The personality of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (1869-1916) is very remarkable. In November 1905, this elder of God met Emperor Nicholas II and his family. He won the full trust of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Using his proximity to the court, he began to influence both domestic and foreign policy Russian Empire.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin
An important role in the rapid rise of Grigory Efimovich was played by his gift as a healer. Tsarevich Alexei suffered from hemophilia. His blood did not clot, and any small cut could be fatal. Rasputin had the ability to stop bleeding. He sat down next to the wounded heir to the throne, quietly whispered some words, and the wound stopped bleeding. The doctors could not do anything like that, and therefore the elder became an indispensable person for the royal family.
However, the rise of the newcomer caused discontent among many noble people. This was greatly facilitated by the behavior of Grigory Efimovich himself. He led a dissolute life (according to his surname) and radically influenced decisions that were fateful for Russia. That is, the elder was not distinguished by modesty and did not want to be content with the role of a court physician. Thus, he signed his own sentence, which everyone knows as the murder of Rasputin.
Conspirators
At the end of 1916, a conspiracy arose against the tsar's favorite. The conspirators included influential and noble people. These were: Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov ( cousin Emperor), Prince Yusupov Felix Feliksovich, State Duma deputy Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich, as well as lieutenant of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Sergei Mikhailovich Sukhotin and military doctor Stanislav Sergeevich Lazovert.
Prince Yusupov with his wife Irina
It was in the Yusupov house that the murder of Rasputin was committed
There is also an opinion that a member of the conspiracy was British intelligence officer Oswald Rainer. Already in the 21st century, at the instigation of the BBC, the opinion arose that the conspiracy was organized by the British. Allegedly, they were afraid that the elder would persuade the emperor to make peace with Germany. In this case, the full power of the German machine would fall on Foggy Albion.
As the BBC reported, Oswald Rainer knew Prince Yusupov from childhood. They had good friendly relations. Therefore, the Briton had no difficulty in persuading the high-society nobleman to organize a conspiracy. At the same time, an English intelligence officer was present at the murder of the tsar’s favorite and even allegedly fired a control shot in his head. All this bears little resemblance to the truth, if only because none of the conspirators subsequently mentioned a single word about the British’s involvement in the conspiracy. And there was no such thing as a “control shot” at all.
Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov (left) and Purishkevich Vladimir Mitrofanovich
In addition, you need to take into account the mentality of people who lived 100 years ago. The murder of the almighty elder was considered the work of the Russian people. Prince Yusupov, out of noble motives, would never have allowed his to an English friend to be present at the execution of the royal favorite. In any case, it was a criminal offense, and, therefore, punishment could follow. And the prince could not allow this to happen to a citizen of another country.
Thus, we can conclude that there were only 5 conspirators, and all of them were Russian people. A noble desire burned in their souls to save the royal family and Russia from the machinations of ill-wishers. Grigory Efimovich was considered the culprit of all evils. The conspirators naively believed that by killing the old man, they would change the inevitable course of history. However, time has shown that these people were deeply mistaken.
Chronology of Rasputin's murder
The murder of Rasputin occurred on the night of December 17, 1916. The crime scene was the house of the Yusupov princes in St. Petersburg. A basement room was prepared in it. They set up chairs, a table, and placed a samovar on it. The plates were filled with cakes, macaroons and chocolate chip cookies. A large dose of potassium cyanide was added to each of them. A tray with bottles of wine and glasses was placed on a separate table nearby. They lit the fireplace, threw the bearskin on the floor and went for the victim.
Prince Yusupov went to pick up Grigory Efimovich, and the doctor Lazovert was driving the car. The reason for the visit was far-fetched. Allegedly, Felix’s wife Irina wanted to meet the elder. The prince telephoned him in advance and arranged a meeting. Therefore, when the car arrived on Gorokhovaya Street, where the favorite of the royal family lived, Felix was already expected.
Rasputin, dressed in a luxurious fur coat, left the house and got into the car. He immediately set off, and after midnight the trio returned to the Moika to the Yusupovs’ house. The remaining conspirators gathered in a room on the 2nd floor. They turned on the lights everywhere, turned on the gramophone and pretended to be a noisy party.
Felix explained to the elder that his wife had guests. They should leave soon, but for now you can wait in the lower room. At the same time, the prince apologized, citing his parents. They could not stand the royal favorite. The elder knew about this, so he was not at all surprised when he found himself in a basement room that looked like a casemate.
Here the guest was offered to eat the sweets on the table. Grigory Efimovich loved cakes, so he ate them with pleasure. But nothing happened. For unknown reasons, potassium cyanide did not have any effect on the old man’s body. As if he was protected by supernatural forces.
Grigory Efimovich at home
After the cakes, the guest drank Madeira and began to show impatience at Irina’s absence. Yusupov expressed a desire to go upstairs and find out when the guests would finally leave. He left the basement and went up to the conspirators, who were eagerly awaiting the good news. But Felix disappointed them and plunged them into a state of bewilderment.
However, the execution had to be carried out, so the noble prince took the Browning and returned to the basement room. Entering the room, he immediately shot at Rasputin sitting at the table. He fell out of his chair onto the floor and fell silent. The rest of the conspirators appeared and carefully examined the old man. Grigory Efimovich was not killed, but the bullet that hit him in the chest mortally wounded him.
Having enjoyed the sight of the agonizing body, the whole company left the room, turning off the light and closing the door. After some time, Prince Yusupov went downstairs to check if the elder had already died. He went into the basement and approached Grigory Efimovich, who was lying motionless. The body was still warm, but there was no doubt that the soul had already separated from it.
