Biography of the ruler of the Russian Empire, Anna Leopoldovna. Anna Leopoldovna

Grand Duchess Amna Leopoldovna (born Elisabeth Katharina Christina, Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; December 7, 1718, Rostock? March 19, 1746, Kholmogory) ? ruler (regent) of the Russian Empire from November 9, 1740 to November 25, 1741 under the young Emperor Ivan VI from the House of Mecklenburg.

Biography

Anna Leopoldovna was brought up at the court of Empress Anna Ioannovna. At Baptism according to the Protestant rite, she received the name Elizaveta Ekaterina Christina.

On July 3, 1739, in the St. Petersburg Kazan Cathedral, Bishop Ambrose (Yushkevich) of Vologda married Anna to Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick-Bevern-Luneburg, who remained a Lutheran. Aug 12 1740 The couple had a son, named John at baptism and announced by the emperor in a manifesto dated Oct. 5. 1740 heir to the throne with the title of Grand Duke.

Anna Leopoldovna was the de facto first person of the state for the period until Ioan Alexandrovich turned 18 years old.

E.I. Biron was regent from October 17, 1740 to November 8, 1740. Anna Leopoldovna's regency lasted until the end of the reign of Ivan Antonovich (November 25, 1741).

23-year-old Anna Leopoldovna declared herself ruler under the infant Emperor John VI, and elevated her husband to Russian generalissimo. Minich was in charge of all government affairs.
2. The reign of Anna Leopoldovna:

Anna Leopoldovna was not ready for government management; real power was concentrated in the hands of members of the Cabinet of Ministers (B.K. Minikh, A.I. Osterman, M.G. Golovkin, etc.). A political amnesty was carried out for those who suffered during the “Bironovschina”: the children of the executed A.P. Volynsky were released, the surviving Golitsyns, Dolgorukys and others were returned from exile and prison. The intensity of the work of the Secret Investigation Office of the Chancellery, whose activities were personally supervised by Anna, was significantly reduced. . By decree of November 27, 1740, the ruler allowed subjects to file complaints about the work of the collegiums and the Senate, which were to be considered by a special commission. From January 5, 1741, all government agencies were required to submit information about their expenses to the Senate for the creation of new states. The government of Anna Leopoldovna confirmed the decree of 1736 on 25-year service for the nobility, allowed the construction of stone buildings throughout the empire, and forgave arrears in the amount of 142,963 rubles. In March 1741, a commission was created to consider the state. income.

After Anna Leopoldovna came to power, the position of the Russian Church improved significantly. The Empress lifted restrictions on those wishing to become a monk. Anna provided financial assistance to the monasteries and made rich contributions and donations. “Foreigners” sentenced to death were granted forgiveness on the condition of receiving Baptism.

Author - TimOlya. This is a quote from this post

Exiled Queen Anna Leopoldovna. Part 2. The Worthless Queen

Johann Heinrich Wedekind

Nevsky Prospect. St. Petersburg.

Most of the young princess's dreams were dashed immediately. St. Petersburg turned out to be a brilliant, but damp, cold and uncomfortable city to live in, hastily built on stilts and “on bones.” Anna Ioannovna could hardly be called an affectionate, loving and generous relative...

Empress Anna Ioannovna

As for the adventures, the first and main adventure turned out to be when Biron, who did not trust anyone, was paranoid and suspicious, ordered to capture, take to the Secret Chancellery and torture to death one of the ladies-in-waiting who accompanied Anna Leopoldovna.

Portrait of the Duke of Courland E.I. Biron. Rundale Palace.

It is unknown what he really wanted to achieve from the girl... But Anna Leopoldovna was in complete shock and even fell ill from worry: she was very afraid for her beloved Yulia! Anna tried not to be separated from her even for a moment - she even put her to bed in her bedroom at night - because she hoped that the girl would definitely not be torn out of her arms.

Anna Leopoldovna

In 1739, Anna Leopoldovna was married to Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick-Lunenburg. But even then, Julia Mengden had such complete power over the mind and heart of the princess that she even ordered when the young spouses should spend the night together and when not. As a matter of fact, Anna Leopoldovna cohabited with her husband only six days a month and only for the sake of the birth of an heir. Moreover, according to the recollections of eyewitnesses, every time Julia let Anton-Ulrich into her bedchamber, the princess began to sob hysterically and Julia had to console her for a long time with kisses and tender words.

Anna Leopoldovna and Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick-Lunenburg

Anna Leopoldovna

Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick-Lunenburg

It is clear that, first of all, the young husband was not happy with the current situation. And in general, few people at court understood the strange relationship between Anna Leopoldovna and Julia Mengden. And Anna Ioannovna herself suspected her niece and her maid of honor of unnatural inclinations. True, in those days, and even more so in Russia, they had a very rough idea of what lesbianism was. So approximate that they even believed that one of a pair of lesbians must certainly be something of a hermaphodite, that is, have the rudiments of male genital organs. Since Anna Leopoldovna did not have them for sure, because every princess was examined by doctors before the wedding, in order to sort out her suspicions, the Empress ordered an examination of Julia Mengden... Which, of course, showed that Julia was physically normal woman, and also a girl.

Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna at birth Elisabeth Katharina Christina, Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Louis Caravaque

This is how, many years later, the diplomat Mardelfeld wrote about this: “I am not surprised that the public, not knowing the reasons for supernatural affection Grand Duchess to Julia, accuses this girl of being partial to the tastes of the famous Sappho; but I cannot forgive the Marchioness of Botta, who was blessed by the Grand Duchess, for attributing this princess’s inclination towards Julia to the fact that the latter was a mistress with all the necessary qualities... This is black slander, since the late empress, because of such accusations, ordered a thorough examination this girl, and the commission that carried out this reported that they found her a real girl without the slightest masculine characteristics.”

Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna at birth Elisabeth Katharina Christina, Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Louis Caravaque

Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna at birth Elisabeth Katharina Christina, Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Louis Caravaque

Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna at birth Elisabeth Katharina Christina, Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Louis Caravaque

Now it is no longer clear what it was: really a love affair, or just an ardent sentimental friendship, very common in the 18th century, and in the 19th century, and even at the beginning of the 20th century.

As for the tears on the threshold of the marital bedroom: perhaps Anton-Ulrich was not a very experienced lover and could not give his wife bodily joys?

Anton Ulrich of Brunswick

Anton Ulrich of Brunswick

Anton-Ulrich was a narrow-minded and also meek man, so he eventually resigned himself to the rules established by Julia for his visits to the marital bedroom. In addition, hound hunting and drilling soldiers interested him much more than intimacy with his wife. And very soon he, like Anna Leopoldovna herself, was inclined to believe that fulfilling marital duties was necessary only for the sake of prolonging the family line. It was even said that they did not speak to each other at all. But their children were born regularly. In 1740 - Ivan, in 1741 - Catherine, in 1743 - Elizabeth, in 1744 - Peter, in 1746 - Alexey...

Emperor Ivan Antonovich in the cradle. Engraving by I. Leopold. 1740

However, the last three children were born while in prison.

And before that, Anna Leopoldovna had to reign under her young son Ivan for a year and a half.

Empress Anna Ioannovna died in October 1740. Before that, she suffered from gout for many years, and in last years She developed a hitherto hidden evil “stone” disease, which became the cause of the death of the empress, who did not reach the age of forty-seven. The memoirist wrote that upon autopsy of the empress’s body, “they found in her loins a stone of such a size that it hugged the entire inside of the womb and completely disfigured its structure.” This sounds fantastic. Events developed in such a way that at noon on October 6, having sat down for lunch with Biron and his wife, the empress felt faint and lost consciousness.

Valery Ivanovich Jacobi (1834-1902) fragment of the painting “Jesters at the Court of Empress Anna Ioannovna”

The Duke was at a loss. In confusion, he sent people to Osterman, and also to call Minikh and several other close dignitaries. He met them in tears and lamented: he lamented about his future and, of course, Russia. To this, Minister Cherkassky immediately said to Biron: “I don’t know anyone more capable and worthy than your Lordship to govern the state...” and then continued in the same spirit. The others quickly joined in. It was not difficult for them to realize that if the empress came to her senses even for a short while, those who dared to challenge the proposal made to the duke would first find themselves in a dungeon, and then, possibly, on the scaffold. We decided to quickly gather all the top officials of the state for a council.

Biron immediately added that it was necessary to transfer the Russian throne to the two-month-old infant prince John, the son of Anna Leopoldovna and Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick. The childless empress treated him with tenderness, like a grandson.

Emperor Ivan Antonovich. Unknown artist.

...Duke Biron immediately sent several gentlemen urgently called to the palace to Chancellor Osterman, who did not leave home due to illness. Under his leadership, this company had to compose a manifesto declaring two-month-old Ivan Antonovich as the future Emperor John VI - the legal heir to the Romanov throne. By the time the empress, having come to her senses, regained capacity and clarity of thought, the manifesto was ready; Biron came in and she signed. From Anna Ioannovna, the manifesto proceeded, as expected, to the palace church, filled with a meeting of the top officials of the state, raised on alarm, and all ranks swore allegiance to the unexpectedly found heir to the throne. The guards, lined up in the square in view of the palace, also took the oath. After her it was the turn of the residents of St. Petersburg. Separately, the Empress, by her decree, was to order Duke Biron, in the event of her death, to be regent for the baby and rule Russia until John VI came of age. Here she became a little stubborn, since she did not intend to die immediately. Placing the papers under the head of her bed, she told the Duke: “I’ll look into it”...

Andrey Ivanovich Osterman.

Everyone got excited. Biron and the ministers even tried to persuade Princess Anna to go to her aunt and convince her to entrust the administration of the state under John to the duke. Their request looked rather strange, as if no one cared about Anna Leopoldovna herself.

Having finally called Osterman to her, the empress signed everything, because it became clear to her that the end was near. On the evening of October 17, she said goodbye to everyone, the church absolved her of her sins. After completing the proper rituals, Anna Ioannovna ceased to exist on earth.

At night the guards were strengthened.

The next morning, the Life Guards and army regiments listened to the decree on the regency on Palace Square.

Emperor John Antonovich. Ruler Duke Ernest Biron. Ruler Anna Leopoldovna. 1740-1741

The baby was transported to the winter palace, and Biron agreed that John’s parents would also move there. Less than a week after the death of the empress, Biron received information about the murmurs against him. Two guards officers and a cabinet secretary were taken into custody and tortured. The streets of St. Petersburg were filled with guards and horse patrols. Headphones and informers were scurrying around everywhere. Every day people of all ranks were dragged into the Secret Chancellery, carelessly discussing the state of power.

Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna at birth Elisabeth Katharina Christina, Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Having come to the minister, Prince Cherkassky, some of the nobles talked about how to get rid of the hated regent and hand over the reins of government to Princess Anna Leopoldovna, who now became the Grand Duchess, and her husband was promoted to Generalissimo. On November 8, before noon, Field Marshal Minikh came to Anna Leopoldovna to pay his respects and at the same time outlined to her the danger that threatened from Biron. Immediately he received approval for his plan to overthrow the temporary worker. In the evening, Minikh and his daughter-in-law dined at Biron’s. In the middle of the night, the field marshal and his adjutant Manstein took three officers and eighty grenadiers. With this escort he went to the summer palace, where the body of Anna Ioannovna was exhibited and where Duke Biron lived. On guard there were three hundred guardsmen from the Preobrazhensky Regiment, personally subordinate to Field Marshal Minikh. The guards did not object to the action. The adjutant and twenty grenadiers broke into the room where Biron and his wife were sleeping. He tried to hide under the bed and Manstein pulled him out by the leg, the soldiers tied him up, gagged him with a handkerchief, threw a rough overcoat over his shoulders - over his underwear, dragged him out of the palace and pushed him into a carriage.

Count Burchard Christoph von Münnich (in Russia he was known as Christopher Antonovich Münnich; May 9, 1683, Neuenhuntorf, Oldenburg - October 16 (27), 1767, St. Petersburg) - Russian field marshal general (1732), whose most active period of activity occurred in reign of Anna Ioannovna, lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment (from 1739 for the victory over Turkey)

It had not yet dawned when crowds of people surrounded the winter palace, noisily welcoming the happy event. With cannon fire, the new Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna took the oath of all the noblest ranks and became ruler under John VI. People again kissed the cross in churches. This time - to the Brunswick house.

Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna at birth Elisabeth Katharina Christina, Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Emperor Ivan Antonovich with his mother, Princess Anna Leopoldovna. Unknown artist. XVIII century

Tsarina Anna Leopoldovna turned out to be useless. Minich made political decisions for her, and she herself remained only interested in novels, Julia and children (shortly after her accession to the throne, she became pregnant and her daughter Catherine was born).

Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna at birth Elisabeth Katharina Christina, Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Having turned from the princess's favorite into the regent's favorite, Julia Mengden gained completely unlimited power. Everyone - both courtiers and ambassadors of foreign powers - knew: in order to achieve something from Anna Leopoldovna, you must first turn to Julia Mengden. Even the Orthodox clergy was forced to bow to the favorite!

Emperor Ivan Antonovich

Emperor Ivan Antonovich

Emperor Ivan Antonovich

Emperor Ivan Antonovich with his maid of honor Julia von Mengden. Unknown artist. 1740-1741

It's over short reign Anna Leopoldovna's life is just as accidental, absurd and swift as it began.

On the advice of Minich, Anna Leopoldovna set out to imprison her cousin, the daughter of Peter the Great, the beautiful Elizabeth, in a monastery.

Minikh feared that Elizabeth, who was called “the spark of Peter the Great,” beloved by the troops, the people and the majority of the Russian nobility, could create a conspiracy and overthrow the Germans who were disgusted by everyone, and decided to prevent this... Not knowing that the conspiracy had already been drawn up and the Preobrazhentsy, loyal to Peter, ready to support his daughter and elevate her to the throne with their bayonets.

Equestrian portrait of Elizaveta Petrovna with a little black arap.

Georg Christopher Groth

So Anna Leopoldovna’s decision regarding the arrest of Elizabeth and her imprisonment in a monastery, which Elizabeth was immediately informed about, only accelerated the fall of Minich and the death of the Baunschweig family.

Years of life : 7 December 1 718 - March 7, 1746 .

Years of regency (rule): November 9, 1740 - December 25, 1741.

Ruler of the Russian Empire (from November 9, 1740 to November 25, 1741), daughter of Duke Karl-Leopold of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Princess Catherine Ioannovna. Born in Rostock on December 7, 1718; There she was baptized according to the rite of the Protestant Church and named Elizabeth-Christina. She lived in her homeland only until she was three years old. The married life of her mother, Ekaterina Ioannovna, was very unhappy: her husband’s rudeness, grumpiness and despotism were completely unbearable. She still lived with him for six years, but could no longer tolerate his antics and left for Russia (1722), taking her daughter with her. In Russia they were greeted unfriendly. She lived under the old Tsarina Praskovya Feodorovna, now in Moscow, now in St. Petersburg, now in the vicinity of the capitals.

Elizaveta-Christina grew up in a dark environment, under the supervision of a poorly educated mother, without receiving proper education and education. Circumstances changed in 1731. The accession to the throne of Anna Ioannovna, who had no children, raised the question of her successor. Wanting to keep the Russian throne for her family, Empress Anna brought her 13-year-old niece closer to her court and surrounded her with a staff of servants and mentors. A Frenchwoman, the widow of General Aderkas, was appointed as the princess's teacher; Feofan Prokopovich himself taught her in Orthodoxy. However, even under the leadership of these individuals spiritual development the princess made little progress; they did not instill in her either intellectual and moral interests, or even a taste for cultured society and the ability to behave in it with dignity. However, she learned French and German and got used to reading. To find a suitable groom, Adjutant General Levenwolde was sent to the West, who proposed two candidates: Margrave Karl of Brandenburg and Prince Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick-Bevern-Luneburg. A marriage with the first would lead to a rapprochement with Pussia, a marriage with the second, the nephew of Emperor Charles VI, would lead to a rapprochement with Austria. The Viennese court made every effort to disrupt the marriage with Margrave Karl and, relying on the sympathy of the leaders of Russian politics that favored Austria, ensured that Anton-Ulrich was allowed to come to Russia. On January 28, 1733, he arrived in St. Petersburg, was accepted into Russian service, and on May 12, 1733, was present at the solemn ceremony of Princess Elizabeth’s adoption of Orthodoxy.

Her new name, given in honor of the Empress, was Anna Leopoldovna. But they were in no hurry to get married, the coldness shown by Anna Leopoldovna towards the groom was too obvious, and the wedding was postponed until the bride came of age. Anna's indifference to her groom was supported and strengthened by Anna's infatuation with the Saxon envoy, Count K.M. Linar, handsome and dandy. This hobby was patronized by Mrs. Aderkas, a supporter of the Prussian party. The angry empress ordered Aderkas to be sent abroad (1735), and Count Linar, at her request, was recalled by his court. Strict supervision was established over Anna, her life became even more secluded and monotonous than before: strangers came to her only on official visits, on special days. Anna Leopoldovna still led an empty and idle lifestyle and if she read, it was only works of French fiction. She lived like this for four years, before getting married (1739). It was accelerated by the fact that Biron planned to marry his son Peter to Anna Leopoldovna. Rejecting Biron's proposal, Anna agreed to marry Anton-Ulrich, and the marriage was celebrated on July 3, 1739. Biron hated the newlyweds and spoiled their lives as much as he could. Anna's family situation was just as unfortunate as that of her mother. She did not love her husband, quarrels between them were frequent; mutual enmity was fanned by the courtiers.

On August 12, 1740, Anna gave birth to a son, who was named at baptism, in honor of his great-grandfather, John and declared the heir to the throne by manifesto on October 5, 1740. On October 17, 1740, Empress Anna Ioannovna died, and Biron became regent of the empire. Biron's regency during the lifetime of the emperor's parents was a strange and offensive phenomenon for them, which many in Russia spoke about openly. In the very regulations on the regency there were points that should have caused conflicts between Biron and other top persons of the court and with the parents of the emperor; These were questions about the title of Generalissimo, about money for maintaining the courts, etc. Biron was unable or unwilling to avoid clashes with the prince and princess, and he thought to suppress displeasure among the wider population through measures of severity. The common enmity towards Biron did not bring the prince and princess closer; Anna did not support her husband, who was clearly insulted by Biron. The regent heard rumors about unfavorable conversations at the princess's court. Her secretary Semyonov openly doubted the authenticity of the empress's signature on the decree on the regency. Biron was indignant and angrily threatened Anna that he would send her and her husband to Austria and call the Prince of Holstein to Russia. At the same time, he intended to transform the guard: assign ordinary nobles to army regiments as officers and replace them with commoners. Rumors about this and Biron’s rude threats frightened and alarmed Anna. She turned to Minich for advice, who, with her approval, drew up and implemented a plan for the overthrow of Biron. On the night of November 8–9, he, accompanied by a small detachment of soldiers, arrested the regent. His relatives and followers suffered the same fate. A trial was held over those arrested, which sentenced Biron and Bestuzhev to death by quartering, but, pardoned by the ruler, they were exiled: the first to Pelym, the second to his villages.

On November 9, a manifesto was published on the appointment of Anna as the ruler of the state, instead of Biron, with the title of Grand Duchess and Imperial Highness. On the occasion of this event, favors were announced to the people and many who were exiled to Siberia by the previous government were returned. Minich became the first dignitary of the state, but not for long. When staging a coup, the ambitious Minich dreamed of primacy in the state and the rank of generalissimo, but by decree of November 11, this rank was given to Prince Anton, however, with the caveat that this was a concession on Minich’s part. But Minikh was singled out from among the nobles, and although Osterman was granted admiral general, Cherkassky - great chancellor, Golovkin - cabinet minister and vice-chancellor - however, Minikh was declared “the first in the empire” after Prince Anton and became the main leader of both internal , so foreign policy countries. This position of Minich, especially undesirable for Osterman, was inconvenient for many. A silent struggle began between the ministers; there was no unity in management. Already at the beginning of January 1741, Minich's enemies ensured that in military affairs he was subordinated to Prince Anton, and in foreign policy - to Osterman.

