Family tragedies of the Romanovs. Difficult choice Sukina Lyudmila Borisovna

Emperor Ivan VI Antonovich (02.08.1740-04.07.1764) Years of reign - 1740-1741

Emperor Ivan VI Antonovich (08/02/1740-07/04/1764)

Years of reign – 1740-1741

The reign of Emperor Ivan Antonovich is the shortest in the history of Russia. Throughout that single year when he was considered a sovereign, Ivan did not sit on the throne, but lay in his infant cradle. Unlike his predecessors and successors on the imperial throne, he simply did not have time to feel like a king and receive at least some joy from his high position. The unfortunate baby, whose life was ruined by the imperial crown, could not even suspect what passions were boiling around his person, what tangles of intrigue were twisting at his court and what decrees and orders were being issued in his name.

The day after the death of Empress Anna Ioannovna, October 18, her will was printed and read out, according to which Ivan Antonovich was declared emperor, and Duke Ernst Johann Biron was appointed regent until he reached the age of 17. All military and civilian ranks of the empire had to swear allegiance to both of them - and swore allegiance.

According to Anna's will, Biron was endowed with unlimited powers. He could freely manage finances and political affairs, conclude international treaties, command the army and navy, and even control the fate of the Brunswick family itself - the emperor’s closest relatives. On October 19, Emperor Ivan Antonovich “issued” a decree by which Biron was granted the exclusive title: “His Highness the Regent of the Russian Empire, Duke of Courland, Livonia and Semigall.” And only four days later they decided to order that the emperor’s own father, Prince Anton Ulrich, be titled “His Imperial Highness.”

Many courtiers also drew attention to some “strangeness” of the late empress’s will. In the event that Ivan Antonovich died without leaving any offspring, the throne should have gone to the eldest of the male children “from the same marriage” of Anna Leopoldovna. This order effectively deprived Princess Anne of not only the right to divorce her unloved husband Anton Ulrich, but also the possibility of remarriage if he died before her. Her children, born from another man, could under no circumstances inherit the imperial throne. But at the same time, Duke Biron could remain regent for other minor sovereigns from the Brunswick family. But no one then dared to object to this order of things, established not without the participation of the experienced courtier Osterman and Biron himself. It was passed down from mouth to mouth that just before her death, Empress Anna managed to whisper her last parting word to her favorite: “I suppose.”

But to establish the power of the regent, the patronage of the late empress alone was clearly not enough. And in the very first days of his reign, Biron tried to win the recognition of his subjects with favors and fair decisions. Manifestos were issued on strict observance of laws and righteous trials, an amnesty was declared for prisoners, with the exception of thieves, robbers, murderers and embezzlers; The poll tax was reduced in 1740. The regent showed fatherly concern for the soldiers and officers. In winter, the sentries were ordered to be given fur coats so that they would not suffer from the cold (since the time of Peter I, the military had to stand guard in light European-style uniforms). Luxury was limited by law, the pursuit of which ruined the nobility under Anna Ioannovna. From now on, it was forbidden to wear a dress made of fabric whose cost exceeded 4 rubles per arshin.

But all Biron’s tricks were in vain. The nobility was indignant that for the next 17 years, and possibly longer, Russia would be ruled by a temporary foreigner who had risen so high only thanks to a “shameful connection” with the former empress. Conspiracies were brewing at court and in the guard. They were slowly warmed up by Princess Anna Leopoldovna, whose power and freedom were limited by the Duke of Courland. Prince Anton Ulrich was also not happy with his position, also oppressed in every possible way by Biron, who was trying to deprive the emperor’s father of his last powers and leverage over the guard and court. Not without their participation, rumors began to spread that Anna Ioannovna’s will was not real and the signature on it was not made by her hand.

Biron suspected that the Prince and Princess of Brunswick were just waiting for an opportunity to deprive him of his regency, and began to act himself. More than anything, he wanted the parents of the infant emperor to leave Russia. In front of them, he repeatedly said that he wanted to invite the young Holstein Prince Peter, the grandson of Peter I, the nephew of Princess Elizabeth, to St. Petersburg. This young man also had rights to the Russian throne and was a serious competitor to the Brunswickers. At the same time, Biron spread rumors that Anna Leopoldovna and her husband hated Russia and Russians. Anna calls her new subjects “canals,” and Anton Ulrich threatens that when he becomes regent, he will arrest all the generals and ministers and drown them in the Neva. However, due to the absurdity of these rumors, very few believed them.

In relations with the emperor's parents, Biron had to balance between showing them obvious honor and threats and harassment. On October 23, on behalf of Ivan Antonovich, he issued a decree to pay Anna and Anton an annual allowance of 200 thousand each (a huge amount even for the emperor’s closest relatives; Princess Elizabeth, for example, received only 50 thousand rubles a year). But on the same day, the Duke forced the Prince of Brunswick to publicly, in the presence of senators and ministers, renounce his claims to the regency and certify with his signature the authenticity of Anna Ioannovna’s will. A few days later, he forced Anton Ulrich to renounce all his military posts and military ranks under the pretext of the need to fulfill his father's duty and be closely with the infant emperor. Biron had reason to fear Anton’s influence in the troops: he, being a lieutenant colonel of the Semenovsky Guards Regiment and a colonel of the Braunschweig Cuirassier Regiment, enjoyed some popularity among the Guards officers. On November 1, the Military College received a decree from the regent, written on behalf of the emperor, that all his military ranks and titles were to be attributed to the prince. Anton Ulrich was actually turned into a private citizen associated with supreme authority in Russia there are only ties of blood. The courtiers began to call Biron behind his back the “new Boris Godunov,” hinting at a possible complete usurpation of the throne in the future.

But Biron did not have to enjoy this victory for long. While fighting with the Brunswick family, the regent lost sight of much more serious enemies. His secret ill-wishers were other influential Germans at court - Minich and Osterman. Count Osterman took a break from intrigue for a while; he called in sick and locked himself in his home to reflect on possible scenarios. Field Marshal Minich turned out to be more decisive. At first he supported Biron, but the Duke seemed to have forgotten that he owed him a lot and was in no hurry to give rewards and privileges. Minich was smart, observant and saw perfectly well that dissatisfaction with the regent was spreading among the officers and soldiers of the court regiments. The guards were outraged by Biron's arbitrariness and the fact that he wanted to reform the guard, prohibit nobles from serving as privates in it and send them as junior officers to army units in the provinces, and recruit soldiers from the lower strata of the population into the guard regiments. Under these conditions, why not lead the rebels, and at the same time return to the Brunswick couple the power taken from them by the Duke? For such a service one could then demand any gratitude.

Minich relied on Anna Leopoldovna, who surpassed her husband in strength of character. Soon an opportunity presented itself to talk with the princess face to face. Anna Leopoldovna needed a new page for her retinue, and she wanted to choose him from among the students of the cadet corps. Minich, being the chief of cadets, personally introduced her to the four best students.

The meeting took place on November 7. When, after a short conversation, the young men were released, Anna asked Minich to stay and began to complain to him about her situation. She said that she had heard from faithful people that the regent was preparing their departure from Russia. Apparently, she will have to leave, but she would like to take her son-emperor with her, because she, as a mother, cannot part with the baby and leave him to the mercy of fate. Minich in response promised to do everything to protect her from Biron’s tyranny.

The next morning, the field marshal again unexpectedly appeared in the princess's chambers and invited her to stage a coup and arrest the regent. Anna Leopoldovna at first pretended to be scared and began to refuse, claiming that she could not risk Minich’s life and the fate of his family to solve her own problems. But then the princess allowed the field marshal to persuade her. They decided to do everything in secret, without involving any other persons in the conspiracy. It was impossible to hesitate not only for fear that their idea would be discovered, but also because soon the Preobrazhensky regiment, commanded by Minikh, was supposed to hand over its watch guarding the palaces of the emperor and regent to another unit. It was urgent to take advantage of the favorable moment while the conspirators legally controlled all entrances and exits from Biron’s chambers.

On the same day, Minikh dined with Levenvold at Biron’s. The Duke, as if anticipating trouble, was thoughtful, and his face showed concern. Minich, on the contrary, showed enviable self-control. When Levenvold suddenly unexpectedly asked if the field marshal had to make unexpected night forays during military campaigns, he was only embarrassed for a second and immediately replied that he did not remember such a thing, but would never refuse to take advantage of a favorable opportunity. No one paid any attention to his brief confusion or the ambiguity of his answer at that moment.

