Anastasia

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Anastasia

Q: Who was Anastasia?

Anastasia was a grand duchess of Russia and the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II , the last emperor of Russia.

Q: How did Anastasia die?

After the October Revolution that marked the beginning of the Soviet regime, Anastasia was confined in the Urals along with the rest of the imperial family. On July 17, 1918, Anastasia and her immediate family were shot in a cellar by the Bolsheviks . Their bodies were thrown into an abandoned mine pit and later buried.

Q: Did Anastasia escape her executors?

No. Numerous women—most famously Anna Anderson—claimed to be Anastasia and thus heir to the Romanov fortune. Each said she had survived the execution and escaped. However, DNA tests on Anastasia’s remains conducted after the collapse of the Soviet Union confirmed that she had died with the rest of her family.

Russian grand duchess

Also known as: Anastasiya Nikolayevna

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 12, 2024 • Article History

Anastasia

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Category: History & Society

Russian in full:: Anastasiya Nikolayevna

Born:: June 18 [June 5, Old Style], 1901, Peterhof, near St. Petersburg, Russia

Died:: July 17, 1918, Yekaterinburg (aged 17)

Notable Family Members:: father Nicholas II; mother Alexandra; brother Alexis

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Who was Anastasia?

How did Anastasia die?

Did Anastasia escape her executors?

Anastasia (born June 18 [June 5, Old Style], 1901, Peterhof, near St. Petersburg, Russia—died July 17, 1918, Yekaterinburg) was the grand duchess of Russia and the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia. Anastasia was killed with the other members of her immediate family in a cellar where they had been confined by the Bolsheviks following the October Revolution. (Although there is some uncertainty over whether the family was killed on July 16 or 17, 1918, most sources indicate that the executions took place on the latter day.) After the executions, several women outside Russia claimed ...(100 of 343 words)

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