Anastasia, the young woman who would become the infamous Russian spy, was born on September 20, 1878. Her parents were of peasant stock and distant relatives of the tsar. She seemed destined for a life of poverty and obscurity until one fateful day in 1892 when she was spotted by an aristocrat named Alexander Vassilievitch Karakozov. He was impressed by her beauty and took her under his wing, teaching her to read and write
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After Karakozov’s death, Anastasia became increasingly independent and headstrong. She had no desire to be a housewife like most young women of her time. Instead she wanted to go out on the town and make some money to support herself.
This rebellion earned her the attention of men that did not belong to her family or class. Some may have respected her for that, but there were others who had ulterior motives in mind for this young woman with an ability to speak several languages.