The first two decades of the 20th century were full of political turmoil and Imperial Russia was
no exception. With the rise of communism and the disaster of World War One of all the players in
Russia few were as controversial, influential and mysterious as the "Mad Monk" Grigori Yefimovich
Rasputin a self-appointed prophet and faith healer who became indispensable to the Romanov royal
family looked upon as a friend and a savior. Did Rasputin have magical powers? Was he an imposter
or charlatan? How did he gain such influence over the Russian royal family? And why was he killed?
Hello i'm Colin Heaton former soldier Marine Corps scout sniper history professor historian and
book author and we'll answer these questions and other issues on this segment of Forgotten History.
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was born into a Siberian peasant family around 1869 in the village
of Pokrovskoye on the banks of the Tura River and it is believed that he received a limited
education and was probably illiterate. Historians believe that the family name "Rasputin" meant
"where two rivers meet "describing the area where he was born. The people of his village believed
that he was possessed with supernatural healing powers starting at age 12 although we have no
written record of his powers. However there are other stories of cruelty towards other children
and animals. The story gets convoluted regarding Rasputin who grew up working on the family farm.
Most of the myths around Rasputin and his powers primarily stem from his early affiliation with
religion. Rasputin entered the Verkhoture Monastery in Russia intending to become an orthodox monk but
left shortly thereafter. One story is that he left to get married, the other is that he was married
and then joined the monastery. Other stories circulated that being unable to read and write
he was not capable of the studies required and was therefore dismissed. He often went months without
bathing or changing clothes and often disappeared into the forest. Rasputin also proclaimed himself
to be a higher being almost an incarnation of God. He built the chapel under his house
and invited many other people to follow his own unique interpretation of faith. There were stories
that his religious services involved his having sex with members of his congregation. It was these
stories that also followed Raputin. It is believed that at age 19 he supposedly married Proskovia
Fyodorovna Dubrovina and they had five children although two others died shortly after birth. Those
that did live were daughters maria, Varvara and his son Dmitri. He then for whatever reason apparently
left the village, left the farm and family in his early twenties and traveled to Greece and
the Middle East making several pilgrimages to the Holy Land after he adopted the beliefs of
the Khlyst sect. The Khlyst sect was founded in 1700 by Danila Filipich. He believed he was indeed God.
The name means "men of God" or the Khlysty" and they believed that a man who was a true
believer could achieve Christ-like status and develop healing powers and the gift of prophecy
which was considered heresy to the Orthodox Church. They also had a loose interpretation
of spiritual relationships and marriage in the church by a priest was not a true holy arrangement.
In 1903 Rasputin arrived in Saint Petersburg and met a monk who had limited connections to the
royal family but by October 1906 his reputation as a mystic healer in the city was well known and he
was introduced and eventually accepted into the court of Tsar Nicholas ii and Tzarina Alexandra
Feodorovna Romanov. Unfortunately for Rasputin his reputation as a gallivanting womanizer
followed right behind him at least where the anti-Romanov newspapers were concerned.
Due to the many stories of his alleged healing abilities and prophetic prognostications
Rasputin quickly gained their confidence by seemingly curing the son Prince Alexis of his
hemophilia. It was recorded that he was able to stop the chronic nosebleeds and severe bruising
suffered by the young Alexis who was the only male son of the monarchs and their heir to the throne.
These events as well as his reputation as a mystic and faith healer earned him the passionate support
and personal friendship of Alexandra and he became one of her favorites. Despite the rumors decades
after the facts his political influence at court was extremely minor. Between 1906 and 1914 various
politicians and journalists especially among the rising Bolsheviks used Rasputin as an instrument
to create mistrust and dissent towards the royal family. The Bolsheviks were communist believers in
Marxist ideology anti-capitalism and anti-monarchy. Their leader in exile Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov
better known as Lenin established the Communist Party and maintained a network of agitators and
supporters many being in the press. Lenin and the Bolsheviks believed that all the land
should belong to the people and the aristocracy had betrayed the Russian people for centuries.
They also preached universal equality and promised a worker's paradise once the Romanovs were removed.
The 1905 revolution in Saint Petersburg had failed and the communists continued to deliver any excuse
to lay blame in order to undermine the Romanov's credibility and overthrow the government. Rasputin
became one of those reasons. Rasputin claimed to be the Tsarina's advisor which was fodder
for the anti-royal press and published accounts of his rampant lascivious behavior and affairs
true or not increased the hatred for him among state officials. In truth however Rasputin's
influence at this time was limited to the health of Alexis after several years of other mystics
and doctors failing to cure their son. When World War One began Rasputin predicted the disaster for
Russia and the royal family would follow which did not sit well with many at court. Nicholas II took
command of the Russian Army in 1915 and Alexandra handled domestic policy. Alexandra ignored the
warnings from her ministers and royal relatives who were suspicious and possibly jealous of the
mad monk. There were even rumors that Rasputin and Alexandra had a torrid affair although there
has never been any evidence presented on this matter. Government officials tried to warn her
of Rasputin's undue influence but she continued to defend him and her actions supported the
impression that Rasputin was in fact her closest advisor. As Russia was losing millions of men
at the front and the people were suffering and starving back home the time was right to strike.
Rasputin had many powerful enemies both Bolshevik and within the extended royal family and both
plotted to get rid of him. On the night of December 29th 1916 a group of conspirators led by the
tsar's first cousin Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Prince Felix Yusupov invited Rasputin to
Yusupov's palace for a dinner and to meet his wife,. They planned to get rid of him quietly and fed
him wine and cakes laced with cyanide. Though Rasputin eventually became rather drunk the poison
seemed to have no effect stunning the conspirators. Completely perplexed at how he could consume so
much poison and survive they finally decided to take direct action and shot him multiple times
yet rasputin still did not die and was chased and finally put down by a bullet through his head.
He was then wrapped in a carpet and thrown into the Neva River
where his body was discovered three days later.
Despite getting rid of the Mad Monk his absence did not eliminate his prophecies.
Shortly before his death he had written a letter to Nicholas II predicting that if he were killed
by his enemies the entire royal family would be killed and turned by the Russian people.
Ironically all of Rasputin's predictions came true. The Bolsheviks were successful and took over the
government. The royal family was arrested and sent to Yekaterinburg 15 months later and when the tsar
his wife and all their children including the famous Anastasia were murdered on Lenin's order
during the closing days of the revolution the prophecy was fulfilled. Rasputin still intrigues
historians and the general republic alike. Much about his life is known but much is unknown.
How much of his story was fact and how much was fiction fabricated by his enemies?
So famous and controversial was Rasputin during his lifetime mostly due to his royal connections
propaganda and dramatic death that today there is even a Rasputin Museum in his hometown
of Pokrovskoye. We hope you enjoyed this segment of Forgotten History. Please click like and subscribe
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