On July 17 (July 4, old style), 1764, the innocent martyr Tsar-Martyr John VI Antonovich was killed.
Brief historical background:
Ivan VI (Ioann Antonovich) (August 12 (23), 1740, St. Petersburg - July 5 (16), 1764, Shlisselburg) - Russian emperor from the Brunswick branch of the Romanov dynasty from October 1740 to November 1741, great-grandson of Ivan V. Formally reigned the first year of his life under the regency, first of Biron, and then of his own mother, Anna Leopoldovna. A year later, there was a revolution. The daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth, with the Preobrazhenians, arrested the emperor, his parents, and all their entourage. In 1742, the whole family was secretly transferred to the suburbs of Riga - Dunamünde, in 1744 to Oranienburg, then to Kholmogory, where little Ivan was completely isolated from his parents. In 1756 he was transferred to solitary confinement in the Shlisselburg Fortress. Ivan (who was called "a well-known prisoner") was not allowed to see even the serfs. The baby emperor was overthrown, spent almost his entire life imprisoned in prisons, 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. For all the time of his imprisonment, he never saw a single human face. But the documents testify that the prisoner knew about his royal origin, was taught to read and write and dreamed of life in a monastery. The guards were given a secret instruction to kill the prisoner if they try to free him (even after presenting the decree of the empress about this). 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.
In Russian history, there are many white spots and dark places, intricate plots and forgotten heroes. One of its most mysterious and tragic characters is Emperor John Antonovich (born August 2, 1740, killed July 4, 1764).
Little is known about him.
John VI with his mother Anna Leopoldovna
Monogram of John VI
His entire official biography could be summarized in a few lines. He was the son of Prince Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Anna Leopoldovna, the granddaughter of Tsar John Alekseevich. He became Emperor of Russia by the will of Anna Ioannovna in 1740. But his reign did not last long. On the night of November 24-25, 1741, the young Emperor was overthrown from the throne, which passed to Elizaveta Petrovna, daughter of Emperor Peter I. All his later life he was in prison, where he died after a failed attempt at the "Mirovich conspiracy."
Being in inhuman conditions, Ivan Antonovich read the Gospel and prayed to God, although he did not have any conditions for a normal church life.
The baby emperor who became the martyr emperor...
It seems that no ruler of Russia had such a sad fate. Of the incomplete twenty-four years of his life, he spent more than twenty in the most sinister prisons of the Russian Empire, guilty without guilt.
The theme of the Royal Family and more broadly - the Romanov Dynasty attracts the attention of many historians, publicists, figures of the Church and culture. However, among the huge number of publications on this topic, not all works are trustworthy. One gets the impression that some authors see their task in creating a new mythology. The history of the Braunschweig family in Russia is especially indicative in this respect.
Before the revolution of 1917, this topic was taboo for obvious reasons.
Although even then there were researchers who dealt with this topic. In this regard, we note the activity of S.M. Solovyova, M.I. Semevsky, N.N. Firsova, V.O. Klyuchevsky, A.G. Brikner, M.A. Korfa.
After the revolution, the entire history of Russia in the pre-Soviet period was banned. It was as if she didn't exist at all.
With the collapse of Soviet power, the situation began to change little by little. However, the bibliography devoted to the Brunswick family in Russia is still very modest.
Among the works of modern Russian authors, it is worth highlighting the publications of E.V. Anisimova, L.I. Levina, I.V. Kurukina, N.I. Pavlenko, K.A. Pisarenko, A.V. Demkin, who introduce little-known documents from Russian and foreign archives into scientific circulation.
These documents make it possible to better navigate the intricacies of Russian politics in the post-Petrine period. The heroes of that time also appear in a new way: the ruler Anna Leopoldovna, Generalissimo Anton-Ulrich, their children, including Emperor John Antonovich.
Even the burial place of Emperor Ivan Antonovich is still not exactly known. Whether this is the Shlisselburg fortress, or the Tikhvin Monastery of the Theotokos...
But this is our Russian Emperor, who had the same rights to the throne as the "daughter of Petrov" Elizabeth and his grandson Karl-Peter-Ulrich (Peter III).
The royal baby was separated from his parents, had no proper care and upbringing. However, he independently mastered the Holy Scriptures. He prayed much and earnestly. Followed the posts. He expressed a desire to take monastic vows.
Did not work out.
But he went down in history as a righteous Emperor.
The bullying of the jailers did not break the Emperor John VI. He did not die spiritually. And if so, then according to the logic of the struggle for power, he should have been eliminated! His living, sane, legitimate Emperor of Russia!..
Therefore, those who guarded John received unspoken instructions to mock him in every possible way, to bully him. In written instructions, they were advised to use physical violence against John, and in case of alarm, to kill him.
Even the prisoner lost his true name.
He was called either the "Nameless" convict or "Gregory" (a mocking analogy with the impostor Grigory Otrepyev).
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 (see in the picture) for subsequent melting.
Any images of Ivan Antonovich were withdrawn from circulation, as well as all documents where, at least by chance, his name was mentioned. The later falsifiers of national history had much to learn from the figures of the post-Petrine era.
The future regicides received a "safety certificate" for any atrocities. They knew perfectly well that nothing threatened them personally. They weren't afraid to "go too far" because their superiors urged them to use it more often.
The executioners went about their favorite business: bringing to madness a person who is completely and completely dependent on them. Along the way, they ate well, drank sweetly, dressed well and profited at his expense.
And since the guards were also rare self-seekers who consciously chose the career of prison guards for themselves, they most naturally sought not only to fulfill the order in good faith, but also to protect themselves. And so that their disgusting deeds, unworthy of the honor of Russian officers, did not cause censure from the authorities, they also wept about their miserable fate and unfortunate fate.
Well, what a "monster" they have to protect! After all, they are so kind and gentle. But what kind of meanness can not be done “for the sake of the Fatherland”, if the authorities order!
And so they did. With feeling, with sense, with arrangement.
And the authorities helped them in this with their detailed “instructions”.
That's where these endless inventions about the inadequate behavior of the "insane prisoner" come from!
The guards first provoked the Emperor to extraordinary acts, and then, mocking a defenseless person, described them with relish in their illiterate and false denunciations.
They especially made fun of the devout faith of the Orthodox Emperor. They were amused precisely by the fact that the Tsar, who was in inhuman conditions, humbled himself, apparently, having accepted the feat of foolishness.
It is this, in our opinion, that explains the “inadequate” behavior of John VI, which combined the outrageous actions of the holy fool with the depth and wisdom of the ascetic. However, the jailers could not give a correct assessment of such behavior due to their dense ignorance.
If Ivan Antonovich was insane, then why was it so vigilant to protect him? If he was insane, why was he killed?
The historical facts that have come down to us indicate that he was not crazy.
Apparently, Peter III, and then Catherine II, were very surprised when, instead of the “vegetable” man they expected, broken by many years of imprisonment, they saw, though sick (and where does health come from in such conditions?), But a very reasonable person who understood well who he was. . It was this, and nothing else, that seemed to hasten the death of the Emperor.
The bottom line of history is this. In June 1764, Saint Blessed Xenia of Petersburg began to weep bitterly for days on end. All the people who met her, seeing her in tears, pitied the blessed one, thinking that someone had offended her. Passers-by asked: “Why are you crying, Andrey Fyodorovich? Has anyone offended you?"
The blessed one replied: "There's blood, blood, blood! There the rivers are filled with blood, there are bloody canals, there is blood, blood.. And she cried even harder.
But then no one understood these strange words.
And three weeks later, the prediction of blessed Xenia came true: while trying to free John Antonovich, he was brutally murdered in the casemate of the Shlisselburg fortress.
In 1764, when Catherine II was already reigning, second lieutenant V.Ya. Mirovich, who was on guard duty in the Shlisselburg fortress, won over part of the garrison to his side in order to free the prisoner. In response to Mirovich's demand for surrender, the guards stabbed Ivan Antonovich to death and only then surrendered. Lieutenant Mirovich, who tried to free Emperor Ivan Antonovich, was arrested and on September 15, 1764, beheaded in St. Petersburg as a state criminal.
There is an unconfirmed version that Mirovich was provoked to attempt a coup in order to get rid of Emperor John Antonovich. Mirovich's "Rebellion" served as the theme for the novel by G.P. Danilevsky "Mirovich".
Mirovich in front of the body of Ivan VI. Painting by Ivan Tvorozhnikov (1884)
The kingslayers received a generous reward.
From the depths of centuries, the words of Ivan Antonovich reach us: “I am the prince and your Sovereign of the local empire!”
The past, of course, cannot be changed. But historical justice must still prevail. We must remember this name!
Anatoly Trunov, Elena Chernikova, Belgorod
Dedicated to the innocently murdered Russian Emperor John VI Antonovich
The flower grew among the stones,
He dreamed of the sun
About love and kindness
Quietly crying out to God!
Was hidden from the world
The cold prevailed
That beautiful flower
He grew up on the rocks.
He wanted to surprise
The world with its beauty
Shine at dawn
Cold dew.
He wanted, shuddering,
Stand in the wind
Petals substituting
Rain in the morning.
He grew painfully
Was quite alone.
And a villainous hand
The Flower has been destroyed!
Was ruthlessly torn down
Leaving no trace.
Only remained on the stone
Like tears - dew ...
An angel descended from heaven
And picked up the petals.
Birds were screaming in the sky
From insane longing.
But the flower did not disappear, -
He went to the Garden of Eden
To ever again
Return back.
To remind
That beauty will save our world,
teach us patience
In the name of Christ.
I, leaning on a stone,
Quietly shed tears
Where that flower grew
In that harsh land...
Elena Chernikova
Ivan VI Antonovich (1740-1764) - Russian emperor, who ruled in 1740-1741. He ascended the throne at the age of 2 months after the death of Empress Anna Ioannovna. The late empress had no children, but she really did not want state power to be in the hands of the descendants of Peter I.
Of the closest relatives, the mother empress had only her niece Anna Leopoldovna (1718-1746) - the daughter of Catherine Ioannovna (1691-1733), the elder sister of Anna Ioannovna. So all the hopes of the Romanov family were placed on her, who did not have a single direct heir in the male line.
In 1731, the empress ordered her subjects to swear allegiance to the unborn child who would be born to Anna Leopoldovna. And in 1733, a groom was found for a grown girl. Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick (1714-1776) became them.
He arrived in St. Petersburg, but neither the Empress, nor her court, nor the bride liked it. For several years he served in the Russian army, and in 1739 he was nevertheless married to a noticeably matured bride. In the first half of August 1740, a boy was born to a young couple. They named him Ivan. Thus was the beginning of the Braunschweig family.
Anna Leopoldovna, mother of Ivan VI Antonovich
(Unknown artist)
Accession to the throne of Ivan VI Antonovich
He was in complete isolation and did not even see the faces of his guards. In 1764, Lieutenant Vasily Yakovlevich Mirovich, who was on the staff of the guard of the Shlisselburg fortress, gathered like-minded people around him and tried to free the legitimate emperor.
But the guards first stabbed Ivan with sabers, and only then surrendered to the rebels. As for Mirovich, he was then arrested, tried as a state criminal and beheaded. The body of the murdered emperor was secretly buried on the territory of the Shlisselburg fortress.
Anton Ulrich of Brunswick (artist A. Roslin)
Brunswick family
Even before the exile, Anna Leopoldovna gave birth in 1741 to the girl Ekaterina (1741-1807). Already living in Kholmogory, the woman gave birth to Elizabeth (1743-1782), Peter (1745-1798) and Alexei (1746-1787). After the last childbirth, she died of childbed fever.
Her husband Anton Ulrich of Brunswick shared all the hardships of exile with his wife and children. When Catherine II came to the Russian throne in 1762, she suggested that the prince leave Russia, but without children. He refused to leave them alone in prison. This man died in 1776 in Kholmogory at the age of 61.
The children lived in captivity for almost 40 years. When during the reign of Catherine II an official came to them and asked about their desires, the captives said: "We heard that flowers grow in the fields outside the walls of the prison. We would like to see them at least once."
In 1780, the children of Anton Ulrich and Anna Leopoldovna were sent abroad to Denmark. There they subsequently died. The Brunswick family ceased to exist after their death.
As for those who committed atrocities against absolutely innocent people, God's punishment passed them. Retribution took place only after more than 100 years, when Emperor Nicholas II and his family were brutally murdered. The punishment came, but it was not the villains themselves who went to the block, but their descendants. God's judgment is always late, because Heaven has its own concept of time.
Alexey Starikov
John Antonovich
The death of Anna Ioannovna, the eighth empress of the Romanova, did not provoke a debate about the succession to the throne. This issue was resolved much earlier, back in 1731, when, according to the will of the Empress, the future son of her only niece, the daughter of her elder sister, the wife of the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Karl Leopold, was appointed heir to the Russian throne. At that time, the niece was only thirteen years old, and, of course, she was not married. The girl's name was Elizabeth Ekaterina. Two years after the publication of the manifesto of succession to the throne, the German princess adopted Orthodoxy and the name Anna, in honor of her aunt, the Empress. She went down in history under the name of Anna Leopoldovna. At the age of twenty, the future mother of the heir to the throne became the wife of Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, who was five years older than her.
