1904-1918
Childhood 1901-1910
On June 5, 1901, the last daughter to be born to a Russian Tsar was born. Her name was Anastasia. Her parents, although very happy to have another healthy daughter were bitterly disappointed not to have a son. Nicholas was said to have taken a long walk to collect his thoughts before going in to visit with the Tsarina and her new daughter. That night, his diary entry shows that they still loved their new daughter. “At about 3 o'clock in the morning, Alix started to have strong pains. At 4 o'clock I got up, went to my room and dressed. At exactly 6 o'clock in the morning our little daughter was born. Everything went off splendidly, quite quickly and thank God without complications! Thanks to the fact that it all began and ended while everyone was still asleep, we both had a feeling of calm and solitude! After that I sat down to write telegrams to relatives and friends in various parts of the world. Luckily Alix felt quite cheerful. The little one weighs 11½ pounds and measures 55 centimeters.”
 Alexandra and her new daughter, Anastasia. |
 The entire family with their newest addition. |
 Anastasia looks into the camera as she clutches her father's hand in a photo to commemorate Aleksey's Christening. |
The family did
not have to wait long for their heir, however. In 1904,
just two years after Anastasia was born, Aleksey was born into the
happy family. The entire family adored their new brother, and he
was
quite spoiled. However, when he was just a six weeks old, they noticed bleeding from his navel, and then large bruises. He was diagnosed with hemophilia, a rare genetic disorder passed down from Queen Victoria of England. Hemophiliacs blood can not clot properly, which can lead to large, painful internal hemorrhages. Even a slight scrape could cause an attack. This would change the family forever. Always they worried about their precious Aleksey, and the possibility of him having a deadly attack. Because of how similar their ages were, Anastasia and Aleksey became quite close.  |
Anastasia became well known for her
sense of humor, and the pranks she was fond of pulling. Her
attitude earned her the nickname "Shvibzik", which means imp in
Russian, from her family. She always seemed to be able to make
people laugh with all her antics, which included a real talent for
mimicking people. Anastasia was at times also quite tomboyish,
including her love of climbing trees!
Anastasia started her studies in 1910 when she was 8 and a half - around the same age as all her sisters had. One of her tutors, Pierre Gillard remembers that "She was extremely idle, though with the idleness of a gifted child. Her French accent was excellent, and she acted scenes from comedy with remarkable talent." At another time he said that "...I have seldom seen such zeal for learning in a girl of that age. She had a remarkable memory and made amazingly good progress. It was like a game to her to learn by heart anything she wanted; and as she had an excellent French accent, she recited it very successfully, whether prose or poetry."
Anastasia started her studies in 1910 when she was 8 and a half - around the same age as all her sisters had. One of her tutors, Pierre Gillard remembers that "She was extremely idle, though with the idleness of a gifted child. Her French accent was excellent, and she acted scenes from comedy with remarkable talent." At another time he said that "...I have seldom seen such zeal for learning in a girl of that age. She had a remarkable memory and made amazingly good progress. It was like a game to her to learn by heart anything she wanted; and as she had an excellent French accent, she recited it very successfully, whether prose or poetry."
 |
 Two formal photos from a session in 1910. |
Pre-War Years 1910-1914
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War Years 1914-1918
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Final Days 1918
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