Anna Petrovna is the second child of the great ruler of Catherine II. Unrecognized by her father, Peter III, the girl was still the legal heiress of the princely family.
Anna's birth
Anna Petrovna, daughter of Catherine II, was born on the ninth of December 1757 at the Winter Residence in St. Petersburg, where the princely family was at that time. Immediately after birth, the girl was taken to her by Elizabeth, the aunt of Peter III, setting a ban on her nephew and his wife. Elizabeth also gave the child a name, naming the girl in honor of her sister Anna. At the same time, the girl’s mother wanted her to bear the name Elizabeth.
In honor of the birth of Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna, a cannon-shot volley was fired at the Peter and Paul Fortress. The shots thundered exactly 101 times. Mikhail Lomonosov wrote an ode to the daughter of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna on the occasion of her birth. Poetry was presented on behalf of the Academy of Sciences. The content conveyed in a fairly open form judgments on issues of peace and war, so that the ode later played a decisive role in strengthening the Seven Years War.
Secret baptism
Less than ten days later, on December 17, Anna Petrovna, daughter of Catherine II, was baptized in the Great Court Church. This process was completely secret: neither native girls nor courtiers were invited. Even Empress Elizabeth herself entered the church through a side door.
For the birth of a child, both parents were supposed to pay 60 thousand rubles. The money was paid according to the order of Empress Elizabeth. Peter III rejoiced at the money paid, having arranged a holiday and invited the courtiers and representatives of other powers. He received many congratulations on the birth of his daughter.
Catherine II herself could not rejoice either in money or even in the birth of a child. She could not see either the newborn Anna, or Paul who had already grown up, her first son. They remained in the care of her husband's aunt, brought up by dozens of teachers and mentors, but carefully sheltered from visiting their parents. A mother could see her children only with the permission of Elizabeth, who rarely allowed this to happen.
Princess Catherine was left alone during the festivities on the occasion of the birth of Anna. The Empress, assuring the courtyard that the newly made mother needed rest and recovery, did not allow anyone to visit her. So, the woman received congratulations from the courtiers through third parties, lying in bed.
During the baptism, Anna Petrovna was rewarded with the Order of St. Catherine.
The question of fatherhood
Anna Petrovna, daughter of Catherine II, was recognized as the legitimate daughter of a princely couple. But at the same time, Peter III did not consider the girl to be his child, saying that his wife “does not know where she takes the pregnancy from”. At court they knew about the prince's doubts, which he did not hide too much.
Even during pregnancy, Peter III was angry with his wife, sharing his discontent with the court chief-stalmeister Lev Naryshkin. He conveyed all that was said to Catherine II, frightened by such speeches.
The real father of Anna Petrovna for a long time was considered the future Polish king Stanislav Ponyatovsky, who had connections with the princess. He stayed in St. Petersburg for about a year as ambassador of Saxony. Shortly before the birth, Poniatowski was sent to Poland, from where he no longer returned to Catherine II.
Nevertheless, historians are not inclined to one opinion about who, after all, was Anna's biological father. The child’s sudden death, which came very early, also made the task difficult.
The death of Anna Petrovna
The young princess did not live more than a year and died in infancy. The cause of death was called a rare disease today - smallpox. In 1759, Anna Petrovna, daughter of Catherine II, died, leaving her mother to be killed from grief. The death of a child had a very strong impact on the princess, who did not have time to see the girl's maturation.
Anna was buried in the tomb of the Annunciation Church in St. Petersburg. Other members of the imperial family, as well as many public figures, diplomats and politicians, found their last refuge here. On March 9, a manifesto was issued to the people about the death of the Grand Duchess, and on March 10, a funeral commission was created. The official date of death is March 8, 1759.
Thus, Anna Petrovna, having died at an early age, did not have time to commit any significant events. But the issues associated with her birth, until the last day reflected in the history of the Russian Empire.