Empress Anna II

JonasResende · Sep 1, 2014

In Anisimov's book The Five Empresses, he devotes an entire chapter to the ill-starred Anna Leopoldovna:

On the 23rd of August [1741] the Russian forces under Field Marshal Peter Lacy's command had dealt a crushing blow to the Swedes at the fortress of Vilmanstrand Fortress in Finland...they [the regency] failed to make use of the victory in Finland to strengthen their regime and thus sealed their doom. Ostermann held the reins of government at that time. He tried to prevail on Anna [Leopoldovna] and prevent her from listening to anyone else's advice. But she suspected her prime minister's true intentions and considered the opinions of others as well, like [Mikhail] Golovkin and Brylkin, who urged her to immediately take the title of empress and with it assume absolute power. The necessary documents were already in preparation, and on December 7, 1741, her 23rd birthday, the regent was to be crowned as Empress Anna II...

It then goes on to compare Anna and her husband's cousin, Maria Theresia, especially the similarities in how inexperienced the latter was when arriving on the throne and yet still managed to turn her reign into a triumph at the end of which Austria was a respected power in Europe. However, Anisimov points out Russia is unlike Austria, and very much unlike anywhere else.

What does everyone else think? Given a less successful coup by Elizabeth Petrovna, could Anna be the Empress Russia would need? Or would she spend days with Mengden and Comte Lynar?

Thoughts and opinions appreciated.

Jonathan · Sep 3, 2014

JonasResende said:
It then goes on to compare Anna and her husband's cousin, Maria Theresia, especially the similarities in how inexperienced the latter was when arriving on the throne and yet still managed to turn her reign into a triumph at the end of which Austria was a respected power in Europe. However, Anisimov points out Russia is unlike Austria, and very much unlike anywhere else.

What does everyone else think? Given a less successful coup by Elizabeth Petrovna, could Anna be the Empress Russia would need? Or would she spend days with Mengden and Comte Lynar?

Thoughts and opinions appreciated.

If Anna Leopoldovna, is able to raise an army to stop the coup d'état which wished to place Elizabeth as Empress, I would like to think the government would name Anne as Empress and Defender of the Realm, a title she would keep until her death.
When her son, future Tsar Ivan VI, reachs 18, he is grateful to his mother and her hard work, and does not try and claim it for his own, he is appointed as Admiral of the fleet and Commanding Marshal of the Army, while his younger brothers were given lower titles Peter, was Vice admiral; and Alexei, was Lieutenant general.
This kept the ruling family in command of the army, no other member of the royalty could gain a title over Lieutenant, without signing an alligance to Empress Anna and Ivan.
I wonder if they will treat Elizabeth anything like how she treated them tho?

Welshroyalhistory · Sep 3, 2014

Jonathan said:
I wonder if they will treat Elizabeth anything like how she treated them tho?

Unlikely, Elizabeth was remarkably lenient by the standards of the time as Ivan himself found out when Catherine the Great was on the throne.

I suspect Elisabeth would have been assassinated. She was too brilliant and Ivan, would always be threatened by her. In contrast Elisabeth was able to be merciful because of Ivan's age.

A really exciting timeline would be if one of Ivan's siblings was able to somehow get out of house arrest in Denmark and manage to conceive an heir, that would make for an interesting challenge to Catherine the Great's descendants especially when there was the uncertainty about whether Paul I was really Peter's son.

JonasResende · Sep 3, 2014

Welshroyalhistory said:
Unlikely, Elizabeth was remarkably lenient by the standards of the time as Ivan himself found out when Catherine the Great was on the throne.

I suspect Elisabeth would have been assassinated. She was too brilliant and Ivan, would always be threatened by her. In contrast Elisabeth was able to be merciful because of Ivan's age.

A really exciting timeline would be if one of Ivan's siblings was able to somehow get out of house arrest in Denmark and manage to conceive an heir, that would make for an interesting challenge to Catherine the Great's descendants especially when there was the uncertainty about whether Paul I was really Peter's son.

Elizabeth wasn't lenient, as said in the book on this matter she was petty and vindictive due to thw fact that Anna had a family to surround her (especially children). OTOH Elizabeth wept at Anna's funeral and when she saw Ivan from behind a screen for the first time in 14 years.

Welshroyalhistory · Sep 3, 2014

JonasResende said:
Elizabeth wasn't lenient, as said in the book on this matter she was petty and vindictive due to thw fact that Anna had a family to surround her (especially children). OTOH Elizabeth wept at Anna's funeral and when she saw Ivan from behind a screen for the first time in 14 years.

This is the 1740s we are talking about. Russia. Imprisoning rivals to the crown was lenient by anyone's standards. What would you have her do? Depose them and then let them go free to act as martyrs for every rebellion?

Catherine the Great was not so lenient and had Ivan murdered.

Dismissing Elisabeth as petty and vindictive because she was jealous of Anna's children demeans her, she imprisoned them because they were a threat to her throne and security. She was cunning and intelligent and willing to do just about anything to secure the image of her father's dynasty barring kill her kinswoman and her children.

JonasResende · Sep 3, 2014

I mean no offense to Elizabeth, it is more a case of most books documenting her reign that I have read, treat the coup only briefly, and are full of vagaries about the imprisonment. Certainly by comparison with Anna Ivanovna and Ekaterina II Elizabeth was downright warm and cuddly, if she came to power by ruthless means, it was because ruthless means were required. As you say, this was Russia in December 1740, she wasn't going to wear the tiara any other way.

JonasResende · Apr 22, 2015

Out of curiosity, if Anna is crowned (say Elizabeth's coup is delayed a bit), would/could Elizabeth still incite a rebellion against a lawfully-crowned monarch? And how would this affect Liz's perception in Europe?