The daughter of Nicholas II, Anastasia, could actually survive. Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova - the mystery of the Grand Duchess

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova was born on June 18, 1901. The Emperor waited a long time for an heir, and when the long-awaited fourth child turned out to be a daughter, he was saddened. Soon the sadness passed, and the Emperor loved his fourth daughter no less than his other children.

They were expecting a boy, but a girl was born. With her agility, Anastasia could give any boy a head start. She wore simple clothes inherited from her older sisters. The fourth daughter's bedroom was not richly decorated.

The princess always took a cold shower every morning. It was not easy to keep track of her. As a child she was very nimble, she loved to climb where she could not get caught and hide.

When she was still a child, Grand Duchess Anastasia loved to play pranks and also make others laugh. In addition to cheerfulness, it reflects such character traits as wit, courage and observation.

In all the tricks, the princess was considered the ringleader. Consequently, she was not without leadership qualities. In pranks, Anastasia was later supported by her younger brother, the heir to the royal throne -.

A distinctive feature of the young princess was her ability to notice the weaknesses of people and very talentedly parody them. The girl's playfulness did not develop into something indecent. On the contrary, brought up surrounded by the Christian spirit, Anastasia turned into a creature who delighted and consoled all those close to her.

When she worked in a hospital during the war, they began to say about her that even the wounded and sick danced in the presence of the princess. Before that, she was beautiful and cheerful, and when necessary, a sincere compassionate and comforter. In the hospital, the crown princess prepared bandages and lint, and did sewing for the wounded and their families.

She did this together with Maria. Then they both lamented that, due to their age, they could not, like their older sisters, fully be sisters of mercy. Visiting wounded soldiers, with her charm and wit, Anastasia Nikolaevna made them forget about pain for a while, she consoled all those suffering with her kindness and tenderness.

Among the wounded with whom she was able to see was an ensign. The same Gumilyov is famous. While in the infirmary, he wrote a poem about her, which you can find in his collections. The work was written on June 5, 1916 in the Infirmary of the Grand Palace, and is called “For my birthday.”

Years later, officers and soldiers who visited the hospitals remembered the Grand Duchesses very fondly. The military, recalling those days from memory, seemed to be illuminated with an unearthly light. The wounded soldiers were interested in their fates. , assumed that all four sisters would marry four Balkan princes. The Russian soldier wanted to see the princesses happy, and prayed for them, and also gave them crowns from the queens of European states. However, everything turned out completely wrong...

Anastasia’s fate, like the fate of everyone else, ended in the basement of the Ipatiev House. Here the Romanov dynasty ended, where Great Russian Russia ended along with them.

Since the beginning of the 20s of the 20th century, girls constantly appeared in Europe posing as Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanova. All of them were impostors who had a desire to profit from the misfortune of the Russian people. All the royal gold was bequeathed to Anastasia Nikolaevna. That's why there were adventurers who wanted to get their hands on him.

The work was awarded by the jury for its research interest in Russian history

On June 18, 2013, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova would have turned 112 years old. Or did it come true? I was interested in this issue and decided to study this problem in more detail.

To expand on the topic, I want to start with the history of the emergence of the last ruling Romanov family. Nicholas II was married to Princess Alice - in Orthodoxy Alexandra Feodorovna. The wedding took place in November 1894, despite the death of Nicholas II's father. In society, the newlyweds were condemned for such haste, but the desire of the lovers was above all conventions. In the first years, the happiness of the newlyweds was immeasurable. The mood was darkened only by the absence of an heir. Alexandra Feodorovna gave birth to one daughter after another.

Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova was born in November 1895, becoming the first child in the family of Nicholas II. Her parents couldn't be happier about her appearance. The girl distinguished herself by her abilities in studying science, loved solitude and books, was very smart, and had creative abilities. Olga behaved with everyone simply and naturally. The princess was amazingly responsive, sincere and generous. The first daughter of Alexandra Fedorovna Romanova inherited her mother’s facial features, posture, and golden hair. Olga, like her father, had an amazingly pure Christian soul. The princess was distinguished by an innate sense of justice and did not like lies.

Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna Romanova was born on June 11, 1897 and was the second child of the Romanovs. Like Olga Nikolaevna, Tatyana looked like her mother, but her character was that of her father. She was less emotional than her sister. The princess's eyes were similar to the eyes of the Empress, her figure was graceful, and the color of her blue eyes harmoniously combined with her brown hair. Tatyana rarely played naughty, and had amazing, according to contemporaries, self-control. The girl had a highly developed sense of duty and a penchant for order in everything. Due to her mother’s illness, Tatiana Romanova often took charge of the household; this did not burden the Grand Duchess at all. She loved to do needlework and was good at embroidery and sewing. The princess had a sound mind. In cases requiring decisive action, she always remained herself.

Maria Nikolaevna Romanova was born on June 27, 1899, the third child in the family. Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna was a typical Russian girl. She was characterized by good nature, cheerfulness, and friendliness. Maria had a beautiful appearance and vitality. According to the recollections of some of her contemporaries, she was very similar to her grandfather Alexander III. The young girl loved her parents very much and was attached to them, much more than the other children of the royal couple.

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova was born on June 18, 1901. The Emperor waited a long time for an heir, and when the long-awaited fourth child turned out to be a daughter, he was saddened. Soon the sadness passed, and the Emperor loved his fourth daughter no less than his other children. With her agility, the princess could give any boy a head start. She wore simple clothes inherited from her older sisters. The fourth daughter's bedroom was not richly decorated. Anastasia Nikolaevna made sure to take a cold shower every morning. It was not easy to keep track of her. As a child she was very nimble. In addition to cheerfulness, Anastasia reflected such character traits as wit, courage and observation.

In her desire to give birth to a boy, the Empress prayed for a miracle. And finally her dream came true. Tsarevich Alexei was the fifth child in the family of Nicholas II, born on August 12, 1904. Alexey inherited all the best from his father and mother. The parents loved the heir very much, he reciprocated them with great affection. The father was a real idol for the prince. The boy tried to imitate him in everything. The royal couple did not even think about what to name their newborn child. Nicholas II had long wanted to name his future heir Alexei. The Tsar said that “it’s time to break the line between Aleksandrov and Nikolaev.” Nicholas II was also attracted to the personality of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, and the Emperor wanted to name his son in honor of his great ancestor.

With the advent of her children, Alexandra Fedorovna gave them all her attention. She spent a lot of time in the classroom, supervising their activities. She taught the Grand Duchesses handicrafts from childhood. The empress was completely alien to the empty atmosphere of St. Petersburg society, to whom she hoped to instill a taste for work. To this end, she founded a needlework society, whose members, ladies and young ladies, were supposed to produce a known annual minimum of things for the poor. In addition, a society for industriousness, linen warehouses for the wounded, nursing homes with workshops, a folk art school for teaching handicrafts, and a society for collecting donations for the education and training of poor children in a profession were organized.

