The first and last royal family of Russia was the Romanovs. Tsar Nicholas II had four daughters and one son. His daughters were Anastasia Nikolaevna, Olga Nikolaevna, Tatiana Nikolaevna, and Maria Nikolaevna. His son was Alexei Nikolaevich.
The absolute rulers of Russia took the throne in 1613 and left the throne in 1917. Since this powerful family ruled for three centuries, this time in history is now called the Romanov dynasty.
The imperial family had an extensive line of relatives who could take control of the throne. In 1918, after the Bolsheviks killed off the Romanovs, speculations began to rise. People started spreading rumors that not all the relatives had been executed that night in Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains.
Today, there are strong beliefs throughout the world that two Romanov kids escaped and that descendants from the Romanov bloodline may be living in the present day.
10 Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova
Anastasia Romanova was the youngest of Tsar Nicholas II’s four daughters. In 1918, when the Bolsheviks murdered the Romanovs, rumors started spreading that Anastasia might have escaped because they could not find her remains buried with the rest of her family.
Throughout the world, many people changed their identities to act like Anastasia. One famous impostor was Anna Anderson. Some people believed that she was Polish.
Anderson acted like Anastasia, which started rumors that Anastasia was alive. Many people also changed their identities to act like her brother or even her sister. This caused speculation to rise all over the world, especially among the Russian people.
Many people believed that siblings Anastasia, Maria, and Alexei—as well as the rest of Anastasia’s family—were still alive. After many years, several people discovered gravesites. Initially, it could not be confirmed whether Anastasia’s remains were in there. Many historians never knew for sure if the Bolsheviks killed Anastasia.
When discovered, Anastasia’s body was found in a hidden grave. Researchers and scientists needed to conduct tests to find out if these bones were, in fact, Anastasia’s. Forensic scientists then proved that Anastasia died like the rest of her family in 1918. Anastasia was properly reburied in 1998.
9 DNA
All around the world, there have been theories that the Bolsheviks buried two Romanov family members in a different area in Yekaterinburg. There is also speculation that the two children of the tsar’s family tried to escape the terror.
People have theorized that Prince Alexei and Princess Maria were the two relatives who could have escaped the flames and bullets. In 1976, a spot was found which contained the remains of the Romanovs. In 1991, after communism ended, researchers received permission from the government to reopen the burial site where the remains of the Romanovs had been left by the Bolshevik firing squad.
Scientists needed to do a DNA analysis for confirmation. They asked Prince Philip and Prince Michael of Kent for a sample of their DNA to compare against the DNA of the remains. Forensic scientists concluded that the DNA did come from the tsar’s family. The tests proved that the Bolsheviks buried Prince Alexei and Princess Maria at a different site, apart from their family.
8 Discovered Bones
In 2007, Sergei Plotnikov, a builder who belonged to an amateur history group, made an unexpected discovery. The amateur history group would constantly try to find any remains or other evidence that would link back to the royal family.
When Sergei had free time, he would look for bones in the areas where members of the Romanov family had previously been found. One day, Sergei came upon something hard, so he decided to dig beneath the ground to see if anything was there.
To Sergei’s surprise, he found several bone fragments, including one pelvis fragment and one skull fragment. By looking at the two fragments, forensic scientists and archaeologists hypothesized that these two pieces came from children.
7 Evidence Of Violence
After archaeologists examined the bone fragments from Alexei and Maria, the researchers explained that the bones had lots of damage on them. However, the damage on the tsar’s bones was different than the damage on the bones of these children.
Archaeologists had found a bullet hole on Tsar Nicholas’s II bones, which means that the Bolshevik firing squad did not use their guns to kill these two kids. The rest of Nicholas’s family suffered another way.
From the amount of kerosene found on the children’s bones, archaeologists concluded that these two kids were covered in acid and burned to death. Prince Alexei and Princess Maria were apart from the rest of the family, but they suffered the same amount of pain as their family members.
6 Results From Remains
Archaeologists found nine skeletons, teeth, bullets of different calibers, fabric from a dress, and a wire from a wooden box. Archaeologists concluded that the remains belonged to a boy and a woman. The ages varied from 10 to 23.