Felix was about to call the others to load the dead man into the car and take him out of the house. Suddenly the old man’s eyelids trembled and opened. Rasputin stared at his killer with a piercing gaze.
Then the incredible happened. The elder jumped to his feet, screamed wildly and dug his fingers into Yusupov’s throat. He strangled and constantly repeated the name of the prince. He fell into indescribable horror and tried to free himself. The fight began. Finally, the prince managed to escape from the tenacious embrace of Grigory Efimovich. At the same time, he fell to the floor. An epaulette from the prince's military uniform remained in his hand.
Felix ran out of the room and rushed upstairs for help. The conspirators rushed down and saw an old man running towards the exit of the house. Entrance door was locked, but the mortally wounded man pushed it with his hand, and it opened. Rasputin found himself in the yard and ran through the snow to the gate. If he had found himself on the street, it would have meant the end for the conspirators.
Purishkevich rushed after the fleeing man. He shot him in the back once, then a second time, but missed. It should be noted that Vladimir Mitrofanovich was considered an excellent shooter. From a hundred steps he hit the silver ruble, but then he couldn’t hit the wide back from 30. The elder was already near the gate when Purishkevich carefully took aim and fired a third time. The bullet finally reached its target. It hit Grigory Efimovich in the neck, and he stopped. Then the 4th shot sounded. A piece of hot lead pierced the old man’s head, and the mortally wounded man fell to the ground.
The conspirators ran up to the body and hastily carried it into the house. However, loud shots in the night attracted the police. A policeman arrived at the house to find out their reason. He was told that they shot at Rasputin, and the guardian of the law retreated without taking any measures.
After this, the old man’s body was placed in a closed car. But the mortally wounded man still showed signs of life. He wheezed, and the pupil of his open left eye rotated.
Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, Doctor Lazovert and Lieutenant Sukhotin got into the car. They took the body to Malaya Nevka and threw it into an ice hole. This ended the long and painful murder of Rasputin.
Conclusion
When investigative authorities After 3 days, the corpse was removed from the Neva, and the autopsy showed that the old man lived under water for another 7 minutes. The amazing vitality of Grigory Efimovich’s body even today instills superstitious horror in the souls of people.
Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna ordered that the murdered man be buried in the far corner of the park in Tsarskoye Selo. An order was also given to build a mausoleum. A wooden chapel was erected next to the temporary grave. Members of the royal family visited there every week and prayed for the soul of the innocently murdered martyr.
After the February Revolution of 1917, the corpse of Grigory Efimovich was removed from the grave, taken to the Polytechnic Institute and burned in the furnace of his boiler room. As for the fate of the conspirators, they became extremely popular among the people. However, murderers have always been punished regardless of motives and motivations.
Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich was sent to the troops of General Baratov. They performed allied duty in Persia. This, by the way, saved the life of a member of the Romanov dynasty. When the revolution broke out in Russia, the Grand Duke was not in Petrograd.
Felix Yusupov was exiled to one of his estates. In 1918, the prince and his wife Irina left Russia. At the same time, he took crumbs from the entire huge fortune. These are jewelry and paintings. Their total cost was estimated at several hundred thousand royal rubles. Everything else was plundered and stolen by the rebel people.
As for Purishkevich, Lazovert and Sukhotin, all charges against them were dropped. Here the February Revolution, and the identity of the person they killed. Only one thing is certain - this murder greatly increased their authority and prestige.
The murder of Rasputin has always given rise to many assumptions, conjectures and hypotheses. There are many dark spots in this matter. The amazing vitality of the old man causes particular bewilderment. They couldn't take him potassium cyanide and bullets. All this gives the crime a mystical component. This is quite possible, taking into account the fact that materialism has long ceased to be a fundamental teaching that denies everything unusual and supernatural that lives side by side with us.
The article was written by Vladimir Chernov
A Siberian elder, healer, especially close to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Grigory Rasputin is one of the most mysterious personalities in Russian history. Everything that is known about him modern historians, is not based on documentary information, but on eyewitness accounts. And since these stories passed “from mouth to mouth,” there is a high probability of the effect of a damaged phone.
It is known that Grishka Rasputin was born on July 29, 1871 in the village of Pokrovskoye Tyumen region. The place of his birth was practically inaccessible to most comers; only fragmentary and inaccurate information has been preserved about the life of Grigory Rasputin in his homeland, the source of which was mainly himself. It is likely that he was a monk, but it is possible that Rasputin is simply a brilliant actor who perfectly portrayed his chosenness and close communication with God.
At the age of 18, Rasputin made his first pilgrimage to the monastery in Verkhotur, but did not take monastic vows. At the age of 19, he returned to Pokrovskoye, where he married Praskovya Fedorovna. Three children were born in this marriage - Dmitry in 1897, Maria in 1898 and Varvara in 1900.
The marriage did not cool the pilgrimage ardor of Grigory Rasputin. He continued to visit various holy places, even reaching the Athos Monastery in Greece and Jerusalem. And all this on foot!
By his nature, Rasputin was destined to be the object of “divine inspiration.” Wandering through villages, he preached gospel sermons and told parables. Little by little he moved on to prophecies, to conjuring demons, to witchcraft; he also claimed to be able to perform miracles.
After such travels, Rasputin imagined himself to be the chosen one of God, declared that he was a saint, and at every step talked about his miraculous gift of bringing healing. Rumors about the Siberian healer began to spread throughout Russia, and soon it was no longer Rasputin who made pilgrimages, but people sought to get to him. Many of his patients came from distant lands. It should be noted that Rasputin did not study anywhere, did not even have a rough idea of medicine, and was illiterate. However, he played his role impeccably: he really helped people, he could calm those who were on the verge of despair.