I consider this family truly Holy. It is difficult for a modern person to grow to understand their life. In essence, the entire life of the royal family is Christ-like. Christ was born in a den. The Royal Family is one of the richest in the world, but it was distinguished by simplicity and humility; a cordial, attentive attitude towards all people, indifference to luxury, hard work and the spiritual height of faith in God.

But it was destroyed on the night of July 16-17, 1918. Yakov Yurovsky woke up the members of the royal family and ordered them to gather on the first floor. After reading out the death sentence, he shot Nicholas II in the head, which served as a signal to the other participants in the execution to open fire on pre-designated targets. Those who did not die immediately were bayoneted.

At a meeting of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee on July 18, its chairman Ya. M. Sverdlov announced the execution of the imperial family. Almost immediately rumors appeared that Alexandra Feodorovna and her children had been spared their lives. Nevertheless, since the former queen and her children did not appear anywhere, the fact of the death of the Romanovs was considered generally accepted. From this time on, miraculously surviving children appeared; they were considered impostors.

As you know, imposture first appeared in Russia at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. What motivates impostors? Some people want to be famous, some want power, some love money, and some want everything at once. In this situation, applicants for the “role” of the saved Anastasia had a vested interest in receiving foreign bank deposits of Nicholas II. I want to consider the phenomenon of impostor using the example of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanova.

The life of the youngest daughter of Nicholas II ended at 17 years old. On the night of July 16-17, 1918, she and her relatives were shot in Yekaterinburg.

Or weren't they shot? In the early 90s, the burial of the royal family near Yekaterinburg was discovered, but the remains of Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei were not found. However, another skeleton, "number 6", was later found and buried as belonging to the Grand Duchess. However, a small detail casts doubt on its authenticity - Anastasia had a height of 158 cm, and the buried skeleton was 171 cm.

According to the official point of view: all members of the family of Nicholas II and himself were shot in Yekaterinburg in 1918, and no one managed to escape. This official point of view is contradicted by facts and evidence that do not allow Anastasia to be considered dead along with the entire royal family on the night of July 17, 1918:

There is an eyewitness account who saw the wounded but alive Anastasia in a house on Voskresensky Prospekt in Yekaterinburg in the early morning of July 17, 1918; it was Heinrich Kleinbetzetl. He saw her in Baudin's house in the early morning of July 17, a few hours after the brutal massacre in the basement of Ipatiev's house. It was brought by one of the guards (probably still from the previous more liberal guard composition - Yurovsky did not replace all the previous guards), - one of those few young guys who had long sympathized with girls, the Tsar's daughters;

There is confusion in the testimonies, reports and stories of the participants in this bloody massacre - even in different versions of the stories of the same people;

It is known that the “Reds” searched for the missing Anastasia for several months after the murder of the royal family;

It is known that one (possibly two) women's corsets were not found;

It is known that the Bolsheviks conducted secret negotiations with the Germans about handing over the Russian Tsarina and her children to them in exchange for Russian political prisoners in Germany after the tragedy in Yekaterinburg.

It is known that in 1925 Anna Anderson met with Olga Alexandrovna Romanova-Kulikovskaya, Anastasia’s own aunt, who could not help but recognize her niece. Olga Alexandrovna treated her with warmth and warmth. “I’m not able to comprehend this with my mind,” she said after the meeting, “but my heart tells me that this is Anastasia!” Later, the Romanovs decided to abandon the girl, declaring her an impostor.

The archives of the Cheka-KGB-FSB about the murder of the Royal Family and what the security officers led by Yurovsky in 1919 and MGB officers in 1946 did in the Koptyakovsky forest have not yet been opened. All documents known so far about the execution of the royal family (including Yurovsky’s “Note”) were obtained from other state archives.

If all members of the royal family were killed, then why do we still not have answers to all these questions?

The first contender for the name of Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova is Fräulein Unbekant. Under this name, a girl rescued from a suicide attempt was registered in the Berlin police report on February 17, 1920. She had no documents with her and refused to give her name. She had light brown hair and piercing gray eyes. She spoke with a pronounced Slavic accent, so in her personal file there was an entry “unknown Russian”.

That evening, February 17, she was admitted to the Elisabeth Hospital on Lützowstrasse. At the end of March she was transferred to a neurological clinic in Daldorf with a diagnosis of “mental illness of a depressive nature,” where she lived for two years. In Dahldorf, when examined on March 30, she admitted that she had tried to commit suicide, but refused to give a reason or give any comments. During the examination, her weight was recorded - 50 kilograms, height - 158 centimeters. Upon examination, doctors discovered that she had given birth six months ago. For a girl “under the age of twenty,” this was an important circumstance.

They saw numerous scars from lacerations on the patient’s chest and stomach. On the head behind the right ear there was a 3.5 cm long scar, deep enough for a finger to go into it, as well as a scar on the forehead at the very roots of the hair. On the foot of his right leg there was a characteristic scar from a perforating wound. It fully corresponded to the shape and size of the wounds inflicted by the bayonet of a Russian rifle. There are cracks in the upper jaw. The next day after the examination, she admitted to the doctor that she was afraid for her life: “She makes it clear that she does not want to identify herself for fear of persecution. The impression of restraint born of fear. More fear than restraint." The medical history also records that the patient has a congenital orthopedic foot disease hallux valgus of the third degree.

The disease discovered in the patient by the doctors of the clinic in Daldorf absolutely coincided with the congenital disease of Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova. The girl had the same height, foot size, hair and eye color and portrait resemblance to the Russian princess, and from the medical card data it is clear that the traces of injuries to “Fräulein Unbekant” fully correspond to those that, according to the forensic investigator Tomashevsky, were inflicted on Anastasia in the basement of Ipatiev’s house . The scar on the forehead also matches. Anastasia Romanova had such a scar since childhood, so she was the only one of the daughters of Nicholas II who always wore her hair with bangs.

In the end, the girl named herself Anastasia Romanova. According to her version, the miraculous rescue looked like this: along with all the murdered family members, she was taken to the burial place, but on the way the half-dead Anastasia was hidden by some soldier. She reached Romania with him, they got married there, but what happened next was a failure.

Over the next 50 years, speculation and court cases continued about whether Anna Anderson was Anastasia Romanova, but in the end she was never recognized as a “real” princess. Nevertheless, fierce debate about the mystery of Anna Anderson continues to this day.

Beginning in March 1927, opponents of the recognition of Anna Anderson as Anastasia put forward the version that the girl posing as the saved Anastasia was in fact a native of a peasant family (from East Prussia) named Franziska Shantskovskaya.

This point of view is confirmed by a 1995 examination carried out by the Department of Forensic Medicine of the British Home Office. According to the results of the examination, studies of the mitochondrial DNA of “Anna Anderson” convincingly prove that she is not Grand Duchess Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II. According to the conclusion of a group of British geneticists in Aldermaston, led by Dr Peter Gill, Ms Anderson's DNA does not match either the DNA of female skeletons recovered from a grave near Yekaterinburg in 1991 and allegedly belonging to the queen and her three daughters, nor with the DNA of Anastasia's maternal and paternal relatives lines residing in England and elsewhere. At the same time, a blood test of Karl Mauger, the great-nephew of missing factory worker Franziska Schanckowska, revealed a mitochondrial match, leading to the conclusion that Franziska and Anna Anderson are the same person. Tests in other laboratories looking at the same DNA led to the same conclusion. Although there are doubts about the source of the DNA samples from Anna Anderson (she was cremated, and the samples were taken from the residual materials of a surgical operation carried out 20 years before the examination).