At eleven o'clock in the evening, Minich left Biron's house and immediately began to give orders regarding the “extraordinary night enterprise.” At two o'clock in the morning the field marshal summoned his adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Manstein. Together they went to Winter Palace. Through the dressing room, Minikh and the adjutant went into the private chambers of Princess Anna Leopoldovna and woke up her favorite, maid of honor Julia Mengden, since only she had round-the-clock access to the bedrooms of the prince and princess.

Only Anna Leopoldovna came out to see Minich. She was determined. After talking with her for a few minutes, Minikh called the guard officers who were in the palace. Anna announced to the guards that she was tired of enduring insults and oppression from the regent and decided to arrest him, entrusting this matter to Minich. The officers swore to obey their field marshal in everything and help him carry out the princess's orders. Anna allowed them all to touch her hand, and then kissed each one, sealing the vow with this friendly gesture. The guardsmen, to whom the officers repeated everything they had heard in the princess’s chambers, also expressed their readiness to participate in the coup. Minikh left forty people to guard the emperor and his parents, and took eighty with him to the Summer Palace, to Biron.

The further development of events is reminiscent of a not very well-written adventure novel, when everything works out for the heroes as if by itself. But it turns out that sometimes this happens in life. Mnich stopped his detachment two hundred paces from the palace, as he was afraid that the guard might make a noise and warn the duke. But Manstein managed to surprisingly easily and quickly come to an agreement with the guard officers, who even offered their help to the conspirators. Minich gave his adjutant an officer and twenty soldiers and ordered Biron to be arrested. Manstein and his small detachment freely entered the Duke’s personal chambers: the guards let him through, thinking that he was going to the regent with some important message. And then an unexpected difficulty arose: Manstein had never been in Biron’s bedroom and did not know exactly which door led there. He did not dare to wake up the servants, so as not to make too much noise. At random, the adjutant pushed one of the locked double doors, whose latches had, by a strange accident, been forgotten to latch, and found himself in the ducal bedroom. Then an ugly scene unfolded.

Biron and his wife were fast asleep and woke up only when Manstein roughly threw back the curtains of the bed and began to speak loudly. The Birons jumped up at once and shouted: “Guard!” To this, Manstein sarcastically remarked that he had brought many guards with him. The Duke tried to resist and began to fight with the soldiers. But the forces were unequal, the guards severely beat the regent, tore his shirt, so that he was left almost completely naked. When they finally pinned him down, they gagged him with a handkerchief, tied his hands with an officer's scarf, then wrapped him in a blanket and took him to the guardhouse. Here they found a soldier's overcoat for him to cover his nakedness, and in this form he was taken to the Winter Palace. Biron's wife wanted to run after her husband in one nightgown, but one of the soldiers grabbed her outside the gate and brought her to Manstein with the question of what to do with the regent’s wife. Manstein ordered to take her back to the palace, but the soldier was too lazy to do this, and he pushed the unfortunate half-naked woman into a pile of snow lying in the yard (November that year turned out to be cold and snowy). There a certain guards captain saw her, dressed her somehow, took her to the palace and asked her not to leave her chambers in order to avoid trouble.

That same night, the regent's brother, Gustav Biron, and the Duke's loyal minion, Bestuzhev, were arrested. Both did not even immediately understand what had happened. At six in the morning Minikh reported to Anna Leopoldovna that the plan had been successfully accomplished. Osterman was invited to the Winter Palace and was informed about the changes that had taken place. This time the all-powerful nobleman was forced to come to terms with the leading role of Minikh.

Returning home, Minich and his son immediately compiled a list of awards and new appointments at court. Princess Anna was declared the new ruler instead of Biron and was awarded the highest order of St. Andrew the First-Called in Imperial Russia, Prince Anton received the highest military rank of generalissimo, which he had long dreamed of, Minich himself was appointed first minister. They just didn’t know how to mark Osterman so as not to give him power and not to offend him. Then they remembered that the count had long been talking about the rank of great admiral, which he counted on for his care of the fleet. They decided to award him with this honorary, but not important, title. The project was taken to Princess Anna Leopoldovna for signature, and she approved everything.

It was necessary to decide what to do with Biron and his family. Still, the former regent had great authority, so no one could single-handedly determine his fate. Anna Leopoldovna, Princess Elizaveta Petrovna, Minikh and Osterman gathered in the Winter Palace. At this “small council” it was decided to send the Birons to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, and the next day to transport them to the Shlisselburg fortress.

Biron's months-long case began. The Duke was accused of many things: the “seizure” of the regency, neglect of the health of the former empress, the desire to remove the royal family from Russia, oppression of the Russians, and even the fact that he dared to accept personal gifts from Anna Ioannovna. Based on the totality of all these mostly absurd accusations, on April 18, 1741, Biron was sentenced to death, but was pardoned by ruler Anna Leopoldovna. From Shlisselburg the Duke was sent to Pelym, where he was kept under strict supervision in a house specially built for this purpose according to the design of Minich himself.

Biron's fate began to change for the better again only after power again passed to the junior branch of the House of Romanov. Elizaveta Petrovna transferred him to a free settlement in Yaroslavl. Emperor Peter III invited Biron to live in St. Petersburg and returned his orders and honorary ranks. Catherine II restored the Duke to the Courland throne, having obtained the consent of the Polish king. Biron returned to his native Mitau, but did not find agreement with the local nobility there. He pursued a too openly pro-Russian policy, at the same time he tried to limit the privileges of the nobles and alleviate the situation of the serfs, and patronized the Jews. A few years later, Biron got tired of fighting the Courland knighthood and in 1769 renounced power in favor of his son Peter, whom he had once intended as a groom for Anna Leopoldovna. Biron died on December 17, 1772 at the age of 82 in Mitau, having long outlived not only his mistress, Empress Anna Ioannovna, but also everyone who deprived him of power and kept him in prison and exile. He was buried with honor, dressed in St. Andrew's robe, in the ducal crypt.

But Anna Leopoldovna, who carried out a coup and deprived Biron of power over Russia, of course, could not assume that the fate of the disgraced Duke would be much more prosperous than her own. She celebrated the victory and prepared to enjoy its fruits.

On November 9, 1740, Anna Leopoldovna declared herself ruler under her young son, the emperor, and no one objected to this. The distribution of awards, ranks and positions planned by Minich also took place. Many courtiers had their debts forgiven and bonuses paid from the treasury. Everyone seemed happy. But still there were skeptics at court who believed that this coup was unlikely to be the last. If Princess Anne decided to do this, others will too.

Anna Leopoldovna wanted to rule, but she did not know how to do this at all. It would be difficult to find a person less capable of being regent. The princess was naturally shy, unsociable, and had an expression of eternal gloom on her face. In her youth, her mother, Duchess Ekaterina Ivanovna, more than once scolded her for her unsociability. In addition, Anna was young and did not have the necessary experience in government affairs. Despite her upbringing at the German and Russian courts, the princess grew up as a slob, showing almost complete neglect of her appearance. Unlike other ladies of the Romanov family, she did not strive for the glittering fun and luxurious entertainment that her new position as ruler could provide. She preferred to spend the whole day in her personal chambers undressed, unkempt, tying her disheveled hair with a scarf. Her best friend and confidante was her maid of honor, Julia Mengden, brought from Germany. It was this girl, who fully shared the views and lifestyle of her mistress, who was given seven caftans embroidered with silver braid, taken from Biron and his son. Practical Yulia tore the jewelry off her clothes with her own hands and gave it to be melted down. This silver was used to make four candlesticks, six plates and two boxes. In addition, the regent friend repeatedly gave Mengden significant sums of money and even presented her with the Ober Palen manor, which previously belonged to the treasury, not far from Dorpat (now the city of Tartu in Estonia).