On January 28, 1741, the Cabinet was divided into three departments: military affairs, led by Minich, external and naval affairs, headed by Osterman, and internal affairs, headed by Cherkassky and Golovkin. Only ground army, irregular troops, artillery, fortification, the cadet corps and the Ladoga Canal, and even then he had to report to the prince about everything. Finally, Anna stopped receiving Minich for a personal report in private, but always called the prince during the reception. The offended Minich demanded his resignation, which was given to him (March 3, 1741) in a very offensive environment for his pride. The removal of Minich affected, first of all, Russia's foreign policy: previously favorable to Prussia, it now leaned towards Austria. The imperial ambassador, who left Russia during the life of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the Marquis Botta, returned to St. Petersburg; Linar also returned. They easily managed to attract Russia to their old ally, Austria, and achieve the promise of a 30- or 40-thousand-strong auxiliary corps. Linar succeeded in not only political but also personal matters; he was showered with favors - they made him chief chamberlain of the Russian court, awarded him the Order of Alexander Nevsky and St. Andrew the First-Called, and, in order to finally tie him to Russia, they decided to arrange his marriage with the ruler’s favorite, Juliana Mengden. Linar left for his homeland to prepare everything necessary for marriage and moving to Russia, but on the way back, in Konigsberg, he learned about the fall of Anna Leopoldovna’s government. The appearance of Linar in Russia and his role at court reminded the courtiers of the times of the Bironovschina: many were dissatisfied with the new favorite, and Prince Anton in particular. Disagreements between the spouses intensified and contributed to the fragmentation of the already unfriendly government into parties. The first time after the fall of Minich, Osterman dominated; he found support from Prince Anton. His opponents were Golovkin, who found sympathy and help from Yu. Mengden and the ruler herself, who often managed the affairs entrusted to Osterman without even notifying him about it. Discord in the government gave its activities a random and chaotic character.

The internal activities of Anna's government concerned administration, justice, finance and industry. So, to relieve the red tape of petitioners on The highest name The position of racketeer was established (November 12, 1740), who, in addition to receiving, analyzing and sending petitions, announced the highest resolutions to the Senate on its most submissive reports and to the Synod - personal commands. This position was soon abolished (March 4, 1741), and its affairs were transferred to the Cabinet. Attention was drawn to the slow pace of affairs in the Cabinet and Senate, and measures were taken to speed them up. In order to streamline finances, it was proposed to review all items of income and expense, reducing the latter as much as possible. All government places were required to send to the Cabinet statements of the money they had. Each department was required to retain a certain balance from its sums from year to year (January 12, 1741). In March 1741, a special “commission for the consideration of state revenues” was established, subject to the supervision of the Cabinet. In order to streamline trade and industry, a statute on bankrupts was issued (December 15, 1740) and “regulations or work regulations for cloth and karase factories” (September 2, 1741), concerning the supervision of the maintenance of machines, the size and quality of cloth, as well as relations of entrepreneurs to workers (15-hour working day, minimum wages, hospitals for workers, etc.). But it was not domestic, but foreign policy that primarily attracted the attention of the government. The rapprochement of Russia with Austria was undesirable not only for Prussia, but also for France, which, in the end, managed to incite Sweden to declare war on Russia (June 28, 1741). This war, unsuccessful for Sweden, ended during the reign of Elizabeth with the Peace of Abos. Starting the war, the Swedes, in a manifesto addressed to the Russians, declared themselves defenders of the rights to the Russian throne of Elizabeth and Peter, Duke of Holstein.

In St. Petersburg, even before the war, the Swedish envoy Nolken and French ambassador Shetardy intrigued with the goal of elevating Tsarevna Elizabeth to the throne, convincing her to cede the Russian Baltic lands to the Swedes in gratitude for military assistance. Shetardy communicated with the crown princess both personally and through Lestocq, but did not achieve a definite answer. Elizabeth understood well that her main support was not the Swedes and French, but the guard. The intrigues of Chetardie and his henchmen were conducted rather awkwardly and were not a secret to the Russian court. The British ambassador told Osterman about them in detail. The Chancellor reported this to the ruler, but neither his ideas nor the convictions of Botta and Prince Anton-Ulrich prompted her to take decisive measures against the princess’s supporters. Golovkin advised, in order to stop any attempts to overthrow the ruler, to accept the title of empress, but she postponed this until her birthday - December 7, 1741. In general, Anna was very unsuited for the role that fell to her lot: uneducated, lazy, careless, she did not want and did not know how to delve into state affairs, and on the other hand, she interfered in the government of the country and wanted to manage it. Due to her spinelessness, she succumbed to the influence of the people around her, whom she was completely incapable of choosing. Her favorite pastime was card game, beloved society - a circle of people personally very close to her, with Mengden at the head. They would sometimes gather with her in the morning, and Anna Leopoldovna would come out to them straight from the bedroom, without dressing up, without even washing, without combing her hair, and would spend the day with them until the evening, chatting and playing. With her characteristic good-natured frivolity, she accepted the news of the princess’s plans. Only on November 23, at the kurtag in the Winter Palace, the ruler decided to explain to the crown princess about her relations with Shetardy and the activities of Lestocq, threatening to take measures against them. On November 24, the guard received an order to march to Vyborg. Prince Anton-Ulrich wanted to arrest Lestocq at the same time and set up pickets in the streets, but Anna did not agree to this. The conversation with the ruler and the order for the guard to move prompted the crown princess to action. On the night of November 24-25, she, accompanied by a detachment of guards, arrested the ruler, her husband, the young emperor and his sister, Catherine (born July 26, 1741). The Tsesarevna personally entered the ruler's chambers and woke her up. Anna Leopoldovna did not resist the coup, but only asked not to harm either her children or Juliana Mengden. Elizabeth reassured her, promised to fulfill her request and took her in her sleigh to her palace, where they brought the ruler’s family. On the same night, Minikh, Osterman, Levenwolde, Golovkin, Mengden, Lopukhin were arrested. In the manifesto of November 27, 1741, which spoke of the abolition of the government of Emperor John VI, it was announced about the entire Brunswick family that the empress, “not wanting to cause them any grief,” was sending them abroad.

On December 12, 1741, Anna and her family left for Riga, where, however, they were taken into custody and kept until December 13, 1742. The deposed dynasty found itself with active enemies and friends; the former were stronger than the latter. The Prussian envoy, on behalf of his king, and Shetardy, personally on his own behalf, advised that the Brunswick family be exiled to the interior of the country. The Marquis Botta and the Lopukhins intrigued (limited to chatter) in favor of the deposed government. But there were also more determined supporters of Anna: the chamberlain Turchaninov was plotting regicide in order to free the throne for John VI. All this worsened the situation of the family of the former ruler. In December 1742, she was imprisoned in the Dünamünde fortress, where Anna had a daughter, Elizabeth. In January 1744, they were all transported to the city of Ranenburg (Ryazan province), where Juliana Mengden and the adjutant of Prince Anton-Ulrich, Colonel Heimburg, who were inseparable from them, arrived. In July of the same 1744, Baron Korf arrived in Ranenburg with the order of the Empress to transport the Brunswick family first to Arkhangelsk and then to Solovki. The former ruler set off on a long and difficult journey, sick, into the autumn thaw. Her suffering was aggravated by the fact that Juliana Mengden, together with Colonel Heimburg, was left in Ranenburg under a strong guard. The Brunswick family could not reach Solovki; Ice interfered, and she was left in Kholmogory, placing her in a former bishop's house, surrounded by a high fence, under the watchful supervision of guards, completely disconnecting her from the outside world. The prisoners' entertainment was walking around the garden at the house and riding in a carriage, but no further than two hundred yards from the house, and then accompanied by soldiers. Prisoners, due to the insignificance of funds allocated for their maintenance and the arbitrariness of the guards, often needed the bare necessities for existence. Their life was very hard. In such conditions, Anna Leopoldovna’s sons Peter (March 19, 1745) and Alexey (February 27, 1746) were born. Having given birth to the latter, Anna fell ill with puerperal fever and died at the age of 28.

On March 7, 1746, Guryev, who replaced Korf in Kholmogory, sent, according to the instructions given to him, the body of the former ruler to St. Petersburg, where it was buried with great solemnity in the Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The birth of Princes Peter and Alexei was hidden from the people; The cause of Anna's death was declared to be firebug. After the death of his wife, Anton-Ulrich lived in Kholmogory for another 29 years. Former Emperor John Antonovich in 1756 was transported from Kholmogory to the Shlisselburg fortress, where he died during an attempt to free him (July 5, 1764). Anna Leopoldovna's remaining children, sickly and having seizures, spent more than 36 years in exile. In 1779, after a trip to Kholmogory A.P. Melgunova, Empress Catherine entered into negotiations about the Brunswick family with the Danish court (Danish Queen Juliana Maria was the sister of Prince Anton) and in 1780 ordered the descendants of the former ruler to be sent to Gorsens, giving them 200,000 rubles. They set off by sea from the Novo-Dvina fortress and after a three-month journey arrived in Gorsens. The empress gave 32 thousand annually for their maintenance, 8 thousand for each. The princes and princesses were Orthodox; Clergy and servants arrived with them from Russia. Princess Elizabeth died on October 20, 1782, Prince Alexei died on October 22, 1787, and Peter died on January 30, 1798. All that was left was Princess Catherine, deaf and tongue-tied, who could only speak Russian. In vain she asked (1803) Emperor Alexander I for permission to return to Russia and end her life as a nun. She died in Gorsens on April 9, 1807 and was buried there along with her sister and brothers.

Russian Biographical Dictionary/ www.rulex.ru / “The internal life of the Russian state from October 17, 1740 to November 25, 1741” (2 parts, M., 1880 and 1886); Soloviev, "History of Russia", vol. 21; "Collections of the Imperial Russian Historical Society", vol. 76, 80, 85, 86, 96; A. Bruckner, “Die Familie Braunschweig in Russland” (St. Petersburg, 1874); A. Brickner, “Emperor John Antonovich and his relatives” (bibliography before 1874; M., 1875); "Russian Bulletin", 1874, No. 10 - 11; "Russian Biographical Dictionary", vol. II (St. Petersburg, 1900). V. Fursenko.

Anna Leopoldovna (born Elisaveta Katarina Christina) (born December 7 (18), 1718 - died March 8 (19), 1746) Grand Duchess, ruler of the Russian Empire under her young son, Emperor John VI in 1740-1741. Daughter of Duke Karl Leopold of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Princess Catherine Ioannovna, daughter of Tsar John V and niece of the Emperor Peter I. Since 1722 she lived in Russia. According to the testimony of contemporaries, she was distinguished by laziness, carelessness, and gullibility. She was removed from power.

early years

Young Elizabeth did not live long with her father. Because of the duke’s rude, despotic disposition, Ekaterina Ioannovna was forced to leave her husband and return to Russia with her daughter in 1722. She lived with her grandmother, Tsarina Praskovya Fedorovna (1664-1723).

