How Anna Ivanovna Became “Ivanna The Terrible”
Anna was the daughter of Tsar Ivan V, pictured here and who shared power with his brother, Peter the Great.
Anna Ivanovna was born in 1693 to Ivan V who, though he was a Tsar, didn’t really have any power.
Mentally incapacitated and called “Ivan the Ignorant” for the many hours he sat in utter stillness, Ivan only performed ceremonial duties while the real power rested with his younger half brother, Peter I, better known as Peter the Great.
Her father died when she was three years old, cementing Peter I’s grip on power. Perhaps this early blow also impacted Anna’s personality, as growing up she was considered to be mean, obstinate, and grim, earning her the nickname “Ivanna The Terrible.”
Despite her personality – and a generally lukewarm consensus about her looks — Peter succeeded in arranging her marriage to Frederick William, the Duke of Courland, which is now Latvia, in 1710. Anna was thrilled and wrote to her betrothed:
“I cannot but assure Your Highness that nothing could delight me more than to hear of your declaration of love for me. For my part, I assure Your Highness that I share your feelings. At our next happy meeting, to which I look forward eagerly, I shall, God willing, avail myself of the opportunity of expressing them to you personally.”
The newlyweds had an elaborate, lavish wedding, while Anna’s uncle held a mock one in her honor with two little people back in Russia.
It’s alleged that the young duke then challenged the tsar to a drinking contest. The groom drank so much that, a couple of months later, he died. At 17, Anna Ivanovna found herself a widow.
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