During the Russian Revolution in November 1917, radical socialist Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power in Russia from a provisional government, establishing the world's first communist state.
The imperial family was sent to live under house arrest in Siberia. In April and May 1918, members of the Romanov family were relocated to Ipatiev House—a merchant's house in Yekaterinburg.
After the revolution, civil war between the Bolshevik "Red" army and the anti-Bolshevik "White" Russian forces broke out in June. By July, the White army was advancing on Yekaterinburg.
Local authorities were ordered to prevent a rescue of the Romanovs by the White army, and after a secret meeting of the Yekaterinburg Soviet, the imperial family was sentenced to death.
On the night of July 16, 1918, the family was ordered to dress and go down to the cellar of the Ipatiev House where they were lined up as if posing for a family photograph. Then, the entire Romanov family was executed by firing squad and bayoneted to death by Bolshevik troops.
The remains of the family were discovered in a mass grave in the Ural Mountains in 1991. Subsequent DNA testing confirmed the identities of Nicholas, Alexandra and three of their daughters.
The remains of Alexei and one of his sisters remained a mystery until 2007 when a second grave was discovered near the larger mass grave. The grave contained the remains of two partially burned skeletons, which subsequent DNA testing showed to belong to Alexei, and one of his sisters, likely Anastasia or Maria.Anastasia Romanov
In the wake of the Czar Nicholas' execution, rumors swirled that his youngest daughter, Anastasia Romanov, may have escaped her family's grim fate. The legend persisted for nearly a century, inspiring numerous books and films. Over the years, dozens of women came forward, claiming to be the Romanov princess.
The best-known Anastasia imposter was Anna Anderson, a young woman pulled out of a canal in Berlin, Germany, in 1920 after an attempted suicide. Anderson was sent to an asylum where she told fellow patients she was the Grand Duchess Anastasia.
Her claims received public attention, though most members of the extended Romanov family believed her to be an imposter. A private investigation funded by Czarina Alexandra's brother in 1927 found that Anna Anderson was actually a Polish factory worker named Franziska Schanzkowska with a history of mental illness.
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The Romanovs
Non-FictionThe Romanov family was the last imperial dynasty to rule Russia. They first came to power in 1613, and over the next 3 centuries, 18 Romanovs took the Russian throne, including Peter the great, Catherine the great, Alexander 1 and Nicholas 2. During...