The possibility that the boy could have been Prince Alexei and that the woman could have been Princess Maria is very high. There have been theories that the government found the gravesite where the bones of the Romanovs were stored. People have passed down reports that the remains were originally found in 1979 and that the government kept the information a secret.
5 Lack Of Money
In 1990, another team of archaeologists decided to dig beneath the ground. The team had hoped that they would find something that could lead to the remains of the Romanovs.
After multiple days or even weeks, they dug up an area almost as big as a football field. Then they left. They could not finish the search due to a lack of money. Surprisingly, Sergei Plotnikov found the bone fragments exactly in that area.
4 Doubt
The Russian Orthodox Church did not believe that the remains were from the Romanovs. The church asked for more examinations and more information indicating that these remains did in fact come from the murdered royal family in Yekaterinburg.
The descendants of the Romanov bloodline agreed. The descendants believed that there should have been extra examinations and caution taken when finding out if the bones really belonged to the dead tsar and his children.
There were many delays with the reburial because the Russian Orthodox Church constantly had doubts that the DNA was wrong or that the remains did not belong to Nicholas II and his family. The church asked forensic scientists to conduct more tests. After the scientists finally convinced the church members that the remains were from the Romanovs, the Russian Orthodox Church scheduled a reburial.
3 Living Descendants
Today, there are people in the world who are part of the bloodline of the Romanovs. One of the main descendants who helped to identify the Romanovs’ remains through extraction of DNA was Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, the grandnephew of Tsarina Alexandra, and the great-great-grandson of Nicholas I.
Another relative who helped identify the remains of the royal family was Prince Michael of Kent. His grandmother was the first cousin of Nicholas II. Prince Michael of Kent also contributed to identifying the remains of the family using his DNA.
The other eight relatives were Hugh Grosvenor, King Constantine II of Greece, Grand duch*ess Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, Olga Andreevna Romanoff, Francis-Alexander Mathew, Nicoletta Romanoff, and Prince Rostislav Romanov. Those eight relatives did not give their DNA to identify the remains because Prince Philip and Prince Michael of Kent were the closest of all the relatives to have their DNA used as a sample.
2 Bolsheviks Attempted To Get Rid Of The Evidence
The Bolsheviks executed the family in Yekaterinburg. However, the Bolshevik firing squad needed to find a way to destroy the evidence that would show that they did, in fact, kill the Romanovs.
There are two theories as to how the Bolsheviks killed the children. According to the first theory, the Bolsheviks shot Nicholas II and then put his four daughters in an abandoned mine. The Bolsheviks tried to blow up the mine but failed. Instead, they put acid on the children and burned them.
The second theory is that the Bolsheviks decided to take the remains of Prince Alexei and Princess Maria and cremate them. After many tests and examinations, researchers and forensic scientists concluded that the cremation process did not work properly.
To cremate a body, you need to stay in a very hot area. The Bolsheviks did not have that advantage when they were in the woods. Despite their attempt to cremate the bodies, they ultimately buried two bodies in one grave and the rest of the bodies in another grave.
Burying the bodies in two different graves explains why they were a couple of miles apart from each other. It also proves that the theories about the supposed escape of Prince Alexei and Princess Maria or Anastasia are false.
1 Three-Day Funeral
The mystery of the murdered imperial family has been laid to rest in Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. After the remains were studied, many researchers concluded that this was Nicholas II and his family.
The last burial ceremony was held in an Orthodox church. The ceremony took three days to complete, with the burial of the family as the last stage. When the funeral took place, many Russians still doubted that the remains were those of the tsar’s family. But scientists have said that the bones are a 97 percent match to the members of the tsar’s family.
The ceremony played a very big part in Russia. Worldwide, 50 countries and the Romanov relatives watched as the family was laid to rest. Over 80 years had to pass for the mystery of the Romanovs to come to an end. During the burial, Russians remembered the past and closed this violent and tragic chapter in their lives.
Angela is a high school student. She is interested in fitness, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and learning something new every day.
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FAQs
The last to die were Tatiana, Anastasia, and Maria, who were carrying a few pounds (over 1.3 kilograms) of diamonds sewn into their clothing, which had given them a degree of protection from the firing. However, they were speared with bayonets as well. Olga sustained a gunshot wound to the head.
