The reign of Ivan 6. Forgotten Emperor-Passion-bearer John VI Antonovich
On July 17 (July 4, Old Style), 1764, an innocent sufferer was killed, the Passion-Bearer Emperor John VI Antonovich.
Brief historical background:
Ivan VI (Ioann Antonovich) (12 (23) August 1740, St. Petersburg - 5 (16) July 1764, Shlisselburg) - Russian emperor from the Braunschweig branch of the Romanov dynasty from October 1740 to November 1741, the great-grandson of Ivan V. Formally reigned the first year his life under the regency of first Biron, and then his own mother Anna Leopoldovna. A year later, there was a coup. The daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth with the Transfigurations, arrested the emperor, his parents and all their entourage. In 1742 the whole family was secretly transferred to the outskirts of Riga - Dunamunde, in 1744 to Oranienburg, then to Kholmogory, where little Ivan was completely isolated from his parents. In 1756 he was transferred to a solitary confinement cell in the Shlisselburg fortress. Ivan (who was called a "famous prisoner") was not allowed to see even the serfs. The infant emperor was overthrown, spent almost his entire life in prison, in solitary confinement, and already in the reign of Catherine II was killed by guards at the age of 23 while trying to free him. During the entire time of his imprisonment, he never saw a single human face. But the documents show that the prisoner knew about his royal origin, was taught to read and write and dreamed of living in a monastery. The guards were given a secret instruction to kill the prisoner if they tried to release him (even after presenting the empress's decree about this). In official lifetime sources, it is referred to as John III, that is, the account is from the first Russian Tsar, Ivan the Terrible; in late historiography, a tradition was established to call him Ivan (John) VI, counting from Ivan I Kalita.
In Russian history, there are many blank spots and dark places, intricate plots and forgotten heroes. One of its most mysterious and tragic characters is Emperor John Antonovich (born on August 2, 1740, killed on July 4, 1764).
Little is known about him.
John VI with his mother Anna Leopoldovna
Monogram of John VI
His entire official biography could be summarized in a few lines. He was the son of Prince Anton-Ulrich of Braunschweig-Luneburg and Anna Leopoldovna, granddaughter of Tsar John Alekseevich. He became the emperor of Russia according to the will of Anna Ioannovna in 1740. But his reign did not last long. On the night of November 24-25, 1741, the young Emperor was overthrown from the throne, which passed to Elizaveta Petrovna, daughter of Emperor Peter I. Throughout his further life, he was in prison, where he died after the failed attempt at "Mirovich's conspiracy."
Being in inhuman conditions, John Antonovich read the Gospel and prayed to God, although he did not have any conditions for a normal church life.
The Infant Emperor who became the Martyr Emperor ...
It seems that not a single ruler of Russia had such a sad fate. Of the incomplete twenty-four years of his life, more than twenty he spent in the most ominous prisons of the Russian Empire, guilty without guilt.
The theme of the Royal Family and wider - the Romanov Dynasty attracts the attention of many historians, publicists, Church and cultural figures. However, among the huge number of publications on this topic, not all works are trustworthy. One gets the impression that some authors see their task in creating a new mythology. The history of the Braunschweig family in Russia is especially indicative in this respect.
Before the 1917 revolution, this topic was taboo for obvious reasons.
Although even then there were researchers who dealt with this topic. Let us note in this regard the activities of S.M. Solovyova, M.I. Semevsky, N.N. Firsova, V.O. Klyuchevsky, A.G. Brickner, M.A. Corfa.
After the revolution, the entire history of Russia in the pre-Soviet period was banned. As if she did not exist at all.
With the collapse of the Soviet regime, the situation began to change little by little. However, the bibliography on the Braunschweig family in Russia is still very modest.
Among the works of contemporary Russian authors, it is worth highlighting the publications of E.V. Anisimova, L.I. Levina, I.V. Kurukina, N.I. Pavlenko, K.A. Pisarenko, A.V. Demkin, who introduce little-known documents from Russian and foreign archives into scientific circulation.
These documents allow one to better navigate the intricacies of Russian politics in the post-Petrine era. The heroes of that time also appear in a new way: the ruler Anna Leopoldovna, Generalissimo Anton-Ulrich, their children, including the Emperor John Antonovich.
Even the burial place of Emperor John Antonovich is still not known for sure. Either it is the Shlisselburg fortress, or the Tikhvin Monastery of the Mother of God ...
But this is our Russian Emperor, who had the same rights to the throne as "Petrov's daughter" Elizabeth and his grandson Karl-Peter-Ulrich (Peter III).
The royal baby was excommunicated from his parents, did not have any proper care and upbringing. However, he mastered the Holy Scriptures on his own. I prayed a lot and earnestly. Observed the fasts. He expressed a desire to take monastic tonsure.
