I
Having efpoufed Mademoifelle de Trenden, a lady of noble
family, and maid of honour to the dutchefs, he endeavoured, by
means of that alliance, and the favour of his miftrefs, to be admitted
into the body of nobles; but his felicitations were re-
jetted with great contempt.
His afcendency over the duchefs, his fpirit of intrigue, and hit
extreme arrogance, were fo notorious, that when Anne was declared
fovereign of Ruffia, one of the articles propofed to her by
the council of ftate at Mofcow, exprefsly ftipulated, that fee
feould not bring Biron into Ruffia. She confented, but inftantly
broke her word; for fee had fcarcely arrived at Mofcow,. before
he made his appearance at her court.
By his fecret advice, the emprefs formed a ftrong party among
the Ruffian nobility, gained the guards, and brought about the
revolution, which reftored to the crown defpotic authority.
But when the whole plan was ripe for execution, Anne heii-
tated, and was alarmed, till Biron took her by the hand, and led
her to the door of the apartment in which the council of ftate,
fenate, and principal nobility were aflembled; and fee was declared
abfolute fovereign.
Within the fpace of a few months, Biron was appointed gentleman
of the bed-chamber, knight of the order of St. Andrew, and
lord high chamberlain, and, as Manftein fays, was omnipotent
in the government; for, during the whole reign of Anne, and
feme weeks after her death, he ruled with defpotic fway the vait
empire of Ruffia,
On
On the death of Ferdinand Ketler, in 1737» emprefs dif-
patched general Bifmarck, governor of Riga, to Mittau, at the
head of a coniiderable army. The nobles having aflembled in
the cathedral, Bifmarck furrounded the church with troops, and
compelled them to elett for their fovereign the fame Biron whom
they had refuied to admit into their corps. But his new dignity
did not prevent him from keeping his poll of high chamberlain,
and his wife that of firft lady of the bed-chamber.
Biron governed Courland with the fame defpotic fpirit with
which he governed Ruffia; and the nobles, who had been acCuf-
tomed to great freedom of debate in their diets, were fuddenly
reftrained. Thofe who ventured to oppofe his will, or to fpeak
with their ufual freedom, were privately feized by perfons- in
malks, forced into kibitkas, and conveyed to Siberia *.
Of a violent and fanguinary temper, Biron ruled Ruffia with
the knout in his hand, and compelled his imperial miftrefs, who
was naturally of a mild and merciful difpofition, to order atts of
the moll atrocious cruelty, though fee oftentimes interceded,
but in vain, with tears in her eyes, for the unhappy vittims of
his fufpicion and vengeance.
The cruelties exercifed upon the moll illuftrious perfons of
the country almoft exceed belief; and Manftein conjettures,
that “ during the ten years in which Biron’s power continued^
above 20,000 perfons were fent to Siberia, of whom fcarcely
r,ooo were ever more heard of.”
* Manftein, p. 19 6.
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