Once, while plowing a field, Rasputin had a sign - the Mother of God appeared to him, who told him about the illness of Tsarevich Alexei, the only son of Emperor Nicholas II (he suffered from hemophilia - a hereditary disorder that was passed on to him on his mother's side), and ordered Rasputin to go to St. Petersburg and save the heir throne.
In 1905, Rasputin arrived in the capital of the Russian Empire, and at a very fortunate moment. The fact is that the church needed “prophets” - people whom the people would believe. Rasputin was just from this category: a typical peasant appearance, simple speech, cool disposition. However, enemies said that Rasputin was using religion only as a screen for his cynicism, thirst for money, power and sex.
In 1907, he was invited to the imperial court - just in the midst of one of the attacks of the crown prince's illness. The fact is that the imperial family hid the heir's hemophilia, fearing social unrest. Therefore, they refused Rasputin’s services for a long time. However, when the child's condition became critical, Nikolai gave up.
Rasputin's entire subsequent life in St. Petersburg was inextricably linked with the treatment of the prince. However, it was not limited to this. Rasputin made many acquaintances in the upper echelons of St. Petersburg society. When he became close to the imperial family, the capital’s elite wanted to be introduced to the Siberian healer, who was called behind his back only “Grishka Rasputin.”
In 1910, his daughter Maria moved to St. Petersburg to enter the Academy of Theology. When Varvara joined her, both daughters of Grigory Rasputin were sent to the gymnasium.
Nicholas I did not welcome Rasputin's frequent appearances in the palace. Moreover, rumors soon began to circulate in St. Petersburg about Rasputin’s extremely indecent behavior. It was said that, using his enormous influence on Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Raspugan took bribes (cash and in kind) for the promotion of certain projects or career ladder. His drunken brawls and real pogroms horrified the population of St. Petersburg. He also greatly undermined the imperial authority, since there was talk of too close relations between Grigory Rasputin and the empress. Were these just rumors? Until now, historians have not given a clear answer to this question.
In the end, the cup of patience was overflowing. A conspiracy against Rasputin arose among the imperial entourage. Its initiators were Prince Felix Yusupov (husband of the imperial niece), Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich (deputy of the IV State Duma, known for his ultra-conservative views) and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich (cousin of Emperor Nicholas). On December 30, 1916, they invited L. Grigory Rasputin to the Yusupov Palace to meet with the emperor’s niece, a famous St. Petersburg beauty. The cakes and drinks served to the guest contained potassium cyanide. However, the poison had no effect. The impatient conspirators decided to use the absolute remedy - Yusupov shot Rasputin. But he managed to escape again. When he ran out of the palace, he was met by Purishkevich and the Grand Duke, who shot the “Siberian elder” at point-blank range. He was still trying to get to his feet when they tied him up, put him in a bag with a load and threw him into the hole. Later, an autopsy showed that the elder, already at the bottom of the Neva, desperately fought for his life, but, in the end, choked...
From the book History of Russia from Rurik to Putin. People. Events. Dates author Anisimov Evgeniy ViktorovichGrigory Rasputin The people placed all the blame for the defeats on the German Empress, who allegedly surrounded herself with German spies and suppressed the will of the Tsar. And although the spy mania was unfounded, the empress’s influence on Nicholas II was harmful. A photograph from 1916 has been preserved.
author From the book 100 great Russians author Ryzhov Konstantin Vladislavovich From the book Heroes, Villains, Conformists of Russian SCIENCE author Shnol Simon ElevichChapter 1 Karl Fedorovich Kessler (1815-1881), Grigory Efimovich Shchurovsky (1803-1884) Heyday Russian science and congresses of Russian naturalists and doctors. There are events in history that are not very significant in appearance, but they are the ones that give rise to the processes that determine the life of the country in
From the book Nicholas II in secret correspondence author Platonov Oleg AnatolievichGrigory Rasputin The closer I got to know the documents, diaries, and correspondence of the royal family, the more bewildered I was by the standard idea that has been instilled in us for decades about Rasputin as a fiend of hell, an absolutely immoral and selfish person. This
From the book History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages author Gregorovius Ferdinand2. Gregory X goes to Lyon. - Guelphs and Ghibellines in Florence. - Cathedral in Lyon. - Gregory X issues a law on the conclave. - Certificate of Complaint Rudolph in favor of the church. - Gregory X's view on the relationship of the church to the empire. - Certificate given to Lausanne. - Gregory X in Florence. - His
From the book The Judgment of Time. Issues No. 23-34 author Mlechin Leonid Mikhailovich33. Grigory Rasputin - a victim of myth-making or a destroyer of the monarchy? Part 1 Svanidze: Hello! In Russia, as we know, the past is unpredictable. Each time perceives the past in its own way. “Court of Time” is on air. Our focus historical events,
author Istomin Sergey Vitalievich From the book Favorites of the Rulers of Russia author Matyukhina Yulia AlekseevnaGrigory Efimovich Rasputin (Novykh) (1864 - 1916) Rasputin is rightfully considered one of the most famous adventurers in the world. Many legends have been created about his personality. Even more, it gave rise to the most incredible rumors, gossip and speculation. It can be difficult for researchers, and sometimes
From the book Great Prophecies about Russia author Burin Sergey NikolaevichGrigory Rasputin Among the numerous names of Russian prophets and clairvoyants, there is hardly one that would be as widely known in our country and beyond its borders as the name of Grigory Rasputin. And it is unlikely that another name from this series would be found around which there would be
