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For those who enjoy taking a diversion from the more important things of life, I bring you the story of the Icy Queen.
Russian Tsaritsa Anna Ivanovna (1693-1740)
This is the story of the mean queen, Tsaritsa Anna Ivanovna, who reigned as Duchess of Courland from 1711 to 1730 and as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740. Anna was the fourth-born daughter of the feeble-minded Tsar Ivan V, Peter the Great’s older half-brother, and his wife Praskoviya Fyodorovna Saltykova.
She became Empress in 1730 upon the death of Peter II, appointed by the Russian Supreme Privy Council. Hoping she would feel indebted to the nobles for her unexpected fortune and remain merely a figurehead, she was convinced to sign articles limiting her power so that they could establish a constitutional monarchy. She soon had plans of her own and established herself as an autocratic ruler. To consolidate her power she restored [...]