In
1740, Anna chose her grand-nephew, Ioann Antonovich,
as her successor. He was the two month-old son of Prince
Anton
Urlich of
Brunswick
and Anna Leopoldovna, the niece of the Empress Anna.
In 1741, Elizabeth (daughter
of Peter I) seized power. Ioann (Ivan VI) lived on for
some 23 years as a prisoner of the state until an unsuccessful
rescue attempt caused his jailers to do away with him.
On
December 31, 1741, a government decree directed the public to turn in the coins of Ivan VI within
a year for an exchange of new coins at full value. The
"ukaz" stipulated that anyone holding any coins
of Ivan VI after June 1745 would be subject to punishment.
Despite
the decree, historians estimate that coins with the value
of about 24,000 rubles were hoarded by the people and never
turned in for exchange.
