Władysław IV's Claim to the Russian Throne

Timeline

1. 1610–1611Moscow · RussiaAround the time Polish forces entered Moscow in 1610, the Seven Boyars elected Polish crown prince Władysław as tsar in 1610 in exchange for Polish recognition of Orthodox status and autonomy. Sigismund III publicly backed the plan but intended to take the Russian throne himself, insisting that Władysław convert to Catholicism and not accept Orthodox baptism, provoking a strong Russian backlash.
2. 1611–1612Warsaw and Smolensk · PolandBetween 1611 and 1612 Poland still maintained Władysław's claim to the Russian throne, and mints in Moscow and Novgorod even used his tsarist title in advance, but Władysław himself never went to Moscow to be crowned. Negotiations over religious conditions and the division of power reached a deadlock, while the militia movement arose and Poland's plan to 'elect a tsar' lost its Russian social base.
3. 1613–1618Deulino · RussiaAfter Michael Romanov acceded in 1613, Władysław's claim lacked support within Russia. The Truce of Deulino in 1618 only established a truce and border arrangements of fourteen and a half years, and Władysław did not relinquish the tsarist title; only with the Treaty of Polyanovka (June 14, 1634) after the Smolensk War of 1632–1634 did he formally renounce his claim to the Russian throne and return the royal regalia.