From the book Satirical History from Rurik to the Revolution author Orsher Joseph LvovichGrigory Rasputin Once upon a time in Siberia there lived a smart man Grigory, whose last name was Rasputin. He lived simply, like a peasant. He drank vodka, sometimes became violent, and got into fights. Suddenly he began to think. And suddenly he decided: “I will be the king of Russia.” He put on his coat, pulled his hat over his ears, took a stick and went to
From the book The Emperor Who Knew His Fate. And Russia, which did not know... author Romanov Boris SemenovichChapter 7 Grigory Rasputin
From the book Great Mystics of the 20th Century. Who are they - geniuses, messengers or swindlers? author Lobkov Denis ValerievichGrigory Rasputin - “great old man” (January 9, 1869 - December 16, 1916) Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (Novykh) -
From book Russian history in the faces author Fortunatov Vladimir Valentinovich5.8.4. The evil genius of the royal family Grigory Rasputin Famous film director Stanislav Govorukhin in the famous film documentary film“The Russia We Lost” (1990) about Rasputin (as well as about the “hodynka”, about Russian-Japanese war, about “Bloody Sunday”, etc.) not even
From book Adultery author Ivanova Natalya VladimirovnaGrigory Efimovich Rasputin Grigory Efimovich Rasputin Grigory Efimovich Rasputin remains one of the most mysterious personalities in history. Still not installed exact date his birth and death. Grigory Rasputin had unlimited influence on members of the royal
From the book I Explore the World. History of Russian Tsars author Istomin Sergey VitalievichFamily “friend” - Grigory Rasputin In 1905, the royal couple met with a peasant from Siberia, Grigory Rasputin. Rasputin had amazing healing abilities and natural intuition. He amazed Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Nicholas II by the fact that
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin
Politics is a dirty business. And also very interesting and profitable. If a weak-willed person is at the helm of the state, creepy people will definitely appear next to him, whom different times were called “favorites”, “gray cardinals” or “informal leaders”. They are the ones who govern the country: they distribute top positions, control lawmaking and foreign policy. The political career of most behind-the-scenes intriguers is short, and their fate is simple and unenviable. Only one such “favorite” is still assessed ambiguously. His life is shrouded in a magical aura. It has become one of the most popular myths popular culture twentieth century.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin
In the mid-19th century, a peasant from the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province, Efim Yakovlevich Rasputin, at the age of twenty, married a twenty-two-year-old girl, Anna. The wife repeatedly gave birth to daughters, but they died. The first boy, Andrei, also died. From the census of the village population for 1897 it is known that on the tenth of January 1869 (the day of Gregory of Nyssa according to Julian calendar) she had a second son, named after the calendar saint. However, the registry books of the rural church have not survived, and later Rasputin always called different dates his birth, hiding real age, therefore the exact day and year of Rasputin’s birth are still unknown.
The village of Pokrovskoye on the river. Ture. 1912
Color photographs by S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky
"Dissolute" means dissolute immoral person. Previously, the names Rasputa and Besputa were in use. Later, through patronymics, they turned into surnames (for example, Savka, Rasputin's son), especially popular in the North.
Rasputin's father drank a lot at first, but then he came to his senses and started a household. In the winter he worked as a coachman, and in the summer he plowed the land, fished and unloaded barges. Young Gregory was frail and dreamy, but this did not last long - as soon as he matured, he began to fight with his peers and parents, and to go for walks (once he managed to drink away a cart with hay and horses at a fair, after which he walked home eighty miles on foot). Fellow villagers recalled that already in his youth he possessed powerful sexual magnetism. Grishka was caught more than once with girls and beaten.
Rasputin in a carriage
Rasputin's house in Pokrovskoye
Soon Rasputin began to steal, for which he was almost deported to Eastern Siberia. Once he was beaten for yet another theft - so much so that Grishka, according to the villagers, became " weird and stupid" Rasputin himself claimed that after being stabbed in the chest with a stake, he was on the verge of death and experienced "the joy of suffering".
The trauma did not pass without a trace - Rasputin stopped drinking and smoking, married Praskovya Dubrovina from a neighboring village (choosing, like his father, an older girl), had children and began visiting holy places.
Rasputin with children (from left to right): Matryona, Varya, Mitya.
His family laughed at him. He did not eat meat or sweets, heard different voices, walked from Siberia to St. Petersburg and back, and ate alms. In the spring, he had exacerbations - he did not sleep for many days in a row, sang songs, shook his fists at Satan and ran in the cold in only a shirt. His prophecies included calls to repentance, " until trouble comes" Sometimes, by pure coincidence, trouble happened the very next day (huts burned, livestock got sick, people died) - and the peasants began to believe that the blessed man had the gift of foresight. He gained followers... and followers.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin
This went on for about ten years. Rasputin learned about the Khlysty (sectarians who beat themselves with whips and suppressed lust through group sex), as well as the Skoptsy (preachers of castration) who separated from them. It is assumed that he adopted some of their teachings and more than once personally “and amused"Pilgrim from sin in the bathhouse.
Grigory Rasputin with fellow villagers, Pokrovskoye village
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin
At the “divine” age of 33, Gregory begins to storm St. Petersburg. Having secured recommendations from provincial priests, he settles with the rector of the Theological Academy, Bishop Sergius, the future Stalinist patriarch. He, impressed by the exotic character, represents the “old man” ( long years wandering on foot gave young Rasputin the appearance of an old man) strong of the world this. Thus began the journey " man of God" to glory.
