Editing Anna of Russia (section)

==Early life==
Anna was born in [[Moscow]] as the daughter of Tsar [[Ivan V of Russia|Ivan V]] by his wife [[Praskovia Saltykova]]. Ivan V was co-ruler of Russia along with his younger half-brother Peter the Great, but he was mentally disabled and reportedly had limited capacity for administering the country effectively, and thus Peter effectively ruled alone. Ivan V died in February 1696, when Anna was only three years old, and [[Peter the Great|her half-uncle]] became the sole ruler of Russia.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00144641&tree=LEO | title=Anna, Empress of Russia 1730-1740 : Genealogics }}</ref>

Although Anna was the fourth child of her parents, she had only one surviving elder sister, [[Tsarevna Catherine Ivanovna of Russia|Catherine]], and one younger sister, [[Tsarevna Praskovya Ivanovna of Russia|Praskovia]]. The three girls were raised in a disciplined and austere manner by their widowed mother, a stern lady of sterling character. Born into a family of relatively modest means, [[Praskovia Saltykova]] had been an exemplary wife to a mentally disabled man, and expected her daughters to live up to her own high standards of morality and virtue.{{sfn|Longworth|1972|p=79}} Anna grew up within a milieu which cherished womanly virtue and domesticity above all else, and placed strong emphasis on thrift, charity and religious observances.{{sfn|Longworth|1972|pp=80, 81}} Her education consisted of French, German, religious texts and folklore, leavened with some music and dancing.{{sfn|Longworth|1972|p=81}} As she grew older, she developed into an obstinate girl, with a mean streak, earning her the nickname "Iv-anna the Terrible".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.factinate.com/people/anna-russia/|title = Unhinged Facts About Anna of Russia, the Mad Tsarina|date = 29 April 2020}}</ref> Anna was famed for her big cheeks, "which, as shown in her portraits", says [[Thomas Carlyle]], were "comparable to a [[Westphalia]]n ham".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://vocal.media/families/the-wicked-empress-who-plunged-russia-into-a-dark-age | title=The Wicked Empress Who Plunged Russia into a Dark Age }}</ref>

In time, her uncle [[Peter the great|Peter the Great]] ordered the family to move from Moscow to [[St. Petersburg]]. This meant a change of not just location but also society, and this had a significant effect on Anna. She greatly enjoyed the splendour of court and the lavishness of high society, which was very different from the austerity preferred by her mother.{{sfn|Longworth|1972|p=81}}