Grigory Rasputin - famous and ambiguous personality v national history, which has been debated for a century. His life is filled with a mass of inexplicable events and facts related to the proximity to the emperor's family and the influence on the fate of the Russian Empire. Some historians consider him an immoral charlatan and a swindler, while others are sure that Rasputin was a real seer and healer, which allowed him to gain influence over the royal family.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin 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 the 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. It was in early childhood that Rasputin felt an attachment to God and religion.
At the same time, he tried to help his father graze cattle, go into a carriage, harvest crops and participate in any agricultural work. There was no school in Pokrovskoye Selo, so Gregory 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 fell 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 learn the Gospel and, not even being able to read, he was able to memorize the texts of the prayers by heart. During that period, the peasant's son woke up with the gift of perspicacity, 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 his 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 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 in front of 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 Theophan, who had already heard by that time about the prophetic gift of Rasputin, which was legendary 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 the 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 a wanderer-seer.
Thus, the "elder" acquired a tremendous influence on the imperial family, especially on. Historians are sure that the rapprochement of Rasputin with the imperial family was due to the help of Gregory in the treatment of the son and heir to the throne, Alexei, who was sick with hemophilia, before whom at that time was powerless traditional medicine.
There is a version that Grigory Rasputin was not only a healer for the tsar, but also the main adviser, since he had the gift of clairvoyance. " God's man", As the peasant was called in the royal family, he knew how to look into the soul of people, to reveal to Emperor Nicholas all the thoughts of the closest czar's entourage, 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 the people innumerable suffering, general discontent and revolution. This was not part of the plans of the instigators of the world war, who conspired against the seer to eliminate Rasputin.
Conspiracy and murder
Before committing the murder of Grigory Rasputin, opponents tried to destroy him spiritually. He was accused of whiplash, witchcraft, drunkenness, and depraved behavior. But Nicholas II did not want to take into account any arguments, since he faithfully 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 Nikolaevich the Younger, who later became the 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 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 included in the plans of the tsarist 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 the famous beauty, the prince's wife Irina, who needed Grigory Efimovich's help from medicine. There they began to treat him to poisoned food and drinks, 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 icy water, Rasputin died only a few hours later.
Nicholas II entrusted the investigation of the murder of Grigory Rasputin to the director of the Police Department, Alexei Vasiliev, who went on the "trail" of the healer's killers. 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 to hastily terminate the investigation of Rasputin's 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 him, Praskovya Dubrovina, who became his only life companion. The Rasputin family had three children - Matryona, Varvara and Dmitry.
After the murder of Grigory Rasputin, the elder's wife and children were repressed by the Soviet government. They were considered "evil elements" in the country, therefore, in the 1930s, all peasant farm and the house of Rasputin's son were nationalized, and the relatives of the healer 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 United States.
Grigory Rasputin's predictions
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 "will" to Nicholas II, the seer pointed out that several revolutionary upheavals had taken place 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 foresaw 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 indicating that in a number of countries Islamic fundamentalism is being formed, 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" on the United States.
After that, according to the predictions of Rasputin, a serious military conflict will arise, which will last 7 years and will be the last in the history of mankind. True, Rasputin predicted one big battle during this conflict, during which at least a million people would die on both sides.
In St. Petersburg, in 1916, the murder of the most mysterious "favorite" of the royal family, Grigory Rasputin, took place. And it is still unclear whether this man was a calculating smart politician or a crazy self-styled saint.
The year of Gregory's birth is not known. Some sources call the date of his birth 1864, others - 1872. The birthplace of Rasputin is the tiny village of Pokrovskoe in the 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 his return, Gregory, as he himself claimed, begins to hear the “divine voice” commanding him to go to. When he turned 33, Gregory finally gets to the Northern capital and settles with Bishop Sergius, rector of the Theological Academy of St. Petersburg.
The first meeting of Rasputin with the royal family is arranged by a distant relative of the imperial family, Princess Militsa of Montenegro. The Romanovs were inclined to all kinds of "mystical" personalities, Gregory came to the court there. In 1907, he carries out the mysterious healing of Tsarevich Alexei, who suffers from hemophilia, and after that he is already firmly gaining confidence.
Gregory's behavior is ambiguous. At court, he still tries to comply with the limits of decency, but in ordinary life- a completely different person. Drunkenness, debauchery, greed are only a small part of his vices. Gregory possessed some kind of charm, unique for women, and very soon people began to gather around him great amount female fans.
Every day the favorite acquired more and more power over the Romanov family. Naturally, this did not suit the royal court, and against Rasputin they repeatedly tried to initiate criminal cases, accusing him of stealing funds from the treasury, then of conspiracy against the crown. Every time Grigory successfully managed to leave 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 at that time in St. Petersburg. Only a group of conspirators led by Prince Felix Yusupov succeeded. On the night of December 1916, an attempt was made to poison Gregory with cyanide, but this did not work. Then Rasputin was shot with a revolver, and his body was thrown into an ice-hole on the Neva. Later, an autopsy will show that at that moment Gregory was alive and died, choking on ice water.