Patriarch Sergius (in the world Ivan Nikolaevich Stragorodsky
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin
Rasputin's first loud prophecy was the prediction of the death of our ships at Tsushima. Perhaps he got it from newspaper news reports that a squadron of old ships had sailed to meet the modern Japanese fleet without observing secrecy measures.
Ave, Caesar!
The last ruler of the House of Romanov was distinguished by lack of will and superstition: he considered himself Job, doomed to trials, and kept meaningless diaries, where he shed virtual tears, looking at how his country was going downhill. The queen also lived in isolation from real world and believed in the supernatural power of the “elders of the people.” Knowing this, her friend, the Montenegrin princess Milica, took outright scoundrels to the palace. The monarchs listened to the ravings of swindlers and schizophrenics with childish delight. The war with Japan, the revolution and the illness of the prince finally unbalanced the pendulum of the weak royal psyche. Everything was ready for Rasputin's appearance.
Milica and Stana Montenegrin
Militsa Chernogorskaya
In the Romanov family for a long time Only daughters were born. To conceive a son, the queen resorted to the help of the French magician Philip. It was he, and not Rasputin, who was the first to take advantage of the spiritual naivety of the royal family. About the scale of the mess that reigned in the minds of the last Russian monarchs (one of the most educated people that time), one can judge by the fact that the queen felt safe thanks to a magic icon with a bell that supposedly rang when evil people approached.
Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia
The first meeting of the Tsar and Tsarina with Rasputin took place on November 1, 1905 at the palace over tea. He dissuaded the weak-willed monarchs from escaping to England (they say they were already packing their things), which most likely would have saved them from death and would have sent Russian history in a different direction. The next time he gave the Romanovs miraculous icon(found on them after the execution), then allegedly healed Tsarevich Alexei, who had hemophilia, and eased the pain of Stolypin’s daughter, wounded by terrorists. The shaggy man forever captured the hearts and minds of the august couple.
Please note that in all photographs Rasputin always holds one hand raised.
The Emperor personally arranges for Gregory to change his dissonant surname to “New” (which, however, did not stick). Soon Rasputin-Novykh acquires another lever of influence at court - the young maid of honor Anna Vyrubova (a close friend of the queen) who idolizes the “elder”. He becomes the confessor of the Romanovs and comes to the tsar at any time without making an appointment for an audience.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Anna Vyrubova
At court, Gregory was always “in character,” but outside the political scene he was completely transformed. Having bought myself in Pokrovsky new house, he took noble St. Petersburg fans there. There the “elder” put on expensive clothes, became self-satisfied, and gossiped about the king and nobles. Every day he showed the queen (whom he called “mother”) miracles: he predicted the weather or the exact time of the king’s return home.
It was then that Rasputin made his most famous prediction: “ As long as I live, the dynasty will live».
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin
Rasputin at his home on Gorokhovaya Street in Petrograd.
The growing power of Rasputin did not suit the court. Cases were brought against him, but each time the “elder” very successfully left the capital, going either home to Pokrovskoye or on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In 1911, the Synod spoke out against Rasputin. Bishop Hermogenes (who ten years ago expelled a certain Joseph Dzhugashvili from the theological seminary) tried to drive out the devil from Gregory and publicly beat him on the head with a cross. Rasputin was under police surveillance, which did not stop until his death.
Elder Macarius, Bishop Theophan and Grigory Rasputin.
Rasputin, Bishop Hermogenes and Hieromonk Iliodor
Secret agents watched through the windows the most piquant scenes from the life of a man who would soon be called " holy damn" Once hushed up, rumors about Grishka's sexual adventures began to swell with new strength. The police recorded Rasputin visiting bathhouses in the company of prostitutes and wives of influential people. Copies of the Tsarina’s tender letter to Rasputin circulated around St. Petersburg, from which it could be concluded that they were lovers. These stories were picked up by the newspapers - and the word " Rasputin"became known throughout Europe.
G.E. Rasputin with Major General Prince M.S. Putyatin
And Colonel D.N. Loman. Petersburg. 1904-1905.
Public health
People who believed in Rasputin's miracles believe that he himself, as well as his death, are mentioned in the Bible itself: “ And if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16-18).
Today no one doubts that Rasputin really had a beneficial effect on the physical condition of the prince and the mental stability of his mother. How did he do it?
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna at the bedside of the sick heir Alexei
Rasputin and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna drink tea
Rasputin, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna with children
Contemporaries noted that Rasputin’s speech was always incoherent; it was very difficult to follow his thoughts. Huge, with long arms, a tavern floorman's hairstyle and a spade beard, he often talked to himself and patted his thighs. Without exception, all of Rasputin's interlocutors recognized his unusual look - deeply sunken grey eyes, as if glowing from within and fettering your will. Stolypin recalled that when he met Rasputin, he felt that they were trying to hypnotize him.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin
This certainly influenced the king and queen. However, it is difficult to explain the repeated relief of the royal children from pain. Rasputin's main healing weapon was prayer - and he could pray all night long. Once upon a time in Belovezhskaya Pushcha the heir began to have strong internal bleeding. Doctors told his parents that he would not survive. A telegram was sent to Rasputin asking him to heal Alexei from a distance. He quickly recovered, which greatly surprised the court doctors.
