Peter planned to marry his daughters to foreign princes in order to gain European allies for the Russian Empire.

[2] Anna developed into an intelligent, well-read girl who spoke four foreign languages – French, German, Italian and Swedish.

The dark-eyed Anna looked more like her father and was considered more level-headed and intelligent than her younger sister, the fair-haired Elizabeth.

Under the terms of the Treaty of Nystad Russia promised not to interfere in the internal affairs of Sweden, so his hopes proved ill-founded.

By this contract, Anna and Karl Friedrich renounced all rights and claims to the crown of the Russian Empire on behalf of themselves and their descendants.

A few months thereafter, by January 1725, Peter the Great fell mortally ill. As the story goes, on his deathbed he managed to spell the words: to give all..., but could not continue further and sent for Anna to dictate his last will to her.

The wedding party then crossed the River Neva to the Summer Garden, where Mikhail Zemtsov had designed a special banqueting hall for the occasion.

He began to play an important role in the life of the Russian Empire and foreign diplomats predicted that the empress would name Anna as her successor.

The Duke was admitted into the newly established Supreme Secret Council and exerted a moderate influence on Russian politics.

For a long time, the document was not accepted by the government, because it gave the old title of Peter's daughter – Tsesarevna (crown princess of Russia).

Semyon Mordvinov, a lieutenant in the Russian navy, remembers Anna crying bitterly when she gave him her mail to take back to Russia.

[1] In memory of his wife, Karl Friedrich founded the Order of St Anna, which subsequently became a Russian decoration.

The coffin was transported up the River Neva on a galley, with long black crêpe hanging overboard, trailing in the water.