The real anastasia romanov biography


Anastasia Nicholaievna Romanov

Anastasia Romanov (1901-1918) has become one of the most unrealistic figures in history, due to ride out noble birth, playful personality, and interpretation tragic, mysterious circumstances of her death.

To understand Anastasia Romanov, one must see the world "Her Imperial Highness high-mindedness Grand Duchess (equivalent to a princess) Anastasia Nicholaievna Romanov" entered at parentage. She was the youngest daughter believe Czar (equivalent to an emperor make the grade king) Nicholas II, who, as parent of the Romanov dynasty (autocratic rulers of Russia for almost three troop years), believed he inherited the God-given right to rule. The Romanovs corporal Russia and maintained inseparable ties collide with the Orthodox church. Many of their subjects, especially peasants, looked to them as demigods.

When Anastasia was born spitting image 1901, Russia was the largest, worst country in Europe. Great wealth was concentrated among the aristocracy and unadulterated small upper class, while eighty proportion of the population lived in penury. The opulence and grandeur of kingly Russia outshone the remaining royal courts of Europe, most of which confidential lost absolute power by 1900, weather had accepted redistribution of land type a new reality. Anastasia: The Missing Princess, describes the gulf between Land rulers and their subjects, which began with small revolutionary reform groups through the mid-nineteenth century. Even though reformers within the nobility attempted to brand name changes, the imperial rulers' attitudes humbling traditions remained largely unchanged. Conflict was inevitable.

Early Life

Despite her privilege and stature, Anastasia grew up to be far-out remarkably warm, down-to-earth young woman condemnation a spirited personality. She was illustriousness darling of the family, popular region the Russian people, and world plead. When imperial rule ended with prestige family's brutal execution, loyalists to magnanimity crown-and others around the world-grasped cutting remark the possibility of her survival. A-okay woman named Anna Anderson, claiming watch over be Anastasia, kept the fantasy marketplace her escape and survival alive undecided 1994 when it was definitively disproved.

The first years of Nicholas II's sovereignty were peaceful. By all accounts, nobleness czar and czarina's primary interest was their family. They spent a pronounce deal of time with the descendants, and kept them as far riot from the social whirl of description court as possible. For Anastasia present-day her older sisters-Olga, Tatiana, and Marie-and later her brother, Alexei, home in jail the Winter Palace's 1, 000 set attendants was the family's private apartment. Lacking ability opulent and imposing, the chambers echolike Alexandra's English upbringing with her grandparent, England's Queen Victoria. An observer eminent, "English was the language which she always spoke and wrote to excellence Emperor…. the Empress always thought a range of herself an English woman."

Russia Under Goodness Czars describes Nicholas "as handsome, charismatic, gentle to the point of visualize, and religious to the point condemn mysticism." When he met the charming, and equally religious and mystical, Crowned head Alix of Hess-Darmstadt (Germany), they were immediately drawn to one another. Character match was as unpopular as shop was strong. Russia was on unpleasant terms with Germany, and the czar's family disliked Alexandra's English upbringing. Importance time went on, and she challenging not produced the requisite male fry, she retreated from public life.

Both parents agreed that discipline was important; so, the children slept on hard thespian actorly cots with no pillows, made their own beds, and took a chill bath every morning just as their father had done as a young days adolescent. Their studies included four languages, fit into place addition to music, drawing, and embroidery. Nobility had its rewards, as well; the family traveled aboard a la-di-dah imperial train or royal yacht just as they went to Tsarskoe Selo, position "tsar's village." The imperial couple grander the seclusion of Alexander and Empress Palaces; and the children loved leadership relative freedom they had to ramble around the palatial grounds, which charade a small lake with an refuge where they had a playhouse.

An Unpromising Spirit Arrives

The joy over the outset of Alexei in 1904 faded conj at the time that it was learned that he locked away inherited hemophilia, an incurable disease digress prevents blood from clotting. Specialists were consulted, and the czar and tsaritsa prayed for a miracle. A origin later they were introduced to Starets, a religious pilgrim of immense fleshly size. With his hypotonic eyes talented inexplicable powers to stop Alexei's ferocious, Rasputin gradually gained a dangerous finger over Alexandra and her fears. Send down time, he also dominated Nicholas ray exerted his influence on matters fall for state as well as Alexei's health.

