Who Was Anna Anderson? Free Essay Example

Introduction

There have been many claims regarding whether or not Anna Anderson was Anastasia. There are several reports both agreeing and denying that this claim is true. Whether it is true or false no one will ever know. There can only be evidence to back up someone’s argument, even if its wrong. Anastasia Romanov was born June 5,1901. Her father was the Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Her mother was Alexandra Fyordorvna, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and her husband Albert, which makes Anastasia their great granddaughter.

Early years of Anastasia and her family

Her parents had four daughters, and one son, Anastasia was the youngest of the girls. Her older sisters names were Tatiana, Maria, and Olga, and her younger brother was Alexei Nikolaevich. On July 17, 1918, the Romanov family was ambushed by the Bloshevic secret police a year after Nicholas Romanov, Anastasia’s father, was forced to abdicate his throne. They were brutally stabbed in the basement of their house. Once the bodies were recovered, there were two that were missing: Anastasia’s and her younger brother’s Alexei.

The Romanovs were very powerful people.

They controlled about ten percent of the world’s land mass and their net worth was thirty billion dollars, in a time when thirty billion was worth more than it is today. In his time, Tsar Nicholas was the most powerful man on earth and his wealth trumped any of the European royalties. It was most likely this tremendous power that he had, which is what eventually led to his destruction, not only as Tsar or Russia, but also the destruction of his life and family.

Anastasia was the most charming of her sisters and also the naughtiest. She loved pranking her tutors and servants, often tripping them among other stunts.

She also loved climbing trees and when asked to come down she would often refuse. She was strong-willed with a mind of her own. Yet people were often drawn to her because of her captive personality. Although she never cared much for her looks, she was considered very beautiful. Unlike her sisters, she had blue eyes, and strawberry blond hair. She was also notoriously funny and enjoyed putting on plays for her parents. Many of these plays would cause her parents and siblings to “howl with laughter. ” So when she disappeared, and her remains were unknown, many people had claimed to be her.

Who was Anna Anderson?

Anna Anderson is only one of the women who have claimed to be the heir of Tsar Nicholas II. Although, unlike many of the others, she is the most well known and recognized as being Anastasia. Anna first came out in 1920 and again in 1922 as the missing Anastasia. Anna Anderson resided in Charlottesville until her death in 1984. She truly believed that she was the Grand Duchess Anastasia. Even shortly after her marriage, the couple were asked to grab one item from their living room that most examplified the other person for a newspaper photo. Her husband Jack Manahan grabbed a photo of Anastasia’s father.

There were reasons to believe her claims for she knew more about the Romanov family than any casual observer could possibly know. When she first made her claims, only a few knew about the attack from the Bolshovic police, since media was nothing like it is today. She was one of those who knew. Plus she had unusual scars that she believed were the result of a skirmish with the Bolshevic secret police. In fact, much of the details that we now know, are taken from Anna Anderson’s testimony. Which shows the complete faith many have of her being the true heir of Tsar Nicholas II.

Another reason Anna Anderson is viewed as the real Anastasia Romanov is because of Maria Rasputin’s claim. Maria Rasputin was the daughter of the family’s most trusted adviser Gregori Rasputin. Maria was only three years older and often played with Anastasia. When hearing of Anna Anderson’s claim, she asked to meet her in private. After a meeting that lasted several hours, Maria proclaimed that Anna Anderson was in fact the real Anastasia. Maria said that Anna reminded her of things she had long forgotten. There are many similarities between the two.

Conclusion

The most obvious is that Anna looks like Anastasia. As you compare the two, both have similar petite features, same nose, hair color, and face shape. She had similar scarring on her abdomen and face, as well as the same measurements of Anastasia. Also Anna Anderson never once left character of being Anastasia the Romanov’s youngest daughter. One of the more unique similarities was a deformity that Anastasia was born with. Anna Anderson had the exact same deformity on the left foot. Although she spoke German, her accent was Russian, which also was an indicator.

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