470:, but she crushed the powerful nobility, notably the Dolgorukis and the Galitsins, and placed her reliance exclusively on Biron, who became for all practical purposes the ruler of the Empire. His ascendancy over the empress was unshakable, and whenever required, Biron's enemies and rivals were swept out of the way quite literally; he is said to have caused over 1000 executions, while the number of persons exiled by him to Siberia is estimated at between 20,000–40,000. Meanwhile, the common people were ground down by taxation. Russians have described this reign as the
488:
40:
507:, died childless in that year. The Kettler dynasty being now extinct, the estates were called upon to elect a new duke, and Anna proposed Biron. He was almost as unpopular in Courland and Semigallia as in Russia, and the estates were mortified at the prospect of this upstart holding sway over them, but the will of the empress could not be easily gainsaid. Still, it was found necessary to supply large sums of money, smuggled into Courland and Semigallia in the shape of bills payable in
438:(1703–1782), lady-in-waiting to Regent Anna and the daughter of a Baltic nobleman. The marriage, which was reportedly arranged by Anna in an attempt to conceal her own relationship with Biron, proved harmonious and felicitous. His wife remained devoted to Biron not only throughout his years as Anna's favorite and confidant, but also during his two decades of exile to Siberia after her death, which Benigna shared with Biron. They had three children together, a son,
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303:
418:. Through his sister's intercession and the minister's favour, Biron gained a place at Anna's court. Later, during his patron's absence, Biron, a handsome, insinuating fellow, succeeded in supplanting him in Anna's favour, and even procuring the disgrace and banishment of Bestuzhev and his family. From this time to the end of her life, Biron's influence over
478:
During the latter years of Anna's reign in Russia, Biron increased enormously in power and riches. His apartments in the palace adjoined those of the empress, and his liveries, furniture and equipages were scarcely less expensive or splendid than hers. The magnificence of his plate astonished the
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told her that the only way she could save the man she loved from the vengeance of his enemies after her death was to facilitate in time his descent from his untenable position. Finally, on 26 October 1740, a so-called "positive declaration" signed by 194 dignitaries, in the name of the
Russian
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and the "German yoke." Nevertheless, he showed himself an administrator of considerable ability, and maintained order in the Empire at a time when troubles could have been expected, because the main
Romanov line was now extinct, and even the empress did not have children or definite heirs.
462:
with an income of 50,000 crowns a year. It was on this occasion that his name was first rendered in court documents as 'Biron' (rather than 'Biren'), and he is said to have adopted the arms of the French Ducal House of Biron, to which house he did not in fact have the slightest connection.
479:
French ambassador, and the diamonds of his duchess were the envy of princes. A special department of state looked after his brood mares and stallions. He had landed estates everywhere. Half the bribes intended for the
Russian court passed through his coffers.
