(#7) Anderson Had Both Tenacious Supporters And Those Who Refused To Accept Her Identity
After Anna was released from the hospital, she was surrounded by those who believed her story. One notable person was a man named Gleb Botkin, whose father had been the Romanov family physician before his death. Botkin got to know the Romanovs when he was a child and had intimate knowledge of the family.
There were other family members and acquaintances who got to know Anna and became convinced she was who she said she was. They saw the similarities to the Romanovs and were drawn in by the tiny details Anna knew about the Imperial family. An aunt thought Anna resembled Anastasia, and Princess Cecille also believed she was Anastasia. Nicholas II's mistress, a ballerina, thought Anna had the same eyes as the czar, and both girls reportedly had nearly identical foot deformities. Anastasia's grandmother, however, never met Anna and never talked publicly about the situation.
Still, there were those who believed Anna was lying. She struggled to relate significant milestones in Anna's life. Plus, the young Anastasia was well schooled in English, French and Russian, while Anna did not have a good grasp of these languages. Yet Anna's supporters had a way of overlooking these issues. They pointed out that she was mentally ill, as demonstrated by her repeated admissions to the hospital, and that's what caused her gaps in knowledge and information.
(#1) In 1920, A Mysterious Woman Tried To End Her Life
It all started on February 17, 1920. A young woman attempted to take her own life by jumping off a bridge in Berlin, Germany. She somehow survived and was saved by police officers from the Landwehr Canal and transported to a medical facility to receive treatment. Authorities did not know who she was because the woman did not possess any identification. She was promptly admitted to a mental hospital, the Dalldorf Asylum.
(#8) If Anderson's Claim Was Recognized, She Would Be Rich... And A Political Threat
Many of the people who backed Anna's story were czarists. These supporters took care of her and gave her a place to stay while she was under the watchful eye of Soviet counterintelligence and other investigators. They started the process of legally proving she was Anastasia. If Anna was indeed the czar's heir, she would inherit whatever fortune the family had amassed outside of Russia. In addition, she would be a symbol for czarist exiles who did not want their country to be communist.
Prince Nicholas Romanov, 72, who was the czar's cousin, said years later:
"The murder of the czar and his family was such a horrible thing, there was that wish among the people that it couldn't be so horribly true. It was also a good tactic for the Bolsheviks because it divided those in exile."
(#9) She Was Not The Only Person To Claim To Be A Romanov
At least four women claimed to be Anastasia over the years, while seven men purported to be her brother, Alexei. There were even some who claimed they were the czar's other daughters, Olga, Tatiana, and Maria. A woman named Nadezhda Ivanovna Vasilyeva was in prison in Kazan, Russia, in the 1930s when she wrote a letter to King George V, claiming to be his cousin Anastasia and asking for his aid. A woman named Eugenia Smith wrote the book Autobiography of HIH Anastasia Nicholaevna of Russia. In the 1960s, LIFE magazine featured her story with many experts contradicting her claims that she was Anastasia.
(#14) There's An Active Facebook Page Dedicated To Proving The Women Were One And The Same
There is a Facebook page titled "Anna Anderson WAS Anastasia Romanov" that still supports claims that Anna Anderson was Anastasia Romanov. The group purports to have "picture comparisons, documents, testimonies, etc." to prove the truth. For example, they point to evidence supplied by forensic expert Moritz Furtmayr in which Anna and Anastasia had nearly identical right ears, specifically "17 anatomical points and tissue formation, five more than the dozen points normally accepted by West German courts to establish a person's identity." While science has had its say on the matter, it looks like there will always be people willing to believe in the story of the lost-then-found Grand Duchess Anastasia.
(#12) In 1991 The Romanov Remains Were Discovered And Examined By DNA Experts
Russian investigators unearthed what they believed was the site of the Romanov's final resting place in 1991. The remains were exhumed and examined by experts. When they looked at the skulls, they did not find one that matched Anastasia; however, they sought help from scientists in Britain to determine if DNA could offer some proof. The experts determined the remains belonged to five females and four males. Two were a mother and father, and three were daughters. The other four were thought to be servants.
Using DNA from Prince Philip (a maternal relative), the scientists were able to prove that the remains belonged to the Romanovs. Scientists also declared that Nicholas II was among the dead.
Who was missing? One daughter (perhaps Anastasia?) and their son, Alexei.
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About This Tool
Most liars have some similar qualities: cunning, sleek, and bold. However, no one would have thought that Anna Anderson, a dull and dull mental patient, would pretend to be Grand Duchess Anastasia for many years, leaving a shocking mystery to the world. Grand Duchess Anastasia is the youngest daughter of the last emperor of the Russian Empire, the October Revolution broke out and overthrew the rule of the Tsar, and a number of people claimed to be Princess Anastasia.
Anna Anderson is familiar with royal allusions and can remember many details that outsiders don't know. There are more details to make people believe that she is real Grand Duchess Anastasia. The random tool shares 14 incredible things about the mental patient who fooled the world.
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