Ivan VI Antonovich (Ioann Antonovich)
Years of life: 12 (23) August 1740-5 (16) July 1764
Years of government: 1740-1741

Russian emperor from the Welf dynasty from October 1740 to November 1741, great-grandson of Ivan V.

Son of Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick and Anna Leopoldovna.

In official sources, Ivan is referred to as John III, that is, the account is kept from the first Russian Tsar; in late historiography, a tendency was established to call him Ivan (John) VI, counting him from.

Reign of Ivan VI

After the death of the Empress, 2-month-old Ivan Antonovich (son of Anna Leopoldovna, Anna Ioannovna's niece), was proclaimed emperor. Anna Ioannovna wanted to leave the throne to the descendants of her father Ivan V and was very worried that he would not pass to the descendants of Peter I. Therefore, in her will, she indicated that Ivan Antonovich was the heir, and in the event of his death, the other children of her niece Anna Leopoldovna in order of precedence in the event of their birth
Under Ivan, Duke E.I. was appointed regent. Biron, and after the overthrow of the latter by the guards after 2 weeks of Ivan's reign, Anna Leopoldovna was declared the new regent. Unable to govern the country, Anna gradually transferred her power to Munnich, and soon she was replaced by Osterman, who dismissed the field marshal.

The overthrow of Ivan VI

A year later, another revolution took place. Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, arrested Osterman together with the Preobrazhenians, Emperor Ivan VI, his parents and all their environment.

November 25, 1741 was overthrown. First, Ivan VI Antonovich was sent into exile with his parents, then transferred to solitary confinement. The place of detention of the former emperor constantly changed and was kept in a terrible secret.

On December 31, 1741, the decree of Empress Elizabeth was announced on the surrender by the population of all coins with the name of John Antonovich for remelting. Later, a decree was published on the destruction of all portraits depicting Ivan Antonovich and on the replacement of business documents with the name of the emperor with new ones.

Ivan VI and Peter III in Shlisselburg.

In 1742, the whole family was secretly transferred to the suburbs of Riga - Dunamünde, then in 1744 to Oranienburg, and then, away from the border, to the north of the country - to Kholmogory, where little Ivan Antonovich was completely isolated from his parents.

In 1746, Ivan was left without a mother, she died from long northern campaigns.

Since 1756, Ivan Antonovich was in the Shlisselburg fortress in solitary confinement. In the fortress, Ivan (officially referred to as a "famous prisoner") was in complete isolation from people. But the documents testify that the prisoner-emperor knew about his royal origin, knew the letter and dreamed of a monastic life. Since 1759, Ivan Antonovich began to observe signs of inadequate behavior.

While Ivan was imprisoned, many attempts were made to free the deposed emperor and again enthrone him.

In 1764, Ivan, at the age of 24, was killed by guards when officer V.Ya. Mirovich, together with part of the garrison, free him and proclaim him emperor instead of Catherine II.

Mirovich was arrested and executed in St. Petersburg as a state criminal.

The "famous prisoner", the former emperor Ivan Antonovich, is buried, as is believed, in the Shlisselburg fortress; but in fact he is the only one of the Russian emperors whose place of burial is not exactly known today.

Ivan did not marry, he had no children.

Ivan VI (John III) Antonovich
Coronation:	not crowned
Predecessor:	Anna Ioannovna
Successor:	Elizaveta Petrovna
Birth:
Buried:	Shlisselburg Fortress, location unknown
Dynasty:	Romanovs (Welfs)
	Anton Ulrich of Brunswick
	Anna Leopoldovna
Monogram:

Reign

Insulation

Shlisselburg

Murder

Ivan VI (John Antonovich)(12 (23) August 1740-5 (16) July 1764) - Russian emperor from the Welf dynasty from October 1740 to November 1741, great-grandson of Ivan V.

Formally, he reigned for the first year of his life under the regency first of Biron, and then of his own mother Anna Leopoldovna. The baby emperor was overthrown by Elizaveta Petrovna, spent his whole life in prison, in solitary confinement and was killed at the age of 24 while trying to escape.

