Can anyone tell me the story of Anastacia?

Question

I never did understand it

Answer 1

Apparently after the Romanov clan was executed by the Leninists, there were rumours that Anastasia somehow survived being executed.

Answer 2

Anastasia was murdered,along with the rest of her family Tsar Nicholas,Tsarina Alexandra,her brother and three sisters.Nicholas had proven to be a weak leader,was forced to abdicate,and the military had taken over.But mere exile wasn't enough: Y.M.Yurovsky, G.P.Nikulin, M.A.Medvedev (Kudrin), P.Z.Yermakov, S.P.Vaganov, A.G.Kabanov, P.S.Medvedev, V.N.Netrebin, and Y.M.Tselms all took part in the murder. All were Russians with the exception of Tselms, who was Latvian.

The bodies were disposed of,but somehow got separated.

A woman named Anna Anderson,who somehow had great memories of the Russian court one day appeared. She told her story and many were convinced that she was one of the children: Anastasia,who's body was missing. Many others also claimed to be the "missing" Grand Duchess Anastasia,but none of their stories were believed.

Anastasia's body was not missing;scientists identified her remains through facial bone comparisons. And the bodies that were "missing" turned up;it was the brother, Alexei and the sister, Maria, who's bones were scattered about.

DNA comparison of remains was carried out,using a descendant of the Russian Royal family,Prince Philip,Duke of Edinburgh,and the story is closed. All of the Russian Royal Family were killed,and their bodies identified.

Here's the AP (Associated Press) story:

"DNA Tests May Solve Mystery of Anastasia

By STEPHANIE REITZ – Apr 3, 2008

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Answers to the mystery of what befell the heirs of the last czar of Russia nearly a century ago may rest behind locked laboratory doors in Moscow and New England.

DNA test results to be announced within months on bone fragments found in Russia last year could prove that none of Czar Nicholas II's family escaped execution in the Bolshevik Revolution — not even Anastasia, the teenage princess whose identity various women have claimed over the decades.

Evgeny Rogaev, who heads a genetic research team working in Moscow and at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, is not immune to the effect his work could have on how his fellow Russian citizens view that turbulent chapter in their history.

He keeps pictures of the royal family carefully tucked inside a folder near charts of DNA sequences, but does not display them. Likewise, he shields any sight of the remains from everyone except the other researchers, out of respect for whomever the remains represent.

"Murders occurred. Children were murdered," he said this week, choosing his words carefully. "I will not make a show of it. That is my ethics."

For Rogaev, a professor at UMass and Moscow State University, ensuring the accuracy of the DNA tests is paramount.

"In an expert work, it cannot be about emotions. It must be about collection of scientific evidences, and that is why this DNA is so powerful to study," he said.

Rogaev is reviewing the genetic material at the request of the Russian Federation Prosecutor's Office as part of its reopened investigation of the deaths of the royal family.

Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, 13-year-old Crown Prince Alexei, the prince's four older sisters and their four attendants were taken prisoner in 1917. Even though the czar already had abdicated his throne, their captors fatally shot all the prisoners on July 17, 1918, in a basement room of a house in the city of Yekaterinburg.

DNA testing determined skeletal remains unearthed from shallow graves in a nearby mining pit in 1991 were most likely those of the couple and three of their four daughters.

The daughters were believed to be 22-year-old Olga, 21-year-old Tatiana and 17-year-old Anastasia, although some people speculate the last set of remains belonged to the similarly sized 19-year-old Maria.

Researchers suspect the bone shards discovered last summer, burned and doused with acid, are those of Alexei and Maria. They were found in the area where one of the professed killers said their bodies had been destroyed.

The remains found in 1991 were reburied with honors in 1998 in the imperial-era capital of St. Petersburg. It was shadowed by doubts at the time, including from the Russian Orthodox Church and some Romanov relatives, over the authenticity of the genetic results.

Nevertheless, the church canonized the royal family in 2000.

Rogaev, who was called to help verify the remains' authenticity in 1997 and 1998, said he knows many people with opinions on both sides. He compares it to the emotions that Americans have about their legendary public figures and families, such as the Kennedys, and says the DNA tests are the best way to be certain about the Romanovs' fate.

"In science, what you conclude to be true comes from the results you find. When I see the results, I accept the results as the fact," he said.

No clear explanation exists about why the suspected remains of the prince and one of his sisters were destroyed with more violence than those of the czar, empress and three of their daughters.