The people rejoiced, and the empress's sorrow knew no bounds. Grigory Rasputin, according to the will of the empress, was buried with all the 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 in the village of Pokrovskoye is dedicated to the memory of Rasputin, which is visited from year to year not only by Russian tourists but also foreign groups.
The modern writer-historian Yuri Rassulin, speaking about the personality of Elder Gregory, says: “It is not possible to explain the paradoxical combination in one person, / Grigory Rasputin / holiness and vice — some of the witnesses lied. Who is: 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 nun Maria - is she the Empress's faithful maid of honor Anna Aleksandrovna 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 the troubles from the point of view of many. Too many have believed the dirty rumor. Through the nasty, disgusting thoughts that swarmed in the heads of the representatives of the Russian intelligent society, and from there spread to the souls ordinary people, the sacred image of the Sovereign was desecrated in the thoughts and feelings of the sons of the Russian People. The relationship of the Russian People with God was overshadowed by the betrayal of the Anointed Tsar. Not only the Family of the Crowned Saints was insulted, but the entire Russian People, one of whose representatives, the close Tsar, was and is Grigory Novy (Rasputin). The Name of God is also blasphemed, because at prayer, Grigory Efimovich in the Name of God healed Tsarevich Alexei, helped other people, and there is plenty of evidence of this.
And as long as the deepest delusion about his personality and his role in Russian history has not been eliminated, there is still a reason to make claims to the Russian Autocrats and bring bewilderment to the minds of the Russian people in connection with the events of that fateful historical period for Russia. In the accusations that are being heard again today against the Russian peasant, it is not difficult to consider the long-standing desire to present an account to Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Through slander about Grigory Rasputin-Novy, the dignity of their royal service and the height of their Christian exploit are called into question. Thus, the insult to the memory of the Crown-bearers is again inflicted. Does the Lord expect such repentance from us? Truth must prevail. Otherwise, the insult inflicted in vain and the innocently shed royal blood will cry out to Heaven for vengeance. And this will continue until sin is subjected to spiritual healing, that is, repentance.
Olga Vladimirovna Lokhtina briefly and clearly answered who was Grigory Rasputin during interrogation at the Emergency Commission of Inquiry... To the investigator's question: - What kind of person do you think Rasputin is? - she answered directly:
- I consider him an old man.
- What does it mean?
"An elder - who has gone through his whole life through experience and attained 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. Nobody wanted or wants to believe her. Indeed, General Olga Vladimirovna Lokhtina, abandoned by everyone and expelled from home for loyalty to Grigory Rasputin, was not taken seriously. Most considered her crazy, less often treated like 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. We won't believe the Holy Royal Martyrs either? And God? After all, Gregory 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 Tsarevich Alexy by Grigory Novy, attested by his contemporaries, were also demonic power? So, the Heir to the Russian Throne is healed from an incurable, fatal disease by the devil? This happens in accordance with the testimony of the liar Yusupov, the Jew Simanovich, the sexually preoccupied Zhukovskaya, the defrocked Trufanov, the leader of the revolutionary Duma Rodzianko, the social revolutionary Prugavin and those who, uncontrollably and madly trying to clamber into their company today, continue to believe in them, and not Holy Royal Martyrs.
It is no coincidence that the word "believe" was used in the previous paragraph. Indeed, the question of Rasputin is a question of faith, faith in God, faith in the holiness 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 glorified the Russian Crowns, we believe in Their holiness, it means that we love Them and trust Them, trust Their opinion, especially in matters of decisive importance for the fate of the Orthodox State of the Russian and Russian People, in matters of principled character. But it turns out that the question about historical role Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-Novy in the fate of Russia and the attitude to his personality is precisely a matter not of secondary importance, but of a principled one. Why?
We will answer frankly. Because if we consider Grigory Rasputin a scoundrel, then the conclusion is inevitable: the Tsar and Tsarina are criminals, since they showed criminal blindness, unacceptable for Their position, brought a man led by the devil closer to themselves, which turned into a grave tragedy for God entrusted to them people and the death of the Russian Orthodox State. It is 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 who betrayed the Tsar are not traitors at all, but protectors of the good of the Fatherland, rescuers. Their protest against the unsatisfactory, moreover criminal, from their point of view, reign the last Emperor legitimate and just, and the oppression they have suffered from the supreme royal power elevate them to the rank of persecuted in the name of the people's good. Everything turns upside down, complete nonsense arises in the interpretation of the events of the reign of Nicholas II and the basis for the reigning of the Tsar and Tsarina as saints 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 into opposition to the Russian Crowns, including some members of the imperial family. This point of view is based on the somewhat strange assumption that the Russian Autocrats are undoubtedly holy, but, finding themselves in the spiritual captivity of a "political adventurer", "charlatan" and "hypnotist", they were unable to govern the Russian State and were completely disoriented in political questions. Such a statement carries with it an inexplicable contradiction. How can holiness and obedience to a flattering, alien to Orthodoxy and a spirit of sectarianism, hostile to God, be combined? And what is the reason - in their spiritual blindness, captivity to their will, and by whom? Rogue, libertine, whip, enemy Orthodox faith!? But it follows from this that the faith of the Tsar and Tsarina was vain if it brought such bitter fruits for the entire Russian land. This assumption is terrible for every Orthodox person who loves the tortured Royal Family and unshakably believes in their holiness.