Close relations with the Brunswick house, which at that time was divided into four branches: Bevern, Blankenburg, Wolfenbüttel and Lüneburg, began with the marriage of Tsarevich Alexei with Princess Charlotte of Wolfenbüttel. Anton Ulrich's mother, Antoinette Amalia, was her own sister. Thus, the husband of Anna Leopoldovna was a cousin of Peter II, the seventh sovereign of the Romanovs. The Braunschweig family was constantly in need of material support and received benefits from the reigning persons of Russia. To find a groom for the niece of the Russian Empress, Her Majesty's Master of the Horse, Karl Levenvolde, was instructed to travel around the German courts and negotiate a possible marriage. He proposed the candidacy of the Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, the nephew of the wife of the Austrian Emperor Charles VI.
There was nothing attractive in Anton Ulrich - no intelligence, no beauty, except perhaps a good heart. He arrived in St. Petersburg, was introduced to the Russian Empress, and at first she did not like him. “There is no mind, no energy,” was her first impression. “So this is exactly what is required,” the Germans surrounding her throne suggested to the Empress. And Anna Ioannovna, agreeing with her advisers, announced the Prince of Brunswick as the fiancé of her niece, left him to live at the Russian court and accepted into the service. And the bride burst into tears: the fifteen-year-old girl was in love with the handsome Count Karl Moritz Linar, the Saxon envoy, who was much older than her, and did not want to think about anyone else. However, she could not disobey the reigning aunt and was forced to agree to this marriage. Count Linard, under a plausible pretext, was sent to Germany. The governess of the princess, Frau Aderkas, a native of Prussia, was dismissed from her post and sent home, accusing her of being an intermediary in transferring the letters of a young girl to the count.
For five years, the prince remained at the St. Petersburg court in anticipation of the bride's coming of age. During this time, he gained neither the respect of the secular nobility, nor the attention of his betrothed. “Well, what kind of a man is he? As soon as you shout at him, he immediately becomes shy and begins to stutter, as if he admits that he is guilty of something in advance. And outwardly, he is simply disgusting to me ... ”- this is how the Empress’s niece said to her friend Juliana Mengden, the only person to whom she could entrust all her secrets.
It was really difficult to fall in love with Prince Anton: he was thin, blond, short in stature, and even shy and awkward. However, in July 1739, after long delays, Anna was married to a man who did not take advantage of her at all. Despite her natural kindness, she was unkind to him, but she could not resist the will of her aunt.
The wedding of the princess was announced by cannon shots that sounded early in the morning from the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress. In the direction of the Kazan Cathedral, where the wedding was to take place, crowds of people poured: people hurried to take convenient places on the streets along which the wedding procession was to pass. Guardsmen and companies of musicians lined up on both sides of the road. On the day of the wedding, a ball was held at the court, which ended around midnight. After the ball, the Empress took the young woman to her room and ordered her to change clothes. She was stripped of her heavy and opulent wedding attire and put on a bonnet of white satin adorned with gorgeous Brussels lace. After that, the empress ordered to invite Prince Anton, who was not slow to appear before his young wife. He was dressed in a house dress, his face shone with subservience. The Empress kissed her niece and her husband and, having wished them happiness, proudly retired.
The next day, the courtiers whispered among themselves that happiness “did not take place” that night and that the newlywed spent the whole night after the wedding alone in the Summer Garden, not wanting to share a bed with her unloved husband. One can imagine the fury of the empress, who, of course, was immediately informed of what had happened. It was said that she, having called Anna, now Princess of Brunswick, to her, beat her on the cheeks, suggesting that the wife did not dare to evade the performance of marital duties. The niece's stubbornness was broken...
Exactly a year later, a son was born to the young spouses, named after his great-grandfather John, and two months later a manifesto was issued: “... I appoint my grandson, Prince John, as the legitimate heirs after me.” So after the death of Empress Anna Ioannovna, a German was to become the tsar in Russia - a Brunswicker by his father, a Mecklenburger by his mother, connected with the Romanovs only through his grandmother, the elder sister of the Russian tsarina ...
As soon as the empress died, the parents of the infant king, the prince and princess of Brunswick, arrived at the palace, where all the highest dignitaries had already gathered. Biron addressed those present with a proposal to listen to the will of the late empress. Silence reigned in the hall. What everyone heard was a complete surprise for most of the courtiers: according to the will of the deceased empress, Prince John was declared the successor to the Russian throne, and Biron, Duke of Courland, was appointed ruler of the state until the new tsar came of age. That is, from now on he received full power in managing all state affairs, both internal and external. Hearing this, everyone involuntarily turned their heads towards the parents of the baby emperor. Without saying a word or betraying their surprise, the prince and princess immediately left the palace - because they hoped that one of them would be appointed regent. The courtiers immediately swore allegiance to John and, coming up in turn to the beaming Biron, congratulated him on his high appointment.
The Senate awarded the regent the title of Highness and determined his salary of half a million rubles a year. The amount is considerable! The regent himself, for his part, already as the ruler of the state, assigned a salary to the emperor's parents - 200,000 rubles a year, and 50,000 rubles a year to the crown prince Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great, who was in constant need of money. She will never forget this favor.
The next day, little John was transported with great triumph to the Winter Palace. At the head of the procession were the guards and the regent. Biron walked proudly in front of the chair on which they carried the nurse with the child in her arms.
The Princess Mother, along with her beloved maid of honor Julia Mengden, who was of German origin, followed them in the front carriage. In the palace, the regent was congratulated by kissing his hand or half of the mantle. Biron glowed with pride, barely hiding tears of joy. Well, the royal child, who a week ago was only two months old, burst into tears, demonstrating his obvious displeasure with everything that was happening and as if foreseeing his terrible fate.
Wanting to show his best side, the former favorite of the eighth empress of the Romanov dynasty began his reign with gracious acts: he canceled several death sentences, issued a manifesto on strict observance of laws and fair justice, reduced taxes and introduced restrictions on the luxury of court life. He even ordered that guards be issued fur coats in winter, so that they would not “suffer” the cold in the cold. By these measures, the ruler hoped to raise his authority among the people. But the regent treated the parents of the baby emperor harshly: using his power, he even deprived Prince Anton Ulrich of his ranks and put him under house arrest, allegedly for participating in the preparation of a conspiracy against him. It was rumored that he intended to send the Prince of Brunswick with his wife to Germany, and from the very beginning completely subordinate the child to his will. So the twenty-six-year-old Anton Ulrich, who felt left out, and Biron, who came to power at the behest of his empress friend, immediately became sworn enemies.
But to the daughter of Peter the Great, the beautiful Elizabeth, who at that time led a "scattered" lifestyle, changed one lover after another, the regent showed special respect, almost obsequiousness. In addition, he hastily resumed negotiations with the Holstein court on the marriage of Prince Peter Ulrich, the grandson of Peter the Great, to his daughter Jadwiga, an ugly and hunchbacked, but very capable and intelligent girl by nature. The marriage was almost a done deal, and Biron was overly proud that, at least indirectly, he would nevertheless intermarry with the Romanovs.
But disaster struck...
Seeing the regent as a threat to their position, the parents of the baby emperor, inexperienced in palace intrigues and sensing impending danger, turned to Munnich and Osterman for help. Both courtiers sided with the young Brunswick couple, as they saw a clear rival in the face of the new regent. These statesmen were well aware that they themselves could not consider themselves safe: as soon as they were no longer needed, they would simply be removed from the political arena. Therefore, having received consent from Princess Anna Leopoldovna to arrest the regent, Munnich, together with Count Levenwolde, Privy Councilor Baron von Mengden, Generals von Manstein and von Bismarck, and several officers entered Biron's palace late at night. Minich ordered his adjutant to go with the grenadiers to the regent's bedroom. The guard officers were told that they were acting on the orders of the emperor's mother. The sentries who stood at the door of the Birons' private chambers offered no resistance and allowed Munnich's men to enter the bedroom.
There was a large bed in the middle of the room. The couple, peacefully reclining on their luxurious bed, slept so soundly that they did not hear the steps of those entering. General von Manstein went up to the bed and, pulling back the curtain, shouted in a loud commanding voice: "Wake up!" Biron, opening his eyes, angrily asked: “What? What do you need here?…”
The half-naked regent, who was desperately defending himself from the butts of the guards, was dragged by the hair from the magnificent palace bed and, having thrown a soldier's cloak over him, was dragged out of the house.
This is truly a bolt from the blue! They said later that two Germans snatched the Russian state from each other like a mug of beer.
The news of the fall of Biron spread through the city with lightning speed and caused general rejoicing. The square in front of the Winter Palace quickly filled with people. Guardsmen marched through the streets with drumming, carriages gathered at the palace. In the palace church, Anna Leopoldovna with her husband and the nobility of the capital served a thanksgiving service. With cannon fire and the ringing of bells, the army swore allegiance to the mother of the baby emperor, who proclaimed herself the ruler of the Russian state. Her husband was declared Generalissimo of all Russian land and sea forces, Count Minich - the first minister. The star of the favorite of the former empress has sunk.
Biron and his family were taken to the Shlisselburg fortress, his closest relatives and close associates were arrested. All property of the ruler was confiscated. Unprecedented wealth was collected by him during the years of serving the Russian throne: a dressing table made of pure gold, decorated with precious stones, luxurious services, vases ... And a surprisingly thick stack of unpaid bills in the amount of more than 300 thousand rubles. A rich man took willingly, but rarely paid. And no one had the courage to demand payment from him for the purchased goods.
So, the regent of the nominal emperor John VI, the ninth tsar of the Romanov dynasty, was arrested, and his mother, Princess of Brunswick, was declared the ruler of the state until the infant king came of age. Biron was put on trial and, after a long investigation, sentenced to death, replaced by exile in Siberia. A guards officer was sent there to protect him, and a Lutheran pastor was sent to take care of his soul. Even Biron's personal physician accompanied him. Minich, a passionate engineer and architect, showed his countryman a special favor by designing a special house for him, designed for the harsh Siberian conditions. At that time, he could not imagine that a little later he himself would be forced to live in this house. Some kind of devilish plan...
The demoted duke spent only two years in Siberian exile. Having come to power, Elizabeth, remembering his favorable attitude towards herself, allowed the former regent to settle in Yaroslavl, 240 km from Moscow. There he occupied a beautiful mansion with a luxurious garden on the banks of the Volga. From St. Petersburg they sent his library, which the former ruler of Russia especially valued, furniture, dishes and even horses and guns. So Biron began to live very comfortably, although it was still called a link.
Twenty years later, the former regent was returned to St. Petersburg, restored to the ducal throne of Courland, and died in Mitau at the age of eighty-two, having renounced the ducal throne shortly before his death in favor of his son Peter. The daughter of Biron Jadwiga, who never entered the Romanov family, since the marriage conceived by her father did not take place, converted to Orthodoxy, became the maid of honor of the Russian sovereign, and in 1759 she married Baron Alexander Ivanovich Cherkasov and lived a long life ...
And a baby was sitting on the Russian throne, but his mother, a German duchess, was already regent with him - in Russia her name was Anna Leopoldovna. However, in reality, the reins of government were in the hands of the ambitious and energetic Field Marshal Munnich, who carried out a palace coup, and the intelligent and far-sighted Minister Osterman, who treated each other with obvious hostility. The first was generously rewarded with money for the great service rendered to the royal family and became the first person in the state. But the power of Munnich was short-lived. "Helped" Osterman, who wrote a denunciation of his compatriot, urging the wife of the regent, the emperor's father, to resign in order to himself receive the rank of generalissimo, intended for the father of the baby emperor.
But the weak and indecisive regent could not influence her ministers. Having declared herself the ruler, Anna Leopoldovna practically did not take an active part in state affairs. Careless by nature, she was busy only with herself. According to the description of her contemporaries, she was somewhat plump, but slender blonde with a pretty, ingenuous face and deep, thoughtful eyes. Prone to laziness and rather limited in her interests, she was by no means stupid, but she had an aversion to any serious occupation and always had a tired, bored look. This gentle creature was born into the world not to rule the state, but rather for the hearth, bliss and love. Even after becoming the ruler of the state, the young mother of the emperor did not change her way of life, often leaving state affairs without any attention for a long time.
Most of the time the regent spent in her chambers - playing cards or reading novels. Often, half-dressed, she would lie for several hours on the sofa doing nothing, dreaming about something, or slowly wandering around the palace, stopping only to read a prayer. The Lutheran princess, who converted to Orthodoxy, was very pious. Icons with lighted lamps hung in all its rooms.
The new ruler did not like to show herself in public, significantly reduced court receptions, dismissed most of the employees who surrounded her aunt in such abundance. And silence and desertion reigned in the palace. She usually dined alone with her favorite, Julia Mengden, with whom she spent most of her time. But as soon as Count Linar, a former Saxon envoy, reappeared in St. Petersburg, the regent changed her habits. The family life of a young woman clearly did not work out, and the flame of the first passion was still smoldering in her chest, which this heartthrob was not averse to taking advantage of.