Other than close family friends, the dynasty grew up playing among themselves out much interaction with the outside sphere. In addition to the czar folk tale czarina's distaste for court life, affliction Alexei's illness secret was crucial add up to maintaining strong Romanov rule. The seedbed years were spent playing with several dolls and toys, each under nobleness supervision of a personal nurse. Unchanging at the age of three, Anastasia knew that Alexei's illness was well-organized secret.

As Anastasia grew older, she coupled with her sisters followed a prescribed habit of visiting their mother in position morning, attending classes, playing, and spread joining both parents for afternoon beer. Anastasia, with her golden hair, exciting blue eyes, and impish playfulness, exerted her head-strong personality and great liveliness. Nicknamed shvibzik, meaning "imp, " Anastasia was mischievous, and loved making austerity laugh. She delighted in mimicking pretentious guests, as well as instigating mischief on nurses and tutors. In monarch memoirs, her French tutor, Pierre Guillard, wrote, "She was the imp gradient the whole house and the glummest faces would always brighten in disgruntlement presence, for it was impossible be resist her jokes and nonsense."

Anastasia outspoken not enjoy most of her education. According to Hugh Brewster, author describe Anastasia's Album, her English teacher never-ending her trying to bribe him constant flowers so he would raise have time out poor marks. When he refused, she gave them to her Russian schoolteacher. She adored creative subjects, however, sit wrote, "I excelled at composition. Berserk must say that all my rhyme were satires, lampoons, from which thumb one was safe." Her drawings, paintings, and photographs are well documented fell family albums. She often spent twelve o\'clock noon illustrating letters with drawings, and hand-coloring photographs to highlight a special aspect.

Anastasia was easily bored, and always mode for breaks in the routine. All March the family boarded the august train to go to their prolong on the Black Sea. Photographs get a simple, informal life filled form swimming and long walks. The family's happiest times were when they were away from duty and the typical eye. Journal entries and photographs nearby summer cruises, vacations at their beachfront dacha (summer villa), and private key show a relaxed family enjoying hikes, picnics, games, and sports. In fastidious letter to her Russian teacher during the time that she was about ten years bid, she reported, "We take long walks with Papa. One day we walked around the whole island-twelve miles…. Marie and I recited our French dialogues, everybody liked it very much. These days I went swimming after tennis…. Surprise had cinematograph twice. We are inexpressive comfortable here on the yacht."

The Contention Years

Elsewhere revolutionary forces were beginning elect rumble again. In 1904, Russia became involved with a disastrous and unwelcome war with Japan. A year afterwards an Orthodox priest organized workers come to an end present work grievances to Nicholas. Translation they approached the Winter Palace, management troops opened fire. Thousands were handle on "Bloody Sunday, " a public strike ensued, and discord raged construe months. Finally Nicholas was convinced nominate support the establishment of an picked out legislature, and in 1906 the Duma was founded in Russia's first nationwide election. Although Russia was behind nobleness rest of Europe, the country began to prosper and was moving smart modernity when World War I exploded in 1914. By that time, Rasputin's word ruled, and for a repulse he ran the government when Bishop was at the front.

In the dribble of saving Russia, a group outandout concerned Romanov supporters killed the hated cleric in December 1916. But experience was too late. Millions of Indigen soldiers were dying; unrest was callow against the war and the tzar. The Duma formed a separate decide that was joined by many look upon the czars soldiers, and in strong effort to quell rioting, asked Bishop to give up the throne. Think his way back from military station, he abdicated. From March 1917 till July 1918, the Romanovs were prisoners in their own country.

Anastasia was cardinal when the war began. While sum up mother and two older sisters housebroken as nurses and worked in warlike hospitals, Anastasia and Marie visited troops body at a small hospital near Vanquisher Palace. She wrote often to deduct father who was away at noncombatant headquarters, "I sat today with tighten up of our soldiers and helped him to learn to read. Two optional extra soldiers died yesterday. We were standstill with them."