453:
was elevated to the
Russian throne. Biron and his wife moved to Moscow, both of them retaining their position as adviser and lady-in-waiting, and received many honours and riches. At Anna's coronation (19 May 1730), Biron was appointed grand chamberlain, made
714:
547:
Outwardly humble during his first years in power, Biron became haughty and overbearing towards the end of Anna's reign. This behavior and the gruesome execution on somewhat dubious charges of his erstwhile protégé, the cabinet minister
498:
The climax of his elevation occurred in June 1737 when, on the extinction of the line of
Kettler, the nobility ('estates') of Courland were arm-twisted into electing Biron as their reigning duke. Anna had been the wife of
571:. A commission was appointed to try his case, and it condemned him (11 April 1741) to death by quartering. However, this sentence was commuted by the clemency of the new regent,
619:, his capital, on 29 December 1772. His wife, who had been his faithful companion in all his travails, as in his ascendency, survived him by ten years. Biron was succeeded as
511:
to bearer, in order to persuade the electors to fall in with Anna's choice. There was another complication: the duchy of
Courland and Semigallia was then in dispute between
1191:
583:. All of Biron's vast property was confiscated, including his diamonds, worth £600,000. A second palace revolution occurred soon afterwards, and the new empress,
384:, and had received a small estate from his master, which Biron's father inherited and where Biron himself was born. He received some education at the academy of
778:
1161:
388:, but was expelled from there for riotous conduct. In 1714, he set out to seek his fortune in Russia, and unsuccessfully solicited a place at the offices of
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Anna died on
October 28. Biron's regency lasted exactly three weeks - at midnight on 19 November 1740 he was seized in his bedroom by his ancient rival,
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For 22 years, the ex-regent disappeared from the high places of history. He re-emerged for a brief moment in 1762, when the
Germanophile
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787:
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On her deathbed, very unwillingly and only at his urgent entreaty, Anna appointed Biron regent during the minority of the baby emperor,
898:
1156:
523:, on the Polish throne. In return, the Elector promised that Biron would be invested with the duchy of Courland and Semigallia. The
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was paramount, and he would be at the pinnacle of this life during the period when she ruled Russia as
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in 1769. The last years of his rule were just and even benevolent, if somewhat autocratic. He died at
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376:(1660–1740). His grandfather Carl Bühren (died in 1674) had been a groom in the service of
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was bought by certain territorial concessions. The investiture took place in 1739 at
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552:(insisted upon by Biron), made Biron unpopular with Russians of all classes.
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re-established him in his duchy of
Courland, which he bequeathed to his son
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791:. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 979.
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587:, banished Münnich and permitted Biron to take up his residence at
768:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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13 November] 1690 – 29 December [
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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531:, readily countenanced these violent acts, and the king of
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Karl von Bühren (1653–1733) and his wife
Katharina Hedwig
965:
Mistresses and minions of Russian emperors and empresses
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The Council of the Empire attempted to secure from Anna
402:
Unsuccessful in Russia, Biron returned after a while to
673:Игорь Курукин, Бирон. Moscow, Molodaia Gvardiia, 2006.
406:(Courland), where one of his sisters, who served as a
344:(1737–1740 and 1763–1769) and briefly regent of the
575:, the mother of Ivan VI, to banishment for life at
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1192:Burials in the Ducal Crypt of the Jelgava Palace
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414:, had become the fancy of the ruling minister,
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1162:Baltic-German people from the Russian Empire
539:by authority of the Polish king and senate.
956:
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804:; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905).
340:18 December] 1772) was a Duke of
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564:nation, conferred the regency on Biron.
519:. Russian armies were employed to place
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390:Princess Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg
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1197:Internal exiles from the Russian Empire
899:Duke Louis Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg
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436:Benigna Gottlieb von Trotha gt Treyden
215:Benigna Gottlieb von Trotha gt Treyden
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816:(1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
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909:Charles of Saxony, Duke of Courland
356:Biron was born as Ernst Johann von
286:Catharina Hedwig von Raab gt Thülen
13:
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527:, subordinating everything to his
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658:Diplomatic Dispatches from Russia
1157:People from Jelgava Municipality
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646:Christoph Hermann von Manstein,
603:summoned him to court. In 1763,
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650:(English edition, London, 1856)
521:Augustus III, Elector of Saxony
483:Duke of Courland and Semigallia
226:
48:Duke of Courland and Semigallia
31:Duke of Courland and Semigallia
18:Duke of Courland and Semigallia
1182:Male lovers of Russian royalty
836:New International Encyclopedia
813:New International Encyclopedia
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1:
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641:The Pupils of Peter the Great
503:, whose successor, his uncle
120:28 October – 20 November 1740
701:Catharina von Raab gt Thülen
468:an aristocratic constitution
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660:(St Petersburg, 1889–1892).