Then, until 1730, she was brought up at the court of the empress, who sought to leave the Russian throne for the descendants of her father, Tsar John V, and prevent the descendants of the emperor from coming to power.

1731 - after ascending to the Russian throne, Empress Anna Ioannovna, being childless, brought her 13-year-old niece closer to her court and surrounded her with a staff of servants and mentors.

1733 - Elizabeth converted to Orthodoxy with the name Anna in honor of the Empress. During the ceremony, her fiancé, Prince Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick-Bevern-Lüneburg, nephew of the Austrian Emperor Charles VI, was present.

1739 - Princess Anne's wedding to Prince Anton-Ulrich was celebrated magnificently.

1740, August - she gave birth to a son, named John at baptism (in honor of his great-grandfather), heir to the throne, who became emperor after the death of Anna Ioannovna in October, and already in November, after the deposition of regent Biron, she declared herself ruler under the infant emperor John VI.

Anna Ioanovna and Anna Leopoldovna on a walk

Regency. Power struggle

According to the will of Empress Anna Ioannovna, after her death, Anna Leopoldovna’s 2-month-old son took the throne; until he came of age, Duke Ernst Biron became regent. On October 23, a ceremony was held in St. Isaac's Cathedral to swear allegiance to the new emperor, and in fact to the regent Biron. General dissatisfaction with Biron caused a movement against him among the guards, which, with the consent of Anna Leopoldovna, was led by Field Marshal Christopher Minich.

On the night of November 20 (9), 1740, accompanied by a small detachment of soldiers, he arrested Biron. In the afternoon, a manifesto was announced about Biron’s removal from the regency and about the appointment of Anna Leopoldovna as the ruler of Russia until the age of Ivan Antonovich with the title of Grand Duchess and Imperial Highness. The former regent was exiled to the city of Pelym, Tobolsk province (now Sverdlovsk region)

The reign of Anna Leopoldovna

Prince Anton-Ulrich was elevated to Russian generalissimo. Interest in state affairs Anna Leopoldovna did not exercise it; real power was concentrated in the hands of members of the Cabinet of Ministers (B.K. Minikh, A.I. Osterman, M.G. Golovkin, etc.) And Anna spent her time playing cards and in court entertainment.

1) Empress Anna Ioannovna; 2) Empress Elizaveta Petrovna

Foreign and domestic policy

During the short period of Anna Leopoldovna’s reign, a political amnesty was held for those who suffered during the “Bironovschina”, and the intensity of the work of the Secret Investigation Office of the office decreased. By her decree of 1740, Anna allowed subjects to file complaints about the work of the collegiums and the Senate, which were considered by a special commission. From January 1741 to everyone government agencies it was necessary to submit to the Senate information about its expenses for drawing up new states. 1741, March - a commission was created to review state revenues.

During the reign of Anna Leopoldovna, a break with Sweden occurred, the articles of the Belgrade Peace of 1739 were confirmed. The Porte began to recognize Russian sovereigns as emperors. Anna lived in the palace of Peter 1 in the Summer Garden, and settled her favorite Moritz Linara in the neighboring house.

Under the reign of Anna Leopoldovna, the position of the Russian Church improved. She financed monasteries and made rich contributions and donations. “Foreigners” sentenced to death were granted forgiveness on condition of acceptance of baptism.

Ruler Anna Leopoldovna and Duke Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick

Coup d'etat

The foreign origin of many members of the government, the inability to govern, Anna Leopoldovna’s difficult relationship with her husband and a very open manifestation of affection for the Saxon envoy Linar caused public discontent. Lacking social support within the state and fearing the guards, the ruler strengthened police surveillance and tried to retain power by persecuting the opposition. The response to this was increased discontent among the nobles and clergy.

With the participation of the French envoy to Russia, Marquis Jacques-Joachim de la Chétardie and the Swedish envoy Erik Matthias Nolken, a conspiracy was prepared by Crown Princess Elizaveta Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great, and her supporters in the person of Mikhail Vorontsov, Alexei Razumovsky, Peter and Alexander Shuvalov, and Johann-Herman Lestock .

Another reason for the uprising of the conspirators, according to historians, was Anna Leopoldovna’s decision to declare herself the Russian Empress.

On the night of November 25, Elizabeth Petrovna, accompanied by a detachment of guards, arrested the ruler, her husband, the young emperor and his sister Catherine, born on July 26, 1741. Tsesarevna Elizabeth personally entered Anna Leopoldovna’s chambers and woke her up. The ruler did not resist the coup, but only asked not to harm her children and her beloved maid of honor and friend Juliana Mengden. Elizabeth promised to fulfill her request.

Anna Leopoldovna with her son John VI

Link

After the coup on November 25, Empress Elizabeth initially intended to send Anna Leopoldovna and her family abroad; with the manifesto of 1841, the Brunswick family was sent to Riga. However, subsequently Elizaveta Petrovna changed her decision. Upon arrival in Riga, Prince Anton-Ulrich, his wife and children were kept under arrest. 1742, December - transported to Daugavgriva Fortress (Latvia). 1744, January - sent to the city of Ranenburg.

1744, July - Baron Nikolai Korf arrived in Ranenburg with the order of Elizabeth Petrovna to send the family of the former ruler first to Arkhangelsk, and then to Solovki. The infant Ivan Antonovich was taken from his parents and imprisoned in the Shlisselburg fortress in St. Petersburg, where he was subsequently killed on July 5, 1764, during an attempt to free him. The former ruler and her family were unable to reach Solovki due to ice, and they remained in the city of Kholmogory, Arkhangelsk province, in the former bishop's house. In exile, Anna Leopoldovna gave birth to a daughter, Elizaveta, and sons, Peter and Alexei.

Death

1746, March 19 - Anna Leopoldovna died due to complications after giving birth to her son Alexei in Kholmogory. The birth of Princes Peter and Alexei was hidden from the people, and the cause of death of the overthrown ruler was declared to be “fire.” Her body was transported to St. Petersburg and buried in the Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Anna's children grew up under the supervision of their father, Prince Anton-Ulrich, who died in 1774. 1780 - at the request of the Berlin, Danish and Brunswick ruling houses, they were allowed by the empress to leave Russia for Denmark in the care of their aunt, the Danish queen.

ANNA LEOPOLDOVNA

(1718-1746)

The future Russian ruler Anna Leopoldovna was born in 1718 in the German city of Rostock and was named Elizaveta Catherine Christina. Her parents are Duke Karl Leopold of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Duchess Ekaterina Ioannovna, daughter of Tsar Ivan (John)V,Peter's nieceI,- were people who received completely different upbringings.

Their marriage, concluded for political reasons, turned out to be unhappy. Ekaterina Ioannovna begged PeterIallow her to leave her husband and return to her homeland. The Tsar agreed, annoyed, however, that the wayward and frivolous woman destroyed his plan - the union of Russia and Mecklenburg.

CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH OF ANNA LEOPOLDOVNA

In 1722, Ekaterina Ioannovna returned to Russia with her little daughter. The aging Tsarina Praskovya Fedorovna, Ivan’s widow, took them under her wing.V.In St. Petersburg, the Duchess of Mecklenburg, trying to forget the melancholy and humiliation of her six-year marriage, organized endless balls and feasts, justifying the nickname the Wild Duchess given to her by her contemporaries. The queen took up raising her granddaughter - she entrusted her to the care of a “room” girl, trained in secular manners and literacy.

It is difficult to predict what such a method of training and education would lead to, but in 1723, Tsarina Praskovya Feodorovna died and no one was interested in Elizabeth anymore. The little duchess grew up, forgotten by her relatives. The girl’s fate changed after the accession of Anna Ioannovna, her aunt, to the throne.

The Empress, who respected her relatives, brought her elder sister Ekaterina Ioannovna closer to her and drew attention to her 12-year-old daughter. Teachers and an experienced teacher Madame Aderkas were assigned to the girl, in whom they found “prudence, charm of soul, erudition and high mental

Crimean campaigns of B. K. Minich.

Unknown artist. Portrait of Anna Leopoldovna.

development". Having matured, Elizabeth turned into a spoiled, vain society girl. She despised all work, including mental work.

The aunt's palace and her entourage made up the world in which Elizabeth became the creation of a fashionable salon education. There was no suitable society for the young duchess; she was forced to spend time among people much older than herself and of different tastes. Constantly immersed in dreams, the girl was not interested in either the country where she lived or its people. She was indifferent even to her aunt’s worries. In her dreams, she pictured a beautiful lover, capable of inspiring ardent feelings. However, politics intervened in her life.

UNHAPPY MARRIAGE

Empress Anna Ioannovna was childless. Who will the Russian throne pass to after her? This question could not help but worry her. She did not know the character, aspirations, capabilities of her niece and did not perceive her as her successor. Therefore, the queen decided to quickly find Elizabeth a husband and hoped that they would have a boy. He will receive an education worthy of a prince and will be declared heir to the throne. The Empress immediately began to carry out her plans. In 1733, Elizabeth converted to Orthodoxy, receiving a new name in honor of her aunt, Anna. The princess, who from now on was officially called Anna Leopoldovna (named after her father Karl Leopold), was keenly interested in her future marriage.

The Empress chose Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick-Bevern as her husband. But the prince was unlucky; he had a rival - Count Karl Moritz Linar, ambassador of the Saxon Elector. The social dandy made an irresistible impression on Anna Leopoldovna, who began to openly neglect her groom. The matter went so far that Anna Ioannovna herself had to intervene: Count Linar was urgently recalled, and Anna Leopoldovna was ordered to go down the aisle with the unloved Anton Ulrich.

The magnificent wedding took place in the summer of 1739. Anna Leopoldovna was accompanied by the empress herself. They rode in a huge open carriage, gilded and elaborately decorated. They were surrounded by horsemen on luxuriously decorated pacers, many footmen in gold-embroidered liveries, walkers and pages.

The wedding ceremony lasted from nine in the morning until late in the evening, and the festivities on the occasion of the marriage lasted a whole week. Parade exits, exits, balls, concerts replaced each other. The young people were visible all the time, were present everywhere and observed the solemn ceremony. One of his instructions required wearing a court dress made of gold brocade, very dense and unusually heavy. The bodice of the dress, like armor, constrained the body, not allowing free breathing and movement. A high hairstyle made from your own hair and false hair on a special frame, entwined with threads

from precious stones, weighed more than one kilogram.

