An oath is an oath made publicly and confers moral and legal responsibilities on the person giving it. Since the adoption of Orthodoxy, given the words of Christ "do not swear", the oath has become called a solemn promise. It is always given publicly and is fixed by some gesture. In the time of Ivan the Terrible, they kissed the cross.
Pledge of allegiance
But so they swore allegiance to the king, and only Vasily IV Shuisky, the first of all, swore allegiance to his people, securing the promise of kissing the cross.
The cross-kissing record is a state document that has been known since medieval Russia. So, the governor Daniil Kholmsky, who was accused of treason in 1474, took an oath of allegiance to the Moscow prince, Ivan Vasilyevich, to obtain forgiveness. He swore allegiance in writing and kissed the cross. The document is saved - this is the first documented witness of the cross-kissing record. The rite was introduced by Ivan the Terrible for absolutely all subjects, whom he considered servants and their property. Especially the act of kissing the cross was intended for rebellious boyars. There was even a term - the kisser. This is a man sworn allegiance. But in history, the cross-kissing record of Tsar Basil IV was widely known.
One of the great dynasties of Russia
The descendants of the Suzdal princes, descending from Alexander Nevsky - the boyars of Shuisky - always breathed in the back of the ruling Moscow dynasty, moreover, they had more rights to the throne, which allowed them to always look down on Moscow tsars. The Shuiskys were direct descendants of the elder brother of Alexander Nevsky, Andrei Gorodetsky, and the dynasty, the last representative of which was Ivan IV the Terrible, was the fourth son of Nevsky himself, Danila of Moscow. But with the help of intrigue and the church, the ruling dynasty seized power by deception and changed the old rules of succession to the throne. Both branches were Rurikovich, therefore it is incorrect to assume that their last representative was Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich - they were Vasily Shuisky. But even in this situation, in the event of the death of all representatives of the ruling branch, the princes of Shuisky should come to replace it. And this happened in 1606 - Vasily IV Ioannovich ascended the Russian throne.
The cross-kissing record of Shuisky attached particular importance to this event, taking a separate place in history. Initially, this clan was the most noble in Russia, its representatives, having reached the due date, immediately became boyars, and were never devious. Vasily himself was the bodyguard, or market, of Ivan the Terrible and his squire, that is, he, like his father, was awarded the highest rank. But the Shuyskys slept and saw themselves on the throne, so they always intrigued against everyone who stood in their way. In this case, the cross-kissing record did not play any role - they swore allegiance, and after a while they killed the one whom they vowed to serve faithfully. Not only Shuisky did this.
First real opportunity
However, after the assassination of Tsarevich Dmitry, the last son of Ivan the Terrible, the thief went to the impostor Boris Godunov, and then a pretty strong rival came up - False Dmitry I. Shuiskys were in opposition to Boris Godunov, then to False Dmitry I, who was sworn allegiance. Clever, cunning, dodgy boyar Shuisky, repeatedly falling into disgrace, as he was at the head of the opposition, always sought forgiveness and regained influence. False Dmitry I, for his misfortune, forgave him on the chopping block. After the murder of Grishka Otrepyev, the Shuiskys, more precisely, specifically before Vasily, really had the opportunity to take the throne, although the competition was strong - the princes Golitsyna could prevent this.
The need for accurate coverage of historical facts
One of the difficult times in the history of Russia - the Time of Troubles, or the first civil war, allowed a number of prominent, prominent personalities to express themselves - these were Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky, Filaret Romanov, three False Dmitry, Boris Godunov, Patriarch Germogen and, of course, Vasily Shuisky , the personality, according to A.S. Pushkin, is tragic. Often, contemporaries hush up or even distort public merits and the significance of some historical person. So it was with Paul I, Vasily III, Ivan IV, Rasputin. Flaws stick out and advantages are hushed up. There were enough shortcomings in the activities of Vasily Shuisky, even the poisoning of the talented commander Skopin-Shuisky was attributed to Shuisky's uncles. But there were positive moments - while the tsar was sitting on the throne, the Poles did not take Moscow. They broke into the capital and plundered it after Vasily was excommunicated and given to Sigismund III for reproach. Perhaps shame for what was done compelled contemporaries to zealously throw mud on the overthrown king. In the history of the Russian state, the cross-kissing record of Vasily Shuisky, the significance of which is impossible to belittle, is widespread - this is the first oath of the ruler of the state to be faithful to his people, given consciously, solemnly and fixed by kissing the cross. By this act, the people were recognized by the people, and not by slaves.