Northern Lands; Or, Young America in Russia and PrussiaOptic, Oliver
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Northern Lands; Or, Young America in Russia and Prussia
Optic, Oliver
Prussia (Germany) -- Description and travel -- Juvenile fiction; Russia -- Description and travel -- Juvenile fiction
"He then detailed the manner of his escape from Boris's assassin,
and exhibited a Russian seal, bearing the names and arms of the
Czarovitz, and a gold cross adorned with jewels, which he declared was
the baptismal gift of his godfather. The prince believed his story,
and rendered him efficient help. He was presented to the Palatine of
Sandomir, whose daughter was plighted to him in marriage. He procured
the favor of Sigismond, King of Poland, by promising to bring Russia
over to the church of Rome. With a considerable army, including many
Polish knights, he marched into Russia, and after some discouragements,
took the city of Novgorod, and finally, by the treachery of some of
Boris's dependants, entered Moscow, and was duly crowned. Though he
had renounced the Greek Church, he concealed the fact. The widow of
Ivan IV. was brought from a convent to see him, and after a private
interview between them, she acknowledged that he was her son. His
affianced wife came to him in Moscow, attended by a numerous retinue
of Polish knights. The marriage was solemnized according to the rites
of the Russian church. But Dimitri was not skilful in concealing his
religion, and excited the suspicion of the priests and others. While he
was generous even to his foes, his heterodoxy was the ruin of him. A
conspiracy was organized, and he was murdered in cold blood, with many
of his followers, and his corpse exposed to great indignities.
"After his death the boyar Shuiska was crowned as Czar, under the title
Basil VI. Encouraged by the example of the false Dimitri, another
appeared, and many Polish knights supported his claim with arms. The
Czar appealed to Sweden for aid, which compelled the King of Poland to
espouse the cause of the pretender. The Swedes soon went over to the
Poles, Moscow was captured, and Basil VI. died in a Polish prison. The
Poles compelled the boyars to elect Vladislas, son of Sigismond, their
Czar. The new power treated Russia as a subdued province, which caused
an insurrection, and the Poles were driven from the country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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