Grigory Rasputin - famous and ambiguous personality v national history, disputes about which have been going on for a century. His life is filled with a mass of inexplicable events and facts related to 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 sure that Rasputin was a real seer and healer, which allowed him to gain influence on the 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 the birth, the boy was baptized in the church with the name Gregory, which means "wakeful."
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. It was in early childhood that Rasputin felt attached to God and religion.
At the same time, he tried to help his father graze cattle, go to carts, 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 for his morbidity, for which he was considered flawed.
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 cognize the Gospel and, not even knowing how to read, was able to memorize the texts of prayers. At that time, the gift of clairvoyance woke up in the peasant son, which subsequently 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 around the holy places of the world, reaching the Greek Mount Athos and Jerusalem. Then he managed to make contacts with many monks, wanderers and representatives of the clergy, which in the future historians associated with the political meaning of 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 livelihood, 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 had already heard by that time about the prophetic gift of Rasputin, legends about which circulated throughout the country.
Grigory Efimovich met Emperor Nicholas II at a difficult time for Russia. Then the country was engulfed in 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 aroused the desire of Nicholas II to talk for hours with a wanderer-seer.
Thus, the "elder" gained tremendous influence on the imperial family, in particular, on. Historians are sure that Rasputin's rapprochement with the imperial family was due to the help of Grigory in the treatment of his son and heir to the throne Alexei, who was ill with hemophilia, before which at that time she was powerless traditional medicine.
There is a version that Grigory Rasputin was not only a healer for the king, but also the main adviser, as he had the gift of clairvoyance. " god man”, as the peasant was called in the royal family, he knew how to look into the souls of people, to reveal to Emperor Nicholas all the thoughts of the closest royal confidants, who received high posts at the Court only after agreement with Rasputin.
In addition, Grigory Efimovich participated in all state affairs, trying to protect Russia from a world war, which, in his opinion, would bring incalculable suffering to the people, general discontent and revolution. This was not part of the plans of the warmongers of the world war, who plotted against the seer, aimed at eliminating Rasputin.
Conspiracy and murder
Before committing the murder of Grigory Rasputin, the opponents tried to destroy him spiritually. He was accused of whipping, witchcraft, drunkenness, depraved behavior. But Nicholas II did not want to take into account any arguments, since he firmly believed 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 Nikolayevich Jr., who later became commander-in-chief of all the military forces of the Russian Empire during the First World War, and Vladimir Purishkevich, who at that time was a real state councilor.
From the first time, it was not possible to kill Grigory Rasputin - he was seriously wounded in the village of Pokrovsky 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 included in the plans of the royal ill-wishers.
Therefore, it was decided to bring the plot against Rasputin to an end. On December 29 (according to the new style), 1916, the elder was invited to the Palace of Prince Yusupov to meet with the famous beauty, the prince's wife Irina, who needed the healer's help from Grigory Efimovich. There he was treated to food and drinks poisoned with poison, but potassium cyanide did not kill Rasputin, which forced the conspirators to shoot him.
After several shots in the back, the old man continued to fight for his life and was even able to run out into the street, trying to hide from the killers. After a short chase, accompanied by shooting, 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, being 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 Vasilyev, who went on the trail of the healer's killers. 2.5 months after the death of the elder, Emperor Nicholas II was deposed from the throne, and the head of the new Provisional Government ordered that the investigation into the Rasputin case be hastily terminated.
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 him, Praskovya Dubrovina, who became his only life partner. Three children were born in the Rasputin family - Matryona, Varvara and Dmitry.
After the assassination of Grigory Rasputin, the elder's wife and children were subjected to repression by the Soviet authorities. They were considered “malicious elements” in the country, so in the 1930s everyone peasant economy 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 Soviet power, 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, left by him on 11 pages, were carefully hidden from the public after his death. In his "testament" to Nicholas II, the seer pointed to the commission of several revolutionary coups in the country and warned the tsar about the murder of the entire imperial family on the "order" of 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 at the beginning of the 21st century, which would begin to flourish in the West.
In his predictions, Grigory Efimovich did not ignore the problems of Islam, clearly pointing out that Islamic fundamentalism is emerging in a number of countries, which in 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, would be seized by Islamic fundamentalists who would declare "jihad" to the United States.
After that, according to Rasputin's predictions, a serious military conflict will arise, which will last 7 years and become the last in the history of mankind. True, Rasputin predicted during this conflict one big battle, during which no less than a million people would die on both sides.
In St. Petersburg, in 1916, the most mysterious “favorite” of the royal family, Grigory Rasputin, was murdered. And it is still unclear whether this man was a prudent smart politician or a crazy self-proclaimed saint.
The year of Gregory's birth is not known. Some sources call the date of his birth 1864, others - 1872. Rasputin's homeland is the tiny village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen province. The surname Rasputin, Grigory, bearing the surname Novykh, received only later, as a nickname for participating in ugly orgies.
It is known that Gregory traveled a lot. He visited Valaam, the Solovetsky Monastery and many other places. After returning, Gregory, as he himself claimed, begins to hear a “divine voice” telling him to go to. When he was 33 years old, Gregory finally ends up in the Northern capital and settles with Bishop Sergius, rector of the Theological Academy of St. Petersburg.
