Anna Ivanovna Mons (Anna-Margreta von Monson) (born January 26, 1672 - death August 15, 1714) - Nicknames - "Monsiha", Queen of Kukui. For more than ten years she was the favorite of the Emperor Peter 1. The Emperor, in order to marry her, even divorced his wife Evdokia. 1704 - Peter's relationship with Mons ends. 1711 - she marries the Prussian envoy Keyserling …
Origin. Family
Before moving to Moscow, her father Johann Georg Mons (Monet, Munet, Monsiana), a German, a native of the city of Minden, was engaged in the wine trade, or, according to other sources, was a goldsmith. Once in Moscow, he took up the wine trade, maintained hotels, and also became a supplier of goods for the tsar's amusing army. Monsam was patronized by a friend of the king, Admiral Franz Jacob Lefort.
This family is probably of Westphalian origin, despite their attempts to find their ancestry in Flanders, add the particle de to their surname and call themselves instead of Mons, Moens de la Croa. Mother - Matryona Efimovna Mogerfleish. Anna was born and lived in the German settlement near Moscow, was the youngest daughter. The family had three more children.
Acquaintance of Peter and Anna
According to some historians, at first Anna was Lefort's mistress, until she exchanged her favorite for Peter 1. It was Lefort who introduced the king in 1690 to his contemporary, 18-year-old beauty from the German settlement Anna Mons. But then something happened that, most likely, even Lefort could not expect - the young tsar really fell in love with the beautiful German woman. Previously, Peter was not aware of this feeling, he had nothing for the wife imposed by his mother, and Anna, who was brought up in the freer and more liberated customs of Europe, was able to touch his heart.
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By the time they met, the Mons family was one of the wealthy inhabitants of the German Quarter. And of course, the new position gave her many benefits. She accompanied the sovereign everywhere, even was nearby at solemn public meetings. Lovers seemed to be challenging society, not hiding their connection.
Favorite
The tsar showered Mons with favors and gifts - Anna and her mother were paid an annual boarding house of 708 rubles, a luxurious two-story stone house was built for them in the German Quarter at public expense, and the Dudinsk volost was granted to her as a patrimony. A personal gift to the favorite was a miniature portrait of the sovereign, decorated with diamonds, the price of which was estimated at a thousand rubles.
1698 - the emperor, returning from the Great Embassy, first of all visited not his legal wife, but his favorite. As for Evdokia Lopukhina, Peter will send her to a monastery in Suzdal in a week.
This will completely ruin Anna's reputation in the eyes of the Russians. The first favorite in Russia was accused of “bewitching” the sovereign and forcing him to “destroy Russia”. This was understood as the transformation of Russian life begun by the tsar in a European manner.
House of Anna Mons in the German Quarter (Painting by A. Benois).
Love of convenience
The sovereign did not pay attention to the hostile attitude of the people to Anna, and seriously thought about concluding a legal marriage with her. But this desire did not evoke the approval of even the most loyal supporters of the sovereign.
First of all, because they, not blinded by feeling, noticed what Peter himself did not want to see. The favorite rather actively used her position for her own enrichment, as well as for the enrichment of relatives. Among the people, Anna received the nickname "Queen of Kukui".
Researchers who studied the letters of the mistress to the king noted that they almost entirely consist of different requests, and are almost completely devoid of tender feelings for the sovereign. The calculating Mons enjoyed the love of the king, but did not feel reciprocal feelings. It was rumored that Anna had relationships with other men for a long time, but the daredevils could not tell about this.
Treason. The end of the relationship
It is not known what the relationship of the tsar with the favorite would have led to if one fine day in 1703 in the pocket of the Saxon envoy Kenigsek, who had recently entered the tsarist service and accidentally drowned at the celebrations in Shlisselburg on the occasion of the completion of the repair of the yacht, love letters were found, the author the sovereign could easily recognize it by style and handwriting. Peter fell into indescribable rage and ordered Mons to be arrested. As it was established, this love affair began when the emperor was leaving for the Grand Embassy.
The sovereign's love for a beautiful German woman was undoubtedly very strong, and if Anna had more intelligence, it is possible that she, and not Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya (after baptism will become Ekaterina Alekseevna), would have been the first Russian empress.
Peter was crushed by this betrayal and will never forgive her betrayal. The relationship with the former favorite ended, although she tried to write letters of repentance to the king. By tsarist decree, she was placed under house arrest. The investigation of this dirty story will continue until 1707.
F. Ya. Lefort.
Effects
A couple of years later, the sovereign will meet Martha Skavronskaya, a foreigner of even less noble origin, who later will become his second wife and the Russian empress.
As for Anna, Peter did not want to hear about her anymore. She was married in divination, the house was confiscated, and several dozen people associated with her were in prison.
The Prussian envoy Georg-John von Keyserling tried to get the sovereign to cancel the house arrest of the former favorite and permission to marry her, but the tsar, in anger, along with the faithful Alexander Menshikov, simply lowered the groom down the stairs.
Inheritance and death
Only in 1711 was Keyserling able to obtain permission for the marriage, which was concluded in June, but in December Anna's husband died suddenly on the way to Berlin. Then, for three years, Anna was in litigation for the property of her deceased husband with his relatives in Courland and still managed to get a decision in her favor.
Although, she practically did not have time to enjoy this inheritance. The litigation was completed in March, and on August 15, 1714, 42-year-old Anna Mons died of fleeting consumption in the German Quarter, in the arms of a sick old woman and a pastor. In the unconsciousness of her dying agony, she regretted only a certain orphan.