This is how the author of the book “The Kingdom of Women,” K. Valishevsky, described the character and lifestyle of Anna Leopoldovna:

“Of all the contemporaries and people close to her, only the son of Field Marshal (Minich. - L.S.) attributed to her mental, heartfelt qualities and dedication to business. Others paint her as mentally limited and physically lazy, spending the whole day in bed reading novels. Only her imagination developed early, as a result of reading. She, however, was very pious, placed images in all corners of her rooms, made sure that lamps were lit everywhere; and subsequently, in captivity, she indulged in pious pursuits, in the company of two choristers and a sexton... Not liking to appear in public, she reduced court appearances as much as possible, rarely appeared at receptions and dismissed most of the servants who surrounded her aunt in such abundance. The palace was soon filled with emptiness and silence. The regent was almost invisible, she did not like to dress and usually spent time before dinner with Julia Mengden.”

Anna Leopoldovna's seclusion suited Minich. He, as first minister, could govern the country on its behalf. But he had no support in the government. And the relationship with Anna gradually began to deteriorate. Minikh was known as a brave warrior and a capable commander, but at the same time he was a heavy and boring person, he lacked the polish and natural dexterity that his competitor Osterman was fully endowed with.

Count Osterman, in turn, understood that he could not count on closeness to Anna Leopoldovna, who still continued to feel gratitude to Minich and was not ready for a change of favorites. He bet on her husband, Prince Anton Ulrich. Relations between the spouses were very cool, and in connection with this, the court was divided in two: into supporters of the prince and princess. Osterman and Prince Anton gradually managed to take away from Munnich part of his civilian political powers, leaving him with only the command of the ground forces and the supply of the army. And then, in the process of considering Biron’s case, new circumstances of Minich’s participation in his elevation to regent were revealed.

The field marshal's nerves could not stand it, and he committed a rash act - he asked for resignation, secretly hoping that it would not be accepted and they would begin to persuade him to stay, and he would demand guarantees and new privileges for himself. But Osterman managed to turn things around in such a way that Anna Leopoldovna signed a decree on the resignation of her first minister, and Minikh suddenly found himself out of work.

Minikh was not only fired, he was insulted. Prince Anton ordered the decree on the resignation of the field marshal to be read in all squares of the capital to the beat of drums. When Anna Leopoldovna found out about this, she sent the former nobleman her apologies for her husband’s tactlessness. The imperial family did not know what to do with Minich now. They were afraid to leave him in the capital, but they were also afraid to send him abroad or to the provinces. Minikh was a decisive man, and he was respected among the troops as a brave and fair military leader. Some at court proposed exiling him, like other disgraced temporary workers, to Siberia, but Julia Mengden, whose brother was married to the field marshal’s sister, did not allow this. Minich remained in the capital, which created a nervous atmosphere in the palace. Just in case, the palace guard was doubled, and the prince and princess slept in new rooms every night so that they could not be captured as quickly as Birona. This continued until Minich moved away from the Winter Palace - to the other bank of the Neva.

After the fall of Minich, Osterman's power became almost unlimited. Some foreign ambassadors even wrote to their governments that under the young and inexperienced Prince and Princess of Brunswick, the Count had now become “a real Tsar of All Russia.” But the position of this “technical sovereign” still remained fragile: the Russian nobles did not trust him as a German and did not want to completely submit to his will. And then a new favorite loomed on the political horizon, whom contemporaries were already comparing to Biron.

We have already mentioned more than once that Anna Leopoldovna never loved her husband, Prince Anton Ulrich. Even before her wedding with him, she was passionately in love with the Polish-Saxon envoy, Count Linard, young, educated, elegant, smartly dressed and shining with impeccable manners, which he learned in his service at the Dresden court, which was then not inferior to Versailles. Because of this affair, in 1735, at the request of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the handsome count was recalled by his government to his homeland. In 1741, he reappeared in Russia and no longer considered it necessary to hide his tender relationship with Anna Leopoldovna. To give him official status at court, Linar was declared the groom of the maid of honor Mengden and awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. He was to receive his resignation from his king in Dresden and enter Russian service with the rank of chief chamberlain. He took 35 thousand rubles to Saxony, allegedly received from his fiancee, to deposit them in a Dresden bank.

Linar was smart, had extensive connections in Europe and experience in diplomatic affairs. Such a favorite was dangerous both for Osterman and for Prince Anton, who could have lost not only his wife, but also everything else overnight. Therefore, the rejected husband and still the first dignitary of the state began to look for allies in the fight against Anna Leopoldovna and her friends. All these court passions and intrigues could not serve to strengthen the already fragile throne of the infant emperor Ivan Antonovich. Moreover, in the heat of the struggle at the throne, the rulers of the state missed the opportunities that opened up for Russia to expand its influence on international affairs. In Europe, a conflict flared up over the inheritance of the last Austrian emperor, in which the Russian Empire could act as an arbiter and dramatically increase its political authority. But the Brunswick family and Osterman had no time for this. All their political attempts in the international arena turned out to be untimely and unsuccessful. Indignation grew within the country over the stupid rule of the heirs of Empress Anna Ioannovna. The guards were especially dissatisfied, as they found themselves relegated to the background and had not received any awards or privileges for a long time. Guards officers increasingly began to glance in the direction of the thirty-year-old princess Elizaveta Petrovna, who had entered into mature years. The imperial family and Osterman noticed the growth of her popularity, but did not know what to do about it.

Tsarevna (Tsesarevna) Elizaveta Petrovna- the daughter of Peter the Great - long before this, she unexpectedly found herself the odd man out in the imperial family. Her childhood years can be called quite happy. The father singled out Elizabeth’s older sister, Princess Anna, more, but he did not forget his second daughter either, he was affectionate and generous with her, he loved to spin her around in a dance at court balls, stroke her on the head and pat her on the cheek. The sisters were also very close to each other; the age difference between them was not even two years. Anna gave the impression of a more serious and intelligent child, but Elizabeth was unusually charming: with a pretty face, a slender graceful figure, a cheerful disposition and a sharp, but not evil, tongue. Everyone in the family called her affectionately and mockingly - Lisetka, and could not imagine any home entertainment without her participation. Like many of the young Romanovs, Elizabeth learned all the sciences and arts necessary for a socialite and a person of the imperial house easily, but without much diligence. During her father’s lifetime, no one considered Lisetka as a possible contender for the throne, and she herself did not think about it - there are so many pleasures in the life of the emperor’s daughter that there is simply no time left to think about something serious.

Cloudless happiness ended with the death of Peter. In the eyes of their mother, Empress Catherine I, Anna and Elizabeth quickly turned from beloved daughters into unwanted competitors in the fight for the throne. Catherine did everything possible to get both of them married abroad. This was not so simple, since both princesses were born before the official marriage between their father and mother. Anna managed to marry the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, but nothing worked out with Elizabeth. The suitors refused her one after another, and then she herself learned to refuse those whose marriage infringed on her own pride. And after the death of her mother, she had only one thing left - to try to maintain her position as a slowly aging princess at the courts of her relatives, one after another replacing her on the throne.

Under the young Emperor Peter II, Elizabeth's life was quite bearable. She managed to make friends with her nephew and even become necessary for him. The princess had access to many important matters and had considerable influence at court. In addition, the emperor was also her closest relative - her nephew. Sister Anna died soon after leaving for Germany, and her son Karl Peter Ulrich, another nephew of Elizabeth, was still too young and was far away.

Things got much worse for her during the reign of Anna Ioannovna. Elizabeth had to humble her pride and try her best not to contradict her cousin, the empress. She, being generally a suspicious person, was wary towards her, but did not particularly oppress her. Anna remembered well that Elizabeth’s father, Peter the Great, treated her family very mercifully, and her marriage, accompanied by actual exile to Courland, was the least of the evils that could happen to her if the emperor’s attitude was not so favorable. Anna limited herself to constantly monitoring the life and connections of her cousin. The constable Shcheglovity was introduced into Elizabeth's palace as an agent of the Empress and Field Marshal Minich, who acted as housekeeper. To spy on the princess, special cab drivers were hired, who secretly followed her crew during walks around the city and trips to the suburbs. The main thing, from Anna Ioannovna’s point of view, was to prevent Elizabeth from colluding with her little nephew, the Holstein Duke Peter, about whom the Empress repeatedly said in irritation: “The little devil still lives in Holstein.”

Fortunately, Elizabeth managed to find mutual language with the Empress's favorite Biron. They both needed each other, so they felt all the fragility of their own position at the imperial court and could not rely on anyone else inside royal family. Biron made sure that Elizabeth did not need financially and could maintain her usual way of life with hunting trips and organizing home holidays at her small court.