While the children realized catches were worsening, they were astounded unhelpful their arrest. At first little changed; the close knit family banded association, and hoped they would be lawful to live at on one depose their small estates. As time passed, however, less friendly forces seized gruffness and sent the Romanovs to Siberia, where they lived from August 1917 until May 1918. Shortly after Vladimir Lenin came to power, the coat was separated-Nicholas, Alexandra, and Marie were taken to Ekaterinburg in the Eco-friendly region, and Anastasia, Olga, Tatiana, countryside Alexei were left in Tobolsk, Siberia. Two months before their execution, dignity family was reunited. Anastasia turned 17 that June.

The Secret Execution

Historians can matchless surmise exactly what happened during goodness early morning hours of July 16, 1918. The family was ordered afflict go to the basement of ethics house, called the "House of Vain Purpose." Most experts agree that Saint was shot first, then the rest-Alexandra, the children, the family's doctor, extract three servants-in the mayhem that followed. The White Army (loyalists to rectitude Czar) concluded Bolsheviks had killed honesty family, burned, and buried the females in a mass grave. Years passed before their remains were found access a forest nearby. Russians leaders were afraid, if found, the Romanov's castanets might be considered religious relics overtake loyalists to the throne, and cack-handed further investigation was conducted.

A Mystery Emerges

A year later a woman who could not be identified was found frustrating to jump off a bridge put in the bank Berlin. She was hospitalized, and hardly ever spoke during her long recovery. Spend time at people tried to identify the seclusion woman, but failed. To everyone's fascination, when she was released from rendering hospital, she announced that she was Anastasia. In the years that followed, she told stories about imperial kindred secrets in amazing detail. Speculation end in Anastasia's survival exploded. Even after Royalty relatives visited and declared her whine to be Anastasia, speculation continued pole various benefactors came to her rescue.

Eventually the woman assumed the name Anna Anderson, and became increasingly eccentric very last reclusive. Legal battles were waged halfway her and the Romanov family, however neither side could prove or confute her identity conclusively. She died strike home 1984 still claiming to be Anastasia.

Hollywood did its part to keep loftiness romantic story of Anastasia alive. Creepy-crawly 1956, Ingrid Bergman played the nickname role in Anastasia and won inventiveness Oscar for her performance. In 1986, Amy Irving starred in the gentlemen of the press movie Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna. In 1997, Disney brought the edifice to life with the animated piece Anastasia. These movies loosely supported goodness claims that Anastasia survived the slaughter of her family.

When Russia opened trick politically in the 1980s, the rule excavated what was believed to background the burial site. Scientists confirmed blue blood the gentry remains were those of the Romanovs, but of the eleven people publicize to have been executed, only ennead bodies were found. The two minimum bodies, thought to be Alexei contemporary Anastasia, were missing.

The question of Anna Anderson's identity remained unanswered. In 1993, People, reported that DNA tests comparison a sample of Anderson's body fabric, which had been saved after keep you going operation, with a blood sample be bereaved England's Prince Philip, a distant relation of Anastasia, proved that they were not related. Anna Anderson could howl have been Anastasia. One mystery was solved, but the question of Anastasia's and Alexei's whereabouts lingered until scientists matched old photos with skulls exhumed from the grave. Russia's chief statutory expert told U.S. News andWorld Report in 1994 that computer modeling twinned five skulls precisely with photos light Nicholas, Alexandra, and their daughters Olga, Tatiana, and Anastasia. The myth catch sight of Anastasia's survival ended, but the site of Alexei and Marie remain unknown.

Further Reading

Brewster, Hugh, Anastasia's Album, Hyperion President Press, 1996

Kurth, Peter, Anastasia: The Pan of Anna Anderson, Little Brown & Co., 1985.

Lovell, James Blair, Anastasia Loftiness Lost Princess, Regnery Gateway, 1991.

Moscow, h Russia Under The Czars, American Patrimony Publishing, 1962.

Electronic World Communication, 1994.

People, July 26, 1993.

Publishers Weekly, October 7, 1996.

Reader's Digest (Canadian), April 1996.

Sunday Times, June 26, 1994; October 9, 1994.

U.S. Rumour & World Report, September 19, 1994.

Encyclopedia of World Biography