Biography of Anna Courland

Or sketches about the life of one Moscow princess, the future Russian empress, well, let's admit what associations we have with the name of Empress Anna Ioannovna? Ice house, since. Different dwarfs, dwarfs, jesters at court and their endless fights, two. Biron, three. The dominance of foreigners at the throne, four. The execution of the architect Eropkin is generally horror, five. The secret office, interrogations with addiction - in general, everything that is remembered from the film "Mikhailo Lomonosov" and historical novels.

The appearance also failed - from portraits a fat, ugly and rude woman looks at us. Maybe portraits exaggerate? Let's try to rehabilitate the formidable empress a little. And then it’s somehow insulting-it turns out such an odious historical character. The daughter of King Ivan.

Once upon a time there was one princess. She lived in a high tower, in the royal chambers in winter, in the suburban palace in Izmailovo in the summer. In pre -Petrine Rus', the royal daughters lived by real hermits - stricter than nuns in monasteries. From childhood from year to year, a complete shutter, posts according to the church charter, a prayer rule. All this is exclusively in the company of mothers, nannies and other princesses.

From entertainment - a trip to the church. Moreover, even in the church, the princesses were not in public, God forbid - they stood in the pilgrimage in closed rooms, where no one could see them. Not to mention the fact that the princesses never communicated and did not talk to any outsiders, especially with men. In addition to the father, they could only see the patriarch and confessor.

And no, this is not up to marriage, as you probably thought. There was no question of any marriage for the princesses, the royal daughters were not married. The Orthodox faith did not allow to go out for a foreign prince, and the fatherly custom - for the Russian nobleman. The fate of the Russian princesses was unenviable. After all, princes and boyars in Rus' were considered the same slaves for the king.

Although it is interesting that the princes, on the contrary, the brides of future queens chose themselves from Russian boyar families. In general, the fate of the princesses was unenviable - they spent life in the tower, sometimes they moved to a residence in the monastery and accepted tonsure, and after death they went to the family tomb. Fortunately for Anna Ioannovna, the middle daughter of the Moscow Tsar John Alekseevich, her Uncle Peter I decided to change ancient customs.

Firstly, some teachers came to Anna and her sisters. Secondly, the king began to think about dynastic marriages. And since his own daughters were still small for this, Peter began with his nephews. His late brother John had three daughters - Catherine, Anna, our heroine and Praskovya, and the king ordered them to move to Petersburg in St. Petersburg with his mother Praskovia Fedorovna.

The unloved daughter and niece in the new capital were everything uncomfortable, incomprehensible, foreign. The house in the new -fashioned Dutch style also seemed a stranger. But there was nothing to do. You won’t go against the will of the king, and the Praskovi Feodorovna family settled in St. Petersburg. Too young, thin, and on rumors loved to drink. The first foreign groom appeared in St.

Petersburg in the year. It was a summer young man, the Duke of Courland Friedrich Wilhelm. He was to choose himself among Peter's nieces. Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova had three daughters, but the eldest Catherine “Katyushka-Svet” was a favorite, and the fiancé did not like the future mother-in-law: too young, thin, and in rumors loved to drink. Yes, and his duchy - the backyards of the then Europe - poor, tiny and ruined by the war.

In general, the groom is unenviable. And since Peter I gave the opportunity to choose, Praskovya Fedorovna decided to give out for the Duke of Courland not the eldest daughter, his favorite Catherine, but the middle Anna. The fact is that Praskovi Fedorovna had a difficult relationship with her middle daughter. And indeed, she was as if unloved, constantly as if irritating something.

Peter I supported this decision, and in the year on Vasilyevsky island a wedding was played in the Menshikovsky Palace. She was seventeen years old, eighteen groom. Anna Ioannovna was not married for long. When young people two months after the wedding went home, to the husband’s homeland, they managed to get to Duderhof only. This is the area of ​​the current Red village, that is, the nearest surroundings of St.

Petersburg. Look at this thin, touched teenager. The engraving of Zhm Benigerot, E years, the only existing portrait of Anna, the Duchess of Courland there, at the local estate, during the stop of the Duke became bad and he died. According to rumors from alcohol intoxication. On the eve of the dumpy, he must be “competing in drinking” with Peter I himself. Of course, you won’t envy the young man, but let's better regret Anna Ioannovna - the seventeen -year -old widow returned to Petersburg, where she was not particularly waiting and met, frankly, with irritation and hostility.

Despite this, Anna Ioannovna was glad to return home, she initially did not want either to marry or in Courland. When the matter turned out as it turned out, she probably thought - they say, the Fuf, perhaps, maybe they will be allowed to live in St. Petersburg now?By the way, the position of the childless widow was at that time unimportant. It was necessary either to urgently get married again, or go to the monastery.

He passed for a whole year, while Peter I got his hands to finally deal with the niece-lubricant. And what do you think he decided? And he decided that let Anna still leave for Courland, and the point. Moreover, the same road. Just in case, I remind you - the girl is nineteen years old. Married for two months. There is nowhere to live. Mom saw and dislikes at home. Uncle crazy. On the other hand, she is like a duchess.

There is nothing to do, Anna gathered, and in the year went to Courland. As an assistant, Peter Mikhailovich Bestuzhev was sent with her, and here nineteen-year-old Anna truly shocked her mother, Praskovya Fedorovna. Because she spun an affair with Summer Bestuzhev, and very soon everyone found out about this. Non -banal places, secret corners for advanced travelers, as well as ceremonial Petersburg for those who are traveling for the first time, the Duchess so, nineteen -year -old Anna left from St.

Petersburg to her Courland Duchy. Although, wait, what does "your" mean? Let us, in a two way, recall what this Curland was in those wonderful times. Mitavsky Palace. True, such as in the picture, he became after the death of Anna Ioannovna. In her young years, she got a much more modest residence. The capital is the city of Mitava, where the ducal castle is located.

Later he will turn into a wonderful palace, which has survived to this day. The ruler of Courland was the same eighteen -year -old Friedrich Wilhelm, who married Anna Ioannovna, so unsuccessfully that he died immediately after the wedding. But he was the ruler, in general, only in words. And because he was too young, and because he had Uncle Ferdinand. Which also really wanted to rule, but at the same time lived separately in Gdansk, for he was not fond of the local Courland nobles.

Let's not forget about the Russian resident of Bestuzhev, who, along with Anna, arrived in Mitava. It was he who finished in the end by all the affairs of the duchy. True, after the death of Peter I, Menshikov also pulled his hands to the Courland throne. Moritz Sakson, not to mention Moritsa of Saxon, the illegitimate son of the Polish king. Which, without thinking twice, went straight to our Anna and offered her a hand and heart.

Even the local nobles recognized him for the future duke, and Anna decided that fate had finally smiled at her. In Europe, however, a small political scandal arose, but it managed to hush it up. But then just Menshikov found out about this and decided that it was not time for us to determine in Courland to the course of twenty regiments of the Russian army?

Let, as he wrote to Catherine I, "all Courlyanes of a different opinion will be perceived and the case will be done to the best benefit of the interests of your Majesty." As a result, Moritz was fled, his army was defeated, and Russia began to control Kurland without intermediaries. So, as you can see, Anna Ioannovna depended little on at all, and for years she was someone's pawn in political games around this seemingly insignificant but only at first glance of the Courland throne.

Policy is politics, but the letters of Anna Ioannovna to Russia were preserved, which she regularly sent there, living in Courland. For years, she was someone's pawn in political games around this seemingly insignificant, but only at first glance of the Courland throne.