Rasputin's first meeting with the royal family is arranged by a distant relative of the imperial family, Princess Milica of Montenegro. The Romanovs were prone to all sorts of "mystical" personalities, Grigory came to court there. In 1907, he carried out a mysterious healing of Tsarevich Alexei, suffering from hemophilia, and after that he was already firmly gaining confidence.
Gregory's behavior is ambiguous. At court, he still tries to keep the limits of decency, but in ordinary life- a completely different person. Drunkenness, debauchery, greed are only a small part of his vices. Grigory possessed some kind of charm unique for women, and very soon people began to gather around him. great amount fans.
With each passing day, the favorite gained more and more power over the Romanov family. Naturally, this did not suit the royal court and they repeatedly tried to initiate criminal cases against Rasputin, accusing him of embezzling funds from the treasury, or of plotting against the crown. Each time, Grigory successfully managed to leave St. Petersburg and avoid persecution.
Eyewitnesses note that Rasputin himself looked like a “huge bear”, often talked to himself, had a heavy “hypnotic” look.
Many tried to kill the “antichrist,” as Rasputin was called then in St. Petersburg. Only a group of conspirators led by Prince Felix Yusupov succeeded. On a December night in 1916, an attempt was made to poison Gregory with cyanide, but it had no effect on him. Then Rasputin was shot from a revolver. The body was thrown into an ice hole on the Neva. Later, an autopsy will show that at that moment Grigory was alive and died, choking on ice water.
The people rejoiced, and the sadness of the empress knew no bounds. Grigory Rasputin, according to the will of the Empress, was buried with full honors in the tomb.
And today the figure of Rasputin remains, perhaps, the most mysterious in the history of favoritism. Russian Empire. A small museum is dedicated to the memory of Rasputin in the village of Pokrovsky, which is visited from year to year not only Russian tourists but also foreign groups.
The modern writer-historian Yuri Rassulin, discussing the personality of the elder Gregory, says: “It is not possible to explain the paradoxical combination in one person, / Grigory Rasputin / of holiness and vice - one of the witnesses lied. Who: the Jew Aron Simanovich with Sergei Trufanov, who renounced God and His Holy Church, or the Holy Royal Martyrs and Passion-Bearers; the pervert Felix Yusupov with the satanist Zhukovskaya or the nun Maria - she is the faithful maid of honor of the Empress Anna Alexandrovna Taneeva (Vyrubova)? The whole question again rests on who to believe? Everyone is free to make their own choice...
Grigory Rasputin is the cause of all troubles from the point of view of many. Too many believed the dirty rumor. Through the nasty, nasty thoughts that swarm in the heads of representatives of the Russian intelligent society, and from there spread into the souls ordinary people, the sacred image of the Sovereign was defiled in the thoughts and feelings of the sons of the Russian People. The shadow of the betrayal of the God-anointed Tsar lay on the relationship of the Russian People with God. Not only the Family of the Holy Crowns was insulted, but also the entire Russian People, one of whose representatives, close to the Tsar, was and is Grigory the New (Rasputin). The Name of God is also blasphemed, because at prayer, Grigory Efimovich healed Tsarevich Alexei in the Name of God, helped other people, and there is plenty of evidence of this.
And as long as the deepest misconception about his personality and his role in Russian history is not eliminated, there is still a reason to make claims to the Russian Autocrats and to introduce bewilderment into the minds of Russian people in connection with the events of that fatal historical period for Russia. In the accusations again sounding today against the Russian peasant, it is not difficult to see the old desire to present an account to Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Through slander about Grigory Rasputin-New, the dignity of their royal service and the height of their Christian feat are called into question. Thus, the memory of the holy crowned bearers is again insulted. Is this the kind of repentance the Lord expects of us? The truth must prevail. Otherwise, the vainly inflicted insult and the innocently shed royal blood will cry out to Heaven for vengeance. And this will continue until sin is subjected to spiritual healing, i.e., repentance.
Who was really Grigory Rasputin, Olga Vladimirovna Lokhtina answered briefly and clearly during interrogation in the Emergency Commission of Inquiry. To the question of the investigator: - What kind of person do you consider Rasputin to be? She answered directly:
I consider him an old man.
- What does it mean?
“An old man who has gone through all his life experience and achieved all the Christian virtues.”
For many, both then and today, Lokhtina's testimony will not seem convincing. Well, from the fact that the eccentric woman said something there. No one wanted and does not want to believe her. Indeed, General Olga Vladimirovna Lokhtina, abandoned by everyone and expelled from home for her devotion to Grigory Rasputin, was not taken seriously. Most considered her crazy, less often treated her as a holy fool. Yes, of course, you can not believe Lokhtina, and she was wrong. But the whole point is that this is exactly how the Holy Royal Martyrs treated Gregory. Can't we believe the Holy Royal Martyrs too? And God? After all, Grigory the New (Rasputin) testified about God and directed people to God, worked miracles, prophesied, healed. Yes, he healed, and was it by demonic power? And the repeated healings of Tsesarevich Alexy by Grigory the New, witnessed by contemporaries, also by demonic power? Does this mean that the Heir to the Russian Throne was healed of an incurable, deadly disease by the devil? This is how it turns out in accordance with the testimony of the liar Yusupov, the Jew Simanovich, the sexually horny Zhukovskaya, the banished Trufanov, the leader of the revolutionary Duma Rodzianko, the social revolutionary Prugavin and those who, unrestrainedly and madly striving to get into their company today, continue to believe precisely them, and not Holy Royal Martyrs.
