secretly promoted by Prokofi Liapunov and others as the next tsar. Although Skopin-Shuiskii immediately rejected the radical idea of toppling his uncle, the paranoid tsar learned about his nephew's flirtation with treason." Death Skopin-Shuiskii died mysteriously, less than a month after a private meeting with Tsar Vasili. According to Dunning, "Many people claimed that he had been poisoned by a jealous relative, either the tsar himself or his brother Dmitrii - who was, in fact, hoping to succeed the childless ruler some day. Few people believed the tsar sincerely mourned the loss of his nephew, and many suspected him of involvement in murder." See also Dmitry Pozharsky Prokopy Lyapunov Reference 1586 births 1610 deaths Mikhail Tsardom of Russia people Russian military leaders Russian knights Date of birth unknown Deaths by poisoning People murdered in Russia Russian murder victims