7 facts about Empress Anna Ioannovna (PICS)

1. She was only married for a few months

Peter the Great chose Frederick III, Duke of Courland, as the husband for his 17-year-old niece Anna Ioannovna, daughter of Tsar Ivan V. The wedding took place in November 1710, with the emperor himself crowning the bride. But, the happiness lasted just over two months: less than 50 km from St. Petersburg, Frederick died of uncontrollable alcoholism. Peter ordered the young widow to go to Courland, where she remained until 1730.

2. She could have become the first constitutional monarch

In 1730, Peter II, the last direct male descendant of the Romanov dynasty, died. The Supreme Privy Council, which effectively ruled the country, decided to offer the throne to the female heir, Anna Ioannovna. But, under certain conditions. The future empress was required to sign the so-called ‘Conditions’, which limited her power. These included prohibitions on declaring and ending wars, introducing new taxes and awarding high positions and spending treasury funds at her own discretion. Furthermore, she could not marry or appoint an heir to the throne without the consent of the council, which also retained control of the army.

But, the Guard, the elite part of the Russian army, composed primarily of nobles, opposed this. Anna Ioannovna tore up the ‘Conditions’ and the Guard swore allegiance to her as the autocratic monarch.

3. She returned the capital to St. Petersburg

Peter II, Anna Ioannovna's predecessor, did not return to St. Petersburg after his coronation in Moscow. Until his death, his court (and, thus, the capital) remained in Moscow. Upon ascending the throne, Anna Ioannovna ordered the city on the Neva to be prepared for the court's return. And, in 1732, the empress made her triumphant entry into St. Petersburg.

4. She introduced the fashion for luxury

During her reign, a fashion for "heavy luxury" emerged at court. That Anna Ioannovna's reign would be marked by luxury was clear from the coronation ceremony itself. The empress' dress was made of Lyon brocade. And Russian craftsmen adorned the large crown with 2,500 diamonds and a huge spinel.

Jewelry was the empress' greatest passion. Over her morning cup of coffee, she could spend long periods examining and sorting through her treasures. Or she would go and watch the jewelers at work. One of Anna Ioannovna's most famous purchases was a gold toilet set: Augsburg craftsmen crafted 46 items – flasks, boxes, trays, teapots and coffee pots – from 40 kilograms of gold.

It became fashionable at court to wear dresses and waistcoats in bright, flashy colors and it was unthinkable to appear at court twice in the same outfit. According to poet Antioch Cantemir, the caftans worn by fashionable men of the time cost a fortune – "an entire village". Contemporaries wrote: "She was generous to the point of extravagance, loved splendor to the point of excess, which is why her court surpassed all other European courts in its magnificence."

5. She loved hunting

The empress always had a pair of loaded rifles at hand! She adored hunting, was an excellent marksman and, out of boredom, could start shooting at passing birds right from the window of her chambers. In order not to lose her touch, she practiced shooting by candlelight in the palace in winter, using a blackboard with a target drawn on it.

6. She developed education & science

Under Anna Ioannovna's reign, the Land Noble Cadet Corps – the first military academy for nobility – was established, along with a school for training civil servants and a seminary affiliated with the Academy of Sciences. In 1733, she also established a police force, which appeared in all major cities.

Furthermore, the empress took a keen interest in the history and traditions of the country. During her reign, the Great Northern Expedition took place, whose participants explored the Arctic coast of Siberia and sought sea routes to Japan and America. She also asked the Academy of Sciences to study the peoples of Russia – the total population, ethnic groups and their customs.

7. She was vindictive & loved cruel jokes

Anna Ioannovna long remembered the insults inflicted on her. She exiled or executed the members of the Supreme Privy Council – the Golitsyns and Dolgorukovs. Fearing her overthrow, she established a secret chancery for investigative affairs. Over the course of 10 years, approximately 20,000 people were exiled and 1,000 were executed.

She reprimanded courtiers for the slightest infractions. For example, she slapped poet Trediakovsky after he knelt and read his composition to her. She sent the ladies-in-waiting, who sang to her for ages before bed and dared to complain of fatigue, to work in the laundry.

In 1740, by decree of the empress, the Ice House was built right on the frozen Neva River, rivaling the palaces of the capital in luxury. Anna Ioannova chose it for the wedding of Prince Mikhail Golitsynand court jester Avdotya Buzheninova as a mockery and punishment. She had previously learned that the prince had married a foreigner, converted to Catholicism and was hiding her in Moscow. She ordered Golitsyn to come to St. Petersburg immediately, annulled the marriage and classified him as a court jester. She then married him off to the jester.