The Suspicious Deaths of the Romanovs

Profile: Maria Romanov

Date of birth: 26 June 1899

Date of death: 17th July 1918 (aged 19)

Location of death: Yekaterinburg, Russia

Cause of death: Murder, by the Bolsheviks

Titles: Grand Duchess

Father: Tsar Nicholas II

Mother: Empress Alexandra

Siblings: Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia, Alexei

Personality traits: flirtatious, amiable, obedient, adored her father, angelic, minimalistic, kind-hearted, artistic, strong, sweet-natured, friendly, fun-loving, lazy, stubborn, insecure

During the revolution: She left Tobolsk with her parents, leaving her siblings behind briefly for the journey to Yekaterinburg. During her time in captivity she often befriended the soldiers wherever she went, and would tell them of her dream of going to England. One young guard, Ivan Kleschev, became besotted with the girls, and declared that if their parents refused to allow him to marry one of them, he would rescue one girl and whisk her away from Ipatiev House.

Another guard, Ivan Skorokhodov, was caught in a compromising position with Maria after he brought her a cake for her 19th birthday. After this, Skorokhodov and the rest of the guards were removed, replaced with a fresh batch of soldiers, all of whom were told that fraternisation with the prisoners was forbidden. Meanwhile, Maria's mother and sisters were angry and distant towards the young girl for the next few days.

On 14th July 1918 priests from the local monastery came to pray with the royal family, and found them to be in good spirits. On the 15th, the girls were happily cleaning and joking about Maria's strength. During the day of the 16th, Maria walked in the gardens with her father and her sisters, seemingly none the wiser.

That night the family was told that they were being moved. There was unrest in the town, according to the soldiers, and the family had to be transferred elsewhere for their own safety. They took the family to the basement where one soldier, an ex-photographer, arranged the royals to sit as though posing for a picture. In truth, he was keeping them preoccupied while the other soldiers were preparing their guns.

Maria was stood behind her mother, who was sat on a chair next to Alexei. When the soldiers were ready they reentered the room, ordered everyone to stand, and read out the charges against the Tsar. Maria was shielded by her mother in the first volley of bullets. She attempted to escape through the doors at the back of the room, but the soldiers had been prepared – the doors were nailed shut.

In trying to open the doors, she'd made too much noise.

A drunken military commissar, Ermakov, unable to distinguish who was who in the haze of smoke that filled the room, shot at the 19 year old girl, hitting her thigh. She collapsed next to her sister Anastasia and Demidova, a loyal servant, moaning in pain. There she was left, choking on smoke, while the soldiers left the room to get some air. When the soldiers returned, Maria and Anastasia were the last to be killed.

But this is the mystery of Maria. According to one report, Ermakov came back, struggled with her, and tried again and again to stab her through her diamond-laced clothes. When he failed to kill her the frustration took over, and he shot her in the head.

And yet, the skull that scientists so adamantly claim is Maria's, has no bullet wound. Some argue that he must have simply inflicted a scalp wound instead, one that would have knocked her unconscious while producing a lot of blood.

He then moved onto Anastasia, reportedly killing her in a similar fashion.

Imagine his horror when Maria opened her eyes.

A pale, beautiful, blood covered young girl, surrounded by dead bodies. Screaming. Screaming and screaming, and not dying no matter how many times the soldiers tried to stab her. A friendly, warm, loving girl, now terrified and traumatised. Ermakov panicked. He tried to stab her, and when she wouldn't die, he hit her again and again until she stopped screaming.

Experts say that Maria's face was destroyed; some argue rifle butts were the cause, but Ermakov's account contradicts this.

Considering her flirtatious, friendly nature, and the number of admirers Maria was rumoured to have had, many believe that she was secretly rescued by a besotted soldier.

However, further details are shrouded in mystery. Some say she woke up in a van filled with the dead bodies of her family members, when the soldiers were preparing to transport them away to a burial site. There are suggestions of her being whisked away to Romania, others that she was whisked away to South Africa, far from the horrors of home.

Most scientists would argue that she died a brutal, bloody death, and that was the end of it.

But would it truly be so difficult to believe that this romantic teenage girl had won the hearts of her captors? That either of the Ivans who had been fond of her could have returned?

I truly hope that she had her happy ending, far away from the blood and beatings she faced in that basement.