It is no coincidence that the word "believe" is used in the previous paragraph. Indeed, the question of Rasputin is a matter of faith, faith in God, faith in the sanctity of the Royal Martyrs and Passion-Bearers, faith in Their Friend and prayer book, and only then in words and testimony. If we believe that the Lord has glorified the Russian Crowned Crowns, we believe in Their holiness, then we love Them, and trust Them, trust Their opinion, especially in matters of decisive importance for the fate of the Orthodox Power of the Russian and the Russian People, in matters of fundamental character. And it turns out that the question of historical role Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-New in the fate of Russia and the attitude towards his personality is just a question not of secondary importance, but of principle. Why?
Let's answer frankly. Because if we consider Grigory Rasputin to be a scoundrel, then the conclusion is inevitable: the Tsar and the Tsarina are criminals, because they showed a criminal blindness that is unacceptable for Their position, they brought a person led by the devil closer to themselves, which turned into a grave tragedy for the person entrusted to them by God people and the death of the Orthodox State of Russia. It is precisely this interpretation of historical events that the forces that destroyed both the Russian Tsar and the Russian Autocracy are still trying to impose on us. What could be worse than this accusation? If Rasputin is a scoundrel, it must inevitably be admitted that all those who betrayed the Sovereign are not traitors at all, but guardians of the good of the Fatherland, rescuers. Their protest against the unsatisfactory, moreover criminal, from their point of view, reign the last Emperor lawful and just, and the oppression they suffered on the part of the supreme royal authority elevates them to the rank of persecuted in the name of the people's good. Everything is turned upside down, complete nonsense arises in the interpretation of the events of the reign of Nicholas II, and the basis for canonizing the Tsar and Tsarina disappears.
A third option is also possible, which, along with the recognition of the sanctity of the Royal Family, implies the justification of those who were forced to be in opposition to the Russian Crowned Crowns, including some members of the imperial family. This point of view is based on a somewhat strange assumption that the Russian Autocrats are, of course, saints, but, having found themselves in the spiritual captivity of a “political adventurer”, “charlatan” and “hypnotist”, they turned out to be incapable of governing the Russian State and were completely disoriented in political questions. This statement contains an inexplicable contradiction. How can holiness be combined with obedience to the flattering spirit of sectarianism, alien to Orthodoxy and hostile to God? And what is the reason - in their spiritual blindness, the captivity of their will, and by whom? Rogue, lecher, whip, adversary Orthodox faith!? But it follows from this that the faith of the Tsar and Tsaritsa was vain if it brought such bitter fruits for the whole Russian land. This assumption is terrible for every Orthodox who loves the tortured Royal Family and unshakably believes in their holiness.
But, perhaps, the horror of the tragic events of the revolution experienced made Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra, in the face of death, realize their mistake and repent of it, pay a terrible price for their blindness, and the Lord cleansed them with a painful death after undoubted repentance? But there is no such evidence. There is evidence to the contrary that all members of the holy Royal Family continued to believe in their Friend until the end of their days, sacredly kept the memory of him.
Just as two heterogeneous media that cannot mix will always have a visible boundary separating, say, water from oil, so the information about Grigory Rasputin is clearly divided among themselves by the nature of the statement into two groups. Based on the first group of testimonies, a righteous life is a person, an ascetic. The second group of evidence leads to the conclusion that the same person is a rogue, a swindler, a libertine, etc. But this does not happen with God. One does not match with the other. An evil tree cannot bear good fruit. If a person is a prayer book, and his prayer has miraculous power, and this is nothing but a gift of God, a manifestation of grace, the action of the Holy Spirit in a person, is it possible for such a person to be a fornicator or an adulterer?
If we believe the opponents of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-New, the Lord allowed terrible, cynical lawlessness to triumph, seduction and fornication to be committed, covered up by talk about faith and the Name of God for many years. And this happened on such an incredible scale that, apparently, one takes aback from just one list of seduced victims, if one could be presented to the human court. Of course, one could cite a long philosophical discussion on the topic of ambiguity, confusion and inconsistency of human nature, that "truth with falsehood from time immemorial in one wheel rolls across the wide world." But, as Grigory Efimovich once exclaimed: “And God, what about God!?” After all, to assert that Divine grace was contained in a dirty, vicious, foul-smelling vessel defiled by fornication, is this not a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
He is not public figure and not a man of art, not a famous commander, but known to everyone, far beyond the borders of his native country. He did not write a symphony, did not put words into a poem, he has more sins than good deeds, but many consider him a saint. He was born in peasant hut, but last years spent in the incredible luxury of St. Petersburg and Moscow noble houses and even became the first friend of the last Russian emperor. He lived as best he could and died as he deserved. So who was Grishka Rasputin, a seer and healer or a deceiver and a thief?
It is believed that the Rasputin family has been going on since ancient times. It was as if a peasant named Izosim Fedorov came to the village of Pokrovskoye in the seventeenth century. He came, and became for arable land, that is, he took up the peasantry. We are wary of newcomers, therefore both he and his children were forever “sticked” with the nickname - Rasputa, which meant “crossroads”, “crossroads”. Let's find out together who Rasputin is and how a simple man managed to leave such a deep mark on world history.
