Ivan VI

Ivan VI, 1740–64, czar of Russia (1740–41), great-grandson of Ivan V. He was the son of Prince Anthony Ulric of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and of Anna Leopoldovna. An infant, he succeeded his great-aunt, Czarina Anna, on the Russian throne under the unpopular regency of his mother. In 1741, Elizabeth, daughter of Peter I (Peter the Great), overthrew Anna Leopoldovna's regime and became czarina. Ivan grew up in solitary confinement. An attempt by a young officer to liberate him and make him czar resulted in his murder in the fortress of Schlüsselburg, according to standing instructions given by Czarina Catherine II.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Russian, Soviet, and CIS History: Biographies