Elizabeth has changed in appearance. She retained her former pretty features, but had noticeably gained weight. True, many contemporaries said that her fullness gave her figure significance, and the majestic posture acquired over the years only strengthened this impression. Liveliness and gaiety are a thing of the past. But the princess’s face was often illuminated by a benevolent smile, which immediately endeared her interlocutors to her. Elizabeth could not help but know that she was under constant surveillance. Many nobles politely avoided her, so as not to spoil their reputation by intimacy with the disgraced daughter of Peter the Great. And Elizabeth herself tried once again not to compromise people she knew well. She led a modest and rather secluded life, surrounded by a few courtiers and personal servants.

It cannot be said that Elizabeth was a complete recluse. Periodically, rumors appeared in St. Petersburg about her next fans and favorites. There was nothing special about it. Already from the 2nd half of the 17th century, the royal court and the Romanov family turned a blind eye to the fact that unmarried adult princesses allowed themselves love affairs and even secret marriages with courtiers and nobility. Some of them did not disdain commoners close to the court. One of them, the court singer Razumovsky, became truly dear to the heart of the lonely princess Elizabeth, and subsequently this amorous relationship brought him and his descendants the title of count.

Alexey Grigorievich Razumovsky (1709–1771) Born into the family of a simple Ukrainian Cossack, he ended up at court thanks to his natural talent - an expressive voice and a good ear for music. He was noticed in 1731 among the singers on the choir in a small church in the Chernigov village of Chemar, where envoys of Princess Elizabeth, who loved church choral singing and looked everywhere for singers for her choir, visited. Razumovsky was handsome with a soft southern beauty, he did not have any special political abilities or ambitions, he was distinguished by some laziness and did not pretend to power, unlike Biron. He soon became Elizabeth's page-chamber, replacing his predecessor Shubin, who had fallen out of favor. After the coup d'etat and the accession of Elizabeth Petrovna to the imperial throne, Razumovsky was awarded the ranks of general and chamberlain. In 1756, the Empress granted her lover the rank of Field Marshal and gave the Anichkovs a palace in St. Petersburg. Alexei Razumovsky's closeness to the queen helped his talented brother Kirill make a brilliant career. Having received his education abroad, Kirill Grigorievich Razumovsky traveled extensively throughout Europe and became one of the most cultured people of his time. Upon returning to Russia, he headed the Academy of Sciences, and then became hetman in Ukraine.

Alexey Grigorievich Razumovsky was happy with his relationship with Elizabeth and did not prevent others from pursuing court careers. It was rumored that he had only one drawback - he was “restless when drunk.” But this sin at the Russian court could neither surprise nor shock anyone, so everyone, including Elizabeth herself, treated it condescendingly. Razumovsky agreed with his beloved in everything and was always submissive to her will, which earned him the special trust of the princess. Some sources claim that Razumovsky was not just Elizabeth’s lover, but also her morganatic husband (they allegedly got married secretly). He repeatedly proved his loyalty and devotion to the princess, and then to the empress, in word and deed.

People close to Elizabeth included the sons of her father’s former associates: brothers Alexander Ivanovich and Pyotr Ivanovich Shuvalov, Mikhail Larionovich Vorontsov. They served the princess as faithfully as their fathers had once served Peter the Great. Perhaps their friendship was not completely disinterested: having received nothing from the existing government, they hoped to make a career if their patroness rose. But at least Elizabeth could rely on them and hope that their advice would serve her well.

But the most devoted friend of the disgraced princess turned out to be her personal doctor Johann Hermann Lestok. This German came to Russia during the reign of Peter the Great, but ended up in exile in Siberia following a denunciation of “careless treatment” of the daughter of one of the court servants. Lestok was returned from Siberia by Catherine I, after which the young Elizabeth brought him closer to her, apparently sensing in him a reliable and grateful person. The doctor had a whole set of useful qualities: energy, cheerful disposition, ability to conduct a conversation and make the right connections. Lestok deftly and easily collected the information Elizabeth needed, and was always aware of all court rumors, gossip and secrets. Lestok was friends with many foreigners at the court of Anna Ioannovna, but always respected the interests of the princess. When Minich promised the doctor all sorts of benefits for private denunciations against Elizabeth, he managed to politely but categorically refuse such a dubious honor.

After the death of Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth was able to breathe more freely. The new rulers, the Brunswickers, were too busy fighting each other to pay serious attention to the princess. But at the same time they stopped giving her money in order to deprive her of the opportunity to support her supporters financially. Elizabeth began to be pitied in society. While her cousin Anna Leopoldovna was intriguing against her own husband Anton Ulrich and their family scandals were increasingly becoming known to the whole world, the disgraced princess served as a model of decent behavior. Sad and majestic, she occasionally appeared at official celebrations and gradually from a victim of circumstances turned in the eyes of her contemporaries into a symbol of the unjustly rejected empress - “Mother Elizabeth.”

Princess Elizaveta Petrovna was especially popular in the guard. There were rumors that during the overthrow of Biron, many guards thought that Elizabeth would become empress, and were, to put it mildly, surprised by the proclamation of Anna Leopoldovna as regent. The princess diligently and skillfully supported the love of the guards officers and soldiers for themselves. She never refused when married guardsmen asked her to baptize their newborn children, and then established almost family relations with her godmothers. Elizabeth often spent the night in the Smolny, or Smolyan, courtyard that belonged to her, located next to the barracks, and here she received guards soldiers and officers. Evil tongues at the imperial court gossiped that the princess held assemblies for the lower ranks of the Preobrazhensky regiment. Prince Anton and Osterman were very worried about Elizabeth’s friendship with the guards, but Anna Leopoldovna, carried away by the arrangement of her love affairs, brushed aside rumors about this as if they were annoying flies, considering it all the whim of an old maid.

The political prospects of the daughter of Peter the Great finally seriously interested foreign ambassadors: French, English and Swedish. The governments of these countries were unhappy that Russia under Anna Leopoldovna was still trying to meddle in European affairs out of old memory. For some reason, those abroad believed that Elizabeth would return the country to pre-Petrine antiquity with its unhurried internal life and indifference to external issues that did not directly concern her. Foreign ambassadors began to make efforts to persuade the princess to carry out a coup d'etat. Sweden even started a war against Russia, one of the goals of which was the alleged desire to elevate the thirteen-year-old Duke of Holstein, Karl Peter Ulrich, to the throne.

Elizabeth herself hesitated all the time. She either made promises to her foreign allies or took them back. She did not have a loyal and decisive person who could lead the guard’s campaign to storm the bedrooms of Anna Leopoldovna and her husband. True, the servants in the Winter Palace said that once the retired Field Marshal Minikh came to the princess and swore that for her he was ready to repeat the same maneuver that ensured the transfer of power to her cousin, but Elizabeth refused his services, saying that she would decide for herself that her to do. But Elizaveta Petrovna did not have enough energy or will to act independently. Thirty-two-year-old, plump beyond her age and lazy from forced idleness, the princess least of all imagined herself in the role of an Amazon in a helmet, rushing at the head of an armed detachment to the Winter Palace to overthrow her distant relatives from the throne.

But the Brunswick family itself provoked Elizabeth and her entourage to take decisive action. In July 1741, the guards loyal to the princess were agitated by rumors that they wanted to marry her to Prince Louis, Anton Ulrich’s brother. Louis of Brunswick was predicted to take the then vacant throne of Duke of Courland. Anna Leopoldovna wanted to kill two birds with one stone with this marriage. On the one hand, she would repeat the trick previously performed by Peter the Great with her aunt Anna Ivanovna: marriage would automatically remove Elizabeth from Russia to Courland and, at least for the near future, would deprive the princess of the opportunity to lay claim to the imperial crown. On the other hand, she would have connected Elizaveta Petrovna with her family through double ties of kinship and could appeal both to the conscience of the princess herself and to public opinion, in the event of attempts on her part on the throne occupied by Ivan Antonovich, who in this case found himself in a double role - nephew and cousin of the applicant. But the ruler’s matrimonial plans failed. Elizabeth stated that she never intended to get married. Anna Leopoldovna, who had just given birth to her daughter Catherine and did not leave her bedroom on this occasion, tried to put pressure on her cousin through the courtiers, but they unanimously refused to take part in such a delicate matter.