In August 1740, Anna Leopoldovna and Anton Ulrich had their first son, named John in honor of his great-grandfather - Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, Peter's elder brotherI.The birth of the prince was announced by an artillery salvo.

SHORT REIGN

Soon Anna Ioannovna issued a manifesto in which she appointed the prince as the legal heir to the imperial throne. In October 1740, the empress died. Infant John was declared Emperor JohnVI(Ioann Antonovich), and the all-powerful close associate of Anna Ioannovna Biron was the regent. Russian society expressed dissatisfaction with this rise of the hated favorite. The guard grumbled. Anton Ulrich tried to declare his right to become a ruler with his young son. However, Biron, at a meeting of the Supreme Privy Council, publicly accused him of encroaching on power. After threats and insults, the regent unequivocally warned: Anton Ulrich may be the prince and father of the emperor, but at the same time his subject. Therefore, the prince should come to terms with the existing state of affairs and remain faithful to JohnVI.

The relationship between Anton Ulrich and Anna Leopoldovna and Biron was never friendly or even respectful. The couple wanted to get rid of the regent's dictates at any cost. When nothing worked out for Anton Ulrich, Anna Leopoldovna got down to business. She plotted with Field Marshal Burchard Christoph Munnich, and he arrested Biron and his entire family.

So Anna Leopoldovna found herself at the head of the state with the title of ruler. On behalf of her son Ivan Antonovich, she issued a decree in which she awarded Anton Ulrich the title of generalissimo. However, the prince's pride was not satisfied. He wanted to rule the country, visited the Military College, demanded reports and documents on current affairs. With patience and restraint, the prince gradually achieved his goal: those around him got used to seeing him as a ruler. But Anna Leopoldovna did not want to tolerate her unloved husband next to her and share power with him.

As before, she spent almost all her time in the palace. Surrounded by trusted persons, lying on the sofa, the ruler discussed the smallest details of her own costumes, outfits for one-year-old Ivan Antonovich and his newborn sister, Princess Catherine. She spent her evenings at the card table. Returned to the Russian court, Count Linar, dear to Anna’s heart, the Austrian and English ambassadors, as well as the Empress’s favorite Juliana Mengden, kept her company. Other courtiers were not invited to such evenings.

Sometimes Anna Leopoldovna had to deal with state affairs. Ministers appeared with a pile of papers, and she only sighed sadly. Governing the country Anna Leopoldovna

Anna Ioannovna and Anna

Leopoldovna in a carriage.

ANTON ULRICH OF BRAUNSCHWEIG-BEVERNSKY

(1714-1774)

Anton Ulrich was born into the family of Duke Ferdinand Albrecht of Brunswick-Bevern, ruler of a small German state. The Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna chose the prince as a wife for her niece Anna Leopoldovna of Mecklenburg and invited him to St. Petersburg, where he arrived in 1733. Anton Ulrich, a short, thin, fair-haired young man, was timid and stuttered a little from excitement. In addition to his native German, he also knew French.

The Empress greeted Anton Ulrich warmly. By order of Anna Ioannovna, the bride and groom began to be taught together by the princess’s confessor, Feofan Prokopovich: the future spouses needed to get used to each other.

Almost simultaneously with the prince, the Saxon envoy Count Linar appeared at the Russian court. He captivated Anna Leopoldovna with his attractive appearance and refined manners. The princess began to treat the groom pointedly coldly, even with contempt.

The prince's painful marriage lasted six years. He suffered from the neglect of his bride, rudeness and cruel treatment by the courtiers. The all-powerful E.I. Biron (1690-1) behaved especially insultingly towards him 772). At one time, he tried to marry his own son to Anna Leopoldovna, but the empress opposed this, and the favorite had to give in. Biron could not forgive Anton Ulrich for such a defeat and remained his enemy to the end.

During these years, Anton Ulrich fought as a volunteer in the Russian army under the banner of Field Marshal Count B.K. Minich, was known as a fearless man and distinguished himself during the capture of the Turkish fortress of Ochakov.

Finally, Anna Ioannovna intervened in the story of Anton Ulrich’s protracted matchmaking. Count Linar was sent home, after which the wedding day was named. After the wedding, the young spouses were assigned an annual allowance of 200 thousand rubles and their status at court was officially approved.

On August 12, 1740, Anna Leopoldovna and Anton Ulrich had their first child, who was eagerly awaited. Two months later, the Empress declared him heir to the throne. Soon she died, and Anna Leopoldovna became ruler under her young son, the emperor. And in the same year, Anton Ulrich was proclaimed Generalissimo of the Russian troops and soon received the title of Imperial Highness.

However, as a result of the coup in favor of Elizabeth Petrovna, the Brunswick family went into distant exile. The death of Anna Leopoldovna did not change anything for Anton Ulrich and four children, three of whom were born after the arrest of their father and mother.

Anton Ulrich tried to convince Elizabeth that neither he nor his children posed any danger to her; swore that none of them would ever lay claim to the Russian throne. All in vain: they were guarded even more strictly.

In 1762 Catherine came to powerII.The maintenance of the Brunswick family immediately improved significantly. Moreover, EkaterinaIIoffered Anton Ulrich freedom. He could go to his possessions, but his children had to remain in Russia in the same position. The prince preferred bondage. And again he turned to the imperial

obviously couldn't. Her closest relative, Tsarevna Elizaveta Petrovna, took advantage of this. On the night of November 24-25, 1741, a coup d'état was carried out. Anna Leopoldovna and her family were arrested. Elizabeth proclaimed herself empress.

Anna Leopoldovna was from time to time informed about the suspicious behavior of the crown princess and her entourage. But the ruler did not attach any importance to the rumors. Then Anton Ulrich began to convince her to arrest Lestocq, Elizabeth’s personal physician, who aroused strong suspicion. Anna, angry, forbade her to touch this topic in the future.

Why did Anna Leopoldovna so persistently not believe the warnings about the danger that threatened her? Maybe, knowing her cousin Elizabeth from childhood, cheerful, eccentric, affectionate towards her, Anna, and then towards her son, she did not believe in the princess’s insidious plans? Or thought that Elizabeth, born before Peter’s official marriageIand Ekaterina Alekseevna, will not dare to encroach on the legal rights of the mother of the reigning emperor?

But the time came when Anna Leopoldovna could not help but notice her aunt’s suspicious behavior. Anna and Elizabeth explained themselves on November 23. Many reproaches, accusations, and excuses were made on both sides. In the end, the aunt and niece burst into tears and hugged each other. They blamed everything on ill-wishers who wanted them to quarrel. Reassured, Anna Leopoldovna retired to her room. Elizabeth understood: the long-planned coup could no longer be postponed.

Elizabeth thought for a long time about what to do with her arrested relatives. The Brunswick family, accompanied by a convoy, was taken from St. Petersburg to Riga. Initially they thought to send them to Germany, keeping them in the hands of Anna Leopoldovna and Anton Ulrich

all awards and family jewels.

In Riga, Anna Leopoldovna signed an oath of allegiance to the Empress in the hope that this would speed up their release and departure from Russia.

However, Elizabeth changed her mind. Until 1744, the captives remained under guard in the vicinity of Riga, and then they were sent to the city of Rannenburg, Ryazan province, where A. D. Menshikov’s estate once was.

From there, the Brunswick family was sent to the Solovetsky Monastery, having previously taken away Anna Leopoldovna's eldest son - she never saw her firstborn again. They were transported non-stop, in closed carts, on bad roads, in snow and rain.

But they never made it to the Solovetsky Islands. Due to frost, a stop was made in Kholmogory, where the prisoners remained. They were placed in the bishop's house. Anna Leopoldovna had no idea that her son, the emperor, was right there, nearby. His fate remained unknown to his parents. Only at the beginning

Anton Ulrich in St. Petersburg at the invitation of Anna Ioannovna.

Ratrix, calling himself and his children “dust and ashes” at her feet. Again and again he assured Catherine that his children were innocent. In almost every appeal to the empress, he asked as the only favor for permission to teach children something.

Catherine kindly answered him that he needed to wait a little longer.

Over time, children also added their messages to their father’s requests. They wrote beautifully and expressed their thoughts intelligently. Catherine was surprised.

Count Panin, who was in charge of the affairs of the Brunswick family, in his letters to the Arkhangelsk civil governor Golovtsyn asked who taught all this to the children of Anton Ulrich. And Golovtsyn replied that, according to their father, the children learned Russian literacy from church books, “decrees, petitions and orders.”

Anton Ulrich never waited for the empress to release his family. His health was deteriorating. He began to lose his sight and eventually went blind.

When Anton Ulrich died (according to some sources - in 1776), his body in a simple wooden coffin was lowered into a grave dug by guard soldiers in the courtyard of the bishop's house in Kholmogory, where long years Anton Ulrich lived with his family. The soldiers were strictly ordered to remain silent both about the death of the prince and about the place of his burial.

What about the children of Anton Ulrich and Anna Leopoldovna? In 1778, the Governor-General of the Arkhangelsk Territory, Melgunov, arrived in Kholmogory, under whose care the surviving prisoners were.

In a message to the empress, he described their appearance. Ekaterina is 38 years old, and she looks like her father, but the injury she received during her arrest in infancy has forever made her deaf, lopsided and tongue-tied. Therefore, the brothers and sister communicate with her through signs and facial expressions. Princess Elizabeth is 36 years old, she resembles her mother in height and face, and in her intelligence and manners she surpasses her sister and brothers, who obey her in everything. Peter, 35 years old, hunchbacked and crooked. Alexey, 34 years old, is blond and silent, and their behavior is “befitting only for small children.”

Saying goodbye to the Brunswick family, Melgunov asked about their wishes. Princess Elizabeth answered for everyone that when her father was alive, they wanted “freedom, but now they don’t want anything.” “We were born here,” said Elizabeth, “we got used to it and became old, now the big light is not only not needed for us, but will also be burdensome; We don’t even know how to treat people, and it’s too late to learn.”

Several years have passed. The Empress already had two grandchildren, Grand Dukes Alexander and Konstantin. The dynasty became stronger. Now no one would seriously consider the princes of Brunswick as contenders for the Russian crown. And Catherine decided to let them go.