Grigory Rasputin: biography of the Siberian holy fool
Historical information that Izosim Fedorov came to the village of Pokrovskoye in 1662. It was he who was a distant ancestor of Gregory, who will be born a little later. The yard census of the settlement of Pokrovskaya for 1858 has been preserved, almost two hundred years after the aforementioned events. Then there were already more than three dozen souls with such a surname, among whom was Grigory's father, Yefim. In the early morning of January 9, 1860, according to the metrics, a boy was born in the family of the coachman Rasputin and his wife Anna (Nyura) Parshukova.
Since it was not possible to baptize the baby on the same day, there was an accomplice and the priest was not in the church, it was decided to hold the ceremony the next day, the tenth. According to Slavic Orthodox saints, the names of the children were given according to church holidays. Just on this day, the feast of the theologian and philosopher Gregory of Nyssa was celebrated. So Grishka Rasputin got his name. Ironically, or perhaps according to God's plan, but his namesake became famous for his frequent, powerful and destructive sermons against various kinds of fornication.
early years
The biography of Rasputin from an early age is covered with secrets and mysteries. In more adulthood he himself was not averse to "casting a fog" in order to create an atmosphere of mystery around him. For example, about his birth, Gregory often called different dates, in the range of 65-75 years. nineteenth century. He usually added age to look more "old man" than he really was. In fact, Grishenka grew up weak and sickly, and there was not a year when the mother did not think that the fifth child in the family, but was just such, would go to the forefathers, without pleasing the parents.
The worst of all were springs and autumns, when the boy could not sleep at night for more than a month. Scientists believe that this may have been an early sign of hysteria, and perhaps schizophrenia. But there is no authentic information about this. From early childhood, he was taught to read and write by his grandmother and father, assigned to postal service. The weak and frail boy spent more time in the company of old women, who happily told him stories from the Holy Scriptures.
Becoming a Personality: Philosophy of Sin and Redemption
Many people to this day are wondering who Rasputin is, how did he become exactly who we know him, what paths led him to the impending end? The guy grew up closed and unsociable, always looked askance, from under the cosmos of tangled black hair. However, he had a special disposition towards cattle, and therefore he was mainly engaged in horses and cows. It was enough for him to put his hand on the neck of the excited horse, to say a few words in a half-whisper, as the cattle immediately calmed down.
At the age of fourteen, Gregory fell seriously ill, so much so that his mother was already preparing to bury her only surviving son. He recovered suddenly, as he fell ill. It was rumored that the Mother of God herself in the heads of his bed helped. He memorized the texts of prayers by heart, earnestly pronouncing them in a dim room near the lamp. By the age of twenty, Grigory Rasputin, whose biography developed in strange cycles, married a peasant woman from a neighboring village, named Praskovya Fedorovna Dubrovina, which gave birth to three offspring - two daughters and a son.
Worth knowing
It was at this time that he first went on a pilgrimage. Having visited the Verkhotursky monastery, Rasputin finally turns to God. Wanderings do not end there, he goes to Jerusalem to bow to the shrines, to Greece on Mount Athos, looking for advice and teachings from the higher clergy. Returning home, a simple peasant, the son of a coachman, and even a driver himself, begins to fall into extremes, reminiscent of borderline states. He first plunges into debauchery in taverns, with women walking around, wine and cards, piercing songs and dances in a smoky delirium. That throws himself into a hole dug with his own hand, where he sits and prays for his sins, open to seven winds, a scorching sun and heavy rains.
It is believed that a special, own view of sin and its nature is developed by Gregory just then. He decides that only through a sin committed consciously and quite deliberately, one can receive real forgiveness and grace from the Lord. After all, how can you repent if you have done nothing? This conclusion became the cornerstone of his teaching. Revealing the abilities of a seer in himself further spurs Rasputin's confidence in his rightness.
The villagers and relatives never understood his spiritual impulses, did not yet know who Grigory Rasputin was and that his name would soon be pronounced along with the names of the most august persons of the state. He was mocked and laughed at. He really often looked like a madman. He completely refused meat, could not change shirts for months, not sleep, run barefoot around the village in the cold and shake his fists at Satan, singing psalms in a hoarse voice.
Often, perhaps, by coincidence, his terrible cries of repentance “until the trouble fell” and the prophecies of all kinds of punishments ended really badly. People were dying, the thatched houses of the peasants were on fire, the cattle were sick and dying. Well, how could dark and uneducated people not believe in the bliss of an old man who was nothing at all, but a little over twenty years old. Glory disperses quickly, because Grishka soon had a lot of followers, and even more followers.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin in St. Petersburg
What attracted and attracted women of various social groups what made them travel hundreds and thousands of miles to see a black-eyed, thin guy in a dirty white shirt and with unwashed tufts of tangled hair, devoutly screaming in a pit in the backyard of his hut, historians do not understand today. However, looking at some lifetime photos, at the heavy look from under the thick black eyebrows, even in our time, many are trembling. Thanks to such a magnetic effect on people, the unknown man Rasputin rose to the top, short biography which we are considering.
By the beginning of the new twentieth century, it was decided to go to bow to Kiev itself, to the Lavra, which he did with success. On the way there and back, Gregory managed to make many useful acquaintances. Returning, he settled for a long time in Kazan, where he was welcomed by the mentor of the theological academy, Father Mikhail himself. Around the same time, he made acquaintance with Patriarch Sergius, known in the world as Ivan Starogorodsky, and also with Archbishop Feofan (Vasily Bystrov).