The project of marrying Elizabeth to the French Prince Conti ended just as unsuccessfully. Allegedly, the wife of the court painter Caravacca approached her with such a proposal. But when the French ambassador Marquis Joachim Jean Shetardie de la Trotti began asking Elizabeth herself about this, the princess replied that this was an empty rumor. To consider other options after a decisive refusal to Prince Louis of Brunswick and statements that she would never marry would be extremely careless and insulting to Anna Ioannovna and Anton Ulrich.

Then they began to hint to Elizabeth that as an unmarried girl (the secret marriage with Razumovsky did not count) she was not needed at court, and she could be tonsured as a nun, remembering the old tradition of the royal family. In response, the princess intensified her secret relations with foreign ambassadors and agents of European governments. Some of these contacts were traced by Anna Leopoldovna's spies. A scandal in the Romanov family became inevitable. To sort things out, all they needed was a reason.

This was the appearance of the Swedish manifesto, deliberately left by soldiers in one of the Finnish villages. The manifesto said that the Swedes were fighting Russia not for reasons of their own benefit, but in the name of restoring justice, liberating Russians from the dominance of foreigners and placing a sovereign of Russian blood on the throne. Osterman and Prince Anton were alarmed. The document was clearly inspired by Elizaveta Petrovna's friends. Rumors had long been circulating in the capital that instead of the baby Ivan, the throne would soon be taken by his cousin from Holstein - the grandson of Peter the Great, who had only three years left before coming of age, and that an independent emperor would again appear in Russia, without any regents or regents. Otherwise, the throne may not even go to the children of Anton Ulrich, but to the children of Anna Leopoldovna, born from her love affair with Linar, and the country will no longer be ruled by the Romanovs themselves, but by their bastards.

Osterman and Prince Anton took urgent measures to prevent the text of the manifesto from being disseminated among the people. They reported everything to the ruler. Anna Leopoldovna at first, as always, wanted to brush it off, but then she decided to call Elizaveta Petrovna for a frank conversation.

On Monday, November 23, one of the usual kurtags (receptions) took place in the Winter Palace. The Marquis of Shetardy noticed that Anna Leopoldovna looked gloomier than usual and kept walking in circles around the hall. Then she retired to a secluded room and called Elizabeth there. After some time, the princess came out, traces of strong excitement were visible on her face.

Anna Leopoldovna demanded that Elizabeth stop meeting with Shetardy, whom she wanted to expel from the country. The princess replied that Osterman, as the first minister, should order French Ambassador not to see her, since she herself does not dare to declare such things to a respected foreigner. Annoyed at being contradicted, the ruler began to speak to Elizabeth in a commanding tone, and she also raised her voice. Anna stated that she became aware of the princess’s relations with the enemy army and the political intrigues of her doctor Lestocq. Elizaveta Petrovna denied everything. Anna Leopoldovna promised, if there was evidence, to arrest Lestocq and interrogate him. Both ladies were extremely irritated and dissatisfied with the results of the conversation.

This was Elizabeth's first serious clash with the ruler. She revealed to the princess the full danger of her position. If Lestocq is arrested and tortured, it is difficult to say whether he will be able to keep them shared secrets, and then a monastery and exile will be inevitable. Elizabeth decided to act. She did not yet know that she had less than a day left for her final thoughts.

The next day, November 24, at the first hour of the day, a government order was received in the barracks of all guards regiments to prepare for an imminent campaign in Finland against the Swedes. But those around Elizaveta Petrovna immediately realized that this was just an excuse. In fact, they want to take the guard away from the capital in order to leave the princess without any support. Vorontsov, Razumovsky, Shuvalov and Lestok approached Elizabeth and began to insist that she immediately, with the help of the guards, carry out a coup, otherwise anything could soon happen to her.

Elizabeth hesitated. She was never a desperate adventurer. But her attempts to present to her comrades the full danger of this undertaking led to nothing; they stood their ground. Vorontsov, in order to strengthen the spirit of the princess, said that such a thing, which requires considerable courage, could only be accomplished by her, connected by blood ties with Peter the Great. Lestocq, fearing a quick arrest, demanded that the grenadiers be immediately sent for and led to the Winter Palace. Much later, the court physician claimed that it was he who managed to finally convince Elizabeth. On two playing cards He drew two pictures from the deck lying on the table. One of them depicted the princess in a monastery, where her hair was cut off and turned into a nun, and the other depicted her on the throne in the imperial crown and surrounded by a jubilant crowd. Lestocq suggested that Elizabeth choose one of two cards and end the bickering there. She decisively chose the second and expressed her readiness to lead a detachment of guards.

Finally they sent for the grenadier officers. They came to the princess at night, between 11 and 12 o’clock, and themselves suggested that she immediately carry out a coup, since the next morning they could be sent on a campaign, and then they would no longer help her. Elizabeth asked if she could rely on them, and the grenadiers swore loyalty and devotion to her to the end, no matter what the circumstances. The princess began to cry and ordered to leave her alone. Kneeling down, she prayed in front of the icon. There is a legend that at this time she swore to herself and God never to sign a death warrant. After the prayer, Elizabeth came out to the officers with a cross in her hands and led them to the oath. The princess promised to soon personally appear at the barracks and lead the soldiers to the palace.

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What exactly happened?

They tried to marry Elizaveta Petrovna many times

Another palace coup, of which there were indecently many in Russia in the 18th century. Peter the Great himself laid the time bomb under the state foundation. In 1722, he issued a decree on succession to the throne. This act abolished the established system of succession to the throne, allowing the Emperor to choose and appoint his successor. The reason, apparently, was the sad story of Tsarevich Alexei, but Peter never named a successor, and there were too many close relatives who could lay claim to the crown. At that time they were his wife, grandson, two daughters and two nieces. One of the daughters - - was constantly considered as a contender for the throne, but three times she let other candidates go ahead of her. First, the mother - Catherine I, then the nephew - Peter II, and finally the cousin - Anna Ioannovna.

Tsarevich Alexey

Elizaveta Petrovna's first groom died right before the wedding

With the arrival of the Duchess of Courland in Russia, the rise of another branch of the Romanovs, the children of Peter’s elder brother Ivan V, began. And Anna Ioannovna wanted to consolidate power with this branch. Actually, Anna Leopoldovna was already her niece - the daughter of her sister Catherine. Elizaveta Petrovna was relegated to the background. Under Anna Ioannovna, she generally lived at court as a bird. Anna Leopoldovna treated her better, but there is every reason to believe that this was only a temporary warming. In the end, her son, Ivan Antonovich, was one day going to become Emperor. The Germans coming from Mecklenburg were not particularly popular. Elizabeth looked like a dangerous competitor, especially since she was actively supported by many high military officials. Apparently, realizing the precariousness of her position, Peter’s daughter decided to take the initiative and carry out a coup with the support of the guard, the eternal conductor of such actions.

Could things have been different?

It could. Elizabeth had so many ill-wishers at court that you wouldn’t wish it on your enemy. During the reign of Anna Ioannovna, Peter's daughter actually found herself in disgrace. She was allowed to stay in St. Petersburg and sometimes appear at court, but there could be no talk of any political influence of Elizabeth. Anna Ioannovna perceived her as a potential competitor, although not dangerous. The fact is that Elizabeth had at least equal rights to the throne with Anna Ioannovna. Great difficulties arose with the succession to the throne in Russia after the famous decree of Peter I of February 5, 1722. He introduced a charter according to which the ancient custom of transferring the throne to direct descendants was abolished. According to the will of Peter, the Emperor now chose his own heir.

The coup of 1741. Preobrazhensky Proclamation Proclaims Elizabeth Empress

Since Peter died, but did not choose an heir, confusion arose after his death, which gave rise to numerous palace coups, under the sign of which the entire 18th century passed. After Peter there were at least six people left who could equally lay claim to power. His wife is the future Catherine I, his grandson is the future Peter II, two daughters Elizaveta Petrovna and Anna Petrovna (mother of the future Peter III), as well as two nieces Anna Ioannovna and Ekaterina Ioannovna (mother of Anna Leopoldovna). And since after the death of Peter II the Supreme Privy Council gave preference to Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth’s rights were, in some way, infringed. In fact, the choice was made precisely between 22-year-old Elizabeth and the ruler of Courland, Anna Ioannovna. The second one was chosen, apparently, because they thought it would be easier to manage. We made a mistake.

