She was murdered with her family by a group of Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg on 17 July Persistent rumors of her possible escape circulated after her death, fueled by the fact that the location of her burial was unknown during the decades of communist rule. The abandoned mine serving as a mass grave near Yekaterinburg which held the acidified remains of the Tsar, his wife, and three of their daughters was revealed in These remains were put to rest at Peter and Paul Fortress in The bodies of Alexei and the remaining daughterโeither Anastasia or her older sister Mariaโwere discovered in Her purported survival has been conclusively disproven.
Scientific analysis including DNA testing confirmed that the remains are those of the imperial family , showing that Anastasia was killed alongside her family. Several women falsely claimed to have been Anastasia; the best known impostor was Anna Anderson. Anderson's body was cremated upon her death in ; DNA testing in on pieces of Anderson's tissue and hair showed no relation to the Romanov family. Anastasia was born on 18 June When she was born, her parents and extended family were disappointed that she was a girl.
They had hoped for a son who would have become heir apparent to the throne. Her father went for a long walk to compose himself before going to visit his wife and their newborn child for the first time. What a disappointment! We were so hoping for a boy, and it's a daughter. Anastasia was named for the fourth-century martyr St. Anastasia's title is most precisely translated as "Grand Princess".
The Tsar's children were raised as simply as possible. They slept on hard camp cots without pillows, except when they were ill, took cold baths in the morning, and were expected to tidy their rooms and do needlework to be sold at various charity events when they were not otherwise occupied.
Most in the household, including the servants, generally called the Grand Duchess by her first name and patronym , "Anastasia Nikolaevna", and did not use her title or style. She was occasionally called by the French version of her name, "Anastasie", or by the Russian nicknames "Nastasya", "Nastya", "Nastas", or "Nastenka".