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

Reign

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

He was born at the very end of the reign of Anna Ioannovna, so the question of who to appoint as regent tormented the empress, who was dying, for a long time. Anna Ioannovna wanted to leave the throne to the descendants of her father Ivan V and was very worried that he would not pass in the future to the descendants of Peter I. Therefore, in her will, she stipulated that Ivan Antonovich was the heir, and in the event of his death, Anna Leopoldovna's other children in order of precedence if they are born.

Two weeks after the baby's accession, a coup took place in the country, as a result of which the guards, led by Field Marshal Munnich, arrested Biron and removed him from power. The emperor's mother was declared the new regent. Unable to govern the country and living in illusions, Anna gradually transferred all her power to Munnich, and after that Osterman took possession of it, who dismissed the field marshal. But a year later there was a new coup. The daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth, with the Preobrazhenians, arrested Osterman, the emperor, his parents, and all their entourage.

Insulation

At first, Elizabeth intended to expel the "Brunswick family" from Russia (as was officially stated in the manifesto justifying her rights to the throne), but changed her mind, fearing that she would be dangerous abroad, and ordered the former regent and her husband to be imprisoned. On December 31, 1741, the decree of the Empress was announced on the surrender by the population of all coins with the name of John Antonovich for subsequent remelting. Later, a decree was published on the destruction of portraits depicting Ivan Antonovich, as well as on the replacement of business papers, passports and other documents with the name of the emperor with new ones. In 1742, in secret for everyone, the whole family was transferred to the suburbs of Riga - Dunamünde, then in 1744 to Oranienburg, and then, away from the border, to the north of the country - to Kholmogory, where little Ivan was completely isolated from his parents. Long northern campaigns greatly affected the health of Anna Leopoldovna: in 1746 she died.

Shlisselburg

Elizabeth's fear of a possible new coup led to Ivan's new journey. In 1756 he was transferred from Kholmogory to solitary confinement in the Shlisselburg Fortress. In the fortress, Ivan (officially called the "famous prisoner") was in complete isolation, he was not allowed to see anyone, even serf servants. For all the time of his imprisonment, he never saw a single human face. However, the documents testify that the prisoner knew about his royal origin, was taught to read and write and dreamed of life in a monastery. Since 1759, Ivan began to observe signs of inadequate behavior. Empress Catherine II, who saw Ivan VI in 1762, asserted this with complete confidence; but the jailers thought it was only a pathetic simulation.

Murder

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

However, Ivan's guards were given a secret instruction to kill the prisoner if they tried to free him (even by presenting the empress's decree about this), so in response to Mirovich's demand for surrender, they stabbed Ivan and only then surrendered.

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

The "famous prisoner" is buried, as is usually believed, in the Shlisselburg fortress; the place of burial is not exactly known.

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

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

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

Reign

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

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

He was born at the very end of the reign of Anna Ioannovna, so the question of who to appoint as regent tormented the empress, who was dying, for a long time. Anna Ioannovna wanted to leave the throne to the descendants of her father Ivan V and was very worried that he would not pass in the future to the descendants of Peter I. Therefore, in her will, she stipulated that Ivan Antonovich was the heir, and in the event of his death, Anna Leopoldovna's other children in order of precedence if they are born.

Two weeks after the baby's accession, a coup took place in the country, as a result of which the guards, led by Field Marshal Munnich, arrested Biron and removed him from power. Anna Leopoldovna, the emperor's mother, was declared the new regent. Unable to govern the country and living in illusions, Anna gradually transferred all her power to Munnich, and after that Osterman took possession of it, who dismissed the field marshal. But a year later there was a new coup. The daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth, with the Preobrazhenians, arrested Osterman, the emperor, his parents, and all their entourage.

Insulation

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

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

name ban

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

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

Shlisselburg

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

Since 1759, Ivan began to observe signs of inadequate behavior. Empress Catherine II, who saw Ivan VI in 1762, asserted this with complete confidence; but the jailers thought it was only a pathetic simulation.