Linar came from an Italian family who had settled in Germany since the 16th century. By that time he was already forty years old, he was a widow, handsome, well-built, in a word, a conqueror of women's hearts. Arriving in Petersburg, the count did not miss a single opportunity not to show the princess how madly in love he was with her. He rented a house near the royal garden, and Anna, who usually rarely left her apartments, suddenly began to take frequent walks in the garden. Anton Ulrich was clearly dissatisfied and even experienced the pangs of jealousy, but he did not dare to speak about it aloud. He found solace in the power that the regent granted her husband in small shares.
Perhaps because of Linar, perhaps for other reasons, but the couple did not talk to each other for weeks, and the ministers used this to their advantage. The position of the Braunschweig family on the Russian throne was becoming unreliable. A coup was brewing in the state ... The reign of the emperor's mother, accepted at first sympathetically by high society and the people, soon began to cause condemnation. Indeed, the state was again dominated exclusively by the Germans: Osterman, Levenwolde, the Saxon envoy Linar, who enjoyed the special location of the regent, and even the closest maid of honor to the ruler, the German Julia Mengden, who showed interest in public policy issues. Therefore, the coming conspiracy was called the "conspiracy against the Germans." The most active force in it were the guards, among them were many ordinary soldiers. But the guards were the color of the nobility and, starting from the death of Peter the Great and up to the accession of Catherine II, in fact, not a single change on the Russian throne was complete without the intervention of the guards regiments.
The quarreling Germans, who were at the head of Russia, no longer inspired sympathy and respect. Yes, and the new emperor himself was only the grandson of Tsar John, and yet the daughter of Peter the Great himself was alive, remaining all the time after the death of her father, as it were, in the shadow of political life. And since the sovereigns were then changed “like shirts” - they said among the people - the resolutely minded guardsmen preferred Elizaveta Petrovna. She was approachable, friendly, treated with love...
Historians describe a typical case for that time. When a son was born to the niece of the former empress, Elizabeth, as was customary, wanted to give a gift to the mother of the newborn. She sent her courtiers to Gostiny Dvor to buy a vase. The seller, having learned that the vase was being purchased at the behest of Elizabeth, refused to take the money, although she, the vase, was of great value. Even then, everyone considered the daughter of Peter I the leader of the "Russian party" at court and wished that she would sit on the throne. Elizabeth did not hide behind the palace walls, as the ruler, the daughter of a German, did, but often rode on horseback or in a sleigh through the streets of the capital, she was easy to deal with officers and soldiers, and simply with the inhabitants of the city. Foreigners also treated her with respect. Therefore, all those who were dissatisfied with the "German dominance" united around her.
Elizabeth was born before Christmas 1709 as the illegitimate daughter of the Russian Tsar, who, although extremely pleased with the news of her birth, recognized his child only after marrying Catherine. The youngest daughter of Peter did not marry. With her beloved fiancé, Karl August Holstein, cousin of Anna's sister's husband, she got along even before the wedding, which, however, was never destined to take place. Poor Karl August died shortly before the wedding. To emphasize the "eternal" mourning for her fiancé, the princess usually wore a dress made of white taffeta with a dark lining. In the future, Elizabeth refused all other suitors - even members of the ruling European houses, declaring that she did not want to be bound by marriage. And there was no shortage of fans. Even her nephew, Emperor Peter II, got into her amorous networks. And now the thirty-two-year-old beauty changed one gentleman after another. She could flirt with anyone she liked, regardless of his rank or origin.
She was despised by the aristocracy both for her illegitimate birth and for her affections. The princess's friends could be simple village girls, she rode with them on a sleigh, treated them with sweets, participated in their dances and songs. Her house in St. Petersburg was open to the Guards soldiers, she gave them gifts, baptized their children. "You are the blood of Peter the Great!" they told her. - "You are the spark of Peter!"
It was believed, accordingly, that Elizabeth, half-forgotten by the high society, was not capable of any conspiracies and left all thoughts of power. Biron, and then Munnich were supportive of her. Her relations with the ruler Anna remained amiable and even friendly. But Elizabeth found friends who, at all costs, decided to liberate Russia from the "dominance of the Germans," as they said. But, oddly enough, these were again foreigners: the Marquis La Chetardie - the French envoy and Lestocq - the personal doctor of Princess Elizabeth. The latter was the son of a French doctor who moved to Germany at the end of the 17th century. He had lived in Russia for more than twenty-five years and even married one of Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting. The German Schwartz, the captain of an infantry regiment, was also involved in the conspiracy, which had already been talked about openly. And the most active conspirator was Grünstein, a former broker and jeweler from Dresden, and at that time a soldier of the Guards. The carelessness and apathy of the regent contributed to the successful completion of the coup.
And so the guards swore allegiance to Elizabeth. Count Levenwolde allegedly managed to warn the regent about the danger that threatened her, but the mother of the baby emperor, who was especially trustful of people, considered him mad and did not want to believe any denunciations of the princess. When the conspirators entered the palace with Elizabeth, Anna was sleeping next to her husband. One of the grenadiers rudely woke the unfortunates. The tiny sister of the infant king, who had been dropped to the floor in the bustle, began to cry. Elizabeth forbade little John to be disturbed. But he woke up from the noise, and, taking him in her arms, she said with emotion: “Poor little one! Only your parents are to blame." Meanwhile, everywhere shouted "Hurrah!" And under these cries, the child smiled at the one who had just deprived him of the imperial crown.
The Brunswick family was taken into custody. That same night Munnich, Osterman and Levenwolde were arrested. Their supporters were taken into custody, as well as those who were considered adherents of Prussia - mainly courtiers and state dignitaries of German origin. On the morning of November 25, 1741, a manifesto was published on the accession to the throne of Empress Elizabeth. Not a word was said about the illegality of the rights of John VI. Moreover, the daughter of Peter the Great in every possible way demonstrated to the guards great tenderness for the now former emperor.
First, they wanted to send the overthrown baby with his parents abroad to relatives and even sent him to Riga. But an attempt to make a counter-coup in favor of John VI and numerous palace intrigues forced Empress Elizabeth to change this decision. And the Prussian king Frederick II advised the Russian envoy in Berlin to do everything to settle the Brunswick family in some remote place in the Russian open spaces, so that they would be forgotten altogether. Although immediately after the coup, Friedrich and the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, relatives of Prince Anton Ulrich, turned to Elizabeth with a request to let him go outside of Russia, since he never claimed to rule the Russian state, but was only the Father of a child who became to please Anna Ioannovna nominal king. Elizabeth agreed to allow Anton Ulrich to leave Russia, but did not want to let his wife and children go. The prince, having learned about the decision of the Russian empress, refused to leave alone. And now, under guard, the Brunswick family is sent first to the east, towards Ryazan, and then to Arkhangelsk, in order to be transported then to the Solovetsky Island for an eternal settlement. John was ordered to be taken in a separate carriage under the name Gregory. He was separated from his parents forever. However, the captives did not get to the island, a strong storm prevented. In the strictest secrecy, the family was settled in Kholmogory, a village located on the banks of the Northern Dvina. They were placed in a solid archbishop's house, which was urgently surrounded by a high fence. On an area of approximately 400 sq. m there were two more houses and a church with a tower, there was also a pond and a small garden. All communication with the outside world was forbidden. Food - the most simple, the attitude of the soldiers of the guard - as to prisoners.
The former king, who by that time was already four years old, was placed in a small house separately from his parents. Here the boy grew up all alone. Major Miller, who received the appropriate instructions, was assigned to him as a warden.
Anna Leopoldovna, the great-niece of Peter the Great, gave birth to three more children in Kholmogory and was completely occupied with taking care of them. Shortly after the birth of her last child, she died of puerperal fever in her early thirties. Empress Elizabeth, having learned about the death of her distant relative, ordered her body to be brought to St. Petersburg for a solemn funeral. Anna Leopoldovna was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra next to Tsarina Praskovya, her grandmother, and her mother, the Duchess of Mecklenburg, the eldest daughter of Tsar John Romanov. The former emperor, who by that time was already six years old, was not told about the death of his mother. He continued to be kept in complete isolation from his family. Only a few persons assigned to him could communicate with the boy without revealing to him the secrets of his origin.
Despite strict prohibitions, someone taught John to read and tell him who he was. This dramatically changed the fate of the ninth Tsar Romanov, who had already reached adolescence. He was transported in complete secrecy to the Shlisselburg fortress, located on a small island in the middle of the Neva. The fortress at that time still served as a defensive military structure. Only in a few decades will it become an ominous prison. Anton Ulrich was left with his children in Kholmogory, with increased security for appearances, so that it seemed that the deposed tsar was still there.
John was placed in a small casemate located in one of the fortress walls. The only window was smeared with gray paint, so that God forbid anyone did not see the mysterious prisoner. The guard was given a strict order not to tell anyone about the prisoner, what he is: old or young, tall or short, Russian or foreigner ...
In a cramped cell without daylight, the further short life of the unfortunate offspring of the royal family, who never knew the charms of life, will pass.
For days on end, the captive played with his mother's jewels, which he kept in a box. The first time he was taken for a walk when he was already twenty years old. John again saw trees, flowers and green grass. The young man liked to stand on the ramparts and look into the distance at the sea spreading out before him. And at the age of twenty-four, here, in the fortress, the poor fellow was allegedly killed while trying to release him from prison. He was already the second representative of the Romanov dynasty who was killed so that he would not be on the throne. First, Alexei, the son of Peter the Great - he was twenty-eight years old at that time - and now the great-grandson of Tsar John, the failed emperor, who was four years younger.
And the events connected with the murder of this Tsar Romanov developed as follows.
Throughout the twenty years of Elizabeth's reign, the deposed John VI was kept under strict supervision. After the death of the Empress, her successor Peter III gave the order to guard his relative even more strongly. It was even said that he somehow visited him in the fortress under the guise of a simple officer in order to personally look at the prisoner. As evidenced in Russian historical materials, the prince spoke incoherently, answered questions chaotically. Either he claimed that he was Emperor John, then that this emperor was no longer in the world, and his spirit passed into him. When asked who he was, he answered: "The Emperor." When asked how he knew this, he answered: "From his parents and from the soldiers."
Peter III was gone, and John was still in his prison. Catherine II, who came to power and was completely unrelated to the Romanov family, faced the difficult task of what to do with the prisoner in the fortress, who was once declared the Russian emperor, and even the great-grandson of the Russian Tsar John Romanov. Her initial idea was to marry the young man to herself, thereby legitimizing her presence on the Russian throne. She, under some pretext, came to the fortress to look at the poor prisoner from afar. But when she saw him, she immediately abandoned this thought and made a new decision: under no circumstances should the prisoner be given to anyone, but in an attempt to release him, kill him.
As some historians suggest, Catherine decided to get rid of such a dangerous rival as soon as possible and, through her closest advisers, agreed to resort to the service of one aide-de-camp who served in St. Petersburg. This officer's name was Vasily Mirovich. Around this man, there is still a lot of mystery.
He was the son of a colonel exiled to Siberia for political reasons. The family estate was confiscated, the colonel with his wife and children lived in poverty. When Vasily matured, he was taken to the service in St. Petersburg - the patronage of the general, who knew his once rich grandfather, helped. However, the passion for wine and women prevented the career of a young man. Lieutenant Mirovich was transferred to the regiment, which was on guard duty in the Shlisselburg fortress. There he learned about the ill-fated fate of John, the failed tsar of the Russian state. Either he really felt compassion for the prisoner and decided to release him, or, as some researchers believe, Empress Catherine herself decided to deliberately set up the murder of John by the guards, allegedly in an attempt to free him. The role of the "liberator" was to be played by Mirovich, who was promised a large reward for the service and the return of his grandfather's estate. The plan was thought out with all care, even a time was set for its implementation. Everything was prepared.
At midnight of the scheduled day, Mirovich ordered his soldiers to release the imprisoned emperor. A shootout with guard duty began. John, hearing the shots, woke up and got up from his bunk, trembling with fear. His guards acted strictly according to the instructions ... Mirovich, who ran into the cell, saw the body of a prisoner in only his underwear, sprawled on the floor. Still quite young, but already with gray hair in long matted hair and with a sparse reddish beard that framed his pale to blue face, he lay in a pool of blood, arms spread wide. Perplexity froze in his open, stopped eyes: for what ?!
The dead man was laid on a bed and carried out of the barracks. They buried him that same night near the fortress wall, lightly covering the grave with moss and branches to make it invisible. The official report reported a "fatal accident" that happened to an unnamed prisoner. No other blood was shed that night, except for the rival hated by the empress.
Lieutenant Mirovich and his soldiers were arrested. The investigation lasted several weeks, and then a trial took place, which was held in the strictest confidence. From all clerks they took a special subscription on strict observance of secrecy. There were no transcripts of the court session. Lieutenant Mirovich was sentenced to death, and the soldiers who took part in this "event" - to exile in Siberia - forever. But the murderers of John VI were generously rewarded - for their vigilance.