Did not work out.
But he went down in history as a righteous Emperor.
The bullying of the jailers did not break Emperor John VI. He did not die spiritually. And if so, then according to the logic of the struggle for power, it should have been eliminated! His, alive, sane, legitimate Emperor of Russia! ..
Therefore, the persons who guarded John received unspoken instructions to mock him in every possible way, to bully him. In written instructions, they were advised to use physical violence against John, and in case of alarm - to kill him.
Even the prisoner lost his true name.
He was called either "Nameless" convict, or "Grigory" (a mocking analogy with the impostor Grigory Otrepiev).
On December 31, 1741, a decree of the Empress was announced on the surrender of all coins by the population with the name of John Antonovich (see the photo) for subsequent melting.
Any images of Ivan Antonovich were removed from circulation, as well as all documents where, at least by chance, his name was mentioned. The later falsifiers of Russian history had a lot to learn from the leaders of the post-Petrine era.
The future regicides received a "letter of protection" for any atrocities. They understood perfectly well that they were not personally in danger. They were not afraid to “go too far,” as their superiors urged them to use it more often.
The executioners went about their favorite business: driving a person completely and completely dependent on them to madness. Along the way, they ate hearty, drank sweetly, dressed well and profited from him.
And since the guards were also rare self-seekers who deliberately chose the careers of prison guards for themselves, they naturally sought not only to fulfill the order in good faith, but also to protect themselves. And so that their disgusting deeds, unworthy of the honor of Russian officers, did not evoke censure from their superiors, they also wept about their miserable fate and unhappy lot.
What a "monster" they have to guard! After all, they are so kind and gentle. But what kind of meanness can you not do "for the sake of the Fatherland" if the authorities give orders!
And so they did. With feeling, with sense, with arrangement.
And the bosses helped them in this with their detailed "instructions".
That's where these endless fictions about the inappropriate behavior of the "insane prisoner" come from!
The guards first provoked the Emperor into extraordinary deeds, and then, after making fun of the defenseless man, relished describing them in their illiterate and deceitful denunciations.
They especially made fun of the fervent faith of the Orthodox Emperor. They were amused by the fact that the Tsar, who was in inhuman conditions, humbled himself, apparently accepting the feat of foolishness.
This, in our opinion, explains the “inadequate” behavior of John VI, which combined the shocking actions of the holy fool with the depth and wisdom of an ascetic. However, the jailers could not give a correct assessment of such behavior due to their deep ignorance.
If Ioann Antonovich was insane, then why would he be so vigilantly guarded? If he was insane, then why kill him?
Historical facts that have come down to us indicate that he was not crazy.
Apparently, Peter III and then Catherine II were very surprised when, instead of the expected person, a “vegetable”, broken by many years of imprisonment, they saw, though a patient (and where is health in such conditions?), But a very reasonable person who understood well who he was ... It was this, and nothing else, apparently, that brought the death of the Emperor closer.
The bottom line of the story is as follows. In June 1764, Saint Blessed Xenia of Petersburg began to cry bitterly all day. All the people who met her, seeing her in tears, pitied the blessed one, thinking that someone had offended her. Passers-by asked: “Why are you, Andrei Fedorovich, crying? Has anyone offended you? "
The blessed one answered: “There's blood, blood, blood! There the rivers are filled with blood, there are bloody canals, there is blood, blood "... And she cried even harder.
But then no one understood these strange words.
And three weeks later, Blessed Xenia's prediction came true: while trying to free him, John Antonovich was brutally killed in the casemate of the Shlisselburg fortress.
In 1764, when Catherine II was already reigning, second lieutenant V.Ya. Mirovich, who was on guard duty in the Shlisselburg fortress, won over part of the garrison to his side in order to free the prisoner. In response to Mirovich's demand for surrender, the guards stabbed John Antonovich and only then surrendered. Lieutenant Mirovich, who tried to free the Emperor Ivan Antonovich, was arrested and beheaded in St. Petersburg on September 15, 1764 as a state criminal.
There is an unconfirmed version that Mirovich was provoked into an attempted coup in order to get rid of Emperor John Antonovich. Mirovich's "Riot" served as a theme for the novel by G.P. Danilevsky "Mirovich".
Mirovich in front of the body of Ivan VI. Painting by Ivan Tvorozhnikov (1884)
The regicides received a generous reward.
From time immemorial, the words of John Antonovich are heard to us: "I am the prince and sovereign of the local empire!"
The past, of course, cannot be changed. But historical justice must still prevail. We must remember this name!
Anatoly Trunov, Elena Chernikova, Belgorod
Dedicated to the innocently murdered Russian Emperor John VI Antonovich
The Flower grew among the stones,
He dreamed of the sun
About love and kindness
Quietly cried out to God!
