The Romanov Family's Massacre

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Many people know about the Romanov Family of Russia, and the mystery of Anastasia Romanov, the youngest daughter of the Czar Nicholas II. Many say that young Anastasia died with the rest of her family, however there are many movies, plays, books, and TV shows that force people to reflect upon the long asked question, Did Anastasia Romanov really survive her family’s massacre? However, their story begins long before the massacre, with the rule of her father Nicolas II. The Romanov Dynasty began in 1613, with Andrey Kobyla. In May of 1896 after the death of Alexander III, his son Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra were crowned czar and czarina of Russia. They soon had five children, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Alexei, and the famous Anastasia. …show more content…

The czar soon retracted these concessions and repeatedly dissolved the Duma, contributing to the growing public support enjoyed by the Bolsheviks and other revolutionary groups.” In 1914 Nicholas led Russia into World War One, the war was very costly and food rations became less and less, and many soldiers were tired and or injured. This caused the hatred for Nicholas to grow. In 1915, Nicholas (II) personally took command of the army and left his wife (the czarina) Alexandra to rule in his place. While the czar was away, Gregory Rasputin replaced all of Nicholas’ ministers and officials. Nicholas was forced to give up the throne to his brother, who turned it down, ending the czarist autocracy in Russia. For many years after, the Romanov family was in hiding, while a civil war broke out all over Russia. “Just after midnight on July 17, Nicholas, Alexandra, their five children, and four family retainers were ordered to dress quickly and go down to the cellar of the house in which they were being held. There, the family and servants were arranged in two rows for a photograph they were told was being taken to quell rumors that they had escaped. Suddenly, a dozen armed men burst into the room and gunned …show more content…

People who believed that Anna was truly an imposter include, Anastasia’s tutor, the czar’s youngest sister, and Alexandra’s (Anastasia’s mother) sister. Nicholas’ sister Olga Alexandrovna stated, "My telling the truth does not help in the least, because the public simply wants to believe the mystery." In 1968 she married John Manahan, and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia where she lived, still claiming to be Anastasia until 1984 when she died due to pneumonia. In 2007 the two missing Romanov bodies were excavated, and identified as Alexei and Anastasia Romanov, proving that Anastasia Romanov did not survive the mass execution of her family. However some people still believed that Anna Anderson was Anastasia, so DNA taken from Anna’s tissue and hair samples confirmed that not only was she not Anastasia, but she was Polish, not Russian or German like the Romanov family

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