The guards replaced Elizabeth's father and mother

The Conditions proposed to the new empress were torn up by her, and the Supreme Privy Council was abolished. Power passed to another branch of the Romanovs, and Anna Ioannovna made considerable efforts to ensure that it remained with her closest relatives even after her death. It was she who was the first to call the young Karl Peter Ulrich (the future Peter III), who grew up in distant Kiel, a “Holstein devil” and more than once publicly wished his death. It was she who insisted that after her power pass to her great-nephew Ioann Antonovich, thereby excluding Elizabeth from the game. Anna Ioannovna was repeatedly advised to get rid of her competitor. She refused, because she considered Elizabeth harmless to herself. Similar advice was given to Anna Leopoldovna. Burkhard Minich and Andrei Osterman, who, in fact, conducted state affairs under her, warned Anna Leopoldovna many times that the guard was preparing a conspiracy and that Elizabeth was at the head of this conspiracy. Anna Leopoldovna, who tried not to delve into politics, ignored all these warnings.

She was a woman of a fairly light and carefree disposition. Most of all, she was concerned about the wedding of her favorite Moritz Linard and her maid of honor, Baroness Mengden. Anna Leopoldovna, unlike her aunt, treated Elizaveta warmly, called her “sister” and did not suspect her of anything. All this does not negate the fact that for 11 years, from 1730 to 1741, the sword of Damocles hung over Elizabeth. At any moment she could be taken under arrest and sent to Siberia or imprisoned in a fortress. They could very well have killed him. By the way, Peter’s daughter herself was hesitant. The idea of ​​a conspiracy to place the princess on the throne arose back in 1740. Life physician Johann Lestok and the Shuvalov brothers convinced Elizabeth for quite a long time. She essentially had to make a choice between personal greatness and friendship with Anna Leopoldovna. This choice was not easy for Elizabeth and she did not make it right away.

Elizabeth's fate

“The guards were my family,” Elizabeth said after she ascended the throne. The Preobrazhensky residents really supported her even during the years of disgrace. To some extent, they really replaced her father and mother. Elizabeth's first gallant, Alexander Buturlin, also belonged to them. Meanwhile, at court, a variety of plans were brewing regarding the possible marriage of Peter’s daughter. In the end, there is no more convenient and, at the same time, less reprehensible way to get rid of Elizabeth than to marry her off.

Ivan VI is probably the most unfortunate monarch in Russian history

Initially I had no luck with this. Even under Peter II, Karl August of Holstein-Gottorp, who belonged to a house that in those years was going through very difficult times, was chosen as Elizabeth’s husband. Schleswig was lost to him, and Karl August's father was content with being elected Bishop of Lübeck. The son, however, could lay claim to the Swedish throne, but only under a favorable combination of circumstances. For Karl August himself, Elizabeth was a brilliant match, which cannot be said about the opposite situation. For Elizabeth, marriage to Karl August was, to put it mildly, a “demotion.” Nevertheless, the agreement was concluded, and the wedding was prevented only by the sudden death of the Prince of Gottorp, who died in St. Petersburg from smallpox in the midst of preparations for the ceremony.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth, who apparently took a strong liking to Karl August, announced after this that she no longer intended to marry. But it was not she who decided these issues under Anna Ioannovna. And the Empress had several projects in this regard. The main contender for the hand of Peter's daughter for a long time Moritz of Saxony was considered to be the illegitimate son of the Polish king Augustus the Strong and, in the future, the chief marshal of France. His candidacy was later rejected for political reasons. There were, however, other options. Among the possible contenders, at one time even the name of the Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich appeared, who would later go down in history under the name. He, however, in 1733 married another Elizabeth - Brunswick. In any case, under Anna Leopoldovna, the idea of ​​pushing Elizabeth into marriage would certainly have been carried through to completion. And Peter’s daughter, after all, would have to get married and leave Russia. Where? Most likely, to one of the small German duchies or principalities.

The fate of the Brunswick family

Here it would not be amiss to recall that Anna Leopoldovna was only a regent. Formally, her young son Ivan Antonovich was considered Emperor for a year. They, together with Anna Leopoldovna's husband Anton Ulrich, were also called. Their fate after the coup of 1741 was unenviable. Elizabeth initially planned to expel them from Russia, but later changed her mind. It was dangerous. John's claim to the Russian throne could be supported by any foreign power. So the Brunswick family went first into exile, then into the fortress, then into exile again.

The Seven Years' War is essentially the First World War

Anna Leopoldovna and Anton Ulrich lived out their lives in Kholmogory (now Arkhangelsk region); later their children were released. Everyone except Ioann Antonovich. This unfortunate boy, now officially called John VI, lived his entire life and grew up mentally retarded. We can, however, make assumptions about what would have happened if the coup had not happened, and Ivan Antonovich would have grown up calmly at court. There is, however, an important question here.

Burchard Minich - the main support of the Brunswick family at court

Let’s say Ivan Antonovich is coming of age. What does he do next? Disperses the regents or becomes a pawn in their game. And here we can only guess. Only a few things can be said with certainty. First, most leadership positions Russian Empire would go to the Germans from Brunswick. Secondly, Count Moritz Linar would, sooner or later, become the second Biron. Thirdly, Karl Peter Ulrich would never have ascended the Russian throne. He would have remained with the Brunswick family, fortunately Anna Leopoldovna gave birth to her husband five children. Heirs would have to be chosen among them. Accordingly, Sophia Augusta Federica of Anhalt-Zerbst would not have become Catherine II. However, the main changes would occur in foreign policy.

Foreign policy

An important and significant detail: Anton Ulrich - brother Elizabeth of Brunswick. And Elizabeth of Brunswick is the wife of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, who pulled his state onto the international stage, turning it into. The most important event That time became a conflict that went down in history as the Seven Years' War. In essence, it was a world war, because fighting took place on three continents. In it, Prussia and Great Britain clashed with France and Austria. And both of these blocs made considerable efforts to enlist Russian support.

Frederick the Great

Shortly before the war, an event occurred in Europe called the diplomatic revolution or the upheaval of alliances. With a difference of a month, the long-term alliances of France with Prussia and Great Britain with Austria disintegrated, which, in turn, led to the creation of new blocs of Franco-Austrian and Anglo-Prussian. After much deliberation, Elizaveta Petrovna finally decided to support Austria and France. The court had quite a few reasons for this. In particular, reluctance to fight with France and, especially, fears about the growing power of Prussia. But the Brunswick family would almost certainly have judged differently. After all, Frederick the Great is the uncle of Emperor John Antonovich. And there would be quite a lot of supporters of the Prussian king at the Russian court to persuade the young monarch to an alliance with Prussia and England. This means that Russia would have entered the Seven Years' War on the other side.

Ivan VI (John Antonovich)(August 23, 1740, St. Petersburg - July 16, 1764, Shlisselburg) - Russian Emperor from the Brunswick branch of the Romanov dynasty. Reigned from October 1740 to November 1741. Great-grandson of Ivan V.

Formally, he reigned for the first year of his life under the regency of first Biron, and then his own mother Anna Leopoldovna. The infant emperor was overthrown by Elizaveta Petrovna, spent almost his entire life in solitary confinement, and already during the reign of Catherine II he was killed by guards at the age of 23 while trying to free him.

In official lifetime sources it is mentioned as John III, that is, the account is kept from the first Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible; in later historiography, a tradition was established to call him Ivan (John) VI, counting from Ivan I Kalita.

Reign

John Antonovich was born on August 12, his namesake fell on August 29 - the day of the beheading of John the Baptist.

After the death of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the son of Anna Leopoldovna (niece of Anna Ioannovna) and Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick-Bevern-Lüneburg, two-month-old Ivan Antonovich was proclaimed emperor under the regency of Duke Biron of Courland.

