Terrible Tsarinas

Catherine Ivanovna and Charles Leopold, prince of Mecklenburg.

The little princess was brought to Russia in the twinkling of

an eye. The gamine was only 13 years old at the time. Lutheran by

confession, she was re-baptized as an Orthodox and had her first

name changed from Elizabeth to Anna Leopoldovna; she became

the second most eminent figure in the empire, after her aunt Anna

Ivanovna. She grew into an insipid teenager with a fair complex-

ion; there wasn’t much sparkle in her eye, but she had enough

brains to manage a conversation (provided that the subject was

not too serious). As soon as she reached the age of 19, her aunt,

the tsarina, who was a good judge of a woman’s physical and

moral resources, decreed that she was ready for marriage. Suit-

able prospects were hastily sought.

Of course, Anna Ivanovna turned her attention first toward

what she liked to think of as her homeland, Germany. That land

of discipline and virtue was the only place to find husbands and

wives worthy of reigning over barbarian Muscovy. Charged with

discovering a rara avis amidst the flocks of crowing roosters, Karl

Gustav Loewenwolde went out to see what he could see. Upon

his return, he recommended either Margrave Charles of Prussia or

Prince Anthony Ulrich of Bevern, of the house of Brunswick,

brother-in-law of the crown prince in Prussia. Personally, he was

inclined in favor of the second candidate, whereas Ostermann,

with his special interest in foreign relations, was inclined toward

the first. The advantages and disadvantages of the two champions

were debated before Anna Ivanovna, without consulting the inter-

ested party who would, however, have her word to say, for she

was already over the age of 20.

To tell the truth, the empress had only one goal in all this

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The Extravagant Anna

political-marital machination: to have her niece bring a child into

the world as soon as possible, in order to make it heir to the

crown, which would cut short any maneuvers by external parties.

But who would be more likely to impregnate sweet Anna Leo-

poldovna faster, Charles of Prussia or Prince Anthony Ulrich?

Hesitating, they had Anthony Ulrich brought in to be presented

to Her Majesty. One glance was enough for the Empress to evalu-

ate the applicant: a decent young man, polished, weak. Certainly

not appropriate for her niece — nor for the country, for that mat-

ter. But the omniscient Bühren was anxious to build him up. And

time was of the essence, for the girl was not sitting idle, herself.

She had recently fallen in love with Count Charles Maurice of Ly-

nar, Saxon minister at St. Petersburg. Fortunately, the king of

Saxony had recalled the diplomat and posted him to another sta-

tion. Heartbroken, Anna Leopoldovna immediately threw herself

into another passion. This time, it was a woman: Baroness Julie

Mengden. They quickly became inseparable. How far did they

take their intimacy? They were the chief butt of gossip at the

court and in the embassies; “a lover’s passion for a new mistress is

nothing, compared to this,” noted the English minister Edward

Finch.6 On the other hand, the Prussian minister Axel of Marde-

feld was more skeptical; he wrote to his king, in French: “Nobody

can understand the source of the Grand Duchess’s [Anna Leo-

poldovna] supernatural attraction to Juliette [Julie Mengden]; so I

am not surprised that the public accuses this girl of following the

tastes of the famous Sapho. . . . a black calumny, . . . for the late

empress, on similar charges, made this young lady undergo a rig-

orous examination, . . . and the commission’s report was favorable

in that they found that she is a girl in every part, without any ap-

pearance of maleness [sic].”7

Given the danger that this deviant love represented, Anna

Ivanovna decided that it was time to take action. A bad marriage

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Terrible Tsarinas

would be better than a prolonged delay. As for the virgin’s tender

feelings, Her Majesty laughed them off. This little person, whose

grace and innocence had charmed her at first, had become annoy-

ing over the years; she had become demanding, and had a disap-

pointingly obstinate temperament. Certainly, she had adopted

Anna not to make her happy, as she had claimed hundreds of

times, but to put more distance between the throne and Tsarevna

Elizabeth Petrovna, whom she hated. Anna Leopoldovna’s only

value in her eyes was as a smokescreen, a last resort, or a conven-

ient womb to be used. So let her settle for someone like Anthony

Ulrich for husband! Even that was too good for an airhead like

her!

Despite the fiancée’s tears, the wedding took place on July

14, 1739. The majestic ball that followed the bridal blessing be-

dazzled even the most bilious diplomats. The bride wore a gown

of silver thread, heavily embroidered. A diamond crown shone

with the light of a thousand flames in her thick dark hair, with

luscious braids. However, she was not the star of the ball. In her

fairytale toilette, she looked out of place in this company. Among