Was hidden from the light,
The cold prevailed
That beautiful Flower
I grew up on the stones.
He wanted to surprise
The world with its beauty
At dawn to shine
Cold dew.
He wanted, shuddering,
Stand in the wind
Petals substituting
Rain in the morning.
He grew painfully
I was completely alone.
And with a villainous hand
The Flower was destroyed!
Was mercilessly ripped off
Leaving no trace.
Only remained on the stone
Like tears - dew ...
An angel descended from heaven
And he collected the petals.
In the sky the birds were screaming
From insane melancholy.
But the Flower has not disappeared, -
He went to the Garden of Eden
So that someday again
Go back.
To remind
That beauty will save our world
Teach us patience
In the name of Christ.
I, leaning on a stone,
Silently shed tears
Where that Flower grew
In that harsh land ...
Elena Chernikova
John VI Antonovich
Emperor, b. August 2, 1740, died July 4, 1764. He was the son of Prince Anton-Ulrich of Braunschweig-Luneburg and Anna Leopoldovna, daughter of Duke Karl Leopold of Mecklenburg and Catherine Ioannovna, daughter of Tsar John Alekseevich. Empress Anna, after long hesitation, only on the eve of her death, on October 16, 1740, signed a decree appointing her successor to the all-Russian imperial throne baby John, under regency, until his majority, Duke Ernst John Biron. On the night of November 8-9 of the same year, Biron was overthrown and John's mother, Anna Leopoldovna, became regent, and on the night of November 24-25, 1741, Elizaveta Petrovna overthrew the young emperor and was herself proclaimed empress. They say that Elizabeth, who personally arrested the ruler, took John in her arms and, kissing him, said: "Poor child, you are not guilty of anything, your parents are to blame." The entire Braunschweig family was placed under supervision in the former palace of Elizabeth. In the manifesto of November 28, 1741, it is said that the entire surname will be released abroad and receive a decent content. Elizabeth at first undoubtedly had such intentions. December 12, 1741 Lieutenant General Vas. Fed. Saltykov with a large escort took John with his parents and sister from St. Petersburg; he was ordered to go as soon as possible. But then various suggestions acted on Elizabeth and she decided to detain John in Russia until the arrival of her nephew, Prince Peter of Holstein (later Emperor Peter III Feodorovich), who was chosen by her as heir. On January 9, 1742, the Braunschweig family was brought to Riga and placed in the castle where Biron used to live; here Anna Leopoldovna, at the request of the empress, signed an oath to her for herself and for her son; meanwhile, rumors, perhaps even unfounded, about Anna Leopoldovna's hostile attitude towards the new government and Turchaninov's conspiracy (in July 1742), forced Elizabeth to see John as a dangerous pretender and therefore she decided not to let him out of Russia. On December 13, 1742, the Braunschweig family was placed in the Dinamünde fortress; when, in July 1743, a new conspiracy, Lopukhina, was discovered, then in January 1744 it was decided to transfer the entire surname to Ranenburg (now Ryazan province), and Lieutenant Vyndomsky, who was appointed to deliver Anna Leopoldovna there with the family of the them to Orenburg. On July 27, 1744, an order was given to chamberlain Nikolai Andreevich Korf to take those arrested to the Solovetsky monastery. Arriving in Ranenburg on August 10, Korf found almost the entire family sick; he asked Petersburg what to do, and was ordered to immediately fulfill the order; then already Korf ordered the dispatch of the arrested. Young John Korf was to be handed over to Major Miller, who was strictly forbidden to show the baby to anyone, it was even ordered to call him not John, but Gregory. In October, we arrived in Kholmogory and Korf, stopping here, since because of the ice it was impossible to go to Solovki, he insisted that the prisoners should be kept in Kholmogory, in the bishop's house, imagining that in Solovki it would be more difficult to deliver them food and keep them in secret. John was placed apart from the whole family and one might think that the others did not even know that he was almost next to them. Korf left for Petersburg in the spring of 1745, surrendering supervision of the prisoners to the captain of the Izmailovsky regiment, Guryev, with whom Miller and Vyndomsky remained. We have no details about Ivan Antonovich's stay in Kholmogory; know that he was also kept in the strictest confidence; it was only if he was very dangerously ill that a priest was allowed to see him; Miller's wife, despite her illness, was not allowed to leave Kholmogory; all who knew about the baby were obliged by an oath not to say anything about him; Elizabeth's government took all sorts of measures to destroy the very memory of the emperor of John: it was ordered to destroy the jury sheets with his name, to destroy the sheets with his title in the books, to re-coin coins and medals with his image. It was, of course, forbidden to tell the baby who he was; it was also forbidden to teach him to read; however, John knew his name, he knew that he was a prince and even called himself the sovereign of the country where he was, and if, perhaps, he could not read - as one should think from the words of the decree concerning his death - then all the same, he was somewhat versed in the Holy Scriptures, had some information about the works of the church fathers; this fact is attested by the reports of the officer who watched him in Shlisselburg and remains inexplicable.