Many modern historians tend to think that it was the latter who played key role in Rasputin's move to St. Petersburg. He introduced the "old man" into society, brought him the right people, including with the Orthodox Bishop Hermogenes. By the way, it was Father Feofan who first told the daughters of the Montenegrin prince Njegosh about the existence of the "holy fool" who soon became king. Militsa and Anastasia, having met the new messiah, were so imbued that they brought it into the ears of the empress, as if it were a real miracle.
Lighter of royal lamps
Having arrived in St. Petersburg at the beginning of 1900, Rasputin himself had no idea how this could end for him. But he liked the rich and well-fed life, he loved red silk shirts, like gypsies, brand new creaky boots, sweet cakes and good wine. The Montenegrin sisters brought Gregory with the royal couple on Wednesday, November 1, 1905, about which there is even an entry in the diary of Nicholas II. The “old man” made a particularly deep impression on Alexandra Fedorovna, whom her husband affectionately called Alix.
Being far from her native land, in fact, in complete isolation from everything she knew and loved, the woman found in Rasputin an outlet, the voice of the true God. A huge role in this was played by the hemophilia gene, which is transmitted through female line, and inherited from her mother. After all, the heir, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolayevich, who was born in the summer of 1904, turned out to be sick with this terrible and incurable disease. The Empress suffered, a certain mysticism and exaltation helped her fight frequent depression and panic attacks.
The story of Rasputin has only just begun. Be that as it may, communication with the “old man” had a beneficial effect on both the nervous and irritable Alix and little Alyosha. Then Gregory was just coming into power. He wrote a petition to have the second part, Novykh, added to his surname, in order to avoid confusion in his native village of Pokrovskoe. Tellingly, Rasputin cannot be called silverless. During the years of his life in St. Petersburg, he built a huge two-story house in his homeland, his wife had sewing machine, the only one in the whole village, the daughters flaunted in fashionable dresses and hats until they themselves moved to the capital.
Orthodoxy and Khlysty
A few years before the emperor himself appointed Rasputin "the lighter of the royal lamps", and in fact, almost the closest confessor of the royal family, in 1903, all kinds of rumors and gossip began to spread about his impartial adventures. The local priest Pyotr Ostroumov writes to the Tobolsk Consistory that Grigory behaves strangely with women, leads them in a crowd to a bathhouse, from where frantic cries and hysterical prayers are then heard. Many of these ladies turned out to be visitors, straight from St. Petersburg itself. The Holy Father says that Rasputin was influenced by whips or Christ believers already banned at that time, which became famous for nightly zeal to the point of ecstasy and self-flagellation. A special investigator was even sent to Pokrovsk, who did not find anything, although, to tell the truth, he did not look for it.
Only four years later, namely in 1907, a criminal case was first opened against Rasputin on charges of whipping. The negligent first investigator provided little data, did not carry out his work as expected, and therefore the inconsistencies in the case forced the Tobolsk bishop to resume the investigation again. Although these steps did not give anything, and in May 1907 the case was considered exhausted and closed.
Interesting
After the first case of Khlystism brought against Rasputin was completely closed and even somehow justified the elder, the folders with papers themselves physically disappeared from the Tobolsk consistory. The search yielded nothing until it was strangely found in Tyumen.
There have been rumors about this case for a long time. It was rumored that, as if having quarreled with the imperial couple, the Montenegrin Milica decided to take revenge on Rasputin for the years of life outside his mercy. According to another version, another sister, Stana, took up this, whose husband Nikolai, himself was friends with the monarchs for a long time, but lost influence with the advent of the “old man”. The historian Platonov claims that all the accusations were fabricated, but Bokhanov says that the story of Gregory is the first case in the world when black PR was skillfully used. How was it really? The whole truth about Rasputin will probably never be revealed.
Police control: the second part of the Merleson ballet
In 1090, for revelry, constant noise and bad rumors spreading around St. Petersburg like a plague, it was decided to send Grishka Rasputin from the capital home to the Tobolsk province. Not the order was late, the “old man”, as if he really foresaw the events, went to Pokrovskoye himself. In 1910 he returned, he also took his daughters with him, sending them to study at the gymnasium. At the same time, he was placed under surveillance, by order of Stolypin himself.
Throughout 1911, the royal couple were bombarded with letters and petitions. Metropolitan Anthony of the Holy Synod wrote to Nicholas about the pernicious influence of Rasputin himself and his false speeches, and Feofan himself, who so recklessly “pulled the peasant out of the mud” and made him a saint, turned to the Synod in order to express dissatisfaction with the approach of Gregory to the royal family.
Moreover, on December 16 of the same year, Rasputin came to Hermogenes on Vasilyevsky Island, managed to quarrel with him and the monk Iliodor and even fight, with all Russian immediacy. Then the “old man” left the capital and went to Jerusalem, after which he returned only on the twentieth of January 1912. At the same time, police surveillance was again established for him, which was not filmed until his death.
Already in February, Nicholas II himself personally ordered the reopening of the case of Rasputin's Khlystism in order to dot the i's. Based on the information received, the then chairman of the Third State Duma, Mikhail Rodzianko, an extremely intelligent and perspicacious man, recommended that the tsar drive out the "filthy peasant from the yard." However, everything ended in a completely different way and all charges were dropped in November 1912. But did Grigory's enemies believe such an investigation?