These doubts are aggravated by the testimony of people who knew Anna-Anastasia personally:

“... I knew Anna Anderson for more than ten years and was familiar with almost everyone who was involved in her struggle for recognition over the past quarter century: friends, lawyers, neighbors, journalists, historians, representatives of the Russian royal family and the royal families of Europe , Russian and European aristocracy - a wide range of competent witnesses who, without hesitation, recognized her as the tsar’s daughter. My knowledge of her character, all the details of her case and, as it seems to me, probability and common sense - everything convinces me that she was a Russian Grand Duchess.

This belief of mine, although challenged (by DNA research), remains unshakable. Not being an expert, I cannot question Dr. Gill's results; if only these results had revealed that Ms. Anderson was not a member of the Romanov family, I might be able to accept them—if not easily now, then at least in time. However, no amount of scientific evidence or forensic evidence will convince me that Ms. Anderson and Franziska Schanckowska are the same person.

I categorically assert that those who knew Anna Anderson, who lived with her for months and years, treated her and cared for her during her many illnesses, be it a doctor or a nurse, who observed her behavior, posture, demeanor, “They can’t believe that she was born in a village in East Prussia in 1896 and was the daughter and sister of beet farmers” - Peter Kurth.

Anastasia in Anna, in spite of everything, was recognized by some foreign relatives of the Romanov family, as well as Tatyana Botkina-Melnik, the widow of Doctor Botkin, who died in Yekaterinburg.

Supporters of recognizing Anna Anderson as Anastasia point out that Franziska Shantskovskaya was five years older than Anastasia, taller, wore shoes four sizes larger, never gave birth to children and had no orthopedic foot diseases. In addition, Franziska Schanzkowska disappeared from home at a time when “Fräulein Unbekant” was already in the Elisabeth Hospital on Lützowstrasse.”

The first graphological examination was made at the request of the Gessenskys in 1927. It was performed by an employee of the Institute of Graphology in Prisna, Dr. Lucy Weizsäcker. Comparing the handwriting on the recently written samples with the handwriting on the samples written by Anastasia during the life of Nicholas II, Lucy Weizsäcker came to the conclusion that the samples belong to the same person.

In 1960, by decision of the Hamburg Court, graphologist Dr. Minna Becker was appointed as a graphological expert. Four years later, reporting on her work before the Supreme Court of Appeal in the Senate, the gray-haired Dr. Becker said: “I have never seen so many identical features in two texts written by different people.” Another important note from the doctor is worth mentioning. Handwriting samples in the form of texts written in German and Russian were provided for examination. In her report, speaking about Ms. Anderson’s Russian texts, Dr. Becker noted: “It seems as if she was again in a familiar environment.”

Due to the inability to compare fingerprints, anthropologists were brought in to investigate. Their opinion was considered by the court as “probability approaching certainty.” Research carried out in 1958 at the University of Mainz by Doctors Eickstedt and Klenke, and in 1965 by the founder of the German Anthropological Society, Professor Otto Rehe, led to the same result, namely:

1. Mrs. Anderson is not the Polish factory worker Franziska Schanckowska.

2. Mrs. Anderson is Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanova.

Opponents pointed to the discrepancy between the shape of Anderson’s right ear and Anastasia Romanova’s ear, citing an examination done back in the twenties.

These doubts were resolved by one of the most famous forensic experts in Germany, Dr. Moritz Furthmeier. In 1976, Dr. Furthmeyer discovered that, by an absurd accident, experts used a photograph of Dahldorf's patient, taken from an inverted negative, to compare the ears. That is, the right ear of Anastasia Romanova was compared with the left ear of “Fräulein Unbekant” and, naturally, received a negative result for identity. When comparing the same photograph of Anastasia with a photograph of Anderson (Tchaikovsky)'s right ear, Moritz Furthmeier obtained a match in seventeen anatomical positions. To recognize the identification in a West German court, the coincidence of five positions out of twelve was quite sufficient.

One can only guess what her fate would have been like had it not been for that fatal mistake. Even in the sixties, this error formed the basis of the decision of the Hamburg court, and then of the highest appeal court in the Senate.

In recent years, another important consideration has been added to the mystery of identifying Anna Anderson as Anastasia, which was previously ignored for some unknown reason.

We are talking about congenital deformation of the feet (Hallux valgus), which was known from the childhood of the Grand Duchess and which Anna Anderson also had. The fact is that this is a very rare disease. Hallux valgus, as a rule, appears in women aged 30-35 years. As for cases of congenital disease, they are isolated and extremely rare. Out of 142 million people in Russia, only eight cases of this disease have been registered over the past ten years.

This statistic refutes the negative results of DNA tests conducted on the remains of tissue materials in 1994-1997, since the reliability of DNA studies does not exceed 1:6000 - three thousand times less reliable than Anna-Anastasia's "hallux valgus" statistics. At the same time, the statistics of congenital “hallux valgus” are actually statistics of artifacts, while DNA studies are a complex procedure in which the possibility of accidental genetic contamination of the original tissue materials, or even their malicious substitution, cannot be ruled out.

Why did some members of the House of Romanov in Europe and their relatives from the royal dynasties of Germany almost immediately, in the early 1920s, turn out to be sharply opposed to Anna-Anastasia? There are several possible reasons.

First, Anna Anderson spoke harshly about Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich (“he is a traitor”), while the latter laid claim to the empty throne.

Secondly, she unintentionally revealed a big state secret about the arrival of her uncle Ernie of Hesse to Russia in 1916. The visit was associated with the intention of persuading Nicholas II to a separate peace with Germany. This failed, and when leaving the Alexander Palace, Ernie even said to his sister, Empress Alexandra: “You are no longer the sun for us” - that’s what all German relatives called Alix in her childhood. In the early twenties, this was still a state secret, and Ernie Hesse had no choice but to accuse Anastasia of slander.

Thirdly, by the time she met her relatives in 1925, Anna-Anastasia herself was in a very difficult physical and psychological condition. She was sick with tuberculosis. Her weight barely reached 33 kg. The people surrounding Anastasia believed that her days were numbered. But she survived, and after meetings with Aunt Olya and other close people, she dreamed of meeting her grandmother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. She was waiting for recognition from her family, but instead, in 1928, on the second day after the death of the Dowager Empress, several members of the Romanov dynasty publicly renounced her, declaring that she was an impostor. The insult led to a break in the relationship.

In addition, in 1922, in the Russian Diaspora, the question of who would lead the dynasty and take the place of the “Emperor in Exile” was being decided. The main contender was Kirill Vladimirovich Romanov. He, like most Russian emigrants, could not even imagine that the Bolshevik rule would last for seven long decades. Anastasia's appearance in Berlin in the summer of 1922 caused confusion and division of opinion among the monarchists. The subsequent information about the physical and mental ill health of the princess, and the presence of an heir to the throne who was born in an unequal marriage, all this did not contribute to her immediate recognition, not to mention the consideration of her candidacy for the place of head of the dynasty.

This could conclude the story of the missing Russian princess. It is amazing that for more than 80 years no one thought to find out the medical statistics of hallux valgus foot deformity. It is strange that the results of an absurd examination comparing “the right ear of Anastasia Romanova with the left ear of “Fräulein Unbekant” served as the basis for fateful court decisions, despite multiple graphological examinations and personal testimony. It is surprising that serious people can seriously discuss the issue of the “identity” of an illiterate Polish peasant woman with a Russian princess, and believe that Franziska could mystify those around her for so many years without revealing her true origin. And lastly, it is known that Anastasia gave birth to a son in the fall of 1919, somewhere on the border with Romania. What is the fate of this son? Really, no one asked? Maybe it is his DNA that should be compared with the DNA of the Romanov relatives, and not the dubious “tissue materials”?

Among the many obvious impostors, in addition to Anna Anderson, several more contenders stand apart.

In the early 20s, a young woman with an aristocratic bearing appeared in the Bulgarian village of Grabarevo. She introduced herself as Eleanor Albertovna Kruger. A Russian doctor was with her, and a year later a tall, sickly-looking young man appeared in their house, who was registered in the community under the name Georgy Zhudin. Rumors that Eleanor and George were brother and sister and belonged to the Russian royal family circulated in the community. However, they did not make any statements or claims about anything.

George died in 1930, and Eleanor died in 1954. Bulgarian researcher Blagoy Emmanuilov believes that Eleanor is the missing daughter of Nicholas II, and George is Tsarevich Alexei. In his conclusions, he relies on Eleanor’s memories of how “the servants bathed her in a golden trough, combed her hair and dressed her. She talked about her own royal room, and about her children’s drawings drawn in it.”

In addition, in the early 50s, in the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Balchik, a Russian White Guard, describing in detail the life of the executed imperial family, said in front of witnesses that Nicholas II ordered him to personally take Anastasia and Alexei out of the palace and hide them in the provinces. He also claimed to have taken the children to Turkey. Comparing photographs of 17-year-old Anastasia and 35-year-old Eleanor Kruger from Gabarevo, experts have established significant similarities between them. The years of their birth also coincide. Contemporaries of George claim that he was ill and talk about him as a tall, weak and pale young man. Russian authors also describe the hemophiliac Prince Alexei in a similar way. In 1995, the remains of Eleanor and George were exhumed in the presence of a forensic doctor and an anthropologist. In the coffin of George they found an amulet - an icon with the face of Christ - one of those with which only representatives of the highest strata of the Russian aristocracy were buried.

The next impostor is Nadezhda Vladimirovna Ivanova-Vasilieva. In April 1934, a young woman, very thin and poorly dressed, entered the Church of the Resurrection at the Semenovskoye cemetery. She came to confession, and Hieromonk Afanasy (Alexander Ivanshin) directed her.

During confession, the woman announced to the priest that she was the daughter of the former Tsar Nicholas II - Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova. When asked how she managed to escape execution, the stranger replied: “You can’t talk about that.”

She was prompted to seek help by the need to get a passport to try to leave the country. They managed to get a passport, but someone reported to the NKVD about the activities of a “counter-revolutionary monarchist group,” and everyone who helped the woman was arrested.

Case No. 15977 is still kept in the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GARF) and is not subject to disclosure. A woman who called herself Anastasia, after endless prisons and concentration camps, was sent to a mental hospital for compulsory treatment by the verdict of a Special Meeting of the NKVD. The sentence turned out to be indefinite, and in 1971 she died in a psychiatric hospital on the island of Sviyazhsk. Buried in an unknown grave.

Ivanova-Vasilieva spent almost forty years within the walls of medical institutions, but she was never tested for her blood type. Not a single questionnaire, not a single protocol contains the date and month of birth. Only the year and place that coincide with the data of Anastasia Romanova. Investigators, speaking about the defendant in the third person, called her “Princess Romanova,” and not an impostor. And knowing that the woman was living on a fake passport filled out in her own hand, the investigators never asked her a question about her real name.

No less interesting is the personality of Natalia Petrovna Bilikhodze, who lived in Sukhumi, then Tbilisi. In 1994 and 1997, she appealed to the Tbilisi court to have her recognized as Anastasia. However, the court hearings did not take place due to her failure to appear. She claimed that the entire family was saved. She died in 2000. Posthumous genetic testing did not confirm her relationship with the royal family (more precisely, with the remains buried in 1998 in St. Petersburg).

Yekaterinburg researcher Vladimir Viner believes that Natalia Belikhodze was a member of a backup family (the Berezkins) who lived in Sukhumi. This explains her external resemblance to Anastasia and the positive results of “22 examinations conducted by commission and judicial procedure in three countries - Georgia, Russia and Latvia.” According to them, there was “a number of matching features that can only occur in one out of 700 billion cases.” Perhaps the story of the recognition was started in anticipation of the financial inheritance of the royal family with the goal of returning it to Russia.

So did Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanovna survive after the execution? Unfortunately, it is impossible to give a definitive answer to this question. There are many facts, guesses and versions. What exactly to believe is an individual choice for each of us. And I would like to finish my work with the words of the great writer Mark Twain: “Fiction must remain within the boundaries of the possible. The truth is no.”

Bibliography:

1. The Romanovs // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes. - St. Petersburg. 1890-1907.

2. Lobashkova, T. A. The Romanov Dynasty: biobibliographic index. - M.: Russian Cultural Foundation; Russian Archive; TRITE, 2007.

3. Konyaev N. M. The true history of the House of Romanov. - M.: Veche, 2009.

4. History of the families of the Russian nobility: In 2 books. /aut.-state P. N. Petrov. - M.: Contemporary; Lexika, 1991.

5. Peter Kurt. Anastasia. The mystery of the Grand Duchess. – M.: Zakharov, 2005.

Sir Peacock stated: I am almost convinced that the Russian imperial family never opened an account either in the Bank of England or in any bank in England. Having read the book I Am Anastasia Romanova even before this meeting in the studio, and now having also listened to her speech on the screen, he immediately made a linguistic diagnosis: this is most likely a commoner, who, apparently, has worn out a lot in the aristocratic environment. The mischievous girl gradually grew up, but still teased the mirrors. I don’t know why they made Rasputin a negative character in the cartoon.

The weather is spring, the snow is melting well, and there is a lot of water everywhere. The last thing Anastasia could see, covering her face with her hands from the approaching bayonet, was how a dead dog with silky chocolate-colored fur fell out of the hands of her just killed sister... Anastasia's drawing was confiscated during a search in the Grand Duke's estate Kharaks, in the fall of 1919. Tsarevich Alexei was completely unable to walk at the time of his execution. In 1970, her claim was rejected by the court for lack of evidence. But who then is the mysterious prisoner from the Sviyazhsk special boarding school?

Is Anastasia Romanova alive?

The examination confirmed that Anastasia Romanova is alive.
The main proof of the existence of Grand Duchess Anastasia is historical and genetic examination.
This was announced by Professor of the Diplomatic Academy, Doctor of Historical Sciences Vladlen Sirotkin. According to him, 22 genetic examinations were carried out, photographic examinations were also carried out, that is, comparisons of young Anastasia and the current elderly one, and handwriting examinations.

All studies have confirmed that the youngest daughter of Nicholas II, Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, and the woman named Natalya Petrovna Bilikhodze are one and the same person. Genetic examinations were carried out in Japan and Germany. And on the latest equipment. There is still no such equipment in Russia. In addition, according to Sirotkin, there is documentary evidence of Anastasia’s escape from the executioner of the royal family, Yurovsky. There is archival evidence that on the eve of the execution, her godfather, an officer of the tsarist secret services and an employee of Stolypin, Verkhovsky, secretly took Anastasia out of the Ipatiev House and fled with her from Yekaterinburg.

Together they went to the south of Russia, were in Rostov-on-Don, Crimea, and in 1919 settled in Abkhazia. Subsequently, Verkhovsky guarded Anastasia in Abkhazia, in the mountains of Svaneti, and also in Tbilisi. In addition, Academician Alekseev found a stunning document in the State Archives of the Russian Federation - the testimony of the royal waitress Ekaterina Tomilova, who, under signature, to tell the truth, the truth and only the truth, told the investigators of Nikolai Sokolov’s Kolchak Commission that even after July 17, that is, after the execution of the royal family, I wore dinner for the royal family and personally saw the sovereign and the whole family. In other words, Professor Sirotkin noted, since July 18, 1918, the royal family was alive.

However, members of the commission for the study of the remains of the royal family, chaired by Boris Nemtsov, ignored this document and did not include it in their dossier. Moreover, the director of Rosarkhiv, Doctor of Historical Sciences Sergei Mironenko, a participant in the program about Anastasia on REN-TV, did not include this document in the collection of documents The Death of the Royal Family, although he did not publish Yurovsky’s forged note without any indication that it was written not by Yurovsky, but by Pokrovsky once.

Meanwhile, there were more than three hundred reports that Anastasia had died, Sirotkin noted. According to him, there were 32 reports of living Anastasias from 1918 to 2002, and each of them died 10-15 times. In the real situation there were only two Anastasias. Anastasia Andersen, a Polish Jew who was tried twice in the 20-70s of the twentieth century, and Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova. It is curious that the second court case of the false Anastasia is in Copenhagen. Neither representatives of Nemtsov’s government commission nor representatives of the Interregional Charitable Christian Foundation of the Grand Duchess were allowed to see him. It is classified until the end of the 21st century.

Me, Anastasia Romanova

The book about the family of Emperor Nicholas II was written by the emperor’s youngest daughter, Anastasia Romanova. A lively, sincere narrative reveals the world of the Romanov family from the inside; there are many intimate moments and, on the other hand, relationships with many people, when it is easy to get lost among them, but without going beyond acceptable limits and without getting lost, Anastasia is present in everything. Russia is presented in a romantic aura through the eyes of a fifteen-year-old girl and surprises with a broad view of events and relationships with people. This is Anastasia's book, her words, her thoughts.

Sources: habeo.ru, www.maybe.ru, www.takelink.ru, dic.academic.ru, babydaytime.ru

The mystery of the sinking of the Titanic

The tragedy that took place on the fateful night of April 14-15, 1912 in the middle of the Pacific Ocean became...

Nanotechnology in life

Scientists from Lomonosov Moscow University could not sit still and they decided to release an amazing booklet that tells...

Transparent staircase in the house

A transparent staircase in a house may seem like a fantasy. But this also happens. If during the advent of glass production it was considered...

Spencer Black - researcher of mythical creatures

Dr. Spencer Black... He wanted to reveal the hidden secrets of nature, helped people with genetic abnormalities regain their normal humanity...

