Ernst Johann Biron
| Ernst Johann von Biron | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Courland and Semigallia, Regent of Russia |
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| Reign | 1737–1740 |
| Predecessor | Ferdinand Kettler |
| Successor | Peter von Biron |
| Born |
23 November 1690 Kalnciems, Semigallia, Courland and Semigallia |
| Died | 29 December 1772 (aged 82) Mitau, Courland and Semigallia |
| Burial | Ducal crypt in the Jelgava Palace |
| Spouse | Benigna Gottlieb von Trotha gt Treyden |
| Issue |
Peter von Biron Hedvig Elizabeth von Biron |
| House | Biron |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Ernst Johann von Biron (German: Ernst Johann von Biron; Russian: Эрнст Иоганн Бирон; (German: Bühren); 23 November [O.S. 13 November] 1690 – 29 December [O.S. 18 December] 1772) was a Duke of Courland and Semigallia (1737) and regent of the Russian Empire (1740).
Biron was born as Ernst Johann Biren (note the spelling of 'Biren' and the absence of the noble 'von') in Kalnciems, Semigallia. His grandfather had been a groom in the service of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland, and had received a small estate from his master, which Biron's father inherited and where Biron himself was born. He received some education at the academy of Königsberg, but was expelled from there for riotous conduct. In 1714, he set out to seek his fortune in Russia, and unsuccessfully solicited a place at the offices of Princess Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg, wife of the Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich. After a while, he returned to Mitau, where one of his sisters, who served in the household of the regent Anna, had become the fancy of the ruling minister, Peter Bestuzhev. Through his sister's intercession and the minister's favour, Biron gained a place at court. Later, during his patron’s absence, Biron, a handsome, insinuating fellow, succeeded in supplanting him in Anna's favour, and even procuring the disgrace and banishment of Bestuzhev and his family.
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