Kill the dragon
The man who called himself " small fly” and who appointed officials by telephone call was illiterate. He learned to read and write only in St. Petersburg. He left behind only short notes filled with terrible scribbles. Until the end of his life, Rasputin looked like a tramp, which repeatedly hindered him " take off» prostitutes for daily orgies. ABOUT healthy way the wanderer quickly forgot his life - he drank and drunkenly called ministers with various " petitions", the failure of which was career suicide.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin
Rasputin did not save money, either starving or throwing it left and right. He seriously influenced the country’s foreign policy, twice persuading Nicholas not to start a war in the Balkans (inspiring the Tsar that the Germans were a dangerous force, and the “brothers,” i.e., the Slavs, were pigs).
Facsimile of Rasputin's letter with a request for some of his protégés
When First World War However, it began, Rasputin expressed a desire to come to the front to bless the soldiers. The commander of the troops, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, promised to hang him on the nearest tree. In response, Rasputin gave birth to another prophecy that Russia would not win the war until an autocrat (who had a military education, but showed himself to be an incompetent strategist) stood at the head of the army. The king, of course, led the army. With consequences known to history.
Politicians actively criticized the queen - “n German spy y", not forgetting about Rasputin. It was then that the image was created eminence grise ", deciding all state issues, although in fact Rasputin’s power was far from absolute. German Zeppelins scattered leaflets over the trenches, where the Kaiser leaned on the people, and Nicholas II on Rasputin’s genitals. The priests also did not lag behind. It was announced that the murder of Grishka was a benefit for which “ forty sins will be removed».
Grigory Rasputin.
On January 1, 1917, the body of Grigory Rasputin, a family friend and advisor to Emperor Nicholas II, was discovered under the ice of the frozen Neva. Rasputin was shot three times, horribly mutilated, and his right eye was gouged out. Who was not suspected of mysterious death a man who was called either a prophet or a sorcerer, who was hated by both adherents of the tsarist regime and the Bolsheviks. His death remains a mystery today, despite the fact that Prince Felix Yusupov took the blame for the murder upon himself.
1. Strange call on the morning before death 
Grigory Rasputin is either a saint or an atheist.
On the morning of December 29, 1916, Rasputin received a strange phone call. He said that his daughter Maria was calling him, but clearly did not recognize the voice on the other end of the line. The meaning of the message was extremely clear: Rasputin’s days were numbered. This was a death threat, although it was by no means the first that Rasputin received. At this point in his life, Rasputin received daily death threats, mostly by mail or telephone. But for some reason this particular threat really upset him. Several sources described Rasputin as "nervous" and "excited" that day. No one knows who actually called, and the only thing historians know for sure is that it was not Felix Yusupov, who took responsibility for Rasputin's death.
2. Cyanide doesn’t matter 
The basement of the Yusupov Palace on the Moika in St. Petersburg, where Grigory Rasputin was killed.
Yusupov's plan was to poison Rasputin. He persuaded Rasputin to come to his home for a visit, where he treated him to cakes and wine, which were poisoned with cyanide by one of his accomplices, Dr. Stanislav Lazovert. The plan was to feed Rasputin poisoned food and watch him die. There is no doubt that Rasputin went to Yusupov's house. The last person to see him was his daughter, Maria, to whom he said goodbye at 23:00 on December 29. Everything that happened after that is a mystery.
Yusupov claims that he fed Rasputin poisoned cakes and wine, ingesting enough cyanide to kill an elephant. But it seemed that he didn’t care about any poison. However, the autopsy results stated that “no traces of poison” were found in Rasputin’s body. Nobody knows exactly what happened. Yusupov's story seems to imply that Rasputin did have supernatural powers, but there are, of course, other explanations.
Many years later, experts still did not agree on whether Rasputin was poisoned, or whether the story about the poisoned cakes was clean water fiction.
3. A shot is not a guarantee of death 
After the shot, everyone was sure that Rasputin was dead.
Frustrated that his poison did not work, Yusupov pulled out his pistol and shot Rasputin in the chest. “The doctor Lazovert said that the bullet hit him in the heart,” Yusupov wrote in his memoirs. “There was no doubt: Rasputin was dead.” Then, according to the prince, the conspirators went to Rasputin’s home, with one of the men dressing up in the clothes of the “tsar’s favorite” to convince neighbors that Rasputin had arrived home safely. Then they returned and prepared to dispose of Rasputin's body.
“Then a terrible thing happened,” wrote Yusupov. “Suddenly Rasputin jumped to his feet and foam started coming out of his mouth.” Yusupov and other conspirators began shooting at Rasputin, and Vladimir Purishkevich finally “finished off” him with a shot to the head. However, even when they tied up the body and threw it into the river, Yusupov insisted that Rasputin's body continued to move. “Now I understand who Rasputin was,” Yusupov wrote. It was the reincarnation of Satan himself."
4. The autopsy showed... 
Grigory Rasputin after death.
Yusupov's story is, of course, fascinating, but it does not correspond to reality. The autopsy report on Rasputin's body, conducted by Professor Dmitry Kosorotov, contradicts the testimony of the main suspect. In his memoirs, Yusupov claims that he shot Rasputin in the heart, and this was confirmed by Dr. Lazovert. However, during the autopsy, Kosorotov found three bullet wounds, and none of them were even close to the heart. Instead, the bullets went through his stomach, liver, kidney and skull. Likewise, Yusupov claimed that Rasputin was knocked down by a shot from Purishkevich in the back of the head. The bullet in Rasputin's skull, however, entered from the side of his face at point-blank range while Rasputin was lying on the ground.
5. Could Rasputin drown? 
Police photograph of Rasputin's corpse found in Malaya Nevka, 1916.