Some researchers think that after shooting the family, the killers tried to destroy as much of their remains as possible, but ran out of time after starting to destroy two of the smallest bodies with fire and sulfuric acid. Some have said the killers thought monarchists might try to memorialize the burial place as a shrine if the bodies' locations were known.

The bone fragments were so badly damaged that Rogaev and other researchers first had to determine whether enough uncontaminated genetic material still existed for testing.

The delicate work proved that, indeed, useful DNA could be extracted from a very small amount of the material — a critical fact, since they wanted to preserve as much of the bone fragments as possible out of respect for the victims.

The researchers are comparing DNA from the recently discovered remains with those of Empress Alexandra, who was a granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria and a distant relative of Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. The prince, whose DNA might offer important points of reference for comparison, has not provided DNA so far, but researchers are reviewing published information related to the family, Evgeny said.

Renowned forensic scientist Henry Lee endorsed Rogaev's approach and called the case a prime example of science settling questions about the past.

"It's an interesting project, and DNA is opening up a lot of new frontiers in solving crime and answering questions of history," said Lee, a former Connecticut public safety commissioner and founder of the forensic science program at the University of New Haven.

A representative of the Romanovs urged caution after the remains were found last summer. They have tried without success for years to persuade Russian authorities to declare Nicholas and his family victims of political repression.

"I will be deeply happy if the remains of (Alexei) and Maria have really been found," Nikolai Romanov, identified by Channel One as the head of the family, told the station by telephone from Switzerland. "But it is always necessary to treat such epochal events with caution." "

Answer 3

Well, her father Nicolas II was the czar of Russia in the early 1900's. One day, these people said "come downstairs and we'll take a family picture." Really, they just shot all of them and that was the last czar! Some people think Anastasia survived, but it is very unlikely!

Answer 4

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna. She was born on June 18, 1901. The Tsar was unhappy when she was born because he wanted a son so that his son could become the next tsar of Russia, but everyone soon found that Anastasia could cheer everyone up. Her friends said Anastasia liked to tell jokes and was very funny.

Her family was murdered by Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918 during the Russian Revolution. Some people think Anastasia was saved. People said that Russian soldiers looked for Anastasia after the rest of her family was murdered. The family's grave was found in 1991 in Siberia. Two bodies are missing from the family's grave. The missing bodies are believed to be her brother Alexei and Anastasia or her sister Maria. Scientists think that her other sisters, Olga and Tatiana, were in the grave. They think the bodies of the three young women in the grave were too tall and too old to belong to Anastasia. Anastasia was shorter than her three sisters. She was seventeen when the family was murdered.

Several women later said they were Anastasia. More people believed Anna Anderson was Anastasia than any of the other women who said they were the grand duchess. Some people said Anna Anderson looked like Anastasia and acted like her. DNA tests later proved she was not the grand duchess. Movies have been made and books have been written about the story of Anastasia.

The Tsar, the Tsarina, and three of their daughters were buried at St. Petersburg, Russia on July 17, 1998. Anastasia and her family were made passion bearers by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.

Answer 5

Anastasia was murdered,along with the rest of her family Tsar Nicholas,Tsarina Alexandra,her brother and three sisters.Nicholas had proven to be a weak leader,was forced to abdicate,and the military had taken over.But mere exile wasn't enough: Y.M.Yurovsky, G.P.Nikulin, M.A.Medvedev (Kudrin), P.Z.Yermakov, S.P.Vaganov, A.G.Kabanov, P.S.Medvedev, V.N.Netrebin, and Y.M.Tselms all took part in the murder. All were Russians with the exception of Tselms, who was Latvian.

The bodies were disposed of,but somehow got separated.

A woman named Anna Anderson,who somehow had great memories of the Russian court one day appeared. She told her story and many were convinced that she was one of the children: Anastasia,who's body was missing. Many others also claimed to be the "missing" Grand Duchess Anastasia,but none of their stories were believed.

Anastasia's body was not missing;scientists identified her remains through facial bone comparisons. And the bodies that were "missing" turned up;it was the brother, Alexei and the sister, Maria, who's bones were scattered about.

DNA comparison of remains was carried out,using a descendant of the Russian Royal family,Prince Philip,Duke of Edinburgh,and the story is closed. All of the Russian Royal Family were killed,and their bodies identified.

Here's the AP (Associated Press) story:

"DNA Tests May Solve Mystery of Anastasia

By STEPHANIE REITZ – Apr 3, 2008

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Answers to the mystery of what befell the heirs of the last czar of Russia nearly a century ago may rest behind locked laboratory doors in Moscow and New England.