World War II and ostracism in the press
Like it or not, only Rasputin could persuade the emperor not to interfere in the Balkan conflict of 1912. This indeed led to a delay in the start of the First World War. Gregory always believed that destructive actions bring only grief and suffering to the peasant world, therefore he did not consider military operations expedient. He represented precisely the peasantry, no matter what clothes they put on, he loudly demanded an improvement in the delivery of grain to the capital.
Rasputin believed that Russia should immediately make peace with Germany and conclude an alliance with her by renouncing claims to Poland and the Baltic states. But all this no longer mattered of great importance, people stopped trusting the "old man", the attitude towards him changed dramatically. The writer Novoselov even published in the same year a funny little book called "Grigory Rasputin and mystical debauchery." True, the entire circulation was immediately arrested, the essay itself was prohibited, and the printing house that printed it was fined a tidy sum.
However, it was not possible to completely get rid of it, and copies clandestinely went from hand to hand. Hieromonk Iliodor, who once pulled Rasputin into the light of day, also decided to take part in the persecution and published scandalous letters from the empress to a simple peasant. Most likely, these were fakes, but as they say, the sediment remained. The Russian Masonic Supreme Council also published a pamphlet with devastating articles about the holy fool. They also tried to ban it, but it was not very successful.
The origins of the conspiracy: the death and legacy of the "holy elder"
It cannot be said that the years of the life of Grigory Rasputin were in vain, it was not true. He had a simply colossal influence on the processes taking place both within the country and outside it. Already by 1914, a real conspiracy had matured against the great holy fool, who was on a short footing with the emperor himself. General Nikolai Nikolaevich, the direct grandson of Nicholas I, volunteered to lead it, as well as Mikhail Rodzianko, who learned a lot during the investigation of the saint's case. The first attempt was already not far off.
In the year 14, Rasputin went with his daughters and his wife to Pokrovskoye to spend several weeks in thought and prayer. On July 12, according to the old style, the petty bourgeois Khionia Guseva from Tsaritsyn, who came to him, supposedly also for prayer, stabbed Grigory right in the stomach, seriously injuring him. As a result, he survived, having been treated for several months in the Tyumen hospital, and Guseva herself was recognized as crazy, fully justified and released with God on all four sides. Rasputin failed to prove her connection with Iliodor.
Political situation: background of the murder
Newspaper bullying is a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled manipulator. For almost the whole of 1916, regular devastating articles against Grigory Efimovich himself, as well as the Empress, who welcomed him so much, did not stop in the press. They wrote different things, even to the point that the Most Serene Empress has a sinful intimate relationship with the peasant Rasputin. And he himself felt that his time was running out, and his life was coming to its logical conclusion. This is probably why he kept repeating to the royal couple that they were alive, while he was unharmed. Contrary to the skeptic's chuckles, just this prophecy of the elder came true.
The situation in the political arena of the world is unfavorable. Rasputin begged Nicholas not to join the First World War. He tried to convince the tsar to conclude a separate peace with Germany, which could be a real defeat for England. Therefore, for its part, London tried with all its might to prevent this, for example, to influence the Russian emperor, through relatives, for example, brothers, uncles and others. Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov, who was in London at that time, even wrote tearful letters.
Seeing that all this has no effect, and the tsar is more and more inclined towards the idea of leaving the war, which for Russia could become ideal solution Problems. Such an alignment would definitely not suit Britain, it was necessary to urgently do something.
Yes, within the country, the attitude towards the holy fool has changed dramatically. It was his own fault. By the age of sixteen, he completely forgot what piety, humility, or a healthy lifestyle are. He did not save money at all, everything he received he immediately spent. Looked like a thief high road, silk shirts were shiny with dirty collars. He could call ministers in the middle of the night, handing out instructions that, to his own surprise, were carried out in the morning. When the war nevertheless came to an end, he ordered to go to the front to bless the brave warriors. To this, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich said that he would immediately hang him on the first birch that turned up.
Assassination attempt: how Grishka Rasputin died
On the night of December 17, 1916, a drama unfolded, characters well known to posterity. Grand Duke Dmitry Romanov, and together with him his friend, and according to rumors, also a lover, Felix Yusupov, lieutenant Sukhotin, as well as the famous deputy Purishkevich, invited Rasputin to visit, for wine and sweets in the house on the Moika. They say that all the cakes and "Maderza", so beloved by the old man, were generously flavored with cyanide. But nothing had an effect on him, and then Yusupov shot him in the back.
While the conspirators were deciding where to put the body, it suddenly came to life, jumped up and ran. Gregory, probably, did not want to be saved like this never in his life. Poisoned and wounded with a pistol, he ran through the entire large yard, jumped over a rather high fence, but then three more bullets overtook him. According to eyewitnesses, Grigory was still rolling his eyes and clanging his teeth terribly. The peasant was tied up, wrapped in a curtain and thrown into the frozen Neva. When the corpse was fished out three days later, water was found in the lungs, which means that he was alive.
Burial of Rasputin and his exhumation
Almost two weeks later, on January 1, 1917, the body of Grigory Rasputin, the great holy fool, the old man and the Holy Devil, was fished out of the hole. It was decided to deliver him to the Chesme almshouse not far from St. Petersburg, where Alexandra Fedorovna thought to say goodbye to her faithful friend. But apart from her, no one was indignant, and even vice versa. They say that even the troops rejoiced and threw out pennants and salutes in honor of such a significant event.
