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...