Who killed the Romanov family and why? ›
Fearing that the White army would free the tsar, the local Bolshevik command, with Lenin's approval, had decided to kill the tsar and his entire family. In the early morning hours of July 17, 1918, they acted. After 78 days in the House of Special Purpose, something terrible happened to the royal family.
Could the Romanovs have been saved? ›
The Romanovs were forced to go to Siberia, and there they died. Even had the invitation not been withdrawn, historians agree that it's doubtful the Bolsheviks would ever have allowed Nicholas to leave Russia. It was long assumed that the British government had overruled George V, who was a constitutional monarch.
Who ordered the killing of the Romanov family? ›
In Yekaterinburg, Russia, Czar Nicholas II and his family are executed by the Bolsheviks, bringing an end to the three-century-old Romanov dynasty. Crowned in 1896, Nicholas was neither trained nor inclined to rule, which did not help the autocracy he sought to preserve among a people desperate for change.
Is there any Romanov alive today? ›
Are there any Romanovs alive today? There are no immediate family members of the former Russian Royal Family alive today. However, there are still living descendants of the Romanov family. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II is the grandnephew of Tsarina Alexandra.
Did they ever find Anastasia's remains? ›
In 2007 the two missing bodies were found, and soon afterward they were identified as Alexis and probably Maria. Anastasia's remains were likely one of the bodies that had been found earlier.
Where was Anastasia found? ›
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.
Who is the current Romanov heir? ›
| Grand duch*ess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia |
|---|
| Tenure | 21 April 1992 – present |
| Predecessor | Vladimir |
| Heir apparent | George |
| Born | 23 December 1953 Madrid, Spain |
10 more rowsEpisode 6 of The Crown shows how King George V, the Queen's grandfather and the great-grandfather of King Charles III, ultimately decided not to rescue his cousin, Tsar Nicholas II, from the Bolsheviks, leading to the Tsar and his family ultimately being assassinated.
Is Queen Elizabeth related to Romanovs? ›
Though both Elizabeth and Philip were related to the Romanovs, Philip's connection came through Alexandra, with whom he shared a common female ancestor, meaning only he could provide a mitochondrial DNA match.
The fact some of the family members' bodies had been hidden and were only recently discoveredhad further added to this mystery. So what happened to the immense wealth that the royals had accumulated before their executions? All of it, including the palaces, became property of the new Soviet state.
Where did the Romanov jewels go? ›
Pavlovna fled Russia in 1919 and died the next year in Paris. The jewels were passed to her daughter, Princess Elena of Greece and Denmark, and kept in the family until they first appeared at auction in November 2009, when they were bought by "another European princely family" who sold them on Wednesday.
Why did they think Anastasia was still alive? ›
Her purported survival has been conclusively disproven. Scientific analysis including DNA testing confirmed that the remains are those of the imperial family, showing that all four grand duch*esses were killed in 1918. Several women falsely claimed to have been Anastasia; the best known impostor was Anna Anderson.
What ended the 300 year rule of the Romanov family? ›
During the Russian Revolution of 1917, Bolshevik revolutionaries toppled the monarchy, ending the Romanov dynasty. Czar Nicholas II and his entire family—including his young children—were later executed by Bolshevik troops.
What did tsar mean? ›
: emperor. specifically : the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution. : one having great power or authority. a banking czar.
Was Queen Victoria related to Tsar Nicholas? ›
Russia's Czar Nicholas II was related to England's Queen Victoria through his marriage to his wife Alexandra. Alexandra Feodorovna was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. One of Victoria's daughters, Alice, had married Prince Louis of Hesse, an area of modern day Germany.
When were the last Romanov bodies found? ›
In 1991, Russian amateur investigators, using a recently released government report on the Romanov execution, found what they thought to be the Romanov burial site. Russian authorities exhumed human remains.
How tall was Nicholas Romanov? ›
What is Anastasia's secret about? ›
Anastasia's Secret Paperback – March 15, 2011. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. When Princess Anastasia Romanov's life is torn apart by revolution, she and her family are exiled to Siberia. As their captivity stretches out, the threat of death by firing squad grows stronger.
