Anastasia Nikolaevna, Grand Duchess of Rusia

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna (Wikipedia)

The "mystery" of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna centered on the persistent belief that she may have survived the 1918 execution of the Russian Imperial family. While the mystery captivated the public for nearly a century, it has been scientifically resolved.

The Core of the Mystery

• The Execution (1918): On the night of July 16–17, 1918, the Romanov family and their staff were led to a basement in Yekaterinburg and executed by Bolshevik revolutionaries.
• The Missing Bodies: When the first mass grave was discovered and later exhumed in 1991, only nine bodies were found. Forensic analysis identified the Tsar, the Tsarina, and three daughters. Two children were missing: the Tsarevich Alexei and one daughter (either Anastasia or her sister Maria).
• The Rumors: The absence of these two bodies, combined with the Soviet government's initial secrecy, fueled decades of rumors that Anastasia had escaped.

Famous Claimants: Anna Anderson

The most famous person to claim the identity of the lost Grand Duchess was a woman known as Anna Anderson.

• Discovery: She was rescued from a canal in Berlin in 1920 following a suicide attempt.
• The Claim: After months of silence in a mental institution, she began to claim—or was identified by others—as Anastasia.
• Supporters vs. Skeptics: Some former Romanov associates believed her due to her knowledge of palace life and physical resemblances, while most of Anastasia's immediate family dismissed her as an impostor.
• The Truth: In 1994, DNA testing on an intestinal biopsy and hair samples from Anderson (who died in 1984) proved she was not related to the Romanovs. Her DNA matched the family of Franziska Schanzkowska, a Polish factory worker who had gone missing in Berlin around the same time Anderson appeared.

Scientific Resolution

The mystery was definitively closed through two major archaeological and scientific breakthroughs:

• 1991 Exhumation: DNA testing (utilizing samples from living relatives like Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh) confirmed that the remains found in the first grave were indeed the Tsar, Tsarina, and three of their daughters.
• 2007 Discovery: A second, smaller grave was found nearby containing the charred remains of a boy and a young woman.
• Final Confirmation: In 2008 and 2009, advanced DNA testing confirmed these remains were the missing Alexei and his sister (Maria or Anastasia). This proved that none of the Romanov children survived the 1918 execution.

Summary of Key Dates

Date	Event	Result
July 1918	Execution of the Romanov family	Entire family killed, but burial site remains a secret.
1920–1984	The "Anna Anderson" era	A high-profile claimant draws international attention.
1991	First grave exhumed	Confirms 5 Romanovs, but 2 children are still missing.
1994	DNA test on Anna Anderson	Proves she is an impostor (Franziska Schanzkowska).
2007	Second grave found	Contains the remains of the two missing children.
2008/2009	Final DNA Analysis	Conclusive proof that all 11 victims of the massacre are accounted for.

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25 January 2026: 9.16 p.m