Terrible Tsarinas

all the joyful faces, hers was marked by melancholy and resigna-

tion. And she was eclipsed by the beauty, the smile and the poise

of the Tsarevna Elizabeth Petrovna who, according to protocol,

had to be invited to temporarily come out of retirement at Is-

mailovo. Dressed in a gown of rose and silver, very much dé-

colleté, and scintillating with her mother’s jewels (the late Em-

press Catherine I), it seemed as though it was she, and not the

bride, who was enjoying the most wonderful day of her life. Even

Anthony Ulrich, the brand new husband so little appreciated by

Anna Leopoldovna, had eyes only for the tsarevna, the unwanted

guest, whose defeat this ceremony was supposed to confirm.

Obliged to observe her rival’s triumph, hour after hour, the tsa-

rina’s hatred only grew. This creature that she thought she had

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The Extravagant Anna

cut down was still rearing its head.

As for Anna Leopoldovna, she suffered like a martyr, know-

ing she was only a puppet with her aunt pulling the strings.

What distressed her most of all was the prospect of what awaited

her in bed, after the candelabra were extinguished and the danc-

ers had dispersed. An expiatory victim, she understood very well

that while all these people were pretending to be happy over her

good fortune, nobody was in fact concerned about her feelings,

nor even her pleasure. She was not there to be happy, but to be

inseminated.

When the so-dreaded moment arrived, the highest ladies

and the wives of the leading foreign diplomats accompanied Anna

Leopoldovna, in procession, to the bridal suite to participate in

the traditional “bedding of the bride.” This was not exactly the

same ceremony as that which Anna Ivanovna had imposed on her

two buffoons, condemned to freeze all night in the “house of ice”;

and yet, the effect was the same for the young woman, forcibly

married. She was shaken to the bone, not by cold but by fear, at

the thought of the sad destiny that awaited her with a man that

she did not love. When the ladies in her retinue finally withdrew,

she gave in to deep panic and, giving the slip to her chamber-

maids, she fled to the gardens of the Summer Palace. And there, in

tears, she spent the first night of her married life.

Hearing of this scandalous marital truancy, the tsarina and

Bühren called in the poor girl and, preaching, reasoning, begging

and threatening, demanded that she carry through at the first op-

portunity. Sequestered in the next room, a few young ladies of

honor observed the scene through a crack in the door. At the

height of the discussion, they saw the tsarina, flushed with anger,

slap her recalcitrant niece full in the face.

The lesson bore fruit: one year later, on August 23, 1740,

Anna gave birth to a son. He was immediately baptized as Ivan

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Terrible Tsarinas

Antonovich (son of Anthony). The tsarina, who for several

months had been suffering from a vague ailment that the doctors

were hesitant to put a name to, was suddenly reinvigorated by

“the great news.” Transported with joy, she required that all Rus-

sia rejoice in this providential birth. As always, accustomed to

obey and make believe, her subjects celebrated riotously.

But among them, several prudent thinkers asked themselves

by what right a brat of thoroughly German origin (since he was

Brunswick-Bevern by his father, and Mecklenburg-Schwerin by

his mother), and whose only connection to the Romanov dynasty

was through his great-aunt Catherine I, wife of Peter the Great

(herself of Polish-Livonian origin), should be promoted right from

the cradle to the rank of true heir to the Russian crown? By virtue

of what law, what national tradition was the Tsarina Anna

Ivanovna assuming the power to designate her successor? How

could it be that she had no advisor at her side with enough respect

for the history of Russia to hold her back from taking such a sacri-

legious initiative? However, as usual, they kept these offensive

comments to themselves, not wishing to run afoul of Bühren who,

although he was German too, claimed to know better than any

Russian what was appropriate for Russia.

At one time, he had vaguely thought of marrying his own

son, Peter, to Anna Leopoldovna. This plan had failed because of

the princess’s recent union with Anthony Ulrich; now, the favor-

ite was anxious to ensure indirectly his future as acting Head of

State. He considered it all the more urgent to advance his pawns

on the chessboard since Her Majesty’s health was worsening by

the day. There was a concern that she was suffering from a com-

plicated renal impairment due to the effects of “being over the

hill.” The doctors talked of “stones.”

Despite her sufferings, the tsarina still had periods of lucid-

ity. Bühren took advantage of this to ask one last favor: to be

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The Extravagant Anna

named Regent of the empire until the child — who had been just

proclaimed heir to the throne — came to majority. This brazen

request unleashed the indignation of the dying empress’s other