Murder

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

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

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

The fate of the remains

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

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

Memory

In fiction

In Voltaire's famous novel Candide, or Optimism (1759), the protagonist meets a masked man during the Venetian carnival, who is recommended to him as follows: “My name is Ivan, I was the emperor of all Russia; even in the cradle I was deprived of the throne, and my father and my mother were imprisoned; I was brought up in prison, but sometimes I am allowed to travel under the supervision of the guards.

In cinema

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

Possible canonization

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

Ivan 6 (John Antonovich), Russian emperor from the Romanov dynasty from November 1740 to November 1741, great-grandson of Ivan V.

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

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

He was born at the very end of the reign of Anna Ioannovna, so the question of who to appoint as regent tormented the empress, who was dying, for a long time. Anna Ioannovna wanted to leave the throne to the descendants of her father Ivan V and was very worried that he would not pass in the future to the descendants of Peter I. Therefore, in her will, she stipulated that Ivan Antonovich was the heir, and in the event of his death, Anna Leopoldovna's other children in order of precedence if they are born.

Two weeks after the baby's accession, a coup took place in the country, as a result of which the guards, led by Field Marshal Munnich, arrested Biron and removed him from power. The emperor's mother was declared the new regent. Unable to govern the country and living in illusions, Anna gradually transferred all her power to Munnich, and after that Osterman took possession of it, who dismissed the field marshal. But a year later, a new coup overtook the throne again. The daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth, with the Preobrazhenians, arrested Osterman, the emperor, the royal couple and all their entourage.

At first, Elizabeth intended to expel the "Brunswick family" from Russia, but changed her mind, fearing that she would be dangerous abroad, and ordered the former regent and her husband to be imprisoned. In 1742, in secret for everyone, the whole family was transferred to the suburbs of Riga - Dunamünde, then in 1744 to Oranienburg, and then, away from the border, to the north of the country - to Kholmogory, where little Ivan was completely isolated from his parents. Long northern campaigns greatly affected the health of Anna Leopoldovna: in 1746 she died.

Elizabeth's fear of a possible new coup led to Ivan's new journey. In 1756 he was transferred from Kholmogory to solitary confinement in the Shlisselburg Fortress. In the fortress, Ivan was in complete isolation, he was not allowed to see anyone, even serf servants. For all the time of his imprisonment, he never saw a single human face. However, the documents testify that the prisoner knew about his royal origin, was taught to read and write and dreamed of life in a monastery. In 1759, Ivan began to observe signs of inadequate behavior. Empress Catherine II, who saw Ivan VI in 1762, asserted this with complete confidence; but the jailers thought it was only a pathetic simulation.

While Ivan was imprisoned, many attempts were made to free the deposed emperor and restore him to the throne. The last attempt turned out to be death for the young prisoner. In 1764, when the star of the young Catherine II had already shone on the Russian throne, Lieutenant V. Ya. Mirovich, who was on guard duty in the Shlisselburg fortress, won over part of the garrison to free Ivan.

But the cautious Elizabeth, not forgetting how difficult it was for her to get power, ordered two guards to be assigned to Ivan Antonovich's cell, who would rather kill the captive than set him free. As soon as the conspiracy was heard in the prison wards, Ivan was killed by the guards.

Portrait of the Emperor of Russia Ivan VI Antonovich, author unknown

• Years of life: 23 (12 old style) August 1740 - 16 (5 old style) July 1764
• Years of government: October 28 (17), 1740 - December 6 (November 25), 1741
• Father and mother: Anton Ulrich of Brunswick and.
• Spouse: no.
• Children: no.

Ioann Antonovich Romanov (August 23 (12), 1740 - July 16 (5), 1764) - Russian Emperor, who ruled from October 1740 to November 1741. The mother of Ivan VI was Anna Leopoldovna, and the father was Anton Ulrich of Brunswick.

John Antonovich: ascension to the throne and reign

Even before his birth, Ivan VI was appointed heir to the Russian throne. chose him when Ivan was not yet in the world, and his mother was only 13 years old.

