The Personality and Reign of the Empress Anna Ioannovna in National Historiography

Abstract

This article focuses on the personality and reign of the Empress Anna Ioannovna in the 1730s. The reign of Anna Ioannovna was perceived through the «Bironovshchina» («Regency of Biron»), as a special political regime, characterised by the dominance of foreigners, brutal repressions against the people, attacks on the Orthodox faith, plundering of the country’s wealth, and widespread espionage and informing. The assessment of Anna’s reign was reflected in historical works, memoirs and literary works from the late 18th century to the first half of the 20th century and was the result of propagandistic judgments by her crowned successors. The global historical rethinking of both the notion of “Bironovshchina” and the whole era of Anna Ioannovna’s reign gradually starts to take place only since the late 20th century. By introducing new, never-published archival sources into the academic circulation, post-Soviet researchers significantly expand the existing source base on the era of Empress Anna and thus introduce a new trend of historical reinterpretation of the stereotypes developed during the reign of Anna. Firstly, these studies expose the stereotypes associated with «Bironovshchina»; secondly, they demonstrate how Empress Anna, despite being uneducated and unprepared to rule the country, managed to adapt herself and to start ruling. She tried to strictly follow the policy of her uncle – Peter I, showing an interest in public affairs. But the long period of life in need eventually told on Anna, so that she began to gradually lose interest in the affairs of the state, leaving everything to her ministers. In this respect, the Empress Anna Ioannovna is not fully responsible for the character of both state and church policy that emerged in the 1730s.