In the spring of 1780, she turned to Queen Juliana Maria of Denmark and Norway, sister of Anton Ulrich, with a proposal to send her brother’s children to her. She promised to pay them decent pensions and subsequently fulfilled her obligation.

On the night of June 26-27 of the same year, the princes and princesses of Brunswick, under heavy guard, were secretly sent on a river boat along the Dvina from Kholmogory to the Novodvinsk fortress.

From there they sailed on the ship Polar Star to the Norwegian port of Bergen. Only by mid-October did the family finally reach the small Jutland town of Gorsens, which was chosen as their place of residence.

Arrest of Anna Leopoldovna.

1756 g . By order of the Empress, the boy was secretly taken from Kholmogory to St. Petersburg.

In exile, her husband repeatedly reproached Anna for not caring about the safety and well-being of both her own and the emperor. The former ruler invariably responded to reproaches: she saw no reason for repentance, since she managed to prevent bloodshed.

The unfortunate woman showed amazing fortitude in the troubles that befell her. Anna Leopoldovna died in 1746 from childbirth fever, leaving four children in the arms of Anton Ulrich. Her body, by order of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, was brought to St. Petersburg and buried with honors in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

With the death of Anna Leopoldovna, the tragedy of the Brunswick family did not end. Her husband and children had to live in prison for many more years, and having gained freedom, they would be burdened by it, accustomed to captivity, and remember the past as happy times.

IOANN ANTONOVICH. SOVEREIGN BABY

(1740-1764)

Heir Russian throne John Antonovich was born on August 12, 1740. Empress Anna Ioannovna, who did not know to whom to transfer the throne, was childless and seriously ill by that time, waited a long time for this event.

Soon the empress died. According to the manifesto published by Anna Ioannovna in 1731, Ivan Antonovich became the autocrat of All-Russian JohnVI.Before he came of age, the empress's favorite was appointed ruler -Biron. His reign lasted less than a month, then he was arrested and sent into exile. John's mother, Anna Leopoldovna of Brunswick-Bevernskaya, was declared the ruler of Russia. Anna Leopoldovna was least suitable for the role of the head of a state like Russia: she did not know what to do with the power she received and was openly burdened by state responsibilities. Caring for her own child seemed to her much more important than government

business affairs. The mother of the heir to the throne endlessly ordered various furniture for the children's room, figuring out how to remove it more expensively and intricately. In Ivan Antonovich’s chambers there were small armchairs and stools, upholstered for the safety of the child with soft flannel, wool, velvet and decorated with silver braid. When the baby grew up and began to walk, special children's wooden stilts on wheels were made for him. When Anna Leopoldovna's daughter Ekaterina was born in 1741, for the baby's baptism day they sewed a blue satin dress, tiny caps made of white taffeta, two outer dresses made of yellow satin and other outfits.

Thus, in caring for children, which rather resembled playing with dolls, in social entertainment, the ruler and her family met the night of November 24-25, 1741, when Grand Duchess Elizabeth Petrovna carried out a palace coup that ended this happy and carefree life in her own way. 30 guards burst into the ruler's chambers. They knocked over the night light, and everything plunged into pitch darkness... Anna and her husband woke up and could not understand what was happening. Finally they brought a candle. Anna was allowed to get dressed, and her husband, Prince Anton Ulrich, was wrapped in a blanket and thrown into a sleigh standing at the porch.

The soldiers were given orders not to wake up or needlessly frighten the children sleeping in the next room. The guards crowded around the children's cradles and tried not to make noise. An hour passed like that. Finally, little John began to stir and cry, and the soldiers began to argue about who should carry the child. His nurse, expecting reprisals every moment, took the baby, who was screaming, in her arms, wrapped him in the hem of her own fur coat, and so walked, surrounded by a convoy, to the sleigh that was waiting for them. One soldier snatched John's newborn sister, Princess Catherine, from her cradle. He did it so awkwardly that he dropped the girl on the floor, after which she remained deaf and lopsided for the rest of her life.

Elizabeth issued several manifestos, proving that she had more rights to the Russian throne than that of John and his mother. The Empress publicly stated that the Brunswick family would be sent abroad with honor, to Germany, and even ordered them to be taken to the western border of Russia. They only reached Riga, where they were arrested. Since then, every step and word uttered by any of the prisoners was immediately reported to the Empress.

Years passed. One prison was replaced by another. When it was ordered to deliver the prisoners to Rannenburg, the commander of the convoy, who knew little geography, almost brought them to Orenburg. The last refuge of the Brunswick family was the bishop's house in Kholmogory. Little John was separated from his parents. They never found out what happened to the child, and he lived quite close to his parents and brothers and sisters for 12 years without even knowing it.

In 1756, John was brought to the Shlisselburg fortress. There they tried to convince him that he was not Emperor John, but simply the son of unknown parents and his name was Gregory. But he stubbornly insisted: “I am John, autocrat of all Rus'.” One day in 1756, Elizabeth wanted to look at John. She saw a poorly dressed young man

Anna Leopoldovna

with the emperor John Antonovich

on hands. Lithography.

thin, with blond hair, matte white skin, an aquiline nose and large blue-gray eyes. Stuttering heavily, he said that “John died, and he himself is a heavenly spirit.” The Empress considered him mentally ill. Each time the guards reported that “the prisoner is healthy, only mentally insane.” As evidence, they reported that at times the prisoner became violent, rushing at the guards, shouting and swearing at them.

When Catherine I came to power, she entrusted the supervision of Ivan Antonovich to the major statesman N.I. Panin, who compiled detailed instructions how to keep a prisoner. It specifically stipulated that if anyone attempts to free him, the guards must immediately kill the prisoner.

It seemed that the government did everything to ensure that the very name of John was forgotten, but this was not the case. Any person who was in any way dissatisfied with the rule of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, and then Ekaterina Alekseevna, remembered him. There were also those who tried to move from words to action.

In 1742, the chamberlain Alexander Turchaninov hatched a conspiracy. Its participants intended to depose Elizabeth and her heir Peter Fedorovich and return the throne to the rightful Emperor John. The plot was discovered, Turchaninov was beaten with a whip and, with his nostrils and tongue torn out, was exiled far to Siberia, to the Okhotsk prison.

After some time, to the court of the Prussian king, the strongest ruler in Germany, FrederickII,married to the aunt of the unfortunate Ivan Antonovich, the Tobolsk merchant Ivan Zubarev fled. He intended to raise a rebellion among the schismatics living in the Arkhangelsk region. And at this time, the Germans, under the guise of merchants, would have sailed to Arkhangelsk and freed Ivan Antonovich. Prussia did not take this adventure.

During the reign of Catherine, they again tried to free the prisoner. Second Lieutenant of Smolensky infantry regiment Vasily Yakovlevich Mirovich, who served in the Shlisselburg fortress, and his friend, lieutenant of the Velikolutsk infantry regiment Apollo Ushakov, decided to return the imperial crown to John.

They agreed to carry out their plan (to rescue John from prison) when CatherineIIwill leave St. Petersburg. Mirovich was supposed to draw up a false decree on behalf of the Empress and hand it over to Ushakov. It was assumed that, in the uniform of a lieutenant colonel, he would appear at the fortress while Mirovich was on duty and demand, by a forged decree, to hand over the prisoner to him.

However, their plan unexpectedly went wrong: Ushakov died. Then Mirovich decided to act independently. On the night of his duty

Arrest of E.I. Biron.

from July 4 to July 5, 1764, he tried to negotiate with the officers guarding John. They avoided the conversation and let the authorities know. Then Mirovich commanded the soldiers: “To the gun!”

Mirovich placed guards at all the gates of the Shlisselburg fortress, ordering not to let anyone in. He knocked down the fortress commandant, Colonel Berednikov, who came out in response to the noise with a blow of his fist. A manifesto written in his own hand was read out to the assembled soldiers, as if on behalf of Ivan Antonovich, the legitimate emperor. Then, having rolled up the fortress cannon, he and the soldiers tried to storm the room where the unfortunate prisoner was kept. The security realized that they could not withstand Mirovich’s onslaught, and began to act according to the instructions: John was killed.

Mirovich surrendered to government troops approaching the fortress. He told his fellow soldiers that he would be responsible for everything alone. He was tried and sentenced to death. G. R. Derzhavin, who was an eyewitness to the massacre, wrote some time later: “The people standing on the heights of the houses and on the bridge, not accustomed to seeing the death penalty and for some reason waiting for the mercy of the empress, when they saw the head in the hands of the executioner, unanimously gasped and it shook so much that the strong movement caused the bridge to shake and the railings to collapse.” Princess E.R. Dashkova claimed that abroad what happened was attributed to Catherine’s terrible intrigueII,who, with promises to benefit Mirovich, persuaded him to do this act, and then betrayed the lieutenant.

The body of Ivan Antonovich, who was not even 24 years old at the time of his death, was then secretly buried in the Shlisselburg fortress so that no one would ever find his grave.

Meeting between Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and Ivan Antonovich.

ELIZAVETA PETROVNA. GREAT RULE

(1709-1761)

Daughter of PeterIand the future Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna was born on December 18, 1709. On this day, Russian troops, the winners of Battle of Poltava, unfurling their banners, they solemnly entered Moscow. Having received good news On the birth of his daughter, Peter organized a three-day celebration in her honor. The king loved very much

your second family. A powerful and stern man, his affection for his loved ones sometimes took on touching forms. In letters to his wife, he said hello to “four-sweetie” - this was Elizabeth’s family nickname at the time when she still crawled on all fours. In the summer of 1710, Peter sailed around the Baltic on the sailing ship "Lizetka" - so

I. Nikitin. Portrait of Elizaveta Petrovna (girl).

he called the tiny princess. At the age of two, she attended her parents' wedding with her four-year-old sister Anna.

Peter early began to write separately to the princesses, encouraging them in a similar way to master literacy. Elizabeth learned to read and write when she was not even eight years old. PeterIHe saw his daughters as instruments of diplomatic play and prepared them for dynastic marriages in order to strengthen Russia’s international position. Therefore, he first of all paid attention to their study foreign languages. Elizabeth knew French perfectly, spoke German and Italian. In addition, the princesses were taught music, dancing, dressing skills, and etiquette. Since childhood, Elizabeth passionately loved dancing, and she had no equal in this art.