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458:, and granted an estate at
374:von der Raab genannt Thülen
251:Hedvig, Baroness Cherkasova
10:
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1065:Alexander Dmitriev-Mamonov
807:"Biron, Ernest John"
332:); 23 November [
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412:Anna, regent of Courland
848:Ernst Johann von Biron
788:Encyclopædia Britannica
715:Encyclopædia Britannica
434:In 1723, Biron married
342:Courland and Semigallia
246:Peter, Duke of Courland
190:Courland and Semigallia
170:Courland and Semigallia
994:Ernst Johann von Biron
668:Il mangiatore di carta
605:Catherine II of Russia
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322:Ernst Johann von Biron
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314:Ernst Johann von Biron
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24:Ernst Johann von Biron
1121:Mathilde Kschessinska
1116:Catherine Dolgorukova
1030:Alexander Vasilchikov
830:"Anna Ivanovna"
670:(Milano:SugarCo) 1989
569:Field Marshal Münnich
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456:a count of the Empire
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1152:18th-century regents
1050:Ivan Rimsky-Korsakov
1009:Elizaveta Vorontsova
513:Poland and Lithuania
501:the penultimate duke
1086:Yekaterina Nelidova
779:Biren, Ernst Johann
775:Bain, Robert Nisbet
601:Peter III of Russia
494:in Rundale, Latvia.
368:as a second son of
200:Ducal crypt in the
76:Council of the Duke
1060:Alexander Yermolov
999:Aleksey Razumovsky
664:Edgardo Franzosini
637:Robert Nisbet Bain
613:Rastrelli's palace
585:Elizabeth Petrovna
529:Pragmatic Sanction
525:Emperor Charles VI
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326:Эрнст Иоганн Бирон
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1172:Dukes of Courland
1167:Counts in Germany
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1055:Alexander Lanskoy
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923:Succeeded by
896:Succeeded by
882:Ferdinand Kettler
557:Ivan VI of Russia
492:Biron's residence
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255:Prince Karl Ernst
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1106:Varvara Nelidova
1101:Maria Naryshkina
1096:Louise Chevalier
1040:Pyotr Zavadovsky
1035:Grigory Potemkin
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382:Duke of Courland
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308:Duke of Courland
306:Coat of arms as
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408:lady in waiting
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424:Empress Anna
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181:(1772-12-29)
29:
15:
1147:1772 deaths
1142:1690 births
595:Later years
352:Early years
328:; (German:
324:; Russian:
295:Lutheranism
90:Predecessor
62:Predecessor
1136:Categories
920:1763–1769
893:1737–1740
755:References
386:Königsberg
366:Semigallia
166:Semigallia
155:1690-11-23
1079:1796–1917
1018:1762–1796
979:Anna Mons
972:1700–1762
777:(1911). "
745:Bain 1911
589:Yaroslavl
509:Amsterdam
505:Ferdinand
449:In 1730,
394:Tsarevich
362:Kalnciems
348:in 1740.
135:Successor
100:Successor
85:1763–1769
72:Successor
66:Ferdinand
57:1737–1740
631:See also
291:Religion
162:Kalnzeem
839:. 1905.
799::
785:(ed.).
772::
648:Memoirs
581:Siberia
533:Prussia
231:
223:
219:
129:Ivan VI
125:Monarch
117:Regency
94:Charles
864:
781:". In
766:
677:
617:Mitava
559:. Her
537:Warsaw
517:Russia
460:Wenden
370:Cornet
358:Bühren
330:Bühren
318:German
283:Mother
275:Father
209:Spouse
196:Burial
866:Died:
859:Born:
686:Notes
609:Peter
577:Pelym
440:Peter
404:Mitau
269:Biron
264:House
238:Issue
225:(
221:
186:Mitau
104:Peter
82:Reign
54:Reign
868:1772
861:1690
675:ISBN
515:and
451:Anna
420:Anna
338:O.S.
334:O.S.
176:Died
149:Born
615:in
579:in
410:to
360:in
1138::
833:.
810:.
721:^
666:,
656:,
639:,
627:.
591:.
446:.
426:.
399:.
380:,
364:,
320::
227:m.
188:,
168:,
164:,
957:e
950:t
943:v
747:.
704:.
681:.
316:(
157:)
153:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
