Ivan VI of Russia

Ivan VI
Portrait of a young Ivan VI
Emperor of Russia
Reign28 October 1740 – 6 December 1741
PredecessorAnna
SuccessorElizabeth
RegentErnst Johann von Biron (1740)
Anna Leopoldovna (1740–1741)
Born(1740-08-23)23 August 1740
Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Died16 July 1764(1764-07-16) (aged 23)
Shlisselburg, Russian Empire
Burial
HouseMecklenburg-Brunswick-Romanov [ru]
FatherDuke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick
MotherGrand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna of Russia
ReligionRussian Orthodox

Ivan VI Antonovich (Russian: Иван VI Антонович; 23 August [O.S. 12 August] 1740 – 16 July [O.S. 5 July] 1764), also known as Ioann Antonovich,[a] was Emperor of Russia from October 1740 until he was overthrown by his cousin Elizabeth Petrovna in December 1741. He was only two months old when he was proclaimed emperor and his mother, Anna Leopoldovna, named regent, but the throne was seized in a coup after little more than a year. Ivan and his parents were imprisoned far from the capital, and spent the rest of their lives in captivity.

After more than twenty years as a prisoner, Ivan was killed by his guards when some army officers (unknown to Ivan) attempted to free him. His surviving siblings, who had been born in prison, were then released into the custody of their aunt, the Danish queen dowager Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. They settled in Horsens, where they lived in comfort under house arrest for the rest of their lives.
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