Back in 1720, her father tried to arrange Elizabeth’s marriage with the French king LouisXV,her same year. But in Versailles they reacted with restraint to the Russian side’s proposal because of the princess’s origin: her mother was a commoner, and at the time of her daughter’s birth she was not married to the tsar. Later, Elizabeth was married to Charles Augustus of Holstein, but he died before he could become her husband.

The position of young Elizabeth at court and in the state changed dramatically in 1727. Before, life was like a fairy tale. She was surrounded by a young society, where she reigned not only by right of high birth, but also thanks to her personal merits. Quick to come up with ideas and pleasant to be around, Elizabeth was the soul of this society. She received enough money from her parents to satisfy her passion for all kinds of entertainment. Everything around her was seething with fun, she was always busy: trips along the Neva and outside the city, masquerades and balls, performances, playing music, dancing... This continuous and reckless intoxication with life ended when Elizabeth’s mother, Empress Catherine, diedI.

At the court of Anna Ioannovna, the crown princess was given the honors due to her. However, Elizabeth felt like a stranger in the royal family. Her relationship with her cousin, the empress, was not very warm. Anna Ioannovna assigned Elizabeth a more than modest allowance, and the princess, who previously did not know how to count money, now constantly felt the need for it. It is believed that the Empress could not forget her humiliating position in Mitau, when, due to the eternal lack of funds, she very often turned to Elizabeth’s parents with pleas for help and did not always receive what she asked for. And therefore life was not easy for the princess with her.

The ugly and corpulent Anna was irritated by the rare attractiveness of her young cousin. Graceful, always tastefully dressed and witty, Elizabeth shone at court ceremonies and celebrations. Next to her, the uncommunicative and gloomy empress was losing greatly.

And finally, Anna Ioannovna was worried about Elizabeth’s rights to the Russian crown. The Empress saw in her relative a serious

Elizaveta Petrovna at the head of the guards on the way to Winter Palace.

Grand entry of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna into Moscow. Engraving of the middle XVIII V.

rival and seriously feared a coup d'etat in her favor, Anna ordered surveillance of the crown princess. To get rid of Elizabeth, they wanted to either marry her somewhere far away from St. Petersburg and to a “safe” prince, or force her to become a nun. A suitable groom was never found. And the threat of lifelong imprisonment in a monastery for Elizabeth became a nightmare, which she got rid of only after ascending to the throne.

The Tsesarevna was forced to behave extremely carefully. Any thoughtlessly spoken word - by her or someone close to her - could lead to disaster. She was emphatically not interested in politics.

And yet, Anna Ioannovna’s fears were not without foundation, if only because the daughter of Peter 1 was loved in the guard. She often visited the barracks of the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments. Familiar guards officers and soldiers often asked Elizabeth to be the godmother of their children, and she willingly fulfilled their wishes. It was among the guards that Elizabeth found her ardent supporters, with the help of whom she seized power in the state in November 1741.

EMPRESS ELIZABETH WITH HER TRUSTED PEOPLE

The memory of Peter the Great lived in society, and during the years of Anna Ioannovna’s unpopular reign, sympathy for his daughter, Elizabeth, grew among wide sections of the capital’s population. She had very valuable qualities for a ruler, which he later highlighted

Unknown artist. Portrait of Elizaveta Petrovna.

famous Russian historianXIXV. S. M. Solovyov. “Cheerful, carefree, passionate about the joys of life in her early youth,” he wrote, “Elizabeth had to go through a difficult school of trials and passed it with benefit. Extreme caution, restraint, attention, the ability to pass between people pushing each other without pushing them - these qualities... Elizabeth brought to the throne... Having inherited from her father the ability to choose and preserve capable people, she called to action a new generation of Russian people, famous under her and after her, and knew how to reconcile their activities...”

From the first days of Elizabeth's reign under the empress, a circle of her longtime followers developed, who occupied all the most important state and court posts.

A passionate love for folk songs became the reason for Elizabeth’s attention to Alexei Grigorievich Razumovsky. A Ukrainian Cossack, a rare handsome man, he came to St. Petersburg thanks to his magnificent bass. He was taken into court singing back in 1731. Having ascended the throne, Elizaveta Petrovna granted the rootless Razumovsky the title of count and the rank of field marshal, and 1742 g ., according to many historians, secretly married him. Rumors about this marriage inevitably gave rise to legends about the supposedly existing children of Elizabeth and Razumovsky - for example, Princess Tarakanova and even about the whole Tarakanoff family.

One of the empress's closest assistants was Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov. Vice-Chancellor from 1744, he replaced A.P. Bestuzhev as Chancellor of the Empire in 1758. The Empress brought back from exile and brought closer to her the surviving princes Dolgorukov, Count P.I. Musin-Pushkin and several other Russian nobles , suffered during the reign of Anna Ioannovna. Elizabeth removed foreigners from all key positions in the state, but did not at all intend to expel foreign specialists from the country, whom Russia urgently needed.

Graph

M. I. Vorontsov. From an engraving by G. F. Schmidt.

FOREIGN POLICY OF ELIZAVETA PETROVNA

The development of the foreign policy program and Russian diplomacy of the Elizabethan era are mainly associated with the name of the insightful and experienced statesman Chancellor Alexei Petrovich Bestuzhev. On his initiative, in the spring of 1756, to consider issues of foreign policy and direct military operations during the pan-European Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. a new government body was established - the Conference at the Highest Court (a permanent meeting of senior dignitaries and generals consisting of ten people). Bestuzhev encountered problems in Russian-Swedish relations at the end of 1741, when he was appointed to the post of vice-chancellor. Recovering from defeat in Northern War Sweden hoped to take revenge and on the battlefields to revise the terms of the Nystadt Peace, according to which Russia seized Swedish possessions in the Baltic states. In the summer of 1741, the Russian-Swedish war began, ending with the complete defeat of the Swedish

Coronation glass “Vivat to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.” Middle XVIII V.

Title page of Elizaveta Petrovna’s “entertainment” program on the occasion of the signing of peace with the Swedes. 1744

army. In August 1743, a peace treaty was signed in Abo (Finland): the Swedish government confirmed the terms of the Peace of Nystadt concluded by PeterI.

The Seven Years' War, in which Russia fought on the side of France and Austria against Prussia and Great Britain for the purpose of territorial acquisitions, after Bestuzhev's resignation, was already fought under M. I. Vorontsov, his successor. At the beginning of 1758, Russian troops entered East Prussia and occupied Königsberg. In August of the following year, the Prussian army was defeated in the battle of Kunersdorf, and in September 1760, Russian troops entered Berlin, which they were then forced to leave due to inconsistency in the actions of the allies. The victories of the Russian army were decisive for the defeat of Prussia, whose armed forces were then considered the best in Europe.

Shtof. Green glass, painting. Russia. 1742

INTERNAL POLITICS OF ELIZAVETA PETROVNA

Upon ascending the throne, Elizabeth proclaimed herself the continuator of the work of her great father. Following Peter's "principles" determined, in particular, the empress's interest in economic issues, the development of industry and trade. Encouraging noble entrepreneurship, Elizabeth ordered the establishment of the Noble Loan Bank in 1753, which issued loans to landowners secured by land. In 1754 the Merchant Bank was founded. At a fast pace new manufactories (industrial enterprises) were created. In Yaroslavl and Serpukhov, Irkutsk and Astrakhan, Tambov and Ivanovo, on noble estates, manufactories produced cloth and silk, canvas and ropes. Distillation became widespread among landowners.

The decision of Elizabeth's government, taken in 1753, to abolish internal customs duties, which had been levied on Russian cities and roads since ancient times, had important consequences. As a result of this reform, it was possible to put an end to the economic fragmentation of Russia. This was a bold step at that time. In France, for example, internal customs ceased to exist only during the end of the revolution.XVIIIcentury, and in Germany - in the 30s.XIXV.

Elizabeth significantly expanded the rights and liberties of the nobles. In particular, she abolished Peter's lawIabout the undergrowth, according to which the nobles had to begin military service soldiers from a young age. Under Elizabeth, children were enrolled in the corresponding regiments from birth. Thus, at the age of ten, these youths, without knowing the service, became sergeants, and were already 16-17-year-old captains in the regiment.

During the reign of Elizaveta Petrovna, favorable conditions developed for the development of Russian culture, especially science and education.

The Academy of Sciences participated in organizing geographical expeditions to Far East for the purpose of a detailed study of the northeastern borders of the Russian Empire. In the middleXVIIIV. a four-volume work by the naturalist I. G. Gme-

line “Flora of Siberia” with a description of 1200 plants and the first ethnographic work in Russia “Description of the Land of Kamchatka”, written by S. P. Krasheninnikov.

The decree of 1744 “On the connection of schools in the provinces into one place and the education in them of all ranks of people...” made it easier for children from unprivileged sections of the population to access schools. In the 40-50s. to the first gymnasium in St. Petersburg that existed since 1726, two more were added - at Moscow University (1755) and in Kazan (1758). In 1752, the Navigation School founded by PeterI,reorganized into the Naval Gentry Cadet Corps, where officers of the Russian Navy were trained.

On January 25, 1755, Elizabeth signed a decree establishing Moscow University. The spread of university education in Russia was the cherished dream of the Russian scientist and educator M. V. Lomonosov. Having won over Vice-Chancellor M.I. Vorontsov and the even more influential favorite I.I. Shuvalov to his side, Lomonosov drew up a project for opening a university in Moscow. Along with this event is the establishment in 1756 of the Russian professional theater of Fyodor Volkov and Alexander Sumarokov, and in 1758 of the Academy of Arts.

The emergence of interest in the fine arts in Russian society during the time of Elizabeth Petrovna is directly related to the empress’s own passion for them. One might say that professional theatre, opera, ballet, and choral singing emerged from the walls of her palace. Even during the difficult years of Anna Ioannovna’s reign for young Elizabeth, many performances were staged at the crown princess’s “small court.” Her courtiers and singers took part in them. The plays were “on the topic of the day.” In an allegorical form, they talked about the sad fate of the semi-disgraced princess and the political situation in the country. Elizabeth did not lose interest in the theater even as an empress. She enjoyed the performances even if she saw them

IVAN IVANOVICH SHUVALOV

One of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan reign was undoubtedly Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, who left a noticeable mark on the history of the Russian Empire. His career developed rapidly. Coming from a poor and humble noble family, in the late 40s. ended up at the empress's court thanks to the patronage of his cousins: they occupied important positions in the government of Elizabeth Petrovna. A handsome young page with gentle manners soon attracted the favorable attention of the 40-year-old empress. The new favorite retained his influence on Elizabeth for a long time. Without occupying a prominent place in the court bureaucratic hierarchy (he stubbornly rejected titles, titles, and awards offered to him more than once), Shuvalov in the last years of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna actually held in his hands all the threads of governing the empire. Not a single one was accepted in any way without his approval. important decision concerning foreign and domestic policy.