In 1756, a fugitive criminal Ivan Zubarev was brought to the Secret Chancellery, who, by the way, said that he was in Berlin, through the famous Manstein he saw King Frederick himself and that he was persuaded to raise the schismatics in favor of John Antonovich and promised to steal the prince himself. from Kholmogory. Even if no faith was given to this story in its entirety, it became, nevertheless, obvious from it that the whereabouts of the former emperor became known to many. Therefore, it was decided to transfer him to another, more reliable place, and in 1756, in the dead of night, the life-campaign sergeant Savin took him to Shlisselburg. He was kept there under the direct supervision of the head of the Secret Chancellery, Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov, under the close supervision of the guard, Captain Shubin, and when he fell ill, Captain Ovtsyn; their assistants were two officers Vlasyev and Chekin. Ovtsin's reports are known and describe to us the state of the prisoner from 1757 to 1761. His whereabouts were carefully hidden; it was forbidden for officers to tell their relatives where they were in their letters; letters to them had to be written simply to the Secret Chancellery. The hopeless imprisonment, not to mention the morally difficult situation, had a destructive effect on the prisoner's organism. Sheep repeatedly reported about his completely abnormal behavior and was more inclined to think that he was really crazy than that he was pretending. The prisoner was extremely irritable and suspicious; it constantly seemed to him that he was being spoiled by whispers, bad looks; he interpreted almost every movement of those around him as directed towards his harm and, in general, was extremely easily irritated, often attempted to beat those around him; talked to himself a lot, saying completely incomprehensible things; he constantly expressed his deepest contempt for everyone around him, called himself a great man, a prince, said that he was incorporeal, that only the spirit of St. Gregory assumed his appearance, at times he said that he wanted to get a haircut, but refused the name Gervasius offered to him and wanted to take the name Theodosius, thought to be a metropolitan and said that then he would ask God for permission to bow to images and even some people, and that without this he would not should worship anyone. He was restrained from his occasional fits of violence by depriving him of tea and his best clothes; the presence of officers, who often deliberately teased him, was hard on him. Sometimes they think that the testimony about the madness of Ivan Antonovich is not entirely reliable and the basis of mistrust is indicated by the fact that the most direct and positive testimony in this sense was given by the officers supervising the prisoner after his death. But even the earlier reports of Ovtsin give us undoubted indications of the abnormality of the state of Ivan Antonovich; As for what was said about the prisoner's madness with particular decisiveness after his death, this is completely natural: then this question was raised directly, and besides, it is quite natural that the prison guards did not consider it necessary to constantly repeat in their usual daily reports about his madness, but directly expressed their conviction of this after his death. Peter III Feodorovich, upon accession to the throne, visited the prisoner in Shlisselburg, accompanied by H. A. Korf, Ungern, Alexander Naryshkin and Volkov; according to Korff, this meeting was transmitted by Buching; John gave the impression of being physically weak and mentally disturbed; the same is said in the manifesto on the occasion of his death, and it is mentioned that Catherine also saw him; the circumstances of this meeting are completely unknown; but one note by Catherine to H. I. Panin, without specifying the time, gives reason to believe that Catherine really went to Shlisselburg (Collected Imperial Russian Ist. Ob. VII, 331); according to the general opinion, John was extremely tongue-tied, spoke - although supporting his lower jaw with his hand - so that it was almost impossible to understand him. Peter III thought to improve the fate of the prisoner and place him in a special building built for him; but after the overthrow of Peter this assumption did not come true. Under Catherine the prisoner was under the direct supervision of NI Panin, who in the early days of Catherine's reign was closely involved in all the most important internal affairs; in the very first days after the empress's accession, Major General Silin took the prisoner out of Shlisselburg and went to Kexholm, since it was decided to place Pyotr Feodorovich in Shlisselburg; but the storm delayed them on the road, and after the death of Pyotr Feodorovich, John was returned to Shlisselburg. The prisoner remained in the same position; it became even more difficult, because the officers, burdened by their duty to be irreconcilable with the prisoner, were becoming more and more hostile to him and the more teased him. The public knew so little about the prisoner that his whereabouts remained unknown even to people like Senator Eve. Yves. Neplyuev, and that at times assumptions and wishes arose that Elizabeth, and then Catherine, would marry him. - John died a violent death. On the night of July 4-5, 1764, Lieutenant V. Ya. Mirovich tried to free the prisoner, with the aim of proclaiming him emperor, in the hope of making himself happy. The officers assigned to John Vlasyev and Chekin with their guards first fought off Mirovich and the soldiers who followed him, but then, when Mirovich began to prepare a cannon to break the doors, they, fearing that the prisoner would be taken away from them, stabbed him, according to the instructions given on such a case by him earlier and confirmed by NI Panin. The body of the former emperor was buried somewhere in the Shlisselburg fortress, according to the Christian rite, but secretly. - The political history of Russia during the time when Ioann Antonovich was emperor is set out in the biography of Anna Leopoldovna, and the details of the attempt on Mirovich's life - in the biography of this latter.
