So German, Russian, and English Wikipedia agree on Anna/Lynar and that Lynar was married to Julia Mengden, Anna's lady in waiting and royal favorite. Then they diverge.
English wiki:
Anna's love life took up much time, as the bisexual Anna was involved simultaneously in what were described as "passionate" affairs with the Saxon ambassador Count Moritz zu Lynar and her lady-in-waiting Mengden. Anna's husband did his best to ignore the affairs. After becoming regent, Anton was marginalised, being forced to sleep in another palace while Anna took either Lynar, Mengden or both to bed with her. At times the grand duke would appear to complain about being "cuckolded", but he was always sent away. At one point, Anna proposed to have Lynar marry Mengden in order to unite the two people closest to her in the world together.
German wiki: Anna encouraged the affair of Lynar with Mengden because it gave Anna a cover story to spend time with her lady-in-waiting's husband.
Russian wiki: Mengden/Anton Ulrich! Also, "intriguingly, Julia Mengden facilitated Anna's affair with Lynar by providing her rooms for their affairs." (No mention of threesomes, presumably because Russia officially doesn't have people attracted to the same sex in their country.)
Again, Anton Ulrich, I say: I hope all that philosophy helps! [ETA: Oh, it should go without saying that I'm headcanoning English wiki, because it at least cites modern French, I don't trust the Russian wiki not to be explicitly homophobic, and while Mengden may have been getting it on with both the regent and her husband, that may also have been a story that was made up during homophobic times.]
Also, another unhappy marriage by a Brunswick to a foreign royal who ignored them to spend time with their same-sex favorites (although also opposite-sex in Anna's case, which is possibly related to how they managed to produce a bunch of kids).
...Makes me rethink what life in prison together must have been like. :/
Ooh, the Julia Mengden wiki page article tells me she voluntarily followed Anna Leopoldovna to prison, but when the family was sent to remote Russia in 1744, Mengden was left behind in the old prison. :( At least Catherine let her go when she became Tsarina in 1762 (as not being remotely a threat, I assume).
Also, dang, apparently I had misremembered the details of Lynar! He actually did make it to St. Petersburg in time to replace Suhm and enjoy being the regent's lover, then in 1741 he was traveling back to Saxony to ask permission to leave Saxon service and enter Russian service. (!!) He made it to Dresden, got permission, and he was on his way back when Elizaveta's coup happened. And then the Saxons asked the Russians if they still wanted Lynar, they said no, and so the Saxons kept Lynar in Dresden and Königsberg. Lynar apparently hated Russia for the rest of his life. Given what happened to his lover, I can believe it!
Wow, this is amazing.
1740: Saxon envoy to Russia Suhm requests permission to leave Saxon service so he can be with his royal love. The Saxons grant it. On his way there, he dies.
1741: Saxon envoy to Russia Lynar requests permission to leave Saxon service so he can be with his royal love. The Saxons grant it. On his way there, he finds out his lover has been taken prisoner. They never see each other again.
One, August III is really chill! Can you imagine if two successive Fritzian envoys wanted to leave his service to be with their royal love? Don't worry, August, you'll get your revenge in the 1750s when thousands of conscripted Saxons desert Fritz's service en masse! A Pyrrhic victory, but still.
Saxon envoys and Russian threesomes
English wiki:
Anna's love life took up much time, as the bisexual Anna was involved simultaneously in what were described as "passionate" affairs with the Saxon ambassador Count Moritz zu Lynar and her lady-in-waiting Mengden. Anna's husband did his best to ignore the affairs. After becoming regent, Anton was marginalised, being forced to sleep in another palace while Anna took either Lynar, Mengden or both to bed with her. At times the grand duke would appear to complain about being "cuckolded", but he was always sent away. At one point, Anna proposed to have Lynar marry Mengden in order to unite the two people closest to her in the world together.
German wiki: Anna encouraged the affair of Lynar with Mengden because it gave Anna a cover story to spend time with her lady-in-waiting's husband.
Russian wiki: Mengden/Anton Ulrich! Also, "intriguingly, Julia Mengden facilitated Anna's affair with Lynar by providing her rooms for their affairs." (No mention of threesomes, presumably because Russia officially doesn't have people attracted to the same sex in their country.)
Again, Anton Ulrich, I say: I hope all that philosophy helps! [ETA: Oh, it should go without saying that I'm headcanoning English wiki, because it at least cites modern French, I don't trust the Russian wiki not to be explicitly homophobic, and while Mengden may have been getting it on with both the regent and her husband, that may also have been a story that was made up during homophobic times.]
Also, another unhappy marriage by a Brunswick to a foreign royal who ignored them to spend time with their same-sex favorites (although also opposite-sex in Anna's case, which is possibly related to how they managed to produce a bunch of kids).
...Makes me rethink what life in prison together must have been like. :/
Ooh, the Julia Mengden wiki page article tells me she voluntarily followed Anna Leopoldovna to prison, but when the family was sent to remote Russia in 1744, Mengden was left behind in the old prison. :( At least Catherine let her go when she became Tsarina in 1762 (as not being remotely a threat, I assume).
Also, dang, apparently I had misremembered the details of Lynar! He actually did make it to St. Petersburg in time to replace Suhm and enjoy being the regent's lover, then in 1741 he was traveling back to Saxony to ask permission to leave Saxon service and enter Russian service. (!!) He made it to Dresden, got permission, and he was on his way back when Elizaveta's coup happened. And then the Saxons asked the Russians if they still wanted Lynar, they said no, and so the Saxons kept Lynar in Dresden and Königsberg. Lynar apparently hated Russia for the rest of his life. Given what happened to his lover, I can believe it!
Wow, this is amazing.
1740: Saxon envoy to Russia Suhm requests permission to leave Saxon service so he can be with his royal love. The Saxons grant it. On his way there, he dies.
1741: Saxon envoy to Russia Lynar requests permission to leave Saxon service so he can be with his royal love. The Saxons grant it. On his way there, he finds out his lover has been taken prisoner. They never see each other again.
One, August III is really chill! Can you imagine if two successive Fritzian envoys wanted to leave his service to be with their royal love? Don't worry, August, you'll get your revenge in the 1750s when thousands of conscripted Saxons desert Fritz's service en masse! A Pyrrhic victory, but still.
Two, what is it about Saxon envoys?? :P