Yusupov claims that he saw Rasputin moving even after he was shot in the head. Therefore, the conspirators tied Rasputin's hands and feet, wrapped his body in a piece of heavy linen, drove to the top of the bridge and threw him into the water. Legend has it that Rasputin was still alive when he was thrown into the river. However, when his body was found, Rasputin's hands were untied and raised above his head. As his daughter Maria later stated, Rasputin freed his hands under water, but still drowned. During the trial, a witness claimed that an autopsy showed the presence of air in Rasputin's lungs, and that he was still alive when he was thrown into the water.
6. Mutilated corpse 
Rasputin's body was clearly mutilated after death.
Whoever killed Rasputin didn't just shoot him. They cruelly and horribly mutilated his corpse. Kosorotov's autopsy report described that there was a gaping wound on the left side of his torso, caused by some kind of sharp object. The right eye fell out of its socket and hung on the face. The skin at the corner of the right eye was torn. The right ear is torn and partially torn from the head. There was a wound on the neck caused by a blunt object. The victim's face and body showed signs of blows caused by some kind of flexible but hard object. The genitals were crushed. According to Kosorotov, the wounds apparently were inflicted after Rasputin's death. This was not the result of a fight, but rather a brutal desecration dead body, which is not mentioned anywhere in Yusupov’s confession.
7. Yusupov’s strange desire to take the blame 
Felix Yusupov, 1914
Yusupov and the other conspirators went to great lengths to cover up Rasputin's death. They faked his return home, threw his body into the river, and Yusupov repeatedly told police that the gunshots coming from his house were caused by a drunken guest shooting at a dog. However, according to police reports, the conspirators immediately confessed. An officer who was sent to Yusupov's house after the shooting was reported said that Purishkevich opened the door for him and declared: "Listen to me, Rasputin is dead, and if you love the Tsar and your homeland, you will remain silent and will not tell anyone." When police found blood stains in Yusupov's backyard, he initially denied the murder, but then began trying to take advantage of the situation. He even ended up writing a memoir detailing how he killed Rasputin.
8. The British spy who could have killed Rasputin 
Oswald Reiner, 1930s.
One bullet in Rasputin's body, according to the autopsy, was of a different caliber. He was shot by three people (or at least three guns). The bullet holes in the stomach and kidney could have been made from the guns of Yusupov and Purishkevich, but the head was shot from a 455 Webley revolver, which neither of them had. However, Yusupov's British friend named Oswald Rayner almost always carried a 455 Webley.
And although Yusupov denied that Rayner was at his home, many think that it was he who shot Rasputin in the head, and on the orders of British intelligence. The British were interested in killing Rasputin because he was trying to bring peace between Russia and Germany. Therefore, it is quite possible that if Rasputin had not died, the Germans would have won the war.
9. MI6 archives say otherwise 
What's in the archives...
The UK government, more than 100 years later, still denies that it had anything to do with Rasputin's death. The suggestion that Rayner killed Rasputin, the British insist, is an "outrageous and absurd accusation." Rayner was not listed as an active agent at the time of Rasputin's death, and countless historians who have reviewed all available MI6 records have been unable to find the slightest trace of evidence of involvement in the murder of the British.
10. The burning corpse that sat down 
All-consuming flame.
Of course, Yusupov did everything to expose Rasputin as a real demonic monster who was impossible to kill. But still, one fact that took place in 1917 can make anyone believe in this version (at least anyone who is superficially familiar with anatomy).
So, Rasputin's body was removed from the grave by soldiers and set on fire. This was done because the new authorities feared that his grave would become a place of worship for the Tsarist regime. A crowd of people came out to watch the prophet's corpse burn, and almost everyone insisted that they saw the decomposing corpse suddenly sit up in the fire.
Grigory Rasputin is a famous and controversial personality in national history, which has been debated for a century. His life is filled with a mass of inexplicable events and facts related to his proximity to the emperor’s family and influence on the fate of the Russian Empire. Some historians consider him an immoral charlatan and swindler, while others are confident that Rasputin was a real seer and healer, which allowed him to gain influence on royal family.
Rasputin Grigory Efimovich was born on January 21, 1869 in the family of a simple peasant Efim Yakovlevich and Anna Vasilievna, who lived in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province. The day after his birth, the boy was baptized in a church with the name Gregory, which means “awake.”
Grisha became the fourth and only surviving child of his parents - his older brothers and sisters died in infancy due to poor health. At the same time, he was also weak from birth, so he could not play enough with his peers, which became the reason for his isolation and craving for solitude. Exactly at early childhood Rasputin felt an attachment to God and religion.
At the same time, he tried to help his father graze cattle, drive a cab, harvest crops and participate in any agricultural work. There was no school in the Pokrovsky village, so Grigory grew up illiterate, like all his fellow villagers, but he stood out among others because of his illness, for which he was considered defective.
At the age of 14, Rasputin became seriously ill and was almost dying, but suddenly his condition began to improve, which, according to him, happened thanks to the Mother of God, who healed him. From that moment, Gregory began to deeply understand the Gospel and, not even knowing how to read, was able to memorize the texts of the prayers. During that period, the gift of foresight awakened in the peasant son, which later prepared for him a dramatic fate.
Monk Grigory Rasputin At the age of 18, Grigory Rasputin made his first pilgrimage to the Verkhoturye Monastery, but decided not to take a monastic vow, but to continue wandering through the holy places of the world, reaching the Greek Mount Athos and Jerusalem. Then he managed to establish contacts with many monks, wanderers and representatives of the clergy, which in the future historians associated with political meaning his activities.