The misadventures of the old man did not end there. They say that no one wanted to bury him, so the monk Isidore did it, who, according to church rules, did not have the right to serve the funeral. At first they wanted to send him to his homeland in Pokrovskoye, but the tsarina ordered to bury him on the territory of the temple of Seraphim of Sarov in the Alexander Park of Tsarskoye Selo, which Anna Vyrubova had just begun to build.
After the February revolutionary actions, it was decided to exhume Rasputin's body in order to eliminate his influence on people's minds especially since he was buried in a holy place. Kerensky ordered General Kornil to dig it out, after which the coffin simply stood in the car for several days, and only on March 11 was finally burned. Eyewitnesses said that the lid flew off in the fire, and Grishka got up and sat down, horrifying everyone present. After that, his grave was desecrated several times.
Consequences of death and trace in history
In the twenties, the house of the Rasputin family was confiscated, and the entire household of his son Dmitry was nationalized. His wife Parasha and daughter Varvara were forbidden to participate in the elections as a "malicious element." Daughter Matryona, who, fortunately, had managed to finish her studies by that time, immigrated to Paris, and then moved overseas to the United States. In the thirties, all but Matryona were captured and their trace was lost in the dense Siberian forests and snowy wastelands.
After the death of the elder and up to the present day, the opinions of people are radically opposite. Some consider him a real saint, while others spit over his left shoulder at the mere mention of his name. But the fact that he was a really great iconic figure in the history of the Russian state, no one doubts. So what did the seer and holy fool leave behind?
From March to November 1917, the theaters made it fashionable to stage plays about Rasputin, mostly devastating and murderously low-grade and semi-pornographic content: The Love Adventures of Grishka Rasputin, The Trading House of Romanov, Rasputin, Sukhomlinov, Myasoedov, Protopopov and Ko", "People of sin and blood (Tsarskoye Selo sinners)", "Holy devil (Rasputin in hell)",
- In the cinema, he first appeared in the drama "Dark Forces - Grigory Rasputin and his
- associates."
- In 1915, historical chronicles were published, on which the elder also fell.
- In 1960, the feature film Rasputin's Night was released by a French director with Edmund Pard in the title role.
- In 1981, just a decade before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the most popular film about Rasputin, called Agony, was released, directed by the controversial director Elem Klimov.
- In 2011, Gerard Depardieu played the main role in the film about Grishka, and he played very well, as if he felt the images.
The image of this really unusual man, who was able to rise into transcendental distances, was used repeatedly in music and painting. For example, the group Boney M. In the album of the 78th year, they voiced a real hit with the characteristic name Rasputin. Zhanna Bichevskaya and Gennady Ponomarev, Alexander Malinin and even the thrash group Metal Corrosion have songs about him. There is a mention of him in Yesenin's poems and Nikolai Klyuev more than once drew an analogy between the elder and himself. But the use of the name of the holy fool also had commercial significance.
- Rasputin vodka is produced in Germany by Dethleffen.
- Beer with the same name is sold in the Netherlands and the USA.
- In New York there is a nightclub and a restaurant with the same name, and in the California town of Ensio there is a Rasputin International Food store.
This list can be continued for a very long time, among its items you can find many entertainment and drinking establishments. Now the image of Rasputin is closely associated with Russia, and therefore has every chance to attract buyers. Even in the exotic Thai Pattaya there is a Russian restaurant called Rasputin.
Grigory Rasputin is one of the most mysterious and mystical personalities in Russian. Some consider him a prophet who was able to save from the revolution, while others accuse him of quackery and immorality.
He was born in a remote peasant village, and spent the last years of his life surrounded by the royal family, who idolized him and considered him a holy man.
We bring to your attention the main events of it, as well as the most Interesting Facts from his life.
Brief biography of Rasputin
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin was born on January 21, 1869 in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province. He grew up in a simple family and saw with his own eyes all the hardships and sorrows of peasant life.
His mother's name was Anna Vasilievna, and his father's name was Efim Yakovlevich, he worked as a coachman.
Childhood and youth
Rasputin's biography was noted from birth, because little Grisha was the only child of his parents who managed to survive. Before him, three children were born in the Rasputin family, but they all died in infancy.
Gregory led a rather secluded life and had little contact with his peers. The reason for this was poor health, because of which he was teased and avoided communicating with him.
Even as a child, Rasputin began to show a keen interest in religion, which would accompany him throughout his biography.
From early childhood, he liked to be close to his father and help him with the housework.
Since there was no school in the village in which Rasputin grew up, Grisha did not receive any education, however, like other children.
Once, at the age of 14, he became so ill that he was close to death. But suddenly, miraculously, his health improved and he made a full recovery.
It seemed to the boy that he owed his healing Mother of God. It was from this moment of his biography that the young man began different ways study the Holy Scriptures and memorize prayers.
Pilgrimage
Soon, the teenager discovered a prophetic gift in himself, which in the future will make him famous and drastically affect both his own life, and in many ways on the life of the Russian Empire.
At the age of 18, Grigory Rasputin decides to make a pilgrimage to the Verkhoturye Monastery. Then, without stopping, he continues his wanderings, as a result of which he visits Athos in Greece, and Jerusalem.
During this period of his biography, Rasputin met various monks and representatives of the clergy.