On a gloomy September morning, Vasily Mirovich stood on a platform set up in the square, which quickly filled with people, despite the bad weather. He stood quietly looking around. Next to him was the executioner, and the one sentenced to death was smiling ... His black eyes in his pale face seemed to be looking cheerfully. Seeing this, many naturally believed that the execution would not be real. After all, more than twenty years ago, when she ascended the throne, Elizaveta Petrovna abolished this type of punishment. Apparently, the convict himself also hoped for this. And when the lieutenant's head rolled off the platform, everyone gasped in surprise. The body, along with the scaffold, was burned, the ashes scattered to the wind.
The dying smile of the executed man made many historians search for the reasons for such behavior of Mirovich in his hour of death. Maybe the convict was sure that the news of his pardon would come, as he was promised the highest, and the execution would not take place? In short, a dark story. Otherwise, the events associated with the murder of the ninth Tsar Romanov cannot be called ...
After the death of Anna Leopoldovna, for her husband and children, and there were four of them - two daughters and two sons - many years of exile stretched out. Having ascended the throne, Catherine. II allowed the prince to leave for his homeland: he was not a member of the Romanov House and did not pose a danger to the descendants of Peter I. But Anton Ulrich preferred to remain in prison with his children. Towards the end of his life, he became completely weak and blind and died in 1774, having been in exile for about thirty-three years. Long term! And no one could ever tell him why he actually bears this punishment. For becoming the father of the heir to the Russian throne?
Only five years later, Catherine II decided to let the Brunswick princes and princesses go abroad. She reported this to Anton Ulrich's sister, Queen Dowager Juliana Maria of Denmark and Norway, who agreed to place her nephews to live in the small Norwegian town of Gorsens. At night, they were taken to Norway on a merchant frigate, where they settled on the full support of the Russian government. They lived in poverty, they did not know any language other than Russian, they could not communicate with the attendants. In the first seven years, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Alexei died. Ten years later - Prince Peter. But the sick and deaf Princess Catherine lived until 1807. And surprisingly, in the last years of her life, she repeatedly wrote letters to Alexander I with a request to return to Russia, which for some reason attracted her so much, despite bitter memories. Her requests remained unanswered, and five years before her death she wrote to her confessor that it was a thousand times better for her to live in Kholmogory than in Gorsens, that the Norwegian courtiers did not like her and she often cries, cursing herself that she did not die.
So tragic was the life of the parents of the unfortunate John VI and their children - the princes of Brunswick. And the fault of this Romanov, a king without a crown and a throne, is only that he was the heir to the throne according to the will of the Empress Anna Ioannovna, his grandmother's sister.
No less tragic are the further fates of Munnich and Osterman, those once all-powerful Germans who ruled the Russian state for many years. The henchmen of the ascended to the throne Elizabeth forced them to sign confessions of supposedly anti-state activities and sentenced them to death. And they had to endure the fears of suicide bombers. But at the very last minute, when Osterman's head was already on the chopping block, the judge shouted: "God and the Empress will give you life." Osterman and the others sentenced to death were taken to prison: their death sentences were commuted to life exile in Siberia.
Minich was exiled to the same village where Biron had been exiled a little earlier, having received permission to leave for Yaroslavl not long before. As historians write, on the way, however, in different directions, they met. But there is no consensus whether they took off their hats to each other when they met or not. And after all, what a twist of fate ... In the house that Minich once designed for Biron, the author of the project himself settled. And the house was built to perfection. In it, and Siberian frosts were nothing. However, the stay in this distant land of the former field marshal and until recently the first minister of the Russian Empire was not just a reference, but a strict conclusion. He had no right to leave his house. Only the pastor and the doctor, who had come with him to this exile, could go out into the town, which consisted of only a few houses. Minich lived in his prison for twenty whole years and did not waste time: in his house he opened a school where everyone who wanted could study: former politicians, convicted thieves and swindlers, and other people. A wonderful specialist and highly educated person, he generously passed on his knowledge to everyone who wished ... He wrote letters to Empress Elizabeth asking for pardon, but the release came only when her nephew came to the throne. In the spring of 1762, a messenger arrived from St. Petersburg with a pardon. Minich was allowed to return home. He was already seventy-nine years old, but the energy in him was still seething.
Sadder was the fate of Count Osterman, a unique personality who managed to retain, as if by inheritance, the trust and grace of two emperors - Peter I, Peter II, two empresses - Catherine and Anna, one ruler - Biron, one ruler - Anna Leopoldovna, and also their favorites, Russians and non-Russians. And the geography of his life is rare! He made his way from a small village in the west of Germany to far Siberia: Bochum - Jena - Petersburg - Berezovo!
Never liking to quarrel with anyone, the count was exiled to the same Berezovo, where a little more than ten years ago, Alexander Menshikov, who fell out of favor with the grandson of Peter the Great, his best friend and patron, ended his life, and was overthrown not without the participation of Osterman himself. He settled in Menshikov's house: with illnesses - he was especially tormented by gout - with disappointments and memories of past brilliance and humiliations to which he was subjected to the daughter of a man who so highly valued his mind and knowledge. He brought so many benefits to Russia, which became dear and close to him! Why such a bitter fate!? With these thoughts and feelings, Osterman lived in Siberia for only six years and died there. But the memory of him was preserved for many years, even the future Romanov tsars remembered him only as a man who was the greatest engine of civilization and enlightenment in Russia ...
The fate of another participant in the overthrow of Biron, General von Manstein, turned out to be interesting. He managed to avoid the sad fate of his associates, although during the coup he was the right hand of Field Marshal Munnich. Taking advantage of the vacation, the general left Russia in a timely manner and ended up in Berlin. Learning about the situation in St. Petersburg, Manstein decided not to return to Russia. Through the Russian ambassador in Prussia, he tried to get his resignation, but the Military Collegium refused him and demanded that he immediately return to his regiment. Manstein did not follow this requirement, but entered the service of the Prussian king Frederick II and became his expert on Russian affairs. In Russia, this step was assessed as desertion, and the military court sentenced the general to death in absentia.
Through diplomatic channels, Elizabeth demanded the extradition of a Russian officer to carry out the sentence, but Frederick II did not do this, appreciating the smart German who knew the situation in Russia well. General von Manstein served in Prussia for many years.
The daughter of Peter the Great came to the throne the morning after the coup. In the very first days of her reign, she removed the Germans from power. The new empress hurried to erase forever the memory of her predecessor on the royal throne, who was only listed on it for one year and sixteen days, and then spent twenty-three years in prison and was deprived not only of freedom and power, but also of his own name. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna ordered the destruction of coins and medals with his image, and the burning of all papers that mentioned his name. The short nominal reign of the ninth representative of the House of Romanov ended. In addition to palace intrigues, it brought nothing to Russia.
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From the book Russia and its autocrats author Anishkin Valery GeorgievichIVAN VI ANTONOVICH (b. 1740 - d. 1764) Nominal emperor in 1740–1741, son of Anna Leopoldovna (niece of Empress Anna Ivanovna) and Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick. He was proclaimed emperor at the age of two months, November 25, 1741, deposed from the throne by Elizabeth
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Emperor Ivan VI Antonovich (08/02/1740-07/04/1764) Years of reign - 1740-1741
Emperor Ivan VI Antonovich (08/02/1740-07/04/1764)
Years of government - 1740-1741
The reign of Emperor Ivan Antonovich is the shortest in the history of Russia. All that one year, when he was considered a sovereign, Ivan did not sit on the throne, but lay in his infant cradle. Unlike his predecessors and successors on the imperial throne, he simply did not have time to feel like a king and get at least some joy from his high position. The unfortunate baby, whose life was ruined by the imperial crown, could not even suspect what passions were boiling around his person, what tangles of intrigues were twisting at his court, and what decrees and orders were issued on his behalf.
The day after the death of Empress Anna Ioannovna, on October 18, her will was printed and announced, according to which Ivan Antonovich was declared emperor, and Duke Ernst Johann Biron was appointed regent until he reached the age of 17. They both had to swear - and swore - all the military and civil ranks of the empire.
According to Anna's will, Biron was endowed with unlimited powers. He could freely manage finances and political affairs, conclude international treaties, command the army and navy, and even control the fate of the Brunswick family itself - the closest relatives of the emperor. On October 19, Emperor Ivan Antonovich "issued" a decree by which Biron was granted an exceptional title: "His Highness the Regent of the Russian Empire, the Duke of Courland, Livonia and Semigallia." And only four days later they guessed to order that the father of the emperor, Prince Anton Ulrich, be titled "his imperial highness."
Many courtiers drew attention to some "strangeness" of the will of the late empress. In the event that Ivan Antonovich died without leaving any offspring, the throne was to go to the eldest of the male children “from the same marriage” of Anna Leopoldovna. This order effectively deprived Princess Anna of not only the right to divorce her unloved husband Anton Ulrich, but also the possibility of remarriage if he had died before her. Her children, born of another man, under no circumstances could inherit the imperial throne. But at the same time, Duke Biron could remain regent under other minor sovereigns from the Brunswick family. But no one then dared to object to this order of things, established not without the participation of the experienced courtier Osterman and Biron himself. It was passed from mouth to mouth that before her death, Empress Anna managed to whisper her last parting word to her favorite: “I suppose.”
But for the approval of the power of the regent, the patronage of the late empress was clearly not enough. And in the very first days of his reign, Biron tried to win the recognition of his subjects with favors and fair decisions. Manifestos were issued on strict observance of laws and a righteous trial, an amnesty was declared for prisoners, with the exception of thieves, robbers, murderers and embezzlers; the poll tax for 1740 was reduced. The regent showed paternal care for the soldiers and officers. In the winter, sentries were ordered to issue fur coats so that they would not suffer from the cold (since the time of Peter I, the military had to carry guards in light European-style uniforms). Luxury was legally limited, the pursuit of which ruined the nobility under Anna Ioannovna. From now on, it was forbidden to wear a dress made of fabric, the cost of which exceeded 4 rubles per arshin.
But all Biron's tricks were in vain. The nobility resented the fact that over the next 17 years, and possibly longer, Russia would be ruled by a temporary foreigner who had risen so high only thanks to a “shameful connection” with the former empress. Conspiracies were brewing at court and in the guard. They were slowly warmed up by Princess Anna Leopoldovna, whose power and freedom were limited by the Duke of Courland. Prince Anton Ulrich, who was also oppressed in every possible way by Biron, was not satisfied with his position, seeking to deprive the father of the emperor of his last powers and levers of influence on the guards and the court. Not without their participation, rumors began to spread that the will of Anna Ioannovna was not real and the signature on it was not made by her hand.
Biron suspected that the prince and princess of Brunswick were just waiting for an opportunity to deprive him of the regency, and began to act on his own. More than anything, he wanted the parents of the baby emperor to leave Russia. In their presence, he repeatedly said that he wanted to invite the young Holstein prince Peter, the grandson of Peter I, the nephew of Princess Elizabeth, to St. Petersburg. This young man also had rights to the Russian throne and was a serious competitor to the Brunswickers. At the same time, Biron spread rumors that Anna Leopoldovna and her husband hated Russia and Russians. Anna calls her new subjects "scumbags", and Anton Ulrich threatens that, when he becomes regent, he will arrest all the generals and ministers and drown him in the Neva. However, in view of the absurdity of these rumors, very few believed in them.
In relations with the parents of the emperor, Biron had to balance between giving them obvious honor and threats and harassment. On October 23, on behalf of Ivan Antonovich, he issued a decree to pay Anna and Anton an annual allowance of 200 thousand each (a huge amount even for the closest relatives of the emperor; Princess Elizabeth, for example, received only 50 thousand rubles a year). But on the same day, the duke forced the prince of Brunswick to publicly, in the presence of senators and ministers, renounce his claims to the regency and, with his signature, testify to the authenticity of the will of Anna Ioannovna. A few days later, he forced Anton Ulrich to give up all his military posts and military ranks under the pretext of the need to fulfill his father's duty and be inseparably with the infant emperor. Biron had reason to fear the influence of Anton in the troops: he, being a lieutenant colonel of the Semenovsky Guards Regiment and a colonel of the Brunswick Cuirassier Regiment, was somewhat popular with the Guards officers. On November 1, the Military Collegium received a decree from the regent, written on behalf of the emperor, that all his military ranks and ranks were retired from the prince. Anton Ulrich was actually turned into a private person, connected with the highest power in Russia only by blood ties. The courtiers began to call Biron behind his back "the new Boris Godunov", hinting at a possible future complete usurpation of the throne.
But Biron did not have long to enjoy this victory. Fighting with the Brunswick family, the regent lost sight of much more serious enemies. His secret ill-wishers were other influential Germans at the court - Munnich and Osterman. Count Osterman took a pause in intrigue for a while, he said he was sick and shut himself up at home to reflect on possible scenarios. Field Marshal Munnich was more decisive. At first he supported Biron, but the duke seemed to have forgotten that he owed a lot to him, and was in no hurry with awards and privileges. Munnich was intelligent, observant, and saw perfectly well that among the officers and soldiers of the court regiments, dissatisfaction with the regent was growing. The guardsmen were outraged by Biron's arbitrariness and the fact that he wanted to reform the guard, forbid the nobles to serve as privates in it and send them as junior officers to army units in the provinces, and recruit soldiers from the lower strata of the population into the guards regiments. Why not lead the rebels under these conditions, and at the same time return to the Brunswick couple the power taken from them by the duke? For such a service, then one could demand any gratitude.