Did any Russian royalty survive? ›
In 1918 Bolshevik officials executed the ex-Emperor and his family. Of the House of Romanov's 65 members, 47 survivors went into exile abroad.
...
House of Romanov.
| House of Romanov Романовы |
|---|
| Final ruler | Elizabeth I (agnatic line) Nicholas II (cognatic line) |
9 more rows1899), brother of Tsar Nicholas II [4]. Both Tsar Nicholas II and Grand Duke Georgij Romanov shared the same point heteroplasmy at 16169 – but in differing ratios. The Tsar was mostly C/t while his brother was mostly T/c.
What did Rasputin do to Anastasia? ›
Rasputin eventually attempts to murder Anastasia while watching her cross a frozen river, trying to stay hidden from the bridge above. He tosses his reliquary aside with fury as his passion to kill the young girl with his bare hands consumes him.
Did Anastasia lose her memory? ›
Anastasia became an amnesiac following the revolution. Somehow, she escapes the assassination of the Romanovs, but does not remember who she is until later in the story and her life.
How does Anastasia lose her memory? ›
The movie tells about a Russian little princess that survived the execution of her family in the chaos of the Russian revolution, but lost her memory because she fell hard to the ground when she was trying to escape. Not knowing her identity, she then continued to live in an orphanage.
Did Tsar Nicholas speak English? ›
6. He often spoke in English to his wife. As Nicholas spoke Russian and his wife spoke German, they often spoke in English to each other to aid communication, as well as some German (they could also speak French and Italian).
Is Prince Philip related to Russian royalty? ›
The late Prince Philip is related to the Romanovs through both his mother and his father. Philip is the grandnephew of Alexandra Romanov, Nicholas II's wife, and the last Tsarina of Russia. He is also a cousin to the Russian royal family (more on that below).
Is Black Widow related to the Romanovs? ›
Natasha Romanoff was born in the Soviet Union as Natalia Alianovna Romanova (Наталия Альяновна Романова). Although her exact parentage is unknown, it is rumored that she is related to the late Romanov dynasty—the former rulers of Russia—but those claims have so far been unproven.
Why didn t king George save the Romanovs? ›
British plans to save the family fall through.
Britain regretted the offer almost immediately. The government was nervous having the Romanovs on British shores, while George V's private secretary, Lord Stamfordham, feared an uprising against the monarchy.
Was the Romanov family cursed? ›
The execution of the Romanov Family occurred after Rasputin was banished from the palace by Czar Nicholas II in 1916. He placed a curse on them and vowed that he will not die until every member of Nicholas' immediate family is dead.
What happened to the last tsar of Russia? ›
The Russian Revolution toppled the Romanov dynasty, and Nicholas II abdicated on March 15, 1917. The royal family was arrested by the Bolsheviks and held in seclusion. On July 17, 1918, the Bolsheviks murdered Nicholas, his family, and their closest retainers.
In addition to being a member of the British royal family, Prince Michael is also distantly related to the Romanovs, the last imperial family of Russia. His grandmother was first cousin to Nicholas II, making Michael a first cousin twice removed of the last Russian Tsar.
Were King George and tsar Nicholas related? ›
The third major royal player in World War One, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, also had a very personal stake in things. He was another first cousin of George V, whose mother, Alexandra of Denmark, was the sister of the Tsar's mother, Dagmar of Denmark.
Is the royal family related to Dracula? ›
Did you know Prince Charles and Vlad The Impaler – the Wallachia's ruler who inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula – are actually related? The Prince of Wales is considered to be the great-grandson 16 times removed to Vlad The Impaler through his great-grandmother, Queen Mary.
What happened to the Romanov jewels sewn into clothes? ›
Chaos ensued as Yurovsky and his men drove the bodies into the forest, stripped them down, confiscated their jewelry and the jewels that were hidden in their clothing, and buried them. As they did so, they covered them in acid and buried them.
Who owns the Russian crown jewels? ›
Who stole the Russian crown jewels? ›
Of the 773 items of the Diamond Fund, 569 were sold in the 1920s – 1930s. These Romanov treasures were stolen from the Russian Imperial Family by the Bolsheviks, and bought up by greedy, materialistic buyers in the West.