He was born at the very end of Anna Ioannovna’s reign, so the question of who to appoint as regent tormented the empress, who was dying, for a long time. Anna Ioannovna wanted to leave the throne for the descendants of her father Ivan V and was very worried that it would pass in the future to the descendants of Peter I. Therefore, in her will, she stipulated that the heir is Ivan Antonovich, and in the event of his death, Anna Leopoldovna’s other children in order of precedence if they are born.

Two weeks after the baby’s accession to the throne, a coup took place in the country, as a result of which the guards, led by Field Marshal Munnich, arrested Biron and removed him from power. Anna Leopoldovna, the emperor's mother, was announced as the new regent. Unable to rule the country and living in illusions, Anna gradually transferred all her power to Minich, and then Osterman took possession of it, sending the field marshal into retirement. But a year later there was a new revolution. Peter the Great's daughter Elizabeth and the Transfiguration men arrested Osterman, the emperor, his parents and all their associates.

Insulation

At first, Elizabeth intended to expel the “Brunswick family” from Russia (as was officially stated in the manifesto justifying her rights to the throne), but changed her mind, fearing that she would be dangerous abroad, and ordered the former regent and her husband to be imprisoned.

In 1742, secretly from everyone, the whole family was transferred to the suburb of Riga - Dunamünde. After the discovery of the so-called “Lopukhina conspiracy” in 1744, the entire family was transported to Oranienburg, and then further from the border, to the north of the country - to Kholmogory, where little Ivan was completely isolated from his parents. He was in the same bishop's house as his parents, behind a blank wall, which none of them knew about. The room-cell of the ex-emperor, who now, at the direction of Elizabeth Petrovna, began to be called Grigory, was arranged in such a way that no one except Miller and his servant could get to him. Ivan was kept strictly in prison. The long northern ordeals greatly affected the health of Anna Leopoldovna: in 1746 she died.

Name ban

The personality of the former sovereign and his short reign were soon subject to a law condemning the name: on December 31, 1741, the empress’s decree was announced on the surrender by the population of all coins with the name of Ivan Antonovich for subsequent melting down. After some time, coins were no longer accepted at face value, and from 1745, possession of coins became illegal. Persons who were found to have coins of Ivan Antonovich or who tried to pay with them were subjected to torture and exile as state criminals. Currently, coins from this reign are extremely rare.

An order was given to destroy portraits depicting Ivan Antonovich, as well as to replace business papers, passports, church books and other documents with the name of the emperor (“cases with a well-known title”) with new ones. Some of these documents were burned, and some were kept sealed in the archives. Propaganda materials were also confiscated, for example, published sermons mentioning the name of John, Lomonosov’s odes in his honor, etc. This process continued throughout the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna and was stopped only after Catherine II ascended the throne. Even more than a century and a half later, during the anniversary events of 1913-1914, the infant emperor was missed on the Romanov Obelisk in the Alexander Garden and on the Faberge egg “Tercentenary of the House of Romanov.”

Shlisselburg

After Elizabeth was presented with the testimony of the captured conspirator I.V. Zubarev, the empress’s fear of a possible new coup led to Ivan’s new journey. In 1756 he was transported from Kholmogory to solitary confinement in the Shlisselburg fortress. In the fortress, Ivan (officially called the “famous prisoner”) was in complete isolation; he was not allowed to see anyone, not even the serf servants. Exists historical myth that Ivan’s isolation was so tight that he never saw a single human face for the entire period of imprisonment, but modern historians claim that this is not confirmed by documents. On the contrary, documents indicate that the prisoner knew about his royal origin, was taught to read and write and dreamed of life in a monastery.

Since 1759, Ivan began to show signs of inappropriate behavior. Empress Catherine II, who saw Ivan VI in 1762, affirmed this with complete confidence; but the jailers believed that this was just a pathetic simulation.

Murder

While Ivan was in captivity, many attempts were made to free the deposed emperor and restore him to the throne. The last attempt turned out to be death for the young prisoner. In 1764, when Catherine II was already reigning, second lieutenant V. Ya. Mirovich, who was on guard duty in the Shlisselburg fortress, won over part of the garrison to his side in order to free Ivan.

However, Ivan’s guards, Captain Vlasyev and Lieutenant Chekin, were given secret instructions to kill the prisoner if they tried to free him (even after presenting the Empress’s decree about this), so in response to Mirovich’s demand for surrender, they stabbed Ivan and only then surrendered.

Mirovich was arrested and beheaded in St. Petersburg as a state criminal. There is an unconfirmed version according to which Catherine provoked him in order to get rid of the former emperor.

Fate of the remains

The burial place of Ivan VI is not known exactly. As is commonly believed, the “famous prisoner” was buried in the Shlisselburg fortress.

In September 2010, a number of archaeologists announced the identification of the remains found in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Kholmogory) as imperial. However, the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences expressed doubt about the authenticity of the remains of John VI. Moreover, it was noted that search activities led by businessman Anatoly Karanin, who is not an archaeologist, were carried out unofficially, without scientific methods and permission for archaeological excavations (Open Sheet). However, a request to the prosecutor’s office initiated as a result of the excavations by St. Petersburg deputy and archaeologist Alexei Kovalev remained fruitless, since the prosecutor’s office did not find any criminal acts in this case. "Arkhangelsk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church measures have been taken to prevent the destruction of a previously unknown burial site in connection with the upcoming demolition of the water tower,” the prosecutor’s office said in its response to the request.

Memory

In fiction

In Voltaire's famous novel Candide, or Optimism (1759) main character during the Venetian carnival he meets a man in a mask, who is recommended to him as follows: “My name is Ivan, I was the All-Russian Emperor; Even in the cradle I was deprived of the throne, and my father and my mother were imprisoned; I was raised in prison, but sometimes I am allowed to travel under the supervision of the guards.”

In cinema

In the first episode of the television series “Catherine” there is an episode in which Empress Elizabeth, in order to rein in the heir to the throne, Grand Duke Peter III, who, raising his voice at the empress, exclaimed about his desire, upon ascending the throne, to ban “wrong” Russian traditions and establish “correct” ones. ", took him to the Peter and Paul Fortress, where she showed the boy who lived there in complete isolation and oblivion, calling the boy Ioann Antonovich. At the same time, the real John Antonovich was not kept in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Later in this series, John Antonovich was shown in Shlisselburg, where before his death Catherine the Second visited him. This point is also not true: the film shows that John was killed at about the same time as Peter III, that is, in 1762, but in fact John Antonovich was killed in 1764. There is another inaccuracy in the film regarding Ivan Antonovich: Elizabeth says that he ruled for 2 weeks, but in reality Ivan ruled from October 1740 to November 1741.

Possible canonization

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin noted that Emperor John VI serves as an example of spiritual achievement; Hieromonk Nikon (Belavenets) believes that it is necessary to study in detail the biography of the murdered emperor and, perhaps, begin the process of his canonization.

John Antonovich was born on August 23, 1740 in the city of St. Petersburg. He is the son of Anna Leopoldovna - the niece of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna, and Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick - the great-grandson of Ivan V. At first, Ivan was mentioned in sources as John III (counting from the first Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible), and in later historiography a tradition was established to call him Ivan (John) VI, considering him from Ivan I Kalita.

Before her death, the childless Empress Anna Ioannovna could not decide for a long time who should leave the Russian throne. Ivan was born at the very end of her reign. She wanted to leave the throne for the descendants of her father Ivan V and was very afraid that it might pass to the descendants of Peter I. Therefore, in her will she indicated that the heir was the young Ivan Antonovich, and in the event of his death, the other children of Anna Leopoldovna in order of seniority in the event their birth. After the death of the Empress, two-month-old Ivan Antonovich was proclaimed Emperor of All Russia under the regency of the Duke of Courland E.I. Birona. But just two weeks after the baby’s accession to the throne, a coup d’etat took place in the country, as a result of which the guards, led by Field Marshal Minich, arrested Biron and removed him from power.

In November 1740, his mother, Anna Leopoldovna, became the new regent of the young emperor. Politically, she did not play any role; moreover, Anna, unable to rule the country and living in illusions, soon transferred all power to Minich, and after that it was taken over by Osterman, who dismissed the field marshal. But this government did not last long.