Minich relied on Anna Leopoldovna, who surpassed her husband in strength of character. Soon a convenient opportunity presented itself to talk with the princess face to face. Anna Leopoldovna needed a new page in her retinue, and she wanted to choose him from among the pupils of the cadet corps. Minich, being the chief of the cadets, personally introduced her to the four best students.
The meeting took place on November 7th. When, after a brief conversation, the young men were released, Anna asked Minich to linger and began to complain to him about her situation. She said that she had heard from loyal people that the regent was preparing their departure from Russia. Apparently, she will have to leave, but she would like to take her son-emperor with her, because, as a mother, she cannot part with the baby and leave him to the mercy of fate. Minich in response promised to do everything to protect her from Biron's tyranny.
The next morning, the field marshal again unexpectedly appeared in the princess's chambers and suggested that she stage a coup and arrest the regent. Anna Leopoldovna at first pretended to be frightened and began to refuse, arguing that she could not risk the life of Munnich and the fate of his family for the sake of solving her own problems. But then the princess allowed herself to be persuaded by the field marshal. They decided to do everything in secret, without involving any other persons in the conspiracy. It was impossible to hesitate, not only for fear that their idea would be revealed, but also because soon the Preobrazhensky Regiment, commanded by Minikh, had to hand over his watch for the protection of the palaces of the emperor and the regent to another unit. It was necessary to urgently take advantage of the favorable moment, while the conspirators legally controlled all the entrances and exits from Biron's chambers.
On the same day Munnich dined with Levenvold at Biron's. The duke, as if foreseeing trouble, was thoughtful, and anxiety was reflected on his face. Minich, on the other hand, showed enviable self-control. When Levenvold suddenly unexpectedly asked if the field marshal had not had to make unexpected night sorties during military campaigns, he was only embarrassed for a second and immediately replied that he did not remember such a thing, but would never refuse to take advantage of a favorable opportunity. Neither his brief hesitation nor the ambiguity of the answer at that moment was taken into account by anyone.
At eleven o'clock in the evening Munnich left Biron's house and immediately began to give orders regarding the "extraordinary night enterprise." At two o'clock in the morning, the field marshal summoned his adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Manstein. Together they went to the Winter Palace. Munnich and his adjutant went through the dressing room to the private quarters of Princess Anna Leopoldovna and woke up her favorite, maid of honor Julia Mengden, since only she had round-the-clock access to the bedrooms of the prince and princess.
Only Anna Leopoldovna came out to Minich. She was determined. After talking with her for several minutes, Minich called the guard officers who were in the palace. Anna announced to the guards that she was tired of enduring insults and harassment from the regent and decided to arrest him, entrusting Minich with this matter. The officers swore in everything to obey their field marshal and help him fulfill the order of the princess. Anna admitted them all to her hand, and then she kissed each of them, sealing the oath with this friendly gesture. The guardsmen, to whom the officers repeated everything they heard in the princess's chambers, also expressed their readiness to participate in the coup. Minich left forty people to guard the emperor and his parents, and took eighty with him to the Summer Palace, to Biron.
The further development of events resembles a not too well-written adventure novel, when everything turns out for the heroes as if by itself. But it turns out that sometimes it happens in life. Mnich stopped his detachment two hundred paces from the palace, as he feared that the guard might make a noise and warn the duke. But Manstein managed surprisingly easily and quickly to negotiate with the guard officers, who even offered their help to the conspirators. Munnich gave his adjutant an officer and twenty soldiers and ordered Biron to be arrested. Manstein with his small detachment freely entered the private chambers of the duke: the guards let him through, thinking that he was going to the regent with some important message. And then an unexpected difficulty arose: Manstein had never been in Biron's bedroom and did not know exactly which of the doors led there. He did not dare to wake the servants, so as not to make too much noise. At random, the adjutant pushed open one of the double-leaf doors locked with a key, the latches of which, by a strange accident, had been forgotten to snap into place, and found himself in the ducal bedroom. What followed was an ugly scene.
Biron and his wife were sound asleep and woke up only because Manstein rudely threw back the curtains of the bed and began to speak loudly. The Byrons jumped up at once and shouted: “Sentry!”. To this, Manstein caustically remarked that he had brought a lot of guards with him. The duke tried to resist and began to fight with the soldiers. But the forces were unequal, the guards severely beat the regent, tore his shirt, so that he was left almost completely naked. When they finally twisted him, they gagged him with a handkerchief, and tied his hands with an officer's scarf, then wrapped him in a blanket and carried him to the guardhouse. Here they found a soldier's overcoat for him to cover his nakedness, and in this form they took him to the Winter Palace. Biron's wife wanted to run after her husband in one nightgown, but one of the soldiers grabbed her outside the gate and brought her to Manstein with the question of what to do with the regent's wife. Manstein ordered to take her back to the palace, but the soldier was too lazy to do this, and he pushed the unfortunate half-dressed woman into a pile of snow lying in the yard (November that year turned out to be cold and snowy). There she was seen by a certain guards captain, dressed somehow, escorted to the palace and asked, in order to avoid trouble, not to leave her chambers.
On the same night, the brother of the regent, Gustav Biron, and the faithful minion of Duke Bestuzhev were arrested. Both did not even immediately understand what had happened. At six in the morning Munnich reported to Anna Leopoldovna that the plan had been successfully accomplished. Osterman was invited to the Winter Palace and informed of the changes that had taken place. The omnipotent nobleman this time was forced to come to terms with the leading role of Munnich.
Returning home, Minich, together with his son, immediately compiled a list of awards and new appointments at court. Princess Anna was declared the new ruler instead of Biron and was awarded the highest Order of St. Andrew the First-Called in Imperial Russia, Prince Anton received the highest military rank of Generalissimo, which he had long dreamed of, Minich himself was appointed First Minister. They only did not know how to mark Osterman, so as not to give him power, and not to offend him. Then they remembered that the count had long been talking about the rank of great admiral, on whom he counted for his concern for the fleet. With this honorary, but not playing any role title, they decided to award him. The project was taken to Princess Anna Leopoldovna for signature, and she approved everything.
It was necessary to decide what to do with Biron and his family. Nevertheless, the former regent had great authority, so no one alone could determine his fate. Anna Leopoldovna, Princess Elizaveta Petrovna, Minich and Osterman gathered in the Winter Palace. At this "small council" it was decided to send Bironov to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, and the next day to transport them to the Shlisselburg fortress.
The months-long case of Biron began. What was not blamed on the duke: the “seizure” of the regency, and the neglect of the health of the former empress, and the desire to remove the royal family from Russia, and the oppression of the Russians, and even the fact that he dared to accept personal gifts from Anna Ioannovna. On the basis of all these mostly absurd accusations, on April 18, 1741, Biron was sentenced to death, but pardoned by the ruler Anna Leopoldovna. From Shlisselburg, the duke was sent to Pelym, where he was kept under strict supervision in a house specially built for this purpose according to the design of Minich himself.
The fate of Biron again began to change for the better only after power again passed to the younger branch of the Romanov dynasty. Elizaveta Petrovna transferred him to a free settlement in Yaroslavl. Emperor Peter III invited Biron to live in St. Petersburg and returned orders and honorary ranks to him. Catherine II restored the duke to the throne of Courland, having obtained the consent of the Polish king. Biron returned to his native Mitava, but did not find agreement there with the local nobility. He pursued a too frank pro-Russian policy, at the same time he tried to limit the privileges of the nobles and alleviate the position of the serfs, and patronized the Jews. A few years later, Biron was tired of fighting the Courland knighthood and in 1769 renounced power in favor of his son Peter, whom he once predicted as a suitor for Anna Leopoldovna. Biron died on December 17, 1772 at the age of 82 in Mitau, having far outlived not only his mistress, Empress Anna Ioannovna, but also kept everyone who deprived him of power, imprisoned and exiled. He was buried with honor, dressed in St. Andrew's order mantle, in the ducal crypt.
But Anna Leopoldovna, who carried out the coup and deprived Biron of power over Russia, of course, could not imagine that the fate of the disgraced duke would be much more prosperous than her own. She triumphed in victory and prepared to enjoy its fruits.
On November 9, 1740, Anna Leopoldovna declared herself ruler with her young son-emperor, and no one objected to this. The distribution of awards, ranks and positions planned by Minich also took place. Many courtiers were forgiven their debts and paid bonus amounts from the treasury. Everyone seemed to be pleased. But still, there were skeptics at court who believed that this coup was unlikely to be the last. If Princess Anne decides to do this, others will too.
Anna Leopoldovna wanted to rule, but she absolutely did not know how to do this. It was difficult to find a person less capable of being a regent. The princess was naturally shy, unsociable, her face froze in an expression of eternal gloom. In her youth, her mother, Duchess Ekaterina Ivanovna, scolded her more than once for her lack of sociability. In addition, Anna was young and did not have the necessary experience in public affairs. Despite the upbringing received at the German and Russian courts, the princess grew up a sloven who showed almost complete disregard for her appearance. Unlike other ladies of the Romanov family, she did not aspire to the brilliant fun and chic entertainment that her new position as ruler could provide. She preferred to spend the whole day in her private quarters undressed, uncombed, with a handkerchief tied around her disheveled hair. Her best friend and confidante was Julia Mengden, a lady-in-waiting brought from Germany. It was this girl, who fully shared the views and lifestyle of her mistress, who was presented with seven caftans, taken from Biron and his son, embroidered with silver braid. The practical Julia ripped off the jewelry from the clothes with her own hands and gave them to be melted down. From this silver, four candle chandeliers, six plates and two caskets were obtained. In addition, the regent's friend repeatedly gave Mengden significant sums of money and even presented her with the Ober-Palen manor, which previously belonged to the treasury, near Derpt (now the city of Tartu in Estonia).
Here is how the author of the book “The Kingdom of Women” K. Valishevsky described the character and lifestyle of Anna Leopoldovna:
“Of all her contemporaries and people close to her, only the son of the field marshal (Minich. - L. S.) attributed to her mental, cordial qualities and devotion to business. Others depict her as mentally limited and physically lazy, spending all day in bed reading novels. Only her imagination developed early, as a result of reading. She, however, was very pious, she placed images in all the corners of her rooms, she made sure that lamps were lit everywhere; and later, in captivity, she indulged in pious pursuits, in the community of two singers and a sexton ... Not liking to show herself in public, she reduced court exits as much as possible, rarely appeared at receptions, and dismissed most of the employees who surrounded her aunt in such abundance. The palace was soon filled with emptiness and silence. The regent was almost invisible, she did not like to dress and usually spent time before dinner with Julia Mengden.
The seclusion of Anna Leopoldovna suited Munnich. He, as the first minister, could govern the country on its behalf. But he had no support in the government. Yes, and relations with Anna began to gradually deteriorate. Minich was known as a brave warrior and a capable commander, but at the same time he was a heavy and boring person, he lacked the gloss and natural dexterity that his rival Osterman was fully endowed with.
Count Osterman, in turn, understood that he could not count on closeness to Anna Leopoldovna, who still continued to feel grateful to Munnich and was not ready for a change of favorites. He made a bet on her husband, Prince Anton Ulrich. Relations between the spouses were very cool, and in connection with this, the court was divided in two: into supporters of the prince and princess. Osterman and Prince Anton gradually managed to take away some of his civilian political powers from Munnich, leaving him only the command of the ground forces and the supply of the army. And then, in the process of considering Biron's case, new circumstances of Munnich's participation in his elevation to regent were revealed.
The field marshal's nerves could not stand it, and he committed a reckless act - he asked for his resignation, secretly hoping that she would not be accepted and he would be persuaded to stay, and he would demand guarantees and new privileges for himself. But Osterman managed to turn things around so that Anna Leopoldovna signed a decree on the resignation of her first minister, and Minich suddenly found himself out of work.
Minich was not just fired, he was insulted. The decree on the resignation of Field Marshal Prince Anton ordered to be read in all the squares of the capital to the beat of drums. When Anna Leopoldovna found out about this, she sent her apologies to the former nobleman for her husband's tactlessness. The imperial family did not know what to do with Munnich now. They were afraid to leave him in the capital, but they were also afraid to send him abroad or to the provinces. Munnich was a decisive man, and he was respected in the troops as a brave and fair military leader. Some at court suggested exiling him, like other disgraced temporary workers, to Siberia, but this was not allowed by Yulia Mengden, whose brother was married to the field marshal's sister. Minich remained in the capital, which created a nervous atmosphere in the palace. Just in case, the palace guards were doubled, and the prince and princess slept in new rooms every night so that they could not be captured as quickly as Biron. This continued until Munnich moved away from the Winter Palace - to the other side of the Neva.
