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How the Empress imprisoned a family of rival heirs to the throne
The Romanov dynasty was incredibly rocky after the death of Peter the Great. Peter had imprisoned his own son, leading to his heir being his grandson, Peter, a boy of ten. As the boy was a minor, Peter’s wife, and the boy’s step-grandmother, assumed the throne as Empress Catherine. Her rule was brief, and at her death, the Russian nobility supported Peter to take the throne as Tsar Peter II. Alas, Peter did not rule long, as he died aged 14. There were no more direct male Romanov heirs.
After Peter II’s death, five competing claims for the throne were made. Two claims came from Peter the Great and Empress Catherine’s daughters, Anna and Elizabeth. The other three claims came from the daughters of Peter the Great’s Brother and co-ruler, Ivan V. Ivan V was mentally and physically impaired, so he reigned in name only. The Russian nobles prefered the daughters of Ivan V, as their mother had been a pious noble woman. In contrast, Empress Catherine’s daughters were born out of wedlock, and this was seen as a slight against the girls. The nobles invited Anna to become Empress.