A year later - on December 6, 1741 - as a result of a coup d'etat, Elizaveta Petrovna ascended to the Russian throne. Osterman, the emperor, his parents and all their entourage were arrested. The reign of Ivan VI ended before he began to realize himself - formally he reigned for the first year of his life. At first, Elizabeth wanted to expel the “Brunswick family” from Russia, but, fearing that they would be dangerous abroad, she changed her mind and sent them into exile. In addition, by decree of the new empress, all coins with the name of Ivan VI were withdrawn from circulation for subsequent melting down, valuable and business papers were to be replaced with new ones, and all his portraits were to be destroyed.

The place of detention of the former emperor was constantly changing and was kept in deep secrecy. First, the Brunswick family was transported to the Riga suburb of Dynamünde, and then, away from the border, to the north of the country - to Kholmogory. Although he was in the same house as his parents, he lived behind a blank wall. The four-year-old boy was isolated from his parents and placed under the supervision of Major Miller.

Long northern campaigns greatly affected Anna Leopoldovna’s health, and in 1746 she died. But the spread of rumors about Ivan’s whereabouts forced Elizabeth to transfer him again - in 1756 he was imprisoned in solitary confinement in the Shlisselburg fortress, where he (officially referred to as a “known prisoner”) was kept in complete isolation from people, he was not allowed to see even serf servants. But documents show that the prisoner knew about his royal origin and knew how to read and write.

In 1759, he showed signs of mental disorder, but his jailers considered them to be a simulation. With the accession of Peter III to the Russian throne in 1762, Ivan Antonovich's position did not improve. Moreover, instructions were given to kill him while trying to free him. Then Catherine II also confirmed this “instruction”, and also tightened the regime of detention of the “famous prisoner”. Both for Elizabeth and for Peter III and Catherine II who replaced her, he continued to remain a constant threat. Although Ivan VI had already become practically a legend by that time, he was not forgotten.

During his imprisonment, several attempts were made to free the deposed emperor and restore him to the throne. The last attempt turned out to be his death.

Ivan VI Antonovich On July 16, 1764, at the age of 23, he was killed by guards when a rebel tried to free him. Then officer V.Ya. Mirovich, who was on guard duty in the Shlisselburg fortress, won over part of the garrison to his side in order to free Ivan and proclaim him emperor instead of Catherine II. But the prisoner (according to the “instructions”) was always accompanied by two guards, who stabbed him to death. Mirovich was arrested and executed in St. Petersburg as a state criminal, and Ivan Antonovich was buried, as is believed, in the Shlisselburg fortress; but in fact, he is the only one of the Russian emperors whose burial place is currently unknown.

Forgotten Emperor Ivan VI Antonovich

Ivan VI (Ioann Antonovich) (born August 12 (23), 1740 - died July 5 (16), 1764) - nominal Russian emperor. Reign: from October 1740 to November 1741. From .

Heir Russian throne

Ivan Antonovich is the great-grandson of Ivan V, the son of the Empress’s niece, Princess Anna Leopoldovna of Mecklenburg and Duke Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick. By Anna Ivanovna's manifesto of October 5, 1740, he was declared the heir to the Russian throne, and in the event of his death, the throne was to pass by seniority to Anna Leopoldovna's other heirs.

After the death of Anna Ivanovna on October 17, 1740, the six-month-old child was proclaimed Emperor Ivan VI. Formally, he reigned for the first year of his life under the regency of first Count Ernst Johann Biron, and then his own mother Anna Leopoldovna.

Regency

His mother Anna Leopoldovna was a pleasant, pretty blonde, had a good-natured and meek character, but at the same time she was lazy, sloppy and weak-willed. After the overthrow of Biron by Field Marshal General Count Minich on November 8, 1740, the regency passed to Anna Leopoldovna. This circumstance was at first sympathetically accepted by the people, but soon this fact began to cause condemnation among ordinary people and the elite. The main reason for this attitude was that key positions in government still remained in the hands of the Germans, who came to power during the reign of Anna Ioannovna.

She herself did not even have basic understanding of how to govern a country that was increasingly withering away in the hands of foreigners. On top of that, Russian culture was alien to her. Historians also note her indifference to the suffering and concerns of the common people.

1) Princess Anna Leopoldovna; 2) Duke Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick - mother and father of Ivan VI

Fight for the throne

The nobles, dissatisfied with the dominance of the Germans in power, began to group themselves around the daughter of the princess. Both the people and the guard accepted her as the liberator of the state from foreign rule. Gradually, a conspiracy began to mature against the ruler and, of course, her baby. At that time, Emperor John Antonovich was still a one-year-old child and could not yet understand anything about court intrigues. Historians believe that the reason for the uprising of the conspirators was the decision of the ruler to declare herself the Russian Empress.

Coup. Arrest

1741, December 25 - at night Anna Leopoldovna with her husband and children, including Emperor Ivan VI, were arrested in the palace by guards led by Elizaveta Petrovna, and the latter was proclaimed empress.

At first, the former emperor and his parents were sent into exile, and then transferred to solitary confinement. The place of detention of Ivan VI changed all the time and was kept in terrible secrecy.

1) Empress Anna Ioannovna; 2) Empress Elizaveta Petrovna

Juvenile prisoner

The overthrown young emperor and his parents were sent to Riga on December 12, 1741 under the supervision of Lieutenant General V.F. Saltykov. The prisoners were kept in Riga until December 13, 1742, after which they were transferred to the Dynamunde fortress. During this time, Elizaveta Petrovna finally decides not to release Ivan Antonovich and his parents, as dangerous candidates for royal throne, outside of Russia.

1744 - the whole family is transported to Oranienburg, and then away from the border, to the north of the state - to Kholmogory, where little Ivan was completely isolated from his parents. He was kept in the same bishop's house as his parents, behind a blank wall, which none of them knew about.

Long ordeals affected Anna Leopoldovna’s health: in 1746 she died.

Juvenile prisoner Ivan Antonovich

Forbidden name

During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna and her immediate successors, the very name of Ivan Antonovich began to be persecuted. Coins with the image of Emperor Ivan VI were melted down, seals on documents from the period of his reign were altered, manifestos and decrees with his name were burned.

Shlisselburg Fortress

1756 - Ivan VI was transferred to the Shlisselburg fortress, where he was imprisoned in solitary confinement and kept in complete isolation, like a “nameless convict.” Only three officers were allowed access to the former emperor; even the commandant of the fortress did not know the name of the prisoner. Only in case of a dangerous illness was a priest allowed to visit him. It was forbidden to tell the boy who he was. It was forbidden to teach him to read and write. However, despite the mystery surrounding him, Ivan knew about his origin and called himself sovereign. According to historical documents it is known that, despite the strictest prohibition, he was taught to read and write, and dreamed of life in a monastery.

Peter III visits Ivan Antonovich in his Shlisselburg cell

1759 - the deposed emperor showed signs of mental disorder, but the jailers took it for a simulation. He was irritable and suspicious, often made attempts to beat others, and talked a lot to himself. He was kept from fits of violence by depriving him of tea and better clothes.

With his accession to the throne (1761), the position of the unfortunate prisoner worsened even more - the jailers were allowed to use force against him, to put him on a chain.

Mirovich in front of the body of Ivan VI (I. Tvorozhnikov)

Escape attempt. Death

Ivan Antonovich’s stay in Shlisselburg was not kept secret, and this completely ruined him. Second lieutenant of Smolensk, who stood in the garrison of the fortress infantry regiment Vasily Yakovlevich Mirovich decided to release him and proclaim him emperor; on the night of July 4-5, 1764, he began to carry out his plans and, having won over the garrison soldiers to his side with the help of forged manifestos, arrested the commandant of the fortress, Berednikov, and began to demand the extradition of Ivan. The bailiffs initially resisted with the help of their team, but when Mirovich aimed a cannon at the fortress, they surrendered, having first followed the instructions exactly, killing Ivan. After a thorough investigation, which revealed complete absence Mirovich had accomplices, the latter was executed.

After death

The exact burial place of the former emperor is unknown; there is an assumption that Ivan VI was secretly buried in the Shlisselburg fortress.

1780 - his surviving brothers and sisters (his father died in 1774) were sent to Denmark to the care of their aunt, the Danish queen; with the death of the last of them, Catherine, in 1807, the Brunswick branch of the Romanov dynasty came to an end. There were several impostors posing as Ivan VI (the last one in 1788). Access to documents about Ivan VI Antonovich was opened only in the 1860s.