Her Imperial Highness, The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaievna Romanov was born on June 18, 1901. She was the fourth child of Tsar Nicholas the second, and the Empress Alexandra. She was a big disappointment because by now they were hoping for a boy to be the tsarevich and the next tsar. She had three older sisters -Olga, Tatiana and Maria - and one younger brother Alexei. Out of all she siblings she was the favorite of her grandmother, Maria Feodorovna. She had brown hair and blue eyes and was the jokester of the family who liked to play pranks on people. Anastasia was very short and thin but when the family was in captivity, she became fatter and her mental development had slowed down. Anastasia was sometimes called "Imp" and "The Infant Terrible" of the family. Anastasia was pretty close to her older sister Maria who were known as "The Little Pair", while, her older sisters Olga and Tatiana, were called "The Big Pair." As well as their older sisters, they shared a bedroom. Anastasia dominated her older sister with her energy and enthusiasm. Anastasia was extremely close to her younger brother Alexei. Whenever Alexei got hurt, she would always try to make him better by telling jokes and trying to get him to laugh. When her father abdicated, for himself and for Alexei, Anastasia and her family were prisoners of the Revolution, in Tobolsk. After that, Anastasia's father, mother and sister Maria went to Ekaterinburg, leaving Anastasia with her sisters Olga and Tatiana and her younger brother Alexei. Anastasia and her sisters took care of Alexei because he got very hurt before her father, mother and sister left. After Alexei was well enough to be moved, Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia, Alexei and some of their employs went to Ekaterinburg, to be with their parents and Maria. In Ekaterinburg the Romanovs lived in a place called "The House of Special Purpose." Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia all shared a room, while her father, mother, and Alexei shared. On July 17, 1918 the Romanovs, their Doctor, and others where set up in a basement in "The House of Special Purpose." Then, 11 executors entered and started firing. Anastasia and her family and servants all died. Anastasia was only 17 years old when she died. But, when they found the bodies of the Romanovs and their servants they realized they are missing two, Alexei and either Maria, Tatiana, or Anastasia. Recently the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia canonized the Romanovs as saints.

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Grand Duchess Anastasia

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