the monastery). The basis for this claim remains unknown. But Tsar Boris's public support began to wane, especially as Dmitry's loyalists spread counter-rumors. Several Russian boyars also pledged themselves to Dmitry, thereby giving themselves a "legitimate" reason to not pay taxes to Tsar Boris.

Dmitry, having gained the full support of the Polish Commonwealth, formed a small army of approximately 3,500 soldiers from various private Polish and Lithuanian forces.{{sfn|Bain|1911}} With his men he advanced on Russia in March 1605. Boris's many enemies, including the southern [[Cossacks]], joined Dmitry's army on the long march to Moscow. These combined forces fought two engagements with reluctant Russian soldiers. Winning the first, they captured [[Chernigov]] (modern Chernihiv), [[Putivl]] (Putyvl), [[Sevsk, Bryansk Oblast|Sevsk]], and [[Kursk]], but they badly lost the second battle. Their cause was only saved by the news of the sudden death of Boris Godunov on 13 April 1605.

The death of the unpopular tsar swept away the last impediment to Dmitry; the victorious Russian troops defected to his side, and others swelled the Polish ranks as they marched on. On 1 June, the disaffected boyars of Moscow staged a palace coup and imprisoned the newly crowned tsar [[Feodor II of Russia|Feodor II]] (son of Boris Godunov) and his mother [[Maria Skuratova-Belskaya]], the widow of Boris Godunov.

On 20 June, Dmitry made his triumphal entry into Moscow with 8,000 Cossacks and Poles (according to [[Isaac Massa]]), and on 21 July a new Muscovite [[Patriarch]] of his own choosing, the Greek [[Ignatius of Moscow]], crowned him as tsar.