After the fall of Munnich, Osterman's power became almost unlimited. Some foreign ambassadors even wrote to their governments that under the young and inexperienced prince and princess of Brunswick, the count had now become "a real tsar of all Russia." But the position of this "technical sovereign" still remained precarious: as a German, the Russian nobles did not trust him and did not want to completely obey his will. And then a new favorite loomed on the political horizon, whom contemporaries have already compared with Biron.
We have already mentioned more than once that Anna Leopoldovna never loved her husband, Prince Anton Ulrich. Even before marrying him, she was passionately in love with the Polish-Saxon envoy, Count Linard, young, educated, elegant, smartly dressed and shining with impeccable manners, which he learned in the service at the Dresden court, which was then not inferior to Versailles. Because of this affair, in 1735, at the request of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the handsome count was recalled by his government to his homeland. In 1741, he reappeared in Russia and no longer considered it necessary to hide his tender relationship with Anna Leopoldovna. To give him an official status at court, Linar was declared the groom of the maid of honor Mengden and was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. He was to receive a resignation from his king in Dresden and enter the Russian service with the rank of chief chamberlain. In Saxony, he took 35 thousand rubles, allegedly received from his fiancee, to put them in a Dresden bank.
Linar was smart, had extensive connections in Europe and experience in diplomatic affairs. Such a favorite was dangerous both for Osterman and for Prince Anton, who could suddenly lose not only his wife, but everything else. Therefore, the rejected spouse and, for the time being, the first dignitary of the state, began to look for allies in the fight against Anna Leopoldovna and her friends. All these court passions and intrigues could not serve to strengthen the already fragile throne of the infant emperor Ivan Antonovich. In addition, in the heat of the struggle for the throne, the rulers of the state missed the opportunities that opened up for Russia to expand its influence on international affairs. In Europe, a conflict flared up over the legacy of the last Austrian emperor, in which the Russian Empire could act as an arbitrator and dramatically increase its political authority. But the Brunswick family and Osterman were not up to it. All their political attempts in the international arena turned out to be untimely and unsuccessful. Indignation grew within the country at the stupid rule of the heirs of Empress Anna Ioannovna. Particularly dissatisfied was the guard, which turned out to be relegated to the background and had not received any awards or privileges for a long time. Guards officers increasingly began to glance in the direction of the thirty-year-old Tsarevna Elizaveta Petrovna, who had entered her mature years. The imperial family and Osterman noticed the growth of her popularity, but they did not know what to do with it.
Tsarevna (Tsesarevna) Elizaveta Petrovna- the daughter of Peter the Great - long before that, she unexpectedly turned out to be an extra person in the imperial family. Her childhood years can be called quite happy. The father singled out Elizabeth's older sister, Princess Anna, more, but he did not forget his second daughter either, he was affectionate and generous with her, loved to circle her in a dance at court balls, stroke her head and ruffle her cheek. The sisters were also very close to each other, the age difference between them was not even two years. Anna gave the impression of a more serious and intelligent child, but Elizabeth was unusually charming: with a pretty face, a slender graceful figure, a cheerful disposition and a sharp, but not evil tongue. Everyone in the family called her affectionately mockingly - Lisette, and could not imagine any home entertainment without her participation. Like many among the young Romanovs, Elizabeth studied all the sciences and arts necessary for a secular young lady and person of the imperial house easily, but without much diligence. No one during her father's life considered Lisette as a possible contender for the throne, and she herself did not think about it - there are so many pleasures in the life of the emperor's daughter that there is simply no time to think about something serious.
Cloudless happiness ended with the death of Peter. In the eyes of their mother, Empress Catherine I, Anna and Elizabeth quickly turned from beloved daughters into unwanted rivals in the struggle for the throne. Catherine did everything possible to give both of them in marriage abroad. It was not so easy, since both princesses were born before the official marriage between their father and mother. Anna managed to attach for the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, but nothing happened with Elizabeth. Suitors abandoned her one by one, and then she herself learned to refuse those whose marriage infringed on her own pride. And after the death of her mother, she was left with one thing - to try to maintain her position as a slowly aging princess at the courts of her relatives, one after another replacing on the throne.
Under the young Emperor Peter II, Elizabeth's life was quite tolerable. She managed to make friends with her nephew and even become necessary to him. The princess had access to many important matters and had considerable influence at court. In addition, the emperor was also her closest relative - her nephew. Sister Anna died shortly after leaving for Germany, and her son Karl Peter Ulrich, another nephew of Elizabeth, was still too small and was far away.
She became much worse in the reign of Anna Ioannovna. Elizabeth had to humble her pride and try her best not to argue with her cousin-empress. She, being generally a suspicious person, was wary of her, but did not particularly oppress her. Anna remembered well that Elizabeth's father, Peter the Great, treated her family very mercifully, and her marriage, accompanied by an actual exile to Courland, was the least of the evils that could happen to her if the emperor was not so favorable. Anna limited herself to constant observation of the life and connections of her cousin. In the palace of Elizabeth, as an agent of the empress and field marshal Munnich, a sergeant Shcheglovity was introduced, who acted as a house steward. To spy on the princess, they hired special cab drivers who secretly followed her carriage during walks around the city and trips to the suburbs. The main thing, from the point of view of Anna Ioannovna, was to prevent Elizabeth from conspiring with her little nephew, Duke Peter of Holstein, about whom the Empress repeatedly said in irritation: “The little devil still lives in Holstein.”
Fortunately, Elizabeth managed to find a common language with the favorite of the Empress Biron. They both needed each other, so they felt all the fragility of their own position at the imperial court and could no longer rely on anyone within the royal family. Biron made sure that Elizabeth did not need financially and could maintain her usual way of life with hunting trips and arranging home holidays at her small court.
Elizabeth has changed outwardly. She retained her former pretty features, but noticeably gained weight. True, many contemporaries said that fullness gives her figure significance, and the majestic posture acquired over the years only strengthened this impression. Remained in the past liveliness and gaiety. But the face of the princess was often illuminated by a benevolent smile, which immediately disposed her interlocutors to her. Elizabeth could not help but know that she was under constant surveillance. Many nobles politely avoided her, so as not to spoil their reputation with proximity to the disgraced daughter of Peter the Great. And Elizabeth herself tried once again not to compromise the people she knew well. She led a modest and rather secluded life, surrounded by a few courtiers and personal servants.
It cannot be said that Elizabeth was a complete recluse. From time to time, rumors appeared in St. Petersburg about her next fans and favorites. There was nothing special about it. Already from the 2nd half of the 17th century, the royal court and the Romanov family turned a blind eye to the fact that unmarried adult princesses allow themselves love affairs and even secret marriages with courtiers and nobility. Some of them did not disdain the commoners close to the court. One of them, the court chorister Razumovsky, became truly dear to the heart of the lonely princess Elizabeth, and subsequently this amorous connection brought him and his descendants the title of count.
Alexei Grigorievich Razumovsky (1709–1771) was born in the family of a simple Ukrainian Cossack and ended up at court thanks to his natural talent - an expressive voice and a good ear for music. He was seen in 1731 among the singers on the kliros in a small church in the Chernigov village of Chemar, where the messengers of Princess Elizabeth, who loved church choral singing and was looking for singers for her choir, stopped by. Razumovsky was handsome with soft southern beauty, he did not have special political abilities and ambitions, he was distinguished by some laziness and did not claim power, in contrast to the same Biron. He soon became Elizabeth's chamber-pager, replacing his predecessor, Shubin, who had fallen out of favor. After the coup d'état and the ascension of Elizabeth Petrovna to the imperial throne, Razumovsky was awarded the ranks of general and chamberlain. In 1756, the Empress granted her lover the rank of Field Marshal and presented the Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg. The proximity of Alexei Razumovsky to the queen helped his talented brother Kirill to make a brilliant career. Having been educated abroad, Kirill Grigoryevich Razumovsky traveled extensively in Europe and became one of the most cultured people of his time. Upon his return to Russia, he headed the Academy of Sciences, and then became a hetman in Ukraine.
Alexei Grigoryevich Razumovsky was happy with his relationship with Elizabeth and did not prevent others from making court careers. It was said that he had only one drawback - he was "restless in hops." But this sin at the Russian court could neither surprise nor shock anyone, so everyone, including Elizabeth herself, treated him condescendingly. Razumovsky agreed with his beloved in everything, was always submissive to her will, which earned the special trust of the princess. Some sources claim that Razumovsky was not just Elizabeth's lover, but also her morganatic husband (allegedly they were secretly married). His loyalty and devotion to the princess, and then to the empress, he repeatedly proved in word and deed.
Among the people close to Elizabeth were the sons of her father's former associates: brothers Alexander Ivanovich and Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov, Mikhail Larionovich Vorontsov. They served the princess as faithfully as their fathers had once served Peter the Great. Perhaps their friendship was not entirely disinterested: having received nothing from the existing government, they hoped to make a career in the event of the rise of their patroness. But at least Elizabeth could rely on them and hope that their advice would serve her well.
But the most devoted friend of the disgraced princess was her personal doctor. Johann Hermann Lestock. This German came to Russia in the reign of Peter, but ended up in Siberian exile on a denunciation of "careless treatment" of the daughter of one of the court servants. Lestok was returned from Siberia by Catherine I, after which the young Elizabeth brought him closer to her, apparently feeling in him a reliable and grateful person. The medic possessed a whole range of useful qualities: energy, cheerful disposition, the ability to conduct a conversation and make the necessary connections. Lestok deftly and easily collected the information necessary for Elizabeth, he was always aware of all court rumors, gossip and secrets. Lestok was friends with many foreigners at the court of Anna Ioannovna, but he always observed the interests of the princess. When Munnich promised the doctor all sorts of benefits for private denunciations of Elizabeth, he managed to politely but categorically refuse such a dubious honor.
After the death of Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth was able to breathe more freely. The new rulers, the Brunswicks, were too busy fighting each other to pay serious attention to the princess. But at the same time, they stopped giving her money in order to deprive her of the opportunity to financially support her supporters. Elizabeth began to be pitied in society. While her great-niece Anna Leopoldovna intrigued against her own husband Anton Ulrich and their family scandals increasingly became the property of the whole world, the disgraced princess served as a model of dignified behavior. Sad and majestic, she occasionally appeared at official celebrations and gradually turned from a victim of circumstances in the eyes of her contemporaries into a symbol of the unfairly rejected empress - “mother Elizabeth”.
Princess Elizaveta Petrovna was especially popular in the guards. It was rumored that during the overthrow of Biron, many guardsmen thought that Elizabeth would become the empress, and were, to put it mildly, surprised by the proclamation of Anna Leopoldovna as regent. The princess diligently and skillfully supported the love of the guards officers and soldiers for her own person. She never refused when married guards asked her to baptize their newborn children, and then established almost family relations with her godfathers. Elizabeth often spent the night in her Smolny, or Smolyan, courtyard, located next to the barracks, and here she received guards soldiers and officers. Evil tongues at the imperial court gossiped that the princess had assemblies for the lower ranks of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. Prince Anton and Osterman were greatly worried about Elizabeth's friendship with the guardsmen, but Anna Leopoldovna, carried away by the arrangement of her love affairs, dismissed rumors about this as from annoying flies, considering all this a whim of an old maid.
The political prospects of the daughter of Peter the Great finally seriously interested foreign ambassadors: French, English and Swedish. The governments of these countries were unhappy that Russia, under Anna Leopoldovna, was still trying, out of old memory, to get into European affairs. For some reason, it was believed abroad that Elizabeth would return the country to pre-Petrine antiquity, with its unhurried inner life and indifference to external issues that did not directly concern her. Foreign ambassadors began to make efforts to persuade the princess to a coup d'état. Sweden even started a war against Russia, one of the goals of which was allegedly the desire to enthrone the thirteen-year-old Duke of Holstein, Karl Peter Ulrich.
Elizabeth herself hesitated all the time. She made promises to her foreign allies, then took them back. She did not have a loyal and decisive person who could lead the guards' campaign to storm the bedrooms of Anna Leopoldovna and her husband. True, the servants in the Winter Palace chatted that one day retired field marshal Munnich came to the princess and swore that he was ready to repeat for her the same maneuver that ensured the transfer of power to her cousin-niece, but Elizabeth refused his services, saying that she herself would decide that her to do. But for independent action, Elizaveta Petrovna did not have enough energy or will. The thirty-two-year-old, overweight and lazy from forced idleness, the princess least of all imagined herself as an Amazon in a helmet, rushing at the head of an armed detachment to the Winter Palace to overthrow her distant relatives from the throne.
