Anna Leopoldovna and the Infant Emperor: A Romanov Regency

Between the flamboyant reigns of Peter the Great and his daughter Elizabeth, a forgotten chapter unfolds: the short, chaotic regency of Anna Leopoldovna for her infant son, Ivan VI. When Anna Ioannovna died in 1740, she left the throne to her great-nephew, a two-month-old baby. Power fell to Ernst Johann von Biron, the detested favorite of the late empress, but he lasted barely three weeks before a coup by Field Marshal Burchard von Münnich swept him away. Anna Leopoldovna, Ivan's mother, became regent—but she was apathetic, homesick for Germany, and entirely unprepared. While she spent her time in negligee reading French novels, the real power drifted into the hands of the pro-German court clique. This alienated the Russian guard regiments and the powerful nobility, who remembered Peter the Great's vision. The stage was set for Elizabeth Petrovna, Peter's youngest daughter, to stage her own coup in November 1741. Ivan VI was imprisoned, and for the rest of his life he would be known only as 'the nameless prisoner,' locked away in the Shlisselburg Fortress. This episode explores the messy, dramatic vacuum of power that nearly tore Russia apart, the tragic fate of an infant emperor, and the ambition that brought Elizabeth to the throne. #AnnaLeopoldovna #IvanVI #RomanovRegency #ErnstJohannvonBiron #BurchardvonMNnich #ElizabethPetrovna #ShlisselburgFortress #PalaceCoup #18thCenturyRussia #ImperialRussia #RussianHistory #PeterTheGreat #AnnaIoannovna #GuardRegiments #CourtofRussia #StPetersburg #FexingoHistory #History #RomanovDynasty #TsarNicholasII Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo