One of the biggest mysteries of the 20th Century was what happened to Anastasia. Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaeuna was born on June 18, 1901. She was the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II of Russia. Her birth was a disappointment to the Czar, who was hoping for a make heir. He already had three daughters. (He would eventually get a boy named Alexei). As a child, Anastasia was described as charming, energetic, and naughty. Some felt her pranks could be cruel. Although royalty, the siblings were brought up in a spartan environment. They slept on hard cots without pillows. They took cold baths. But this was paradise compared to what happened when the Russian Revolution broke out in 1917. The family was put under house arrest by the new government and then were transferred to communist control when the Bolsheviks took over. They were being held in the city of Yakaterinburg when White (anti-Bolshevik) forces threatened the city. Their Red captors decided to eliminate them before the Whites could rescue them. On July 17, they were told to gather their belongings for a move. They were brought to the cellar along with some of their servants. Suddenly, pistol-wielding Bolsheviks entered and opened fire. The victims were all hit numerous times. The bodies were put in an abandoned mine shaft, but its location as well as details of the killings were kept secret. This secrecy lent itself to rumors that Anastasia survived. Supposedly, a guard found her feigning death amongst the bodies. He decided to save her.
Over the years at least ten women claimed to be Anastasia. Many, if not all, were interested in inheriting the vast Romanov fortune, held in a Swiss bank. The most famous claimant was Anna Anderson. In the early 1920’s, she attempted suicide and ended up in a mental asylum. A couple of years later, Anna was put forward as Anastasia. Her supporters included Tolstoy, but most of the surviving relatives of Anastasia said she was an impostor. From 1938-1970, she battled in West German courts for her inheritance. In 1970, her claim was rejected. She died in 1984 and was cremated, but a tissue sample was found and DNA testing in the 1990’s proved she was not related to the Romanovs. Most likely she had been a Polish factory worker who suffered a head injury in 1920 which led to depression and her attempted suicide. Later that decade, the skeleton of Anastasia was identified, proving she had not survived the execution.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anastasia-Russian-grand-duchess
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Anderson
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