Ivan VI - little-known emperor of Russia

In Russia, immediately after the death of Peter the Great, a stage began which historians called the "period of temporary workers". It lasted from 1725 to 1741.

Russian throne

At this time among the members of the royal dynasty there was no one who was able to retain power. And because it was in the hands of the court nobles - "temporary" or random favorites of the rulers. And although at the head of Russia the hereditary heir was formally standing, however, all the people who decided to put him on the kingdom solved all the problems. As a result of the irreconcilable hostility between Peter's comrades in power, Catherine I (Alekseevna) was in power, followed by Peter II, followed by Anna Ivanovna and finally Ivan 6.

Biography

This almost unknown Russian emperor had practically no rights to the throne. Ivan V was only a great-grandson. Born in the summer of 1740, John Antonovich, just two months old, was manifested as the Emperor by the manifesto of Anna Ioannovna. His regent before coming of age was the Duke of Courland Biron.

His mother, Anna Leopoldovna, the eldest granddaughter of Catherine, was Anna Ivanovna's favorite niece. This pleasant, handsome blonde was good-natured and meek, but at the same time she was lazy, slovenly and weak-willed. After the fall of Biron - a favorite of her aunt, she was proclaimed a Russian ruler. This circumstance was at first sympathetically accepted by the people, but soon this fact began to cause condemnation among the common population and the elite. The main reason for this attitude was that in the government of the country the key posts were still in the hands of the Germans, who came to power during the reign of Anna Ioannovna. According to the will of the latter, the Russian throne was received by the Emperor Ivan VI, and in case of his death - by seniority, the other heirs of Anna Leopoldovna.

She herself did not even have an elementary idea of how to manage a state increasingly stealing in foreign hands. Besides, Russian culture was alien to her. Historians also note her indifference to the suffering and concerns of the common people.

Years of the reign of Ivan VI

Dissatisfied with the domination of the power of the Germans, the nobles were grouped around the princess Elizaveta Petrovna. And the people, and the guard, it was her who considered the liberation of the state from foreign governance. Gradually began to contemplate a plot against the ruler and, of course, her baby. At that time, the emperor Ivan VI Antonovich was still a one-year-old child and understood little of court intrigues.

The impetus for an uprising of conspirators is called by historians the decision of Anna Leopoldovna to declare herself a Russian empress. On December 9, 1741, a solemn ceremony was held. Deciding that it was no longer possible to hesitate, Elizabeth Petrovna and a group of faithful guardsmen entered the royal palace on the night of November 25, two weeks before that event. The entire Braunschweig family was arrested: the little Emperor Ivan VI, Anna Leopoldovna and her husband. Thus, the rules of the infant did not last long: from 1740 to 1741.

Insulation

The family of the former ruler, including the deposed John VI and his parents, Elizabeth Petrovna promised freedom, as well as unhindered travel abroad. At first they were sent to Riga, but they were taken into custody there. After that Anna Leopoldovna was charged with being a ruler, she was going to send Elizaveta Petrovna to prison in a monastery. The little emperor and his parents were sent to the Shlisselburg fortress, after which they were transferred to the territory of the Voronezh province, and from there to the Kholmogory. Here the former king, who is mentioned in official sources in his lifetime as John VI, was completely isolated and kept apart from the rest of his family.

"The famous prisoner"

In 1756, Ivan VI was transported from Kholmogory again to the Shlisselburg Fortress. Here he was placed in a separate cell. In the fortress of the former emperor was officially called "a famous prisoner." He, being in complete isolation, had no right to see anyone. This involved even the priests. Historians say that for all the time he was imprisoned he could not see a single human face, although there are documents showing that the "famous prisoner" was aware of his royal origin. In addition, Ivan VI, who was trained by someone else to read and write, always dreamed of a monastery. Since 1759, the prisoner began to show signs of inadequacy. The Empress Catherine II, who met John in 1762, also asserted this confidently. However, the jailers believed that the former emperor was feigning.

The demise

While Ivan VI was in confinement, many attempts were made to free him to re-elevate him to the throne. The last of them turned into a death for a young prisoner. When in 1764, already during the reign of Catherine II, lieutenant Mirovich, officer of the guard service of the Shlisselburg fortress, was able to win over most of the garrison, another attempt was made to free Ivan.

However, the guards - Captain Vlasiev and lieutenant Chekin - had secret instructions to immediately kill the prisoner when they came for him. Even the decree of the Empress could not abolish this order, so in response to Mirovich's harsh demands to surrender and extradite to them "a famous prisoner", they first killed him and then surrendered. The place where Ivan VI was buried is not known for certain. It is considered that the former emperor was buried there in the Shlisselburg Fortress.

Thus ended the fate of one of the most unhappy Russian rulers - Ivan Antonovich, whom historians called also John. With his death, the history of the royal branch, headed by Ivan V Alekseevich, ended, and which did not leave behind either good memory or glorious deeds.