Royal family
The biography of Grigory Rasputin changed its direction in 1903, when he arrived in St. Petersburg, and the palace doors opened before him. At the very beginning of his arrival in the capital of the Russian Empire, the “experienced wanderer” did not even have a means of subsistence, so he turned to the rector of the theological academy, Bishop Sergius, for help. He introduced him to the confessor of the royal family, Archbishop Feofan, who by that time had already heard about Rasputin’s prophetic gift, legends about which were spread throughout the country.
Grigory Efimovich met Emperor Nicholas II during a difficult time for Russia. Then the country was swept by political strikes, revolutionary movements aimed at overthrowing royal power. It was during that period that a simple Siberian peasant managed to make a powerful impression on the tsar, which made Nicholas II want to talk for hours with the wanderer-seer.
Thus, the “elder” acquired colossal influence on imperial family, especially on . Historians are confident that Rasputin’s rapprochement with the imperial family occurred thanks to Gregory’s help in treating his son and heir to the throne, Alexei, who had hemophilia, against which traditional medicine was powerless in those days.
There is a version that Grigory Rasputin was not only a healer for the tsar, but also a chief adviser, as he had the gift of clairvoyance. " man of God", as the peasant was called in royal family, knew how to look into the souls of people, to reveal to Emperor Nicholas all the thoughts of the Tsar’s closest associates, who received high positions at the Court only after agreement with Rasputin.
In addition, Grigory Efimovich participated in all government affairs, trying to protect Russia from a world war, which, in his conviction, would bring untold suffering to the people, general discontent and revolution. This was not part of the plans of the instigators of world war, who plotted against the seer, aimed at eliminating Rasputin.
Conspiracy and murder
Before committing the murder of Grigory Rasputin, his opponents tried to destroy him spiritually. He was accused of whipping, witchcraft, drunkenness, and depraved behavior. But Nicholas II did not want to take into account any arguments, since he firmly believed in the elder and continued to discuss all state secrets with him.
Therefore, in 1914, an “anti-Rasputin” conspiracy arose, initiated by the prince, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr., who later became the commander-in-chief of all military forces of the Russian Empire during the First World War, and Vladimir Purishkevich, who was an actual state councilor at that time.
It was not possible to kill Grigory Rasputin the first time - he was seriously wounded in the village of Pokrovskoye by Khionia Guseva. During that period, while he was on the verge between life and death, Nicholas II decided to participate in the war and announced mobilization. At the same time, he continued to consult with the recovering seer about the correctness of his military actions, which again was not part of the plans of the royal ill-wishers.
Therefore, it was decided to bring the conspiracy against Rasputin to the end. On December 29 (new style), 1916, the elder was invited to the Palace of Prince Yusupov to meet with famous beauty, the prince's wife Irina, who needed the healer's help from Grigory Efimovich. There they began to treat him to food and drinks poisoned by poison, but potassium cyanide did not kill Rasputin, which forced the conspirators to shoot him.
After several shots in the back, the elder continued to fight for life and was even able to run out into the street, trying to hide from the killers. After a short chase, accompanied by gunfire, the healer fell to the ground and was severely beaten by his pursuers. Then the exhausted and beaten old man was tied up and thrown from the Petrovsky Bridge into the Neva. According to historians, once in ice water, Rasputin died only a few hours later.
Nicholas II entrusted the investigation into the murder of Grigory Rasputin to the director of the Police Department, Alexei Vasiliev, who got on the “trail” of the killers of the healer. 2.5 months after the death of the elder, Emperor Nicholas II was overthrown from the throne, and the head of the new Provisional Government ordered a hasty end to the investigation into the Rasputin case.
Personal life
The personal life of Grigory Rasputin is as mysterious as his fate. It is known that back in 1900, during a pilgrimage to the holy places of the world, he married a peasant pilgrim like himself, Praskovya Dubrovina, who became his only life partner. Three children were born into the Rasputin family - Matryona, Varvara and Dmitry.
After the murder of Grigory Rasputin, the elder’s wife and children were subjected to repression by the Soviet authorities. They were considered “evil elements” in the country, so in the 1930s the entire peasant farm and the house of Rasputin’s son were nationalized, and the healer’s relatives were arrested by the NKVD and sent to special settlements in the North, after which their trace was completely lost. Only her daughter managed to escape from the hands of the Soviet regime, who emigrated to France after the revolution and then moved to the USA.
Predictions of Grigory Rasputin
Despite the fact that the Soviet authorities considered the elder a charlatan, the predictions of Grigory Rasputin, which he left on 11 pages, were carefully hidden from the public after his death. In his “testament” to Nicholas II, the seer pointed out that several revolutionary coups had taken place in the country and warned the tsar about the murder of the entire imperial family “ordered” by the new authorities.
Rasputin also predicted the creation of the USSR and its inevitable collapse. The elder predicted that Russia would defeat Germany in World War II and become a great power. At the same time, he foresaw terrorism in beginning of XXI century, which will begin to flourish in the West.
In his predictions, Grigory Efimovich did not ignore the problems of Islam, clearly indicating that in a number of countries Islamic fundamentalism is emerging, which modern world called Wahhabism. Rasputin argued that at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, power in the East, namely in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, will be captured by Islamic fundamentalists who will declare “jihad” on the United States.
After this, according to Rasputin’s predictions, a serious military conflict will arise, which will last 7 years and will be the last in human history. True, Rasputin predicted one big battle during this conflict, during which at least a million people would die on both sides.
Loading...