Shuvalov's role in the cultural life of Russian society turned out to be especially significant. He received a home education, but later his passionate love of reading made him one of the most educated people of his time. Paying tribute to the Age of Enlightenment, Ivan Ivanovich was interested in French philosophy and literature, corresponded with Voltaire, and supported some domestic educational magazines. He collected an excellent library, which was constantly replenished with new items from Paris, collected works of art, and patronized the sciences and arts.

Attaching great importance to the educational mission of the state, Shuvalov developed an entire program of action in this area, partly carried out by him in the 50s. The opening of Moscow University in 1755 is associated with his name. Although the initiative to create such a higher educational institution in Russia belonged to the outstanding scientist, poet and educator M.V. Lomonosov, without the powerful support of Shuvalov this project could hardly be implemented. The role of Ivan Ivanovich as the first curator of the university is known: he resolved various issues related to the organization of studies and life of students; achieved autonomy status for the university (independence from local authorities). Through his generosity, the university library that still exists today was founded.

Shuvalov also did a lot to “cultivate” the domestic artistic intelligentsia. He was the founder and first president of the Academy of Arts, opened in 1757. He invited highly professional masters from abroad and established the training process. The Academy received from him a gift of a library and a collection of paintings of 104 paintings by outstanding European artists. This nobleman had an amazing ability to find and nurture talent. One of these discoveries was the court stoker Fedot Shubin, a future famous sculptor.

Shuvalov planned to organize a system in Russia higher education, and to prepare for studying university disciplines - the network secondary schools(gymnasiums) in provincial cities. But he failed to carry out his plan. With the death of Elizaveta Petrovna, the power and influence of this remarkable statesman became a thing of the past.

Winter Palace

in St. Petersburg.

Big

Tsarskoselsky

castle.

repeatedly. Particularly popular in Russia are the middleXVIIIV. there were plays by A.P. Sumarokov.

Not only celebrations and holidays, but also the usual feasts of Elizabeth Petrovna were necessarily accompanied by the playing of an orchestra and the singing of court musicians. As the famous historian E.V. Anisimov writes, “in Elizabethan times, music became an integral and indispensable part of the life of the palace and the St. Petersburg nobility.” The Imperial Orchestra of highly professional Italian and German musicians performed works by Western European composers. Concerts were also given: initially intended for court society, they later became public. Citizens could also visit them. At these concerts, Russian listeners became acquainted with the harp, mandolin, and guitar.

Italian opera flourished at court. No expense was spared in organizing the performances. These were majestic performances with ballet numbers and recitations that made an indelible impression on the audience. Along with Italian musicians and artists, young Russian singers also took part in the performances. Their performance of difficult Italian arias delighted the audience. Russian dancers began to appear more and more often in ballet performances. This is how the foundations of Russian national opera and ballet were laid.

Elizabeth was very concerned about the appearance of Moscow and St. Petersburg. She

issued many decrees concerning the appearance and life of both capitals. Houses in these cities had to be built according to certain plans. Due to frequent fires in the Moscow Kremlin and Kitai-Gorod, it was forbidden to build wooden buildings; cab drivers were not allowed to drive fast along city streets, etc. Many remarkable architectural monuments date back to the reign of Elizabeth, including the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, the Great Palace in Peterhof, the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace, the Smolny Monastery Cathedral, the palaces of the Elizabethan nobles Vorontsov, Stroganov and Stagelman in St. Petersburg. All these masterpieces were created by the architect V.V. Rastrelli. In 1755, by order of the Empress, the famous Amber Room (office), which was given to Peter in due time, was brought from St. Petersburg and installed in the Tsarskoye Selo PalaceIPrussian King Friedrich WilhelmI.

PORTRAIT OF THE EMPRESS

Contemporaries left many memories of the daughter of Peter the Great. Adherents and enemies of the empress, people who knew her for many years, and those who saw the empress only briefly - they all claimed that Elizabeth in her youth and mature age amazed by its extraordinary, dazzling beauty. The French diplomat Campredon wrote about

the young princess, who was destined to be Louis's wifeXV:“Everything about her bears a charming imprint; one can say that she is a perfect beauty from her waist, complexion, eyes and elegance of her hands. If her free manner surprises the French court at first, then at the same time she will charm him.” And here is Catherine’s impressionII,who met Elizabeth when she was 34 years old: “Truly then it was impossible to see for the first time and not be amazed by her beauty and majestic posture. She was a tall woman, although very plump, but she did not lose anything because of this and did not experience the slightest constraint in all her movements; the head was also very beautiful... She danced to perfection and was distinguished by special grace in everything she did, equally in male and female attire. I would like to look at everything without taking my eyes off her, and only with regret could they be torn away from her, since there was no object that could compare with her.”

Elizabeth's parents did not prepare her for government. Its purpose was dynastic marriage. Therefore, she received only the knowledge that could be useful to her at some European court; already being an empress, she was very surprised when she learned that Great Britain was an island. Thanks to her good ear for music and voice, the princess sang a lot - with the choir and solo. Court choristers for her were found mainly in Ukraine, which was famous for its beautiful singing voices. To do this, she sent special agents to Little Russia. There is information about Elizabeth’s songwriting. She is considered the author of two songs that have survived to this day. She also wrote poetry.

The princess's pleasant disposition and openness, as well as the lifestyle she led, misled many. Elizabeth has long been considered a flighty, good-natured and subject to strong influences. Only the most insightful of the crown princess’s contemporaries noted that “no one can read in her heart.”

Elizabeth had a difficult, contradictory character. With age this became more and more apparent. Easy-going, she loved to travel. However, wanderlust became excessive over time. The coup d'état that Elizabeth carried out, taking away power from ruler Anna Leopoldovna, frightened her for the rest of her life. The Empress was insanely afraid that she would just as easily and unexpectedly be deprived of her crown, and perhaps even her life. She took her own measures, which sometimes baffled the courtiers. Elizabeth swapped the day and

G. Groot.

Portrait of Elizabeth

Petrovna

with little black arap.

E. Lanceray. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna in Tsarskoe Selo.

Medal for the death of Elizabeth Petrovna. 1761

night, she didn’t go to bed until six o’clock in the morning. No one could say when the empress would have lunch or dinner, no one knew where she would go to bed that night. The queen's bedchambers changed almost every night. The fear of assassination is associated with the endless rearrangements and reconstruction of the empress's chambers: partitions, doors and furniture were constantly moved there. Elizabeth's sudden departures from St. Petersburg caused a lot of trouble for the foreign policy department. This caused unwanted speculation among foreign diplomats about the situation in the country.

The empress's piety raises doubts among historians, although she visited many temples and left them rich deposits. In total, about 40 churches were founded or rebuilt during her reign. More than once Elizabeth undertook walking trips to venerate the holy saints. But such trips were more like pleasure trips, which sometimes lasted more than one month. Having walked several kilometers, accompanied by a brilliant retinue, the Empress made a stop. And then they pitched the tents, which in terms of decoration and amenities were no different from the palace ones. For several days, Elizabeth hunted, rode horseback, and even returned to the city. Then she arrived at the parking lot, and the procession resumed. The Empress was superstitious: she believed in witchcraft, the evil eye, and miracles.

IN Russian history Elizaveta Petrovna entered not only as an empress and a fan of the fine arts, but also as a passionate lover of outfits. Her wardrobe was amazing. During the Moscow fire of 1753, four thousand dresses burned in the Empress's palace. After her death PeterIIIdiscovered another fifteen thousand dresses in the Summer Palace, as well as several thousand pairs of shoes, more than a hundred uncut pieces of rich fabrics, and two chests of stockings. Elizabeth had undeniable taste, and her outfits were extremely elegant. But the second time, as a rule, she did not wear the same dress. I changed my costumes two or three times a day.

The queen devoted many hours to caring for her wonderful face. She experienced the disappearance of beauty with age very hard. One of the French diplomats, who visited the Russian court in the last years of her reign, wrote that he did not know another woman who was as difficult to put up with the loss of youth and beauty as Elizaveta Petrovna.

The Empress almost stopped being in society, preferring silence and solitude. Since the mid-50s. her health began to deteriorate. A fatal exacerbation of the disease occurred at the end of 1761. The heir to the throne, Pyotr Fedorovich, and his wife Ekaterina Alekseevna were near the dying woman’s bedside. On December 25, at four o’clock in the afternoon, the life of the brilliant Elizabeth was interrupted.

Historians often wrote about the absence of high-profile affairs and large-scale transformations during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna. However, the first theater, Moscow University, the spread of fine arts, the abolition of the death penalty for ordinary criminal offenses, Tsarskoe Selo, the Winter Palace and the Smolny Monastery - this is not the appearance of the Elizabethan era!

In the second half XVIII c., as in pre-Petrine times, the Russian Empire maintained a militarized system of government and obvious suppression of society by the state. As before, a significant part of the country's vital forces was spent on endless wars with Prussia, Sweden, Turkey and France. However, the Russian nobility was freed from the burdens of public service and could devote their leisure time to education and creativity. Under Peter I nobles were forcibly sent to Europe to study science, technical skills and military affairs. By the time of Catherine's reign II There was already a large layer of noble people who could not imagine their lives outside the framework of European culture. A wonderful galaxy of writers, scientists, and philosophers appeared. Social thought flourished. However, the ideas of the Enlightenment, aimed at

In Europe, to transform the entire life of society, in Russia most often came down to a softening of morals.

All these changes took place among the Russian aristocracy. They were alien to multimillion-dollar peasant Russia. The “Golden Age” of the Russian nobility was established thanks to the fact that serfdom and laws against peasants became stricter. The uprising of Emelyan Pugachev shook the foundations of the empire and showed the bleeding ulcers of the country, poorly covered by a fashionable European suit. Events in the Russian Empire of the second half XVIII centuries resembled a theatrical performance in which each actor played a different role: Empress Catherine II in the mask of an “enlightened monarch” she placed an ax and a whip in the hands of her illustrious commander Suvorov, so that he would exterminate the rebels.