Soloviev, "History of Russia", vols. XXI, XXII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI; Brickner, "Emperor John Antonovich and his relatives", in "Russian Bulletin" No. 1874 and separately; "Emperor John Antonovich", in "Russian Antiquity" 1879, №№ 3, 5, 7; MI Semevsky, "John Antonovich", in "Fatherland. Zap.", 1866, v. VII; Bilbasov, "The History of Catherine II", I, 189-197; Kovalevsky, "Count Bludov and His Time", 222-230; "Readings of Moscow General Historical and Ancient", 1860, III, 149-154 and 1861, I, 182-185: Pekarsky, "Papers of K. I. Arseniev", 375-408; Kashpirev, "Monuments of Contemporary Russian History", I, 307-312; "The Eighteenth Century", III, 357-387; "West. Europe", 1808, h. 40, 197; "The internal life of the Russian state. From October 17, 1740 to November 25, 1741", parts I and II; "Senate Archives", vols. II - IV; Full Collected Order No. 9192, 9197, 12228, 12241; Collection. Imp. Rus. Gen., VII, 331, 364, 365-373.
N. Chechulin.
(Polovtsov)
John VI Antonovich
Sometimes also called I. III (according to the account of the kings), the son of the niece of the Empress Anna Ioannovna, Princess of Mecklenburg Anna Leopoldovna, and Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg Anton-Ulrich, b. On August 12, 1740 and Anna Ioannovna's manifesto of October 5, 1740, he was declared heir to the throne. Upon the death of Anna Ioannovna (October 17, 1740), I. was proclaimed emperor, and the manifesto on October 18 announced the award of the regency to I.'s majority, that is, until he was 17 years old. Duke of Courland Biron. After the overthrow of Biron Minich (November 8), the regency passed to Anna Leopoldovna (see the corresponding article), but already at night on December 25. 1741 ruler with her husband and children, including the imp. I., were arrested in the palace by Elizabeth Petrovna and the latter was proclaimed empress. At first, she intended to send the deposed emperor with all his family abroad, and on December 12. In 1741 they were sent from St. Petersburg to Riga, under the supervision of the general-leith. V.F.Saltykov; but then Elizabeth changed her mind and, before reaching Riga, Saltykov was ordered to go as quietly as possible, delaying the journey under various pretexts, and in Riga to stop and wait for new orders. The prisoners stayed in Riga until 13 December. 1742 when they were transported to the Dinamünde fortress. During this time, Elizabeth finally matured the decision not to let I. and his parents, as dangerous candidates, from the borders of Russia. In January 1744, a decree was issued on the new transportation of the former ruler with her family, this time to the city of Ranenburg (now in the city of Ryazan province), and the executor of this order, Lieutenant-Captain Vyndomsky, almost brought them to Orenburg ... On June 27, 1744, the chamberlain Baron N.A.Korf was ordered by a decree of the empress to take the family of royal prisoners to the Solovetsky monastery, and I., both during this journey and during his stay in Solovki, had to be completely separated from his family and no one from outsiders should not have access to him, except only a specially assigned supervisor. Korf took the prisoners, however, only to Kholmogory and, presenting to the government all the difficulty of transporting them to Solovki and keeping them in secret, persuaded them to leave them in this city. Here I. spent about 12 years in complete solitary confinement, cut off from all communication with people; the only person with whom he could see was Major Miller, who was watching him, in turn, almost deprived of the opportunity to communicate with other persons who guarded the family of the former emperor. Nevertheless, rumors about I.'s stay in Kholmogory spread, and the government decided to take new precautions. At the beginning of 1756, the sergeant of the life campaign Savin was ordered to secretly take I. from Kholmogory and secretly deliver to Shlisselburg, and Colonel Vyndomsky, the chief bailiff of the Brunswick family, was given a decree: with an increase in the guard, so as not to pretend to take out the prisoner; to our office and upon the departure of the prisoner, report that he is under your guard, as previously reported. " In Shlisselburg, the secret was to be kept no less strictly: the commandant of the fortress himself should not have known who was being held in it under the name of a "famous prisoner"; only three officers of the command guarding him could see I. and knew his name; they were forbidden to tell I. where he was; even the field marshal could not be allowed into the fortress without a decree from the Secret Chancellery. With the accession of Peter III, the position of I. did not improve, but rather still changed for the worse, although there were rumors about Peter's intention to free the prisoner. The instruction given by gr. AI Shuvalov to the chief bailiff I. (Prince