Anastasia brought to life using AI

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (18 June [O.S. 5 June] 1901 – 17 July 1918) was born in Peterhof, near St. Petersburg, and was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia. She and her family were executed in a Bolshevik cellar following the October Revolution, with most sources indicating the date as July 17, 1918. After the executions, several women claimed to be Anastasia, leading to speculation and media attention regarding their survival and claims to the Romanov fortune.

One prominent claimant was Anna Anderson, who faced allegations of being Franziska Schanzkowska, a Polish woman. She married American history professor J.E. Manahan in 1968 and lived in Virginia until her death in 1984. Despite seeking recognition as the legal heir to the Romanov fortune, her claim was rejected by West German courts in 1970. Genetic testing in the 1990s showed no relation to the Romanovs, supporting her identification as Schanzkowska. In 1976, Russian scientists discovered the remains of Anastasia and her family, which were kept confidential until after the Soviet Union's collapse. Genetic analysis confirmed their deaths in 1918.

The story of a surviving Anastasia inspired the French play "Anastasia" by Marcelle Maurette, first produced in 1954, and an American film adaptation in 1956, starring Ingrid Bergman, who won an Academy Award for her performance.