Anna Leopoldovna

Anna Leopoldovna (; 18 December 1718 – 19 March 1746), born Elisabeth Katharina Christine von Mecklenburg-Schwerin and also known as Anna Carlovna (А́нна Ка́рловна), was regent of Russia for just over a year (1740–1741) during the minority of her infant son Emperor Ivan VI. Biography Early life Anna Leopoldovna was born Elisabeth Katharina Christine, the daughter of Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, by his wife, Catherine, the eldest daughter of Tsar Ivan V of Russia. Catherine's father, Ivan V, was the elder brother and co-ruler of Russia with Peter the Great, but because he was mentally challenged and unfit to rule, all power was in the hands of Peter the Great, who was like a father to Catherine and looked out for her interest as long as he was alive. Elisabeth's mother, Catherine, was the third wife of Duke Karl Leopold, who had divorced his first two wives after very short marriages (less than two years each). Catherine was the only wife ever to bear him a living child, and Elisabeth was the only child. In 1721, when Elisabeth was three years old, her mother became pregnant a second time, but the child was stillborn. By then, the marriage between her parents was in trouble, and in 1722, Catherine returned to the court of her uncle Peter the Great. She took her daughter with her, and Elisabeth, therefore, grew up in Russia with little or no contact with her father.