Churmanteev), ordered, among other things: will not listen, then beat up to your consideration with a stick and a whip. " In the decree of Peter III, Churmanteev of January 1, 1762 was commanded: "If, beyond our hopes, whoever would dare to take the prisoner away from you, in this case, resist as much as possible and not give the prisoner alive." In the instructions given after the accession to the throne of Catherine by N. I. Panin, who was entrusted to her with the main supervision over the maintenance of the Shlisselburg prisoner, this last point was expressed even more clearly: even though it was a commandant or some other officer, without a personal order signed by Her I.V. or without a written order from me and wanted to take the prisoner from you, then he should not give him to anyone and read everything for forgery or an enemy's hand. If this hand is so strong that it is impossible to be saved, then kill the prisoner, and not give him the living one into the hands of anyone. " According to some reports, after Catherine's accession to the throne, Bestuzhev drew up a plan for her marriage to I. It is true that Catherine at that time saw I. and, as she herself later admitted in the manifesto, found him damaged in her mind. I. and the reports of the officers assigned to him were portrayed as crazy or, at least, easily losing their peace of mind. However, I. knew his origin, despite the mystery surrounding him, and called himself a sovereign. Despite the strict prohibition to teach him anything, he learned to read and write from someone, and then he was allowed to read the Bible. The secret of I.'s stay in Shlisselburg was not preserved, and this finally ruined him. Second lieutenant of the Smolensk infantry regiment, who stood in the garrison of the fortress. Yak. Mirovich decided to release him and proclaim him emperor; on the night of July 4-5, 1764, he began to fulfill his plan and, having won over the garrison soldiers with the help of forged manifestos, arrested the commandant of the fortress Berednikov and demanded that I. on the fortress cannon, they surrendered, previously, according to the exact meaning of the instructions, killing I. After a thorough investigation, which revealed the complete absence of accomplices in Mirovich, the latter was executed. During the reign of Elizabeth and her immediate successors, the very name I; was persecuted: the seals of his reign were altered, the coin was poured, all business papers with the name of imp. I. was ordered to collect and send to the Senate; manifestos, jury lists, church books, forms of commemoration of persons Imp. at home in churches, sermons and passports were ordered to be burned, the rest of the cases should be kept sealed and, when inquiring about them, not use the title and name of I., whence the name of these documents came from "cases with a known title." Only the highest approved on August 19. The 1762 report of the Senate stopped the further extermination of the affairs of I.'s time, which threatened to violate the interests of private individuals. Recently, the documents that have survived have been partly published in full, partly processed in the Moscow edition. archive min. justice.
Literature: Soloviev, "History of Russia" (vols. 21 and 22); Hermann, "Geschichte des Russischen Staates"; M. Semevsky, "Ivan VI Antonovich" ("Fatherland. Notes", 1866, v. CLXV); Brickner, "Emperor John Antonovich and his relatives. 1741-1807" (M., 1874); "The internal life of the Russian state from October 17, 1740 to November 20, 1741" (published by the Moscow architect of the Ministry of Justice, vol. I, 1880, vol. II, 1886); Bilbasov, "Geschichte Catherine II" (vol. II); some minor information is still in the articles "Russian. Antiquities": "The fate of the family of the ruler Anna Leopoldovna" (1873, vol. VII) and "Emperor John Antonovich" (1879, vol. 24 and 25).
V. M- n.
(Brockhaus)
John VI Antonovich
Emperor of All Russia, son of pr. Anton-Ulrich of Braunschweig-Luneburg and Anna Leopoldovna - daughter of hertz. Karl-Leopold of Mecklenburg and Ekaterina Ioannovna (daughter of Tsar John V Alekseevich); genus. 2 aug. 1740, was an imperial since October 17. of the same year until the night of 26 Nov. 1741 During his early childhood, the regents ruled: first the Duke of Biron, then his mother. After the overthrow of the Empress by Elizaveta Petrovna I. was in exile, initially together with his mother and father in Riga, Dinamünde, Ranenburg and Kholmogory, although he was placed separately from them, and from 1756 he was imprisoned in Shlisselburg. fortress until his death, on the night of July 5, 1764, when he was killed. when trying to pore. Mirovich to proclaim him again as an im-r. I. received almost no education; it seems that he could not even read, but he knew that he was a prince and sovereign. Afterbirth. years of life I. was very upset with nerves and even mentally abnormal.