But the Brunswick family itself provoked Elizabeth and her entourage to take decisive action. In July 1741, the guards loyal to the princess were agitated by rumors that they wanted to marry her to Prince Louis, the brother of Anton Ulrich. Louis of Brunswick was predicted for the then vacant throne of the Duke of Courland. Anna Leopoldovna wanted to kill two birds with one stone with this marriage. On the one hand, she would have repeated the trick previously performed by Peter the Great with her aunt Anna Ivanovna: marriage would automatically remove Elizabeth from Russia to Courland and, at least for the near future, would deprive the princess of the opportunity to claim the imperial crown. On the other hand, she would have connected Elizabeth Petrovna with her family with double ties of kinship and could appeal both to the conscience of the princess herself and to public opinion, in the event of attempts on her part to the throne, occupied by Ivan Antonovich, who in this case turned out to be in a double role - nephew and cousin of the applicant. But the matrimonial plans of the ruler failed. Elizabeth stated that she was never going to get married at all. Anna Leopoldovna, who had just given birth to her daughter Catherine and did not leave her bedroom on this occasion, tried to put pressure on her great aunt through the courtiers, but they unanimously refused to take part in such a delicate matter.
The project with the extradition of Elizabeth in marriage to the French Prince of Conti ended just as unsuccessfully. Allegedly, the wife of the court painter Caravacca addressed her with such a proposal. But when the French ambassador, Marquis Joachim Jean Chétardie de la Trotti, began to question Elizabeth herself about this, the princess replied that this was an empty rumor. Considering other options after a decisive refusal to Prince Louis of Brunswick and statements that she would never marry would be extremely careless and insulting towards Anna Ioannovna and Anton Ulrich.
Then Elizabeth began to hint that as an unmarried girl (a secret marriage with Razumovsky did not count) she was not needed at court, and she could be tonsured as a nun, remembering the old tradition of the royal family. In response, the princess stepped up her secret relations with foreign ambassadors and agents of European governments. Some of these contacts were traced by Anna Leopoldovna's spies. A scandal in the Romanov family became inevitable. To clarify the relationship was only needed a reason.
Such was the appearance of the Swedish manifesto, deliberately left by the soldiers in one of the Finnish villages. The manifesto said that the Swedes were fighting Russia not for reasons of their own benefit, but in the name of restoring justice, freeing the Russians from the dominance of foreigners and enthroning the sovereign of Russian blood. Osterman and Prince Anton were alarmed. The document was clearly inspired by Elizaveta Petrovna's friends. Rumors have long circulated in the capital that instead of the baby Ivan, his cousin uncle from Holstein, the grandson of Peter the Great, who was only three years old, would soon take the throne, and an independent emperor would again appear in Russia, without any regents and regents. Otherwise, the throne may not even go to the children of Anton Ulrich, but to the children of Anna Leopoldovna, born from her love affair with Linar, and the country will no longer be ruled by the Romanovs themselves, but by their bastards.
Osterman and Prince Anton took urgent measures to prevent the text of the manifesto from being distributed to the people. They reported everything to the ruler. Anna Leopoldovna at first, as always, wanted to brush it off, but then she decided to call Elizaveta Petrovna to a frank conversation.
On Monday, November 23, there was one of the usual kurtags (receptions) at the Winter Palace. The Marquis of Chétardie drew attention to the fact that Anna Leopoldovna looked gloomier than usual and kept walking in circles around the hall. Then she retired to a secluded room and summoned Elizabeth there. After a while, the princess came out, traces of strong excitement were read on her face.
Anna Leopoldovna demanded that Elizabeth stop meeting with Shetardi, whom she wanted to expel from the country. The princess replied that Osterman, as the first minister, should order the French ambassador not to see her, since she herself does not dare to say such things to a respected foreigner. Annoyed by the fact that she was being crossed, the ruler began to speak with Elizabeth in an imperious tone, she also raised her voice. Anna stated that she became aware of the princess's relations with the enemy army and the political intrigues of her doctor Lestok. Elizaveta Petrovna denied everything. Anna Leopoldovna promised, if there was evidence, to arrest Lestok and subject him to interrogation. Both ladies were extremely annoyed and dissatisfied with the results of the conversation.
This was the first serious skirmish between Elizabeth and the ruler. She revealed to the princess all the danger of her position. If Lestocq is arrested and tortured, it is difficult to say whether he will be able to keep their shared secrets, and then the monastery and exile will be inevitable. Elizabeth decided to take action. She did not yet know that she had less than a day left for her last thoughts.
The next day, November 24, at one o'clock in the afternoon, the barracks of all the guards regiments received a government order to prepare for an imminent campaign against the Swedes in Finland. But surrounded by Elizabeth Petrovna, they immediately realized that this was only a pretext. In fact, they want to take the guard away from the capital in order to leave the princess without any support. Vorontsov, Razumovsky, Shuvalov and Lestok approached Elizabeth and began to insist that she immediately carry out a coup d'etat with the help of the guards, otherwise anything could happen to her soon.
Elizabeth hesitated. She has never been a desperate adventurer. But her attempts to present to her comrades-in-arms the whole danger of this undertaking did not lead to anything, they stood their ground. Vorontsov, in order to strengthen the spirit of the princess, said that such a deed requiring considerable courage could only be carried out by her, who was connected by blood ties with Peter the Great. Lestok, who was afraid of an imminent arrest, demanded that they immediately send for the grenadiers and lead them to the Winter Palace. Much later, the court physician claimed that it was he who finally managed to convince Elizabeth. On two playing cards from a deck lying on the table, he drew two pictures. One of them depicted the princess in the monastery, where her hair was cut off and turned into a nun, and the other depicted her on the throne in the imperial crown and surrounded by a jubilant crowd. Lestok suggested that Elizabeth choose one of the two cards and end the bickering with that. She resolutely chose the second and expressed her readiness to lead a detachment of guardsmen.
At last they sent for the grenadier officers. They came to the princess at night, between 11 and 12 o'clock, and they themselves suggested that she immediately carry out a coup, since the next morning they could be sent on a campaign, and then they would not help her in any way. Elizabeth asked if she could rely on them, and the grenadiers swore allegiance and devotion to her to the end, no matter how the circumstances turned out. The princess cried and ordered to leave her alone. Kneeling down, she prayed before the icon. There is a legend that at this time she swore to herself and God never to sign a death warrant. After the prayer, Elizabeth went out to the officers with a cross in her hands and took them to the oath. The princess promised to appear in person at the barracks soon and lead the soldiers to the palace.
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From the book Dynasty of the Romanovs. Puzzles. Versions. Problems author Grimberg Faina IontelevnaRuler Anna Leopoldovna (ruled from 1740 to 1741) and "the most Russian emperor" Biron failed to marry his son to Anna Leopoldovna. She was given in marriage to Duke Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg. However, Anna Ioannovna left the throne by will not
author Istomin Sergey Vitalievich From the book I know the world. History of Russian tsars author Istomin Sergey Vitalievich From the book Alphabetical-reference list of Russian sovereigns and the most remarkable persons of their blood author Khmyrov Mikhail Dmitrievich From the book Northern Palmyra. The first days of St. Petersburg author Marsden Christopher From the book All Rulers of Russia author Vostryshev Mikhail IvanovichEMPEROR IVAN VI ANTONOVICH (1740–1764) Son of Empress Anna Ivanovna's niece, Princess Anna Leopoldovna of Mecklenburg and Duke Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick. Born on August 12, 1740 in St. Petersburg and Anna Ivanovna's manifesto of October 5, 1740 announced
author Sukina Lyudmila BorisovnaEmpress Anna Ioannovna (01/28/1693-10/17/1740) Years of reign - 1730-1740 Anna Ioannovna, who in some historical novels and popular science books is presented as almost a usurper of the Russian imperial throne, had every right to take the throne. She was the daughter
From the book Family Tragedies of the Romanovs. Difficult choice author Sukina Lyudmila BorisovnaFamily of Emperor Ivan (John) VI Antonovich 08/02/1740-07/04/1764 Years of reign: 1740-1741 and Karl Leopold, Prince of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Since 1739
From the book I know the world. History of Russian tsars author Istomin Sergey VitalievichEmpress Anna Ioannovna Years of life 1693–1740 Years of reign 1730–1740 Father - Ivan V Alekseevich, senior tsar and sovereign of all Russia, co-ruler of Peter I. Mother - Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova. Anna Ivanovna (Ioannovna), Empress of All Russia, was the middle daughter of Tsar John
From the book I know the world. History of Russian tsars author Istomin Sergey VitalievichEmperor Ivan VI Years of life 1740–1764 Years of reign 1740–1741 Father - Prince Anton Ulrich of Braunschweig-Bevern-Lunenburgsky. VI Antonovich
Drama on the islandThis island at the very source of the cold and dark Neva from Lake Ladoga was the first piece of enemy Swedish land that Peter I set foot on at the very beginning of the Northern War. No wonder he renamed the Noteburg fortress, recaptured from the Swedes in 1702, into Shlisselburg - "Key City". With this key, he later opened the entire Baltic. And almost immediately the fortress became a political prison. This secluded island was already very convenient for a prison. It was possible to get here only through one gate, while it was necessary to bend around almost the entire island in the water in front of the guards. Yes, and it was impossible to escape from here. There have been no escapes from the Shlisselburg prison in history. And only once a daring attempt was made to free one of the Shlisselburg prisoners.
The event took place on a white night from July 5 to 6, 1764. This attempt was made by one of the officers of the fortress guard, second lieutenant of the Smolensk Infantry Regiment Vasily Yakovlevich Mirovich. With a detachment of soldiers, whom he incited to rebel, Mirovich tried to capture a special prison in which they kept the most secret prisoner. Bursting into the barracks where the prisoner lived, Mirovich saw him motionless, lying in a pool of blood. All around were traces of a fierce struggle. During the battle that unfolded between a detachment of rebels and the guards of a secret prisoner, several soldiers died, security officers Vlasyev and Chekin killed the prisoner. Mirovich, having learned about the death of the prisoner, surrendered to the mercy of the authorities and was immediately arrested. All the soldiers he had mutinied were also captured. An investigation into a horrific crime has begun...
Dynastic combinationsBut who was this prisoner? It was a terrible state secret, but everyone in Russia knew that the secret prisoner was the Russian emperor Ivan Antonovich, who spent almost a quarter of a century in prison. In the early 1730s, the Romanov dynasty experienced a serious crisis - there was no one to inherit the throne. Empress Anna Ioannovna, a childless widow, sat on the throne. Sister Ekaterina Ivanovna lived with her with her young daughter Anna Leopoldovna. That's all the relatives of the Empress. True, Tsesarevna Elizaveta Petrovna, who was not even thirty years old, was alive. Elizabeth's nephew, the son of her late elder sister Anna Petrovna Karl-Peter-Ulrich (future Emperor Peter III) also lived in Kiel. However, Anna Ioannovna did not want the offspring of Peter I and the "Livonian port" - Catherine I - to enter the throne of the Russian Empire.
That is why, when the imperial decree was announced in 1731, the subjects did not believe their ears: according to it, they had to swear allegiance to the bizarre will of Anna Ioannovna. She declared as her heir the boy who would be born from the future marriage of the Empress' niece Anna Leopoldovna with a still unknown foreign prince. Surprisingly, as the empress intended, it happened: Anna Leopoldovna was married to the German prince Anton-Ulrich and in August 1740 gave birth to a boy named Ivan. When Anna Ioannovna died in October of the same year, she bequeathed the throne to her two-month-old great-nephew. So Emperor Ivan Antonovich appeared on the Russian throne.
Gold and iron chains of the infant emperorWell, what to tell about the boy who became autocrat at the age of two months and five days and was overthrown from the throne when he was one year, three months and thirteen days old? Neither the verbose decrees "signed" by him, nor the military victories won by his army, can say anything about him. A baby - he is a baby, lies in a cradle, sleeps or cries, sucks milk and soils diapers.
An engraving has been preserved, on which we see the cradle of Emperor Ivan VI Antonovich, surrounded by allegorical figures of Justice, Prosperity and Science. Covered with a fluffy blanket, a plump-cheeked baby looks at us sternly. Around his neck is entwined with a heavy, like chains, golden chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called - barely born, the emperor became a holder of the highest order of Russia. Such was the fate of Ivan Antonovich: he spent his entire life, from his first breath to his last, in chains. But in gold chains, he "passed" not for long. On November 25, 1741, Tsesarevna Elizaveta Petrovna carried out a coup d'état. She broke into the Winter Palace with the rebels in the dead of night and arrested the mother and father of the emperor. The soldiers were given strict orders not to make noise in the imperial bedchamber and to take the child emperor only when he woke up. So for about an hour they stood in silence by the cradle, until the boy opened his eyes and screamed in fear at the sight of the ferocious grenadier faces. Emperor Ivan was pulled out of the cradle and taken to Elizabeth. "Ah, child! You are not guilty of anything!" - the usurper cried out and firmly grabbed the child so that - God forbid - he would not get to others.
Do not kill, let him die himself!And then the way of the cross of the family of Ivan Antonovich began in prisons. First, the prisoners were kept near Riga, then in the Voronezh province, in Oranienburg. Here the parents were separated from their four-year-old son. He, under the name of Grigory, was taken to Solovki, but because of the autumn bad weather they only got to Kholmogory, where Ivan Antonovich was placed in the former house of the local bishop. I must say that the name Grigory is not the most successful in Russian history - one involuntarily recalls Grigory Otrepyev and Grigory Rasputin. Here, in Kholmogory, the child was put in solitary confinement, and from now on he saw only servants and guards. A lively and cheerful boy was continuously kept in a tightly closed room without windows - all his childhood, all his youth. He had no toys, he never saw flowers, birds, animals, trees. He didn't know what daylight was. Once a week, under the cover of night darkness, he was taken to the bathhouse in the courtyard of the bishop's house, and he probably thought that it was always night outside. And behind the walls of Ivan's cell, in another part of the house, they settled his parents, brothers and sisters, who were born after him and whom he also never saw.