The royal family and Rasputin
The life of Grigory Rasputin changed radically when, at the age of 35, he visited.
Initially, he experienced serious financial difficulties. But since during his travels he managed to get acquainted with various spiritual figures, Gregory was given support through the church.
So, Bishop Sergius not only helped him financially, but also introduced him to Archbishop Feofan, who was the confessor of the royal family. At that point in time, many had already heard about the clairvoyant gift of an unusual wanderer named Gregory.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia experienced not the most better times. In the state, in one place after another, strikes of peasants took place, accompanied by attempts to overthrow the current government.
Added to all this Russo-Japanese War, ended , which became possible due to the special diplomatic qualities .
It was during this period that Rasputin met and made a strong impression on him. This event becomes a turning point in the biography of Grigory Rasputin.
Soon the emperor himself is looking for an opportunity to talk with the wanderer on various topics. When Grigory Efimovich met Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, he won her over even more than her royal husband.
It is worth noting that such close relations with the royal family were also explained by the fact that Rasputin participated in the treatment of their son Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia.
The doctors could do nothing to help the unfortunate boy, but the old man somehow miraculously managed to treat him and have a beneficial effect on him. Because of this, the empress idolized and defended her "savior" in every possible way, considering him a man sent down from above.
This is not surprising, because how else can a mother react to a situation when her only son is severely tormented by bouts of illness, and doctors cannot do anything. As soon as the marvelous old man took the sick Alexei in his arms, he immediately calmed down.
royal family and Rasputin According to historians and biographers of the tsar, Nicholas 2 repeatedly consulted with Rasputin on various issues. political issues. Many representatives of the authorities knew about this, in connection with which Rasputin was simply hated.
After all, not a single minister or adviser could influence the opinion of the emperor in the way that an illiterate peasant who came from the outback managed to do.
Thus, Grigory Rasputin took part in all state affairs. It is also worth noting that during this period of his biography, he did everything possible so that Russia would not be drawn into the First World War.
As a result, he made himself many powerful enemies from among the officials and the nobility.
Conspiracy and assassination of Rasputin
So, a conspiracy was drawn up against Rasputin. Initially, they wanted to destroy him politically through various accusations.
He was accused of endless drunkenness, dissolute behavior, magic and other sins. However, the imperial couple did not take this information seriously and continued to trust him completely.
When this idea was not crowned with success, they decided to destroy it literally. The conspiracy against Rasputin was attended by Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr. and Vladimir Purishkevich, who held the post of State Councilor.
The first unsuccessful assassination attempt was made by Khionia Guseva. The woman pierced Rasputin's stomach with a knife, but he still survived, although the wound was really serious.
At that moment, when he was in the hospital, the emperor decided to participate in a military conflict. However, Nicholas 2 still fully trusted "his friend" and consulted with him on the correctness of certain actions. This even more aroused hatred among the opponents of the king.
Every day the situation escalated, and a group of conspirators decided to kill Grigory Rasputin at all costs. On December 29, 1916, they invited him to the palace of Prince Yusupov, under the pretext of meeting a beauty who was looking for a meeting with him.
The elder was taken to the basement, assuring that the lady herself would now join them. Rasputin, not suspecting anything, calmly went downstairs. There he saw a set table with gourmet treats and his favorite wine - Madeira.
While waiting, he was offered to taste cakes, which were previously poisoned with potassium cyanide. However, after he ate them, for some unknown reason, the poison had no effect.
This brought supernatural terror to the conspirators. Time was extremely limited, therefore, as a result of a short discussion, they decided to shoot Rasputin with a pistol.
He was shot several times in the back, but this time he did not die, and even managed to run out into the street. There, he was shot several more times, after which the killers began beating and kicking him.
Then the dead body was wrapped in a carpet and thrown into the river.
An interesting fact is that the medical examination proved that even being in ice water, after poisoned cakes and many shots at close range, Rasputin was still alive for several hours.
Rasputin's personal life
The personal life of Grigory Rasputin, as, in fact, his entire biography, is shrouded in many secrets. It is only known for certain that his wife was a certain Praskovya Dubrovina, who gave birth to his daughters Matryona and Varvara, as well as his son Dmitry.
Rasputin with his children In the 30s of the 20th century, the Soviet authorities arrested them and sent them to special settlements in the North. Their further fate unknown, except for Matrena, who in the future managed to escape to France.
Predictions of Grigory Rasputin
At the end of his life, Rasputin made several predictions about the fate of Emperor Nicholas II and the future of Russia. In them, he prophesied that several revolutions awaited Russia and that the emperor and his entire family would be killed.
In addition to this, the elder foresaw the creation of the Soviet Union and its subsequent collapse. Rasputin also predicted Russia's victory over Germany in the great war and its transformation into a powerful state.
He also talked about our days. For example, Rasputin argued that the beginning of the 21st century will be accompanied by terrorism, which will begin to flourish in the West.
He also prophesied that Islamic fundamentalism, known today as Wahhabism, would be formed in the future.
Rasputin's photo
The widow of Grigory Rasputin Paraskeva Feodorovna with her son Dmitry and his wife. Behind is a housekeeper. 
Accurate recreation of the scene of the murder of Grigory Rasputin 
Rasputin's body recovered from the river 
Rasputin's assassins (left to right): Dmitry Romanov, Felix Yusupov, Vladimir Purishkevich
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