(Military enz.)
Big biographical encyclopedia. 2009 .
IVAN VI ANTONOVICH(1740-1764), Russian emperor. Born on August 12 (23), 1740 in St. Petersburg. Father Anton-Ulrich is the son of Ferdinand-Albrecht, Duke of Braunschweig-Bevern. Mother Anna Leopoldovna - daughter of Karl-Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Tsar Ivan V Alekseevich and sister of Empress Anna Ivanovna. By the imperial manifesto on October 5 (16), 1740 he was proclaimed heir to the throne. After the death of Anna Ivanovna on October 17 (28), 1740, as a two-month-old child, he was elevated to the Russian throne; On October 18 (29), I.-E.Biron was declared regent under him. On November 9 (20), as a result of a coup d'etat organized by B.-Kh. Minikh, the regency passed to his mother Anna Leopoldovna.
Overthrown as a result of a coup d'état on November 24-25 (December 5-6) 1741. The new Empress Elizaveta Petrovna initially ordered that he and his family be sent abroad and on December 12 (23) they left Petersburg, but soon changed her mind, she ordered to detain them in Riga. On December 13 (24), 1742, the Braunschweig surname was transported to the outskirts of Riga Dinamünde (modern Daugavgriv), and in January 1744 - to Oranienburg in Ryazan province (modern Chaplygin). In June 1744, it was decided to send them to the Solovetsky Monastery, but they only reached Kholmogory: the chamberlain N.A. Korf, accompanying them, citing the difficulties of the journey and the impossibility of keeping their stay on Solovki secret, convinced the government to leave them there. A four-year-old boy was isolated from his parents and placed under the supervision of Major Miller. In 1746 he lost his mother, who died in childbirth.
The spreading rumors about Ivan's stay in Kholmogory forced the government in 1756 to secretly transport him to the Shlisselburg fortress, where he was imprisoned in solitary confinement and kept in complete isolation; only three officers were allowed access to it; even the commandant of the fortress did not know the name of his prisoner. In 1759, he showed signs of mental disorder, but the jailers considered them a simulation.
With the accession of Peter III to the throne in December 1761, Ivan Antonovich's position did not improve; moreover, instructions were given to kill him while attempting to free him. In March 1762, the new emperor paid a visit to the prisoner, which, however, remained without consequences. After the accession to the throne of Catherine II, a project arose for her marriage with Ivan Antonovich, which would allow her to legitimize her power. Probably in August 1762 she visited the prisoner and considered him insane. After the discovery in the fall of 1762 of a guards conspiracy to overthrow Catherine II, Ivan's detention regime was tightened; the empress confirmed the previous instructions of Peter III.
On the night of 4 (15) to 5 (16) July 1764 Second Lieutenant V.Ya. Mirovich, who was on guard duty in the Shlisselburg fortress, drew part of the garrison to his side, arrested the commandant and, threatening to use artillery, demanded the surrender of the prisoner. After a short resistance, the guards surrendered, having previously killed Ivan. In view of the senselessness of further actions, V.Ya. Mirovich surrendered to the authorities and was executed. The body of the former emperor is buried in the Shlisselburg fortress.
Ivan Krivushin
Ivan VI Antonovich (1740-1764) - Russian emperor who ruled from 1740-1741. He ascended the throne at the age of 2 months after the death of Empress Anna Ioannovna. The deceased empress had no children, but she really did not want state power to be in the hands of the descendants of Peter I.
Of the closest relatives, Mother Empress had only her niece Anna Leopoldovna (1718-1746) - the daughter of Ekaterina Ioannovna (1691-1733), the elder sister of Anna Ioannovna. It was on her that all the hopes of the Romanov family were placed, which did not have a single direct male heir.
In 1731, the empress ordered that the subjects swear allegiance to the unborn child, who will be born to Anna Leopoldovna. And in 1733 they found a groom for a grown-up girl. It became Prince Anton Ulrich of Braunschweig (1714-1776).
He arrived in St. Petersburg, but neither the empress, nor her court, nor the bride liked him. For several years he served in the Russian army, and in 1739 he was nevertheless married to a noticeably matured bride. In the first half of August 1740, a boy was born to a young couple. They named him Ivan. This was the beginning of the Braunschweig family.
Anna Leopoldovna, mother of Ivan VI Antonovich
(Unknown artist)
Accession to the throne of Ivan VI Antonovich
He was completely isolated and did not even see the faces of his guards. In 1764, second lieutenant Vasily Yakovlevich Mirovich, who was on the guard of the Shlisselburg fortress, gathered like-minded people around him and tried to free the legitimate emperor.