Elizabeth never gave the order to kill Ivan, but did everything to make him die. The Empress forbade teaching him to read and write, forbade him to walk. When he was eight years old, he fell ill with smallpox and measles, the guards asked Petersburg: is it possible to invite a doctor to the seriously ill? A decree followed: the doctor should not be allowed near the prisoner! But Ivan recovered to his misfortune ... In 1756, a sixteen-year-old prisoner was suddenly transported from Kholmogory to Shlisselburg and settled in a separate, strictly guarded barracks. The guards were given the strictest instructions not to allow outsiders to the prisoner Gregory. The windows of the room, so as not to let in daylight, were thickly smeared with paint, candles were constantly burning in the cell, the officer on duty was constantly watching the prisoner. When the servants came to clean the room, Gregory was led behind a screen. It was complete isolation from the world ...
The secret of the secrets of the Russian court, which everyone knew aboutThe very fact of Ivan Antonovich's existence was a state secret. In the struggle with her young predecessor on the throne, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna resorted to a surprising, but, by the way, familiar to us way of dealing with the memory of him. His name was forbidden to be mentioned in official papers and in private conversations. The one who uttered the name Ivanushka (as he was called by the people) was awaited by arrest, torture in the Secret Chancellery, exile to Siberia. By the highest decree, it was ordered to destroy all portraits of Ivan VI, to withdraw from circulation all coins with his image. Each time an investigation began if, among the thousands of coins brought to the treasury in barrels, a ruble with the image of the disgraced emperor was found. It was ordered to tear out the title pages from the books dedicated to the baby emperor, to collect all the decrees, protocols and memorandums published under him, mentioning the name of Ivan VI Antonovich. These papers were carefully sealed and hidden in the Secret Office. Thus, a huge “hole” was formed in Russian history from October 19, 1740, when he took the throne, and until November 25, 1741. According to all the papers, it turned out that after the end of the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna, the glorious reign of Elizabeth Petrovna immediately began. Well, if it was impossible to do without mentioning the reign of Ivan VI, then they resorted to a euphemism: "In the reign of a famous person." Only more than a century later, in 1888, two huge volumes of papers from the reign of Ivan Antonovich were published. So, finally, the secret became clear ...
But, as often happened in Russia, the biggest state secret was known to everyone. And for those who did not know, it was only necessary to visit the Kholmogory or Shlisselburg bazaar. There, or in the nearest tavern, over a bottle of vodka, a curious person would immediately be told who is so carefully guarded in prison and for what. After all, everyone knew for a long time that Ivanushka was imprisoned for loyalty to the “old faith” and, naturally, he suffers for the people. A well-known case, otherwise why torture a person like that?
Dynastic sin of the RomanovsIt must be said that this dynastic sin haunted neither Elizabeth Petrovna, nor Peter III, who ascended the throne in December 1761, nor Catherine II, who seized power in June 1762. And all these autocrats certainly wanted to see the mysterious prisoner. It so happened that in his life Ivan Antonovich saw only three women: his mother - the ruler Anna Leopoldovna and two empresses! And even then, Elizabeth, when meeting with him in 1757 (Ivan was brought in a closed wagon to St. Petersburg), was dressed in a man's dress. In March 1762, Emperor Peter III himself went to Shlisselburg, under the guise of an inspector entered the prisoner's cell and even talked to him. From this conversation it became clear that the prisoner remembered that he was not Gregory at all, but a prince or emperor. This unpleasantly struck Peter III - he thought that the prisoner was a crazy, unconscious, sick person.
Catherine II inherited Ivan's problem from her unlucky husband. And she, also driven by curiosity, went to Shlisselburg in August 1762 to look at the secret prisoner and, possibly, talk to him. There is no doubt that Ivan Antonovich, with his wild appearance, made a heavy impression on the visitors. Twenty years of solitary confinement had crippled him, the youth's life experience was deformed and defective. A child is not a kitten that will grow into a cat even in an empty room. Ivan was isolated as a four-year-old kid. No one took care of his upbringing. He did not know affection, kindness, he lived like a beast in a cage. The security officers, ignorant and rude people, out of spite and boredom, teased Ivanushka like a dog, beat him and put him on a chain “for disobedience”. As M. A. Korf, the author of a book about Ivan Antonovich, rightly wrote, “until the very end, his life represented one endless chain of torment and suffering of all kinds.” And yet, in the depths of his mind, the memory of early childhood and the terrible, dream-like story of his abduction and renaming remained. In 1759, one of the guards reported in his report: “The prisoner, who he was, asked what [he] had said before that he was a great man, and one vile officer then took away from him and changed his name.” It is clear that Ivan was talking about Captain Miller, who took a four-year-old boy from his parents in 1744. And the child remembered it!
New instructionLater, Catherine II wrote that she came to Shlisselburg to see the prince and, “having learned his mental properties, and define his life as calm by his natural qualities and upbringing.” But she allegedly suffered a complete failure, for “with our sensitivity they saw in him, except for a very painful and almost unintelligible tongue-tied tongue (Ivan stuttered terribly and, in order to speak clearly, supported his chin with his hand. - E. A.), deprivation of reason and human meaning. Therefore, the empress concluded, it was impossible to render any help to the unfortunate person, and there would be nothing better for him than to remain in the casemate. The conclusion about Ivanushka's insanity was made not on the basis of a medical examination, but on the basis of reports from the guards. What kind of psychiatrists guards are, we know well from Soviet history. Professional doctors were never allowed to see Ivan Antonovich.
In a word, the humane empress left the prisoner to rot in a damp, dark barracks. Shortly after the departure of the empress from Shlisselburg, on August 3, 1762, the guards of the secret prisoner, officers Vlasyev and Chekin, received new instructions. In it (in clear contradiction with the statement about the insanity of the prisoner) it was said that such conversations should be conducted with Gregory “in order to arouse in him a tendency to the spiritual rank, that is, to monasticism ... explaining to him that his life by God has already been determined for monasticism and that his whole life went on in such a way that he had to hasten to ask for tonsure.” It is hardly possible to have lofty conversations about God and monastic vows with a madman, "devoid of human reason and sense."
It is extremely important that this instruction, unlike the previous ones, also included the following clause: “4. If, more than expected, it happens that someone comes with a team or one, even an officer ... and wants to take a prisoner from you, then do not give him to anyone ... If his hand is strong that it is impossible to escape, then kill the prisoner, but Don't give it to anyone."
... Then an officer appeared with a teamThe attempt to free Ivan Antonovich, undertaken exactly two years later, seemed to have been guessed by the authors of the instructions of 1762. As according to the script, an unknown officer appeared with a team, did not show any papers to the guards, a battle ensued, the attackers stepped up the onslaught and, seeing that “that hand would be strong,” Vlasyev and Chekin rushed into the cell. They, as a contemporary reported, “attacked with drawn swords on the unfortunate prince, who by this time had woken up from the noise and jumped out of bed. He defended himself from their blows and, although he was wounded in the arm, he broke the sword of one of them; then, having no weapons and almost completely naked, he continued to resist strongly, until at last they overpowered him and wounded him in many places. Then, finally, he was finally killed by one of the officers, who pierced him through and through from behind.
In general, a dark and unclean thing has happened. There is reason to suspect Catherine II and her entourage of striving to destroy Ivan Antonovich, who, for all his defenselessness, remained a dangerous rival for the reigning empress, for he was a legitimate sovereign, overthrown by Elizabeth in 1741. There were benevolent rumors about Ivan Antonovich in society. In 1763, a conspiracy was uncovered, the participants of which intended to kill Grigory Orlov, the favorite of the Empress, and marry Ivan Antonovich and Catherine II, in order to close the long dynastic dispute. Neither Orlov nor the Empress herself clearly liked such plans of the conspirators. In general, there was a person - and there was a problem ...
It was then that Lieutenant Vasily Mirovich appeared - a poor, nervous, offended, ambitious young man. Once his ancestor, an associate of Mazepa, was exiled to Siberia, and he wanted to restore justice, return the family's former wealth. When Mirovich turned to his influential countryman, hetman Kirill Razumovsky, for help, he received not money from him, but advice: make your own way, try to grab Fortuna by the forelock - and you will become the same pan as the others! After that, Mirovich decided to release Ivan Antonovich, take him to St. Petersburg and raise a rebellion. However, the case fell through, which seems quite natural to some historians, since they believe that Mirovich was the victim of a provocation, as a result of which a dangerous rival for Catherine died.
Divine Truth and State TruthDuring the trial of Mirovich, an argument suddenly broke out among the judges: how could the security officers raise their hand against the royal prisoner, shed royal blood? The fact is that the instructions dated August 3, 1762, given to Vlasyev and Chekin and ordered to kill the prisoner while trying to release him, were concealed from the judges. However, the judges, not knowing about the instructions, were convinced that the guards acted so cruelly on their own initiative, and not following orders. The question is, why did the authorities need to withhold this instruction from the court?
The story of the murder of Ivan Antonovich again raises the age-old problem of the correspondence between morality and politics. Two truths - Divine and state - collide here in an insoluble, terrible conflict. It turns out that the mortal sin of killing an innocent person can be justified if it is provided for by the instruction, if this sin is committed in the name of national security. But, in fairness, we cannot ignore the words of Catherine, who wrote that Vlasyev and Chekin managed to “stop the inevitable countless victims by stopping the life of one, unfortunately born”, which would undoubtedly have followed if Mirovich’s rebellion was successful. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine what rivers of blood would have flowed through the streets of St. Petersburg if Mirovich had brought Ivan Antonovich (as he supposed) to Liteinaya Sloboda, seized cannons there, raised soldiers, artisans to mutiny ... And this is in the center of a huge, densely populated city.
"God's Guidance Is Wonderful"The death of Ivanushka did not upset Catherine and her entourage. Nikita Panin wrote to the Empress, who at that time was in Livonia: "The case was carried out by a desperate grasp, which was stopped by the inexpressibly laudable resolution of Captain Vlasyev and Lieutenant Chekin." Catherine answered: “I read your reports with great surprise and all the divas that happened in Shlisselburg: God’s guidance is wonderful and untested!” It turns out that the Empress was pleased and even delighted. Knowing Catherine as a humane and liberal person, even believing that she was not involved in the drama on the island, we still agree that, objectively, Ivan's death was beneficial to her: no person - no problem! Indeed, quite recently, in the summer of 1762, in St. Petersburg they passed on a joke of Field Marshal Munnich to each other, who said that he had never lived under three emperors at the same time: one was sitting in Shlisselburg, the other in Ropsha, and the third in Winter. Now, after the death of Peter III “from hemorrhoidal colic” and the death of Ivanushka, no one will joke like that anymore.
The investigation into the Mirovich case was short-lived, and most importantly, unusually humane, which seems strange for cases of this kind. Ekaterina forbade torture of Mirovich, did not allow him to interrogate many of his acquaintances and even the prisoner's brother, escaping with a joke: "My brother, but my mind." Usually, during the investigation in the political police, relatives became the first suspects of complicity with the criminal. Mirovich derl<ался невозмутимо и далее весело. Складывалось впечатление, что он получил какие-то заверения относительно своей безопасности. Он был спокоен, когда его вывели на эшафот, возведенный на Обжорке, - грязной площади у нынешнего Сытного рынка. Собравшиеся на казнь несметные толпы народа были убеждены, что преступника помилуют, - ведь уже больше двадцати лет людей в России не казнили. Палач поднял топор, толпа замерла…
Usually at this moment the secretary on the scaffold stopped the execution and announced the decree on pardon, favoring, as they said in the 17th century, "instead of death, the stomach." But this did not happen, the secretary was silent, the ax fell on Mirovich’s neck, and his head was immediately raised by the executioner by the hair ... on rams and calves.) The people, as G. R. Derzhavin, who was an eyewitness to the execution, wrote, “waiting for some reason for the mercy of the empress, when he saw his head in the hands of the executioner, gasped unanimously and shuddered so much that the strong movement shook the bridge and the railing collapsed." People fell into the Kronverk fortress moat. Verily, the ends were buried in the water...and also in the earth. After all, even before the execution of Mirovich, Catherine ordered that Ivanushka's body be secretly buried somewhere in the fortress.
Centuries have passed, tourists walk around the fortress, it is quiet and peaceful around. But, walking along the paths among the ruins along the thick, flowering grass of the vast and empty courtyard of the Shlisselburg fortress, you involuntarily think that somewhere here, under our feet, lie the remains of a real martyr who lived all his life in a cage and, dying, never died. understood, did not recognize, in the name of which this most unhappy of unhappy lives was given to him by God.