What Romanov jewels are missing? ›
Four pieces were missing in the 1925 catalog. Of them one, a brooch, was sold in 1927. A gold and emerald necklace, a sapphire and diamond bracelet, and a sapphire and diamond tiara are all still missing.
How much is the Romanov crown worth? ›
[1] The crown jewels were either to be sold, or pledged for a loan. The gems were estimated to be worth $500 million.
How much is the Russian crown worth? ›
The crown, which will be exhibited February 13 – 14, contains 11,352 polished diamonds, with a total weight of 1,180 carats. All of the polished diamonds are made from Alrosa rough. Its value has been estimated at $20 million.
What color was Anastasia's hair? ›
Contrary to popular opinion, Anastasia's hair is auburn rather than red. Nevertheless, one shade can at times appear to be more prominent than the other. However, the real Anastasia had strawberry blonde hair.
because no one could find her," she said. Police found surveillance footage from May 21 at 10:15 p.m. in the Terminal Tower parking garage under suspicious circ*mstances. She was in a security camera walking with an unknown male. Romanello said she doesn't know that man.
Why were the Romanov killed? ›
Fearing that the White army would free the tsar, the local Bolshevik command, with Lenin's approval, had decided to kill the tsar and his entire family. In the early morning hours of July 17, 1918, they acted.
How did Rasputin heal Alexei? ›
The cause of his recovery is unclear: Massie speculated that Rasputin's suggestion not to let doctors disturb Alexei had aided his recovery by allowing him to rest and heal, or that his message may have aided Alexei's recovery by calming Alexandra and reducing the emotional stress on Alexei.
When did Russia stop having royalty? ›
The abdication of Nicholas II on March 15, 1917, marked the end of the empire and its ruling Romanov dynasty.
Can a tsar be female? ›
Tsarina or tsaritsa (also spelled csarina or csaricsa, tzarina or tzaritza, or czarina or czaricza; Bulgarian: царица, romanized: tsaritsa; Serbian: царица / carica; Russian: царица, romanized: tsaritsa) is the title of a female autocratic ruler (monarch) of Bulgaria, Serbia or Russia, or the title of a tsar's wife.
What is a female tsar called? ›
tsar, also spelled tzar or czar, English feminine tsarina, tzarina, or czarina, title associated primarily with rulers of Russia.
How many tsar bombs does Russia have? ›
Nuclear arsenal of Russia
As of 2022, the Federation of American Scientists estimates that Russia possesses 5,977 nuclear weapons, while the United States has 5,428; Russia and the U.S. each have about 1,600 active deployed strategic nuclear warheads.
Who was the last Romanov to rule? ›
Czar Nicholas II was the last Romanov emperor, ruling from 1894 until his forced abdication in March of 1917. The duration of his rule was plagued by periods of political and social unrest.
How old was Grand duch*ess Anastasia when she died? ›
How old was the last czar when he died? ›
Nicholas II of Russia
| Nicholas II |
|---|
| Died | 17 July 1918 (aged 50) Ipatiev House, Yekaterinburg, Russian SFSR |
| Burial | 17 July 1998 Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation |
| Spouse | Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse) ( m. 1894; died 1918) |
16 more rowsThe term sometimes refers to other emperors, besides those of Russia, e.g. the monarch of Bulgaria (1908-1946). The spelling czar is the most common one in the US, especially in figurative and informal senses. Scholarly literature prefers tsar.
What means czar? ›
: emperor. specifically : the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution. : one having great power or authority.
What was Anastasia wearing when she died? ›
After they were killed by the Bolsheviks, it was discovered Anastasia and her sisters were all wearing amulets with Rasputin's picture and a prayer on it.
Did the czar have a tattoo? ›
In 1891, several years before he became Czar, Nicholas traveled to Japan. It was a difficult trip for the royal, in which he was the victim of a failed assassination attempt, but he also got a tattoo while he was there, a depiction of a dragon which reportedly took a total of seven hours of work to complete.
Which czar was killed by bomb? ›
Czar Alexander II, the ruler of Russia since 1855, is killed in the streets of St. Petersburg by a bomb thrown by a member of the revolutionary “People's Will” group. The People's Will, organized in 1879, employed terrorism and assassination in their attempt to overthrow Russia's czarist autocracy.