On October 28 (17), 1740, Anna Ioannovna died. After her, Ivan VI became the head of state, but since he was still a child, a regent, Ernst Johann Biron, was appointed under him, and Anna also chose him.

But Anna Leopoldovna and her husband plotted against Biron, on November 20 (9) of the same year, Field Marshal Count Christopher Munnich arrested him and his wife. After the trial, Biron was sent into exile.

Anna Leopoldovna became the new regent of Ivan VI. But the new regent was not particularly interested in politics, at first Minich was in charge of the empire, and after his resignation, power went to Osterman.

At this time, supporters were planning a conspiracy. Anna Leopoldovna was informed about this, but she did not believe that Elizabeth could overthrow her.

But already on December 6 (November 25), 1741, a palace coup took place, as a result of which Elizabeth Petrovna became empress, and Ivan VI and his entire family were arrested.

Ioann Antonovich: life in exile

Initially, Elizaveta Petrovna decided to exile Ivan and his parents from the Russian Empire. But when Anna Leopoldovna and Anton-Ulrich reached the border, she changed her mind, the whole family was detained in Riga and sent to prison.

On December 13, 1742, the former emperor, together with his parents, was transported to Dunamünde, Ivan Antonovich was placed in the center of the fortress - a powder tower.

At the beginning of 1744, Anna and Anton-Ulrich were transferred to Oranienburg, and in July to Kholmogory.

In 1756, Ivan VI was taken away from his parents and placed in solitary confinement in the Shlisselburg Fortress. The name of the former emperor was classified, even the commandant did not know who his prisoner was. Only Miller and his servants could enter the room. Ivan has not seen people for years. Even when someone came to him, the former emperor had to stand behind the screen. The place of his imprisonment was kept secret from everyone, including Ivan himself. Despite the complete isolation, Ivan knew that he was of royal origin, he was taught to read and write. The young man dreamed of life in a monastery.

There is also an opinion that under such conditions Ivan VI went crazy, which she claimed in 1762. In turn, the jailers believed that in fact Ivan was in full mind, and he feigned insanity.

Destruction of evidence of the life of Ivan VI

On December 31, 1742, a decree was issued according to which all coins with the name of the former Emperor Ivan VI must be seized and melted down. They were gradually removed from circulation, after some time such coins lost their value, they were handed over already at a price less than their face value, and from 1745 they became completely illegal. People who kept such coins or used them for payment were accused of treason, for which they were tortured or sent into exile.

Also, the authorities were engaged in the destruction of other evidence of the existence of Ivan VI: portraits, church books, passports, propaganda materials, odes, etc. Not all documents were destroyed, some of them were sealed and placed in the archive.

Only under Catherine II the ban on the name of Ivan VI was terminated. Access to documents relating to the former emperor was opened only in the 1860s.

In 1913, he was mentioned on the Faberge egg at the "Tercentenary of the House of Romanov", and in 1914 - on the Romanovsky obelisk, located in the Alexander Garden.

Ivan VI: the last years of life and death

Despite active prohibitions, attempts to destroy all evidence of the existence of Ivan VI and his complete isolation, there were supporters of the former emperor who tried to release him and return him to the throne.

In 1762, Catherine II found out about a conspiracy against her. She returned the power of the instruction of Peter III, according to which, if necessary, force can be applied to Ivan, put on a chain, and in the event of an attempt to free him, the guards must kill Ivan.

On July 16 (5), 1764, Lieutenant V. Ya. Mirovich, together with part of the garrison, organized a conspiracy. At that time he was serving in the Shlisselburg fortress and wanted to free Ivan. As a result, the guards Captain Vlasyev and Lieutenant Chekin stabbed Ivan VI to death, and Mirovich was executed after the trial.

The exact burial place of Ivan VI is still unknown. But it is believed that he was buried on the territory of the Shlisselburg fortress.

After that there were impostors who pretended to be Ivan Antonovich, but their attempts were unsuccessful.