But the guards first stabbed Ivan with sabers, and only then surrendered to the rebels. As for Mirovich, after that he was arrested, tried as a state criminal and beheaded. The body of the slain emperor was secretly buried on the territory of the Shlisselburg fortress.
Anton Ulrich of Braunschweig (artist A. Roslin)
Braunschweig family
Even before her exile, Anna Leopoldovna gave birth to a girl Catherine (1741-1807) in 1741. Already living in Kholmogory, the woman gave birth to Elizabeth (1743-1782), Peter (1745-1798) and Alexei (1746-1787). After the last childbirth, she died of childbirth fever.
Her husband Anton Ulrich of Braunschweig shared all the hardships of exile with his wife and children. When Catherine II ascended the Russian throne in 1762, she invited the prince to leave Russia, but without children. He refused to leave them alone in captivity. This man died in 1776 in Kholmogory at the age of 61.
The children lived in captivity for almost 40 years. When, during the reign of Catherine II, an official came to them and asked about their desires, the captives said: "We heard that flowers grow in the fields outside the prison walls. We would like to see them at least once."
In 1780, the children of Anton Ulrich and Anna Leopoldovna were exiled abroad to Denmark. There they subsequently died. The Braunschweig family ceased to exist after their death.
As for those who committed atrocities in relation to absolutely innocent people, then God's punishment has passed them. Retribution took place only after more than 100 years, when Emperor Nicholas II and his family were brutally murdered. The punishment came, but not the villains themselves went to the chopping block, but their descendants. God's judgment is always late, since Heaven has its own idea of time.
Alexey Starikov
Ivan VI Antonovich (John Antonovich)
Lived: 12 (23) August 1740 - 5 (16) July 1764
Reign: 1740-1741
Russian emperor from the Welf dynasty from October 1740 to November 1741, great-grandson of Ivan V.
Son of Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick and Anna Leopoldovna.
In official sources, Ivan is referred to as John III, that is, the account is from the first Russian tsar; in late historiography, there was a tendency to call him Ivan (John) VI, considering him from.
The reign of Ivan VI
After the death of the Empress, 2-month-old Ivan 
Antonovich (son of Anna Leopoldovna, niece of Anna Ioannovna), was proclaimed emperor. Anna Ioannovna wanted to leave the throne for the descendants of her father Ivan V and was very worried that he would not pass to the descendants of Peter I. Therefore, in her will she indicated that the heir was John Antonovich, and in case of his death, the other children of her niece Anna Leopoldovna order of precedence if born
Under Ivan, Duke E.I. Biron, and after the overthrow of the latter by the guards after 2 weeks of Ivan's reign, Anna Leopoldovna was declared the new regent. Unable to rule the country, Anna gradually transferred her power to Munnich, and soon she was replaced by Osterman, who dismissed the field marshal.
Overthrow of Ivan VI
A year later, another coup took place. Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, arrested Osterman with the Transfiguration, Emperor Ivan VI, his parents and all their entourage.
On November 25, 1741 he was overthrown. First, Ivan VI Antonovich and his parents were sent into exile, then transferred to a solitary confinement cell. The place of imprisonment of the former emperor was constantly changing and was kept in a terrible secret.
On December 31, 1741, a decree of Empress Elizabeth was announced on the surrender of all coins with the name of John Antonovich to the population for melting. Later, a decree was published on the destruction of all portraits with the image of John Antonovich and on the replacement of business documents with the name of the emperor with new ones.
Ivan VI and Peter III in Shlisselburg. In 1742 the whole family was secretly transferred to the outskirts of Riga - Dunamunde, then in 1744 to Oranienburg, and then, further from the border, to the north of the country - to Kholmogory, where little Ivan Antonovich was completely isolated from his parents.
In 1746 Ivan was left without a mother, she died from long northern campaigns.
Since 1756, Ivan Antonovich was in the Shlisselburg Fortress in a solitary confinement. In the fortress, Ivan (officially referred to as the "famous prisoner") was completely isolated from the people. But the documents show that the prisoner-emperor knew about his royal origin, knew the letter and dreamed of monastic life. Since 1759, Ivan Antonovich began to observe signs of inappropriate behavior.
While Ivan was in captivity, many attempts were made to free the deposed emperor and re-elevate him to the throne.
In 1764, Ivan, at the age of 24, was killed by guards during an attempt by officer V.Ya. Mirovich, together with part of the garrison, free him and proclaim him emperor instead of Catherine II.
Mirovich was arrested and executed in St. Petersburg as a state criminal.
The "famous prisoner", the former emperor Ivan Antonovich, is believed to be buried in the Shlisselburg fortress; but in fact, he is the only Russian emperor whose burial place is not known for sure at the present time.
Ivan did not marry, he had no children.