DNA test results to be announced within months on bone fragments found in Russia last year could prove that none of Czar Nicholas II's family escaped execution in the Bolshevik Revolution — not even Anastasia, the teenage princess whose identity various women have claimed over the decades.

Evgeny Rogaev, who heads a genetic research team working in Moscow and at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, is not immune to the effect his work could have on how his fellow Russian citizens view that turbulent chapter in their history.

He keeps pictures of the royal family carefully tucked inside a folder near charts of DNA sequences, but does not display them. Likewise, he shields any sight of the remains from everyone except the other researchers, out of respect for whomever the remains represent.

"Murders occurred. Children were murdered," he said this week, choosing his words carefully. "I will not make a show of it. That is my ethics."

For Rogaev, a professor at UMass and Moscow State University, ensuring the accuracy of the DNA tests is paramount.

"In an expert work, it cannot be about emotions. It must be about collection of scientific evidences, and that is why this DNA is so powerful to study," he said.

Rogaev is reviewing the genetic material at the request of the Russian Federation Prosecutor's Office as part of its reopened investigation of the deaths of the royal family.

Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, 13-year-old Crown Prince Alexei, the prince's four older sisters and their four attendants were taken prisoner in 1917. Even though the czar already had abdicated his throne, their captors fatally shot all the prisoners on July 17, 1918, in a basement room of a house in the city of Yekaterinburg.

DNA testing determined skeletal remains unearthed from shallow graves in a nearby mining pit in 1991 were most likely those of the couple and three of their four daughters.

The daughters were believed to be 22-year-old Olga, 21-year-old Tatiana and 17-year-old Anastasia, although some people speculate the last set of remains belonged to the similarly sized 19-year-old Maria.

Researchers suspect the bone shards discovered last summer, burned and doused with acid, are those of Alexei and Maria. They were found in the area where one of the professed killers said their bodies had been destroyed.

The remains found in 1991 were reburied with honors in 1998 in the imperial-era capital of St. Petersburg. It was shadowed by doubts at the time, including from the Russian Orthodox Church and some Romanov relatives, over the authenticity of the genetic results.

Nevertheless, the church canonized the royal family in 2000.

Rogaev, who was called to help verify the remains' authenticity in 1997 and 1998, said he knows many people with opinions on both sides. He compares it to the emotions that Americans have about their legendary public figures and families, such as the Kennedys, and says the DNA tests are the best way to be certain about the Romanovs' fate.

"In science, what you conclude to be true comes from the results you find. When I see the results, I accept the results as the fact," he said.

No clear explanation exists about why the suspected remains of the prince and one of his sisters were destroyed with more violence than those of the czar, empress and three of their daughters.

Some researchers think that after shooting the family, the killers tried to destroy as much of their remains as possible, but ran out of time after starting to destroy two of the smallest bodies with fire and sulfuric acid. Some have said the killers thought monarchists might try to memorialize the burial place as a shrine if the bodies' locations were known.

The bone fragments were so badly damaged that Rogaev and other researchers first had to determine whether enough uncontaminated genetic material still existed for testing.

The delicate work proved that, indeed, useful DNA could be extracted from a very small amount of the material — a critical fact, since they wanted to preserve as much of the bone fragments as possible out of respect for the victims.

The researchers are comparing DNA from the recently discovered remains with those of Empress Alexandra, who was a granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria and a distant relative of Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. The prince, whose DNA might offer important points of reference for comparison, has not provided DNA so far, but researchers are reviewing published information related to the family, Evgeny said.

Renowned forensic scientist Henry Lee endorsed Rogaev's approach and called the case a prime example of science settling questions about the past.

"It's an interesting project, and DNA is opening up a lot of new frontiers in solving crime and answering questions of history," said Lee, a former Connecticut public safety commissioner and founder of the forensic science program at the University of New Haven.

A representative of the Romanovs urged caution after the remains were found last summer. They have tried without success for years to persuade Russian authorities to declare Nicholas and his family victims of political repression.

"I will be deeply happy if the remains of (Alexei) and Maria have really been found," Nikolai Romanov, identified by Channel One as the head of the family, told the station by telephone from Switzerland. "But it is always necessary to treat such epochal events with caution." "

1 day ago

Source(s):

Try wikipedia for a condensed history,but if you can try these books: Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie and The Last Tsar:The Life and Death of Nicholas II by Edvard Radzinsky

I agree