First, the history bit …
This story takes us back in time, to the late 17th, early 18th century ... the coldest winter in Tsarist Russia. The problems all started when Tsar Peter II died without leaving any heirs. Now, in cases like this, it was normal for the Tsar to provide the name of his successor, just in case the grim reaper made an expected appearance. Unfortunately, Peter didn’t think to do this, nor did he leave any clues as to who he thought might be up for the job. Given that there was no-one to continue the Romanov line, someone else had to be found to lead the people.
In her time as Tsarina, Catherine I had set up an elite group called the Supreme Privy Council, who had a great deal of clout in the corridors of power. So, it seemed sensible for them to make the decision. One contender was Elizabeth, Peter the Great’s teenage daughter. She could have been a contender, but the council wanted someone they could manipulate. After all, their highest priority was to maintain their dominance. So, they went instead for the daughter of Ivan V, Peter the Great’s niece, Anna Ivanovna.
Eventually, Anna got a bit fed up of spending time on matters of state, so she left her ministers to take care of the country. On reflection, not a good idea. Anyone who opposed them was punished with exile, torture and even death.
Now, Anna isn’t a well-known Empress in Russian history. She reigned for ten years and was, on the whole, not liked by her people. After all, she did nothing for them, really. She also showed great cruelty and insensitivity. Many of her subjects would even go as far as to say that she was just a few slices short of a Hovis loaf.
Anna also had an unhealthy interest in grotesque, foolish or malformed people. She even had her own private collection. This wasn’t unusual for the time in
Onto the story …
Despite her failings, Anna did find a husband. Something drove him to drink, can’t think what. Unfortunately, it proved to be his downfall. One day, on his way back from
Prince Michael Alexievich Golitsyn made a terrible error, which began on a trip to
Back in
Even this wasn’t enough revenge for Anna. She commissioned a palace to be built for their honeymoon. It was to be built entirely from ice. For the product of a cruel joke, this palace was an architectural marvel. It was the one of the coldest winters
On their wedding night, the couple were to take part in a procession, taking them to the palace. They were locked in a cage sitting on top of an elephant, this one was real, and led by Anna’s entourage of strange people. 300 guests were invited to a fantastic feast and transported on sleds pulled by a variety of animals, including pigs and bears.
When they arrived at the castle, they were taken to their ice bedroom and made to spend the night there. Guards were posted on the doors to make sure they didn’t escape. One story has it that the prince had drunk a fair amount and didn’t feel the cold as badly as his new wife. One story has it that she swapped a pearl necklace, which Anna had given her as a wedding present, for the guard’s fur coat. She used it to keep her husband warm all night.
The couple survived the night and were let out in the morning. In fact they found that they got on really well together. The palace melted in the spring.
Anna died of kidney disease soon after the ice palace incident, at the age of 47. The prince was compensated for his losses and Avdotia gave birth to twin sons.
A final word … apparently Anna wasn’t all bad. She did succeed in making ballet and opera popular for the first time in Russian history – allegedly.
Alexandre Dumas wrote a short novel based on the ice palace story – ‘Maison de Glace’.
If you want to experience a night in an ice palace and fancy a holiday with a difference, you can go to the Hotel de Glace in