Ladies and Gentlemen, Ladies and Gentlemen, how much can you read about silicones, Baysarovs, Lopezes, etc.???? It's time to remember the mysterious story of the Grand Russian Princess. Review Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna (Romanova Anastasia Nikolaevna) (June 5 (18), 1901, Peterhof - on the night of July 16-17, 1918, Yekaterinburg) - the fourth daughter of Emperor Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna. Shot along with her family in Ipatiev’s house. After her death, about 30 women declared themselves “the miraculously saved Grand Duchess,” but sooner or later they were all exposed as impostors. She was glorified along with her parents, sisters and brother in the Cathedral of the New Martyrs of Russia as a passion-bearer at the anniversary Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000. Earlier, in 1981, they were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Memory - July 4th according to the Julian calendar. In her honor, in 1902, the village of Anastasievka, Black Sea province, was named. Birth and disappointment of the royal family Born June 5 (18), 1901 in Peterhof. By the time of her appearance, the royal couple already had three daughters - Olga, Tatyana and Maria. The absence of an heir aggravated the political situation: according to the Act of Succession to the Throne, adopted by Paul I, a woman could not ascend the throne, therefore the younger brother of Nicholas II, Mikhail Alexandrovich, was considered the heir, which did not suit many, and first of all, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. In an attempt to beg Providence for a son, at this time she becomes more and more immersed in mysticism. With the assistance of the Montenegrin princesses Militsa Nikolaevna and Anastasia Nikolaevna, a certain Philip, a Frenchman by nationality, arrived at the court, declaring himself a hypnotist and a specialist in nervous diseases. Philip predicted the birth of a son to Alexandra Fedorovna, however, a girl was born - Anastasia. Nicholas wrote in his diary: At about 3 o'clock Alix began to feel severe pain. At 4 o'clock I got up and went to my room and got dressed. At exactly 6 am, daughter Anastasia was born. Everything happened quickly under excellent conditions and, thank God, without complications. Thanks to the fact that it all started and ended while everyone was still sleeping, we both had a sense of peace and privacy! After that, I sat down to write telegrams and notify relatives in all corners of the world. Fortunately, Alix is ​​feeling well. The baby weighs 11½ pounds and is 55 cm tall. The entry in the emperor's diary contradicts the statements of some researchers who believe that Nicholas, disappointed by the birth of his daughter, did not dare to visit his newborn and his wife for a long time. Grand Duchess Xenia, sister of the reigning emperor, also celebrated this event: What a disappointment! 4th girl! They named her Anastasia. Mom telegraphed me about the same thing and writes: “Alix gave birth to a daughter again!” The Grand Duchess was named after the Montenegrin princess Anastasia Nikolaevna, a close friend of the Empress. The “hypnotist” Philip, not at a loss after the failed prophecy, immediately predicted her “an amazing life and a special destiny.” Margaret Eager, author of the memoir “Six Years at the Russian Imperial Court,” recalled that Anastasia was named in honor of the fact that the emperor pardoned and reinstated the students of St. Petersburg University who took part in the recent unrest, since the name “Anastasia” itself means “returned to life,” the image of this saint usually contains chains torn in half. Life in the Palace The full title of Anastasia Nikolaevna sounded like Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess of Russia Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, but it was not used, in official speech they called her by her first name and patronymic, and at home they called her “little, Nastaska, Nastya, little pod” - for her small height (157 cm .) and a round figure and a “shvybzik” - for his mobility and inexhaustibility in inventing pranks and pranks. The life of the grand duchesses was quite monotonous. Breakfast at 9 o'clock, second breakfast at 13.00 or 12.30 on Sundays. At five o'clock there was tea, at eight there was a general dinner, and the food was quite simple and unpretentious. In the evenings, the girls solved charades and did embroidery while their father read aloud to them. Early in the morning it was supposed to take a cold bath, in the evening - a warm one, to which a few drops of perfume were added, and Anastasia preferred Koti perfume with the smell of violets. This tradition has been preserved since the time of Catherine I. When the girls were small, servants carried buckets of water to the bathroom; when they grew up, this was their responsibility. There were two baths - the first large one, left over from the reign of Nicholas I (according to the surviving tradition, everyone who washed in it left their autograph on the side), the other, smaller, was intended for children. Sundays were especially looked forward to - on this day the Grand Duchesses attended children's balls at their aunt Olga Alexandrovna's. The evening was especially interesting when Anastasia was allowed to dance with the young officers. Like other children of the emperor, Anastasia was educated at home. Education began at the age of eight, the program included French and English, history, geography, the law of God, natural sciences, drawing, grammar, as well as dancing and lessons in good manners. Anastasia was not known for her diligence in her studies; she hated grammar, wrote with horrific errors, and with childish spontaneity called arithmetic “sinishness.” The royal family and Grigory Rasputin. With Princess Tatiana
War Period According to the memoirs of contemporaries, following her mother and older sisters, Anastasia wept bitterly on the day war was declared. During the war, the empress gave many of the palace rooms for hospital premises. The older sisters Olga and Tatyana, together with their mother, became sisters of mercy; Maria and Anastasia, being too young for such hard work, became patronesses of the hospital. Both sisters gave their own money to buy medicine, read aloud to the wounded, knitted things for them, played cards and checkers, wrote letters home under their dictation, and entertained them with telephone conversations in the evenings, sewed linen, prepared bandages and lint. Maria and Anastasia gave concerts to the wounded and tried their best to distract them from difficult thoughts. They spent days on end in the hospital, reluctantly taking time off from work for lessons. With Princess Maria Execution of the royal family It is officially believed that the decision to execute the royal family was finally made by the Ural Council on July 16 in connection with the possibility of surrendering the city to the White Guard troops and the alleged discovery of a conspiracy to save the royal family. On the night of July 16-17, at 11:30 p.m., two special representatives from the Urals Council handed a written order to execute the commander of the security detachment, P.Z. Ermakov, and the commandant of the house, Commissioner of the Extraordinary Investigative Commission, Ya.M. Yurovsky. After a brief dispute about the method of execution, The royal family was woken up and, under the pretext of a possible shootout and the danger of being killed by bullets ricocheting off the walls, they were offered to go down to the corner semi-basement room. According to the report of Yakov Yurovsky, the Romanovs did not suspect anything until the last moment. At the empress’s request, chairs were brought to the basement, on which she and Nicholas sat with their son in her arms. Anastasia stood behind with her sisters. The sisters brought several handbags with them, Anastasia also took her beloved dog Jimmy, who accompanied her throughout her exile. There is information that after the first salvo, Tatyana, Maria and Anastasia remained alive; they were saved by jewelry sewn into the corsets of their dresses. Later, witnesses interrogated by investigator Sokolov testified that of the royal daughters, Anastasia resisted death the longest; already wounded, she “had” to be finished off with bayonets and rifle butts. According to materials discovered by historian Edward Radzinsky, Anna Demidova, Alexandra's servant, who managed to protect herself with a pillow filled with jewelry, remained alive the longest. Together with the corpses of her relatives, Anastasia’s body was wrapped in sheets taken from the beds of the Grand Duchesses and taken to the Four Brothers tract for burial. There the corpses, disfigured beyond recognition by blows from rifle butts and sulfuric acid, were thrown into one of the old mines. Later, investigator Sokolov discovered the body of the dog Ortipo here. After the execution, the last drawing made by Anastasia’s hand was found in the room of the Grand Duchesses - a swing between two birch trees. The basement of the Ipatiev House, where the royal family was shot The last photo of Anastasia 3 days before the bloody massacre Drawings of the princess Stories with the rescue of the crown prince and the Grand Duchess or false Anastasia Anna Anderson Rumors that one of the Tsar's daughters managed to escape - either by running away from Ipatiev's house, or even before the revolution, by being replaced by one of the servants - began to circulate among Russian emigrants almost immediately after the execution of the Tsar's family. Attempts by a number of people to use the belief in the possible salvation of the younger princess Anastasia for selfish purposes led to the appearance of over thirty false Anastasias. One of the most famous impostors was Anna Anderson, who claimed that a soldier named Tchaikovsky managed to pull her wounded from the basement of Ipatiev’s house after he saw that she was still alive. Another version of the same story was told by the former Austrian prisoner of war Franz Svoboda at the trial, at which Anderson tried to defend her right to be called a Grand Duchess and gain access to the hypothetical inheritance of her “father.” Svoboda proclaimed himself the savior of Anderson, and, according to his version, the wounded princess was transported to the house of “a neighbor in love with her, a certain X.” This version, however, contained quite a lot of clearly implausible details, for example, about violating the curfew, which was unthinkable at that moment, about posters announcing the escape of the Grand Duchess, allegedly posted all over the city, and about general searches, which, fortunately , they didn’t give anything. Thomas Hildebrand Preston, who at that time was the British Consul General in Yekaterinburg, rejected such fabrications. Despite the fact that Anderson defended her “royal” origin until the end of her life, she wrote the book “I, Anastasia” and fought litigation for several decades , no final decision was made during her lifetime. Currently, genetic analysis has confirmed already existing assumptions that Anna Anderson was in fact Franziska Schanzkovskaya, a worker in a Berlin factory that produced explosives. As a result of an industrial accident, she was seriously injured and suffered mental shock, the consequences of which she could not get rid of for the rest of her life. Eugenia Smith Another false Anastasia was Evgenia Smith (Evgenia Smetisko), an artist who published “memoirs” in the USA about her life and miraculous salvation. She managed to attract significant attention to her person and seriously improve her financial situation, capitalizing on the public’s interest.” Natalia Bilikhodze The last of the false Anastasias, Natalya Bilikhodze, died in 2000. Prince Dmitry Romanovich Romanov, great-great-grandson of Nicholas, summed up the long-term epic of impostors:In my memory, the self-proclaimed Anastasias ranged from 12 to 19. In the conditions of the post-war depression, many went crazy. We, the Romanovs, would be happy if Anastasia, even in the person of this very Anna Anderson, turned out to be alive. But alas, it was not her! The last dot was put to rest by the discovery of the bodies of Alexei and Maria in the same tract in 2007 and anthropological and genetic examinations, which finally confirmed that there could not have been any rescued among the royal family The story of Anna Anderson was made into an animated film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. The Grand Duchess was canonized in 1981 by the Russian Orthodox Church abroad, and in 2000 in Russia.

