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The Tsar's Bones and the DNA That Ended a Dynasty Myth
Crime, courts & justice11 min

The Tsar's Bones and the DNA That Ended a Dynasty Myth

For decades, Anna Anderson claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia, winning followers and sparking legal battles that lasted until 1970. When the Romanov family's graves were finally found and tested using mitochondrial DNA, the science delivered a verdict no court had managed in seventy years. This is the story of how forensic labs settled one of history's most enduring identity disputes.

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Show notes

Anna Anderson claimed a compassionate guard smuggled her away from the nineteen eighteen Romanov execution site.

A thirty-two year German court case failed to definitively prove or disprove Anderson's royal identity.

Mitochondrial DNA from Prince Philip provided the genetic link to identify the remains of Tsarina Alexandra.

The discovery of a second grave in two thousand seven accounted for the two missing Romanov children.

Advanced DNA testing on hospital tissue samples proved Anna Anderson was actually factory worker Franziska Schanzkowska.

Multi-system genetic analysis officially confirmed that no members of the Romanov family survived the Ipatiev House.

In this episode
  1. 01Intro1 min
  2. 02The Woman from the Canal2 min
  3. 03The Seventy-Year Trial2 min
  4. 04The Grave in the Woods3 min
  5. 05Closing the Case3 min
  6. 06Outro1 min
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The Tsar's Bones and the DNA That Ended a Dynasty Myth — Fylom