The Tsaritsa named Ivan, a grand-nephew, the infant son of her niece Anna, her successor under the Regency of Biron, the man who had controlled the policy of the administration during her reign.
This was only a brief and tragic episode.

Biron was swiftly swept out of power and into exile, and succeeded in the Regency by Anna, the mother of the infant Emperor; then, following quickly upon that, was a carefully matured conspiracy formed in the interest of Elizabeth Petrovna, the beautiful daughter whose marriage with the young Louis XV.

had been an object of the great Peter's hopes.
In this connection it is well to mention that the terminations _vich_ and _vna_, so constantly met in Russian names, have an important significance--_vich_ meaning son of, and _vna_ daughter of.

_Elizabeth Petrovna_ is Elizabeth the daughter of Peter, and _Peter Alexievich_ is Peter the son of Alexis.

In like manner Tsarevich and Tsarevna are respectively the son and daughter of the Tsar; Czar, Czarevich, and Czarevna being the modern form, and Czarina instead of Tsaritsa.