One of the most mysterious destinies among all members of the Romanov dynasty family is Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova. She was resurrected 33 times, but it is still not known whether she managed to escape, or whether she suffered a bitter fate, the same as her parents, sisters and brother. Subsequently, many years later, the Romanov family was canonized for their torment and innocence in the punishment they suffered.

Birth of the fourth daughter in the imperial family

Before the birth of Anastasia Romanova, Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna already had three daughters: Olga, Tatyana and Maria. The absence of an heir greatly worried the imperial family, since by right of inheritance, Mikhail Alexandrovich, his younger brother, was to rule the empire next after Nicholas.

Against the backdrop of these circumstances, Alexandra Fedorovna fell into mysticism. Under the influence of the Montenegrin princess sisters Milica and Anastasia Nikolaevna, Alexandra Fedorovna invited a hypnotist of French origin named Philip to the court. He predicted the birth of an heir during the empress's fourth pregnancy, thereby reassuring her.

On June 18, 1901, Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanova was born, named, as historians suggest, in honor of the Montenegrin princess, a close friend of Alexandra Feodorovna. This is what Nicholas II writes in his diary:

At about 3 o'clock Alix began to feel severe pain. At 4 o'clock I got up and went to my room and got dressed. At exactly 6 am, daughter Anastasia was born. Everything happened quickly under excellent conditions and, thank God, without complications. By starting and ending while everyone was still asleep, we both had a sense of peace and privacy! After that, I sat down to write telegrams and notify relatives in all corners of the world. Fortunately, Alix is ​​feeling well. The baby weighs 11.5 pounds and is 55 cm tall.

According to an already established tradition, Nicholas II, in honor of the birth of his children, named one of the regiments after his daughter. In 1901, some time after Anastasia's birth, the 148th Caspian Infantry Regiment of Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Anastasia was named in her honor.

Childhood

As soon as the girl was born, she was given the title “Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess of Russia Anastasia Nikolaevna.” But in ordinary life they never used him, preferring to affectionately call him Nastya and Nastasya, and the comic nicknames “Shvybzik” for his mischievous character and “Kubshka” for his full figure.

Contrary to popular belief, children in the imperial family were not spoiled by luxury. All four girls occupied only two rooms, two of them lived in each. The older sisters Olga and Tatyana shared one room, and Maria and Anastasia lived in the other.

Gray walls with hanging icons and photographs that family members loved so much, and painted butterflies on the ceiling, white and green furniture and an army couch - this is how you can describe the almost spartan interior in which the girls lived.

These army beds accompanied them everywhere until the very end. In hot weather, they could even be moved to the balcony to sleep in the fresh air, and in winter they were moved to the most illuminated and warmest part of the room. These beds accompanied them on trains to the Crimea to the Livadia Palace, and even during their exile in Siberia.

The daily routine was quite simple. At 8 am, wake up and harden in a cold bath. After the morning toilet, breakfast followed. At noon the whole family had lunch in the dining room. Tea time is at five o'clock in the evening, as in all decent families. Dinner is at eight o'clock, after which family members spend the rest of the day together playing musical instruments, reading aloud, solving charades, embroidering and other entertainment. Before going to bed, it was mandatory to take a hot bath with drops of perfume. While the children were small, servants carried water into the bath. Later, as they grew up, the girls collected water on their own. They looked forward to the weekend with particular impatience, since on these days they attended children's balls, which were organized on her estate by their aunt Olga Alexandrovna, the younger sister of Nicholas II.

Studies

All offspring of the imperial family received home education, which began at the age of eight. The training program included foreign languages: French, English, German. And also grammar, arithmetic and geometry, history, geography, the law of God, natural sciences, music, singing and dancing.

Anastasia Romanova was not particularly zealous for learning, like many capable children. She didn't like grammar and arithmetic lessons. She even called the second subject “disgusting,” and made many mistakes in grammar.

Her English teacher, Sydney Gibbs, recalled that the girl once tried to bribe her teacher to raise her grade. With childish spontaneity, she tried to give him flowers, but when he refused, she gave the bouquet to the grammar teacher.

Appearance of the young Princess Anastasia

The advent of cameras now allows us to see what Anastasia Romanova looked like. Numerous photographs from the family’s archives suggest that they loved to be photographed. At an older age, Anastasia was seriously interested in the art of photography and took numerous photographs of her family and close circle.

She was short, about 157 centimeters, and had a thick build. It is for this that Anastasia was nicknamed “little egg” in the Romanov family. But at the same time, her figure was extremely feminine: wide hips and voluminous breasts, combined with an elegant waist, gave the girl a certain airiness.

Large blue eyes and light brown hair with a slight golden tint made her face look like her father. She had a pretty appearance, like the rest of the children, but unlike her older sisters, she looked rather rustic. We can say that genetically she was the only one who inherited more of her father's features - high cheekbones and an elongated oval face shape.

Anastasia inherited poor health from her mother. Constant complaints of pain in the feet due to crooked big toes, back pain. At the same time, she diligently avoided therapeutic massage, which helps relieve symptoms and alleviate the condition. Presumably, she also suffered from hemophilia, like her brother Alexey, since even small wounds took a very long time to heal.

Character

Like many young children born into a loving family, Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova had a cheerful character. She loved active games, such as hide and seek, serso and lapta, easily climbed trees and did not want to get down for a long time, which she really liked to do in her free time. She constantly risked being punished because of her tricks.

Anastasia spent a lot of time with her older sister Maria and was practically inseparable from her. She could entertain her younger brother for hours when another illness knocked him down and left him bedridden. She was artistic and often parodied courtiers and relatives, acting out comic scenes. At the same time, she was not distinguished by accuracy.

Anastasia had a great love for animals. At first she had a small Spitz dog named Shvybzik, with whom many cute and funny stories were associated. He died in 1915, and therefore the youngest daughter of Emperor Nicholas II was inconsolable for several weeks. Then the dog Jimmy appeared in the family.

She liked to draw, play stringed musical instruments with her brother, play pieces by famous composers on the piano four hands with her mother, watch movies and talk on the phone for hours. During the First World War, she became addicted to smoking along with her older sisters.

Life during the First World War

When it became known about the beginning of the war in 1914, Anastasia, along with her sisters and Alexandra Fedorovna, cried for a long time. When she was 14 years old, Anastasia received command of the 148th Caspian Infantry Regiment, named in honor of St. Anastasia the Patterner, which celebrates its day on December 22.

