1. The Romanovs-The Facts
-Ruling dynasty of Russia for over 300 years
-Michael Romanov, 1613
-Tsar Nicholas II ascended in 1894
-married to Alexandra (was not liked by the Russians)
-had 4 girls, 1 boy
-son Alexei, hemophilia

2. The Romanovs-The Facts
Nicholas didn’t want to be king, father died young
-ascended at age 22
-failed miserably in the Russo-Japanese War in 1904
-economic turmoil and unrest
-set up a Duma (like Parliament) but gave them little power

3. The Romanovs-The Facts
Russia entered WWI and did poorly again
-people dispaced and starving; poor military decisions
-rioting in the capital
-Nicholas abdicated in Feb 1917; Provisional Gov’t set up
-Romanovs exiled to the
Ural Mountains

4. The Romanovs-The Murders
-Romanovs lived in the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg (the basement in the front is what is left of the house)
-Lenin and the Bolsheviks overthrow government
-order family killed
-family was ordered to move to the basement for pictures to prove they were still alive and then were going to be transported

5. The Romanovs-The Murders
Prior to this, all the women had sewn jewels into their clothing
Shooting began, Nicholas died instantly
Others were bayoneted and shot at closer range; guards freaked out when they didn’t die instantly
Bodies wrapped up, burned, buried in the countryside
Graves run over by the trucks

6. The Romanovs-The Murders
Mass grave not rediscovered until 1991 (fall of USSR)
-Nicholas and Alexandra, 3 girls, 4 servants found
-bones not reburied until 1998

7. The Romanovs-The Conspiracy

8. The Romanovs-The Conspiracy
Popular belief-2 children had crawled away from the grave or had been rescued by a guard
Alexei and Anastasia (or Maria) thought to be missing
Many imposters tried to claim they were Anastasia (this is where we get the cartoon movie from!)
Most famous imposter-Anna Anderson (aka Franziska Shanzkowska)
-similar foot deformity, handwriting, spoken languages as Anastasia
-knew “insider knowledge” that only Anastasia would have known

11. The Romanovs-The Conspiracy
Anna Anderson-married a doctor, moved to VA, died in 1984
DNA testing in 90s showed she was really…
-Franziska Schanzkowska
-mentally ill Polish girl
-had disappeared from a factory in 1920
-many believed, and still believe, that she was Anastasia
bodies found by a farmer, were Alexei and Maria