The Duchess and the Groom

In the gallery of historical Russian royal women, by the whim of capricious fate and the chance of sitting on the Russian throne, Anna Ioannovna (1693–1740) is perhaps the most prominent figure. Anna Ioannovna, like most domineering women of that dark Russian time, was cruel—but what are all her cruel jokes, games, and punishments compared to the outbursts of the great Peter, her royal uncle? Anna Ioannovna also had certain purely feminine weaknesses; but what are those compared to the untamable whims of Catherine the Great? So what, then, draws the attention of historians and novelists to this person? Only one thing: the astonishing tragic fate that pursued her throughout her life. It is as if some kind of curse hung over Anna Ioannovna’s private life, forming a long, whimsical chain. One link after another—hit, hit, and hit…