Alexandra Feodorovna donated many rooms of the palace in Tsarskoe Selo for the creation of the hospital. Olga and Tatyana began to play the role of sisters of mercy, while Maria and Anastasia, due to their young age, were patronesses of the hospital.

The younger sisters devoted a lot of time to the wounded soldiers, entertaining them in every possible way during the daytime by reading books, learning to read and write, playing musical instruments, theatrical sketches, and so on. The girls gave their own savings to buy medicine, wrote letters home on behalf of the wounded, played board games, provided the hospital with bandages and linen, and spent a lot of time in the evenings talking on the phone with soldiers, trying to distract them from physical and mental pain. Anastasia remembered this period in her life until the end of her days.

House arrest of the royal family

In 1917 the revolution began. It was during this period that all the daughters of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna fell ill with measles. Under the influence of illness and strong medications, everyone's hair begins to fall out. In this regard, it was decided to shave everyone's heads bald. Together with them, Alexey, the youngest son, also expresses a desire to shave, to which Alexandra Fedorovna reacted very sharply. In the story about Anastasia Romanova, there is even a photograph depicting the imperial children with bald heads.

At this time, Nicholas II was in Mogilev. They tried to hide the true cause of the shots outside the palace from the children for as long as possible, explaining this by the ongoing exercises. On March 2, 1917, the emperor renounced the title of tsar. Already on March 8, the Provisional Government decided to place the Romanov family under house arrest.

Living within the palace turned out to be quite bearable. However, they had to cut down their diet so as not to cause discontent among the workers, since every day the menu of the royal family was subject to publicity. And also reduce the time spent in the palace courtyard. Passers-by often looked through the bars of the fence, and curse words could be heard addressed to all family members.

Despite the unfolding events in the Empire, life went on as usual. Children did not stop receiving education even in a confined space. At that time, the hope had not yet faded that we could all go abroad together to England, to a safer place. But George V, King of Great Britain, to the surprise of the ministry, did not support his cousin in this matter.

In August 1917, the Provisional Government decided to transfer Nikolai Alexandrovich’s family to Tobolsk. On August 12, a train under the flag of the Japanese Red Cross mission departed from the siding in the strictest secrecy.

Exile to Siberia

Exactly two weeks later, on August 24, a steamship arrived at the Tobolsk platform. But the house intended for imprisonment was not yet ready, so the Romanovs lived on the ship for several days. As soon as the work in the building was completed, the whole family was escorted to the house, forming a living corridor of soldiers so that passers-by could not see them.

Living in Tobolsk was quite boring and monotonous. The education of the children continued the same, the father taught them history and geography, the mother taught them the law of God. Surprisingly, they did not live at all like a royal couple, but rather looked like ordinary people who did not indulge themselves in luxury. Moreover, under conditions of exile, the way of life became even simpler.

The biography of Anastasia Romanova mentions that the girl suddenly quickly began to gain excess weight, thereby causing concern to her mother.

In April 1918, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the fourth convocation decided to try the Tsar in Moscow. Alexandra Feodorovna and Maria are also going on the road with Nikolai to support her husband. The remaining family members were left to wait in Tobolsk. The moment of seeing off was quite sad.

As a result, on the road it became clear that they would not get to Moscow. It was decided to stay in Yekaterinburg, in the house of engineer Ipatiev. And since a further route was not possible, Olga, Tatyana, Anastasia and Alexey were subsequently sent to Yekaterinburg by steamship with a transfer to a train in Tyumen. On the trip, the children were accompanied by maids of honor, the French teacher Zhillard and the sailor Nagorny, who was traveling in the same cabin with Tsarevich Alexei. At that time, Alexei felt better, but the guards locked the cabins and did not even let the doctor inside.

On May 23, the train arrived at the station platform in Yekaterinburg. Here the children were taken from the accompanying persons and sent to Ipatiev’s house. Life in Yekaterinburg was even more monotonous.

On June 18, Anastasia celebrated her last birthday. That day she turned only 17 years old. The weather was excellent, and only in the evening the clouds began to rise and a thunderstorm broke out. They baked bread for the holiday, and the celebration continued in the courtyard. In the evening the whole family played cards after dinner. We went to bed at the usual time, half past ten in the evening.

Death of Anastasia Romanova and the entire royal family

According to official data, the decision on the death penalty for the imperial family was made on July 16 by the Ural Council. The council came to this decision due to suspicions of a conspiracy to save the family of Emperor Nicholas II and the capture of the city by White Guard troops.

On the night of this date, the commander of the detachment, P.Z. Ermakov, was given an execution order. At this time, all family members were already asleep in their rooms. They were woken up and sent to the basement of the Ipatievs' house under the pretext of rescue during a possible shootout.

As far as historians know now, those executed did not even suspect about the execution, and obediently went down to the basement. Two chairs were brought into the room, on which Nikolai with his sick son Alexei in his arms and Alexandra Fedorovna sat. The rest of the children and accompanying people stood behind. The girls took with them several reticules and their dog Jimmy, who accompanied them throughout their exile.

According to the data, after a survey of the “executioners”, Anastasia, Tatyana and Maria did not die immediately. They were protected from the first shots by jewelry sewn into their corsets. Anastasia resisted the longest and remained alive, so she was finished off with bayonets and rifle butts.

The corpses were taken outside the city and buried in the Four Brothers tract. The bodies, wrapped in sheets, were thrown into one of the mines, having first been doused with sulfuric acid and their faces mutilated beyond recognition. To this day, professionals and history buffs argue whether Anastasia Romanova managed to survive or not. Anastasia’s corpse was never found in the general grave.

"Resurrected" Anastasia

According to rumors, Anastasia managed to avoid the death penalty. Either she escaped before her arrest, or she was replaced by one of the maids. After all, as you know, the emperor’s family had several doubles. On this basis, many impostors appeared, calling themselves the saved Crown Princess Anastasia.

The most famous false Anastasia claimed that she managed to escape thanks to a soldier named Tchaikovsky. Her name was Anna Anderson. According to her, this soldier managed to pull the wounded princess out of the basement of the Ipatievs’ house and helped her escape. Her similarity to the princess was evidenced by identical foot diseases. Anna Anderson even wrote the book “I, Anastasia” and until the end of her life she claimed to be the daughter of the Tsar.

So, thanks to rumors of a miraculous salvation, 33 women officially claimed that they were the same Anastasia. Some close relatives of the Romanovs recognized various girls as the daughter of the Tsar. However, it was never possible to prove their relationship. Such a stir was most likely associated with the multimillion-dollar inheritance of the emperor.

Icon of the Holy Martyr Anastasia

In 1981, the Russian Church Abroad decided to canonize the family of the Russian Tsar as new martyrs. Preparations for the canonization of the Romanov family took place in 1991. Archbishop Melchizedek blessed the Four Brothers tract for the installation of the Worship Cross at the burial site. Later, in 2000, on October 1, the Archbishop of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye laid the first stone in the foundation of the future church in honor of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers.