Editing Anna of Russia (section)

===Foreign affairs===
During Anna's reign Russia became involved in two major conflicts, the [[War of the Polish Succession]] (1733–1735) and another [[History of the Russo-Turkish wars|Turkish war]].{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=68}} In the former, Russia worked with [[Austrian Empire|Austria]] to support [[Augustus II of Poland|Augustus II]]'s son [[Augustus III of Poland|Augustus]] against the candidacy of [[Stanisław Leszczyński]] who was dependent on the [[Kingdom of France|French]] and amiable with [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] and the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]s. Russia's involvement with the conflict was quickly over, however, and the [[Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739)]] was much more important.{{sfn|Bain|1911|pp=68–69}}

In 1732 [[Nader Shah]] had forced Russia to return the lands in northern mainland [[Persia]] that had been taken during Peter the Great's [[Russo-Persian War (1722–23)|Russo-Persian War]]; the [[Treaty of Resht]] furthermore permitted an alliance against the Ottoman Empire,{{sfn|Tucker|2010|p=729}} the common enemy and, in any case, the provinces of [[Shirvan]], [[Ghilan]], and [[Mazanderan]] had been a net drain on the imperial treasury for the entirety of their occupation.{{sfn|Baynes|1878}} Three years later, in 1735, conforming to the [[Treaty of Ganja]], the remainder of the territories taken more than a decade earlier from Persia in the [[North Caucasus]] and [[South Caucasus]] were returned as well.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The war against the Turks took four and a half years, a hundred thousand men, and millions of rubles;{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=69}} its burdens caused great stress on the people of Russia,{{sfn|Lipski|1956|p=479}} and it only gained Russia the city of [[Azov]] and its environs.{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=69}} Its effects, however, were greater than they first appeared. Osterman's policy of southern expansion prevailed over the 1711 [[Peace of Pruth]] signed by Peter the Great.{{sfn|Lipski|1956|p=487}} Münnich had given Russia its first campaign against Turkey that had not ended in crushing disaster and dissipated the illusion of Ottoman invincibility. He had further shown that Russia's [[grenadier]]s and [[hussar]]s could defeat twice their number of [[janissaries]] and [[spahi]]s. The Tatar hordes of the [[Khanate of Crimea|Crimea]] had been exterminated and Russia's signal and unexpected successes greatly increased its prestige within Europe.{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=69}}{{efn|The English minister [[Claudius Rondeau]] noted soon after that "This court begins to have a great deal to say in the affairs of Europe".{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=69}}}}

The Russians also established a protectorate over the khan of the [[Kirghiz people|Kirghiz]], sending officers to assist his short-lived conquest of [[Khanate of Khiva|Khiva]].{{sfn|Baynes|1878}}

Two [[Qing Dynasty|Chinese]] embassies to Anna's court, first at Moscow in 1731, then at St Petersburg the following year, were the only ones China dispatched to Europe through the 18th century.{{sfn|Baynes|1878}} These embassies were unique also in that they represented the only occasions where officials of the Chinese Empire kowtowed before a foreign ruler.<ref>Hsu, Immunel C.-Y. (1999), ''The Rise of Modern China'', New York, Oxford University Press, pp. 115–118</ref>