But, perhaps, the horror of the tragic events of the revolution that they 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 the 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 dissimilar media that are incapable of mixing will always have a visible border separating, say, water from oil, so the information about Grigory Rasputin is clearly divided 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 testimonies leads to the conclusion that the same person is a rogue, a swindler, a lecher, etc. But this does not happen with God. One does not go well with the other. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit. If a person is a prayer book, and his prayer has miraculous power, and this is nothing more than a gift from God, a manifestation of grace, the action of the Holy Spirit in a person, is it possible that such a person was a fornicator or an adulterer?
According to the opponents of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-Novy, the Lord allowed the terrible, cynical lawlessness to triumph, to commit seduction and fornication, covered by conversations about faith and the Name of God for many years. And this happened on such an incredible scale that it takes, apparently, from only one list of seduced victims, if such could be presented to human judgment. Of course, one could cite a long philosophical argument on the topic of ambiguity, confusion and contradictory nature of human nature, that "the truth has been crooked from time immemorial in one wheel across the world." But, as Grigory Efimovich once exclaimed: "And God, what about God !?" After all, to assert that Divine grace was enclosed in a dirty, wicked, foul-smelling vessel, defiled by fornication, is not this 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, on his account there are 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 he could and died as he deserved. So who was Grishka Rasputin, a seer and a healer or a deceiver and a thief?
It is believed that the Rasputin family dates back to ancient times. As if a peasant named Izosim Fedorov came to the village of Pokrovskoe in the seventeenth century. He came and stood for arable land, that is, he took up the peasantry. We are wary of the newcomers, therefore, he himself and his children have forever been "stuck" with the nickname - Rasputa, which meant "crossroads", "confusion". Let's find out together who Rasputin is and how an ordinary peasant managed to leave such a deep mark in 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 the distant ancestor of Gregory, who will be born a little later. The courtyard census of the Pokrovskaya settlement for 1858 has been preserved, almost two hundred years later, after the aforementioned events. Then there were already more than three dozen souls with such a surname, among whom was Gregory's father, Efim. In the early morning of January 9, 1860, according to the metric, a boy was born in the family of the coachman Rasputin and his wife Anna (Nyura) Parshukova.
Since it did not work 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, on the tenth. According to Slavic Orthodox saints, the names of the children were given by church holidays... It was on this day that the holiday of the theologian and philosopher Gregory of Nyssa was celebrated. So Grishka Rasputin got his name. Ironically, or perhaps according to God's plan, his namesake became famous for his frequent, powerful and destructive sermons against all kinds of fornication.
early years
The biography of Rasputin from an early age is covered with secrets and riddles. In more mature age he himself was not averse to "fogging" in order to create an atmosphere of mystery around him. For example, about his birth, Gregory often named different dates, in the interval 65-75. nineteenth century. Usually he added age to look more "old" 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, and was just that, would go to the forefathers, never making the parents happy.
The most frightening of all was the spring and autumn, when the boy could not sleep at night for more than a month. Scientists believe this may have been an early sign of hysteria, or perhaps schizophrenia. But there is no reliable information on this score. 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.
Personal Formation: A Philosophy of Sins and Atonement
Many people to this day wonder who this is - Rasputin, how did he become exactly who we know him, what paths led him to the upcoming end? The guy grew up withdrawn and unsociable, he always looked from under his brows, from under the braids of matted black hair. However, he had a special disposition for cattle, therefore he was mainly engaged in horses and cows. It was enough for him to put his palm on the neck of the hot horse, 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 was suddenly cured, as well as took to his bed. It was rumored that the Mother of God herself in the heads of his bed helped. He memorized the texts of the prayers, devoutly reciting them in the semi-dark room by 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 him three offspring - two daughters and a son.
Worth knowing
It was at this time that he first went on a pilgrimage. Having visited the Verkhoturye Monastery, Rasputin finally turns to God. Wanderings do not end there, he goes to Jerusalem to venerate the shrines, to Greece on Mount Athos, looking for advice and instruction from the higher clergy. Returning home, a simple peasant, the son of a driver, and even a driver himself, begins to go to extremes, reminiscent of borderline states. He first plunges into debauchery in taverns, with walking women, wine and cards, shrill songs and dances in a smoky delirium. Then he throws himself into a pit he dug with his own hand, where he sits and begs for his sins, open to the seven winds, the scorching sun and torrential rains.
It is believed that a special, own view of sin and its nature was developed by Gregory just then. He decides that only through a sin, committed consciously and fully deliberately, can one receive real forgiveness and grace from the Lord. After all, how can you repent if you have not done anything? This reasoning became the cornerstone of his teaching. Revealing in himself the abilities of a seer further spur Rasputin's confidence in his righteousness.
Fellow 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. They mocked and laughed at him. He really often looked like a madman. He completely gave up meat, could not change his shirt for months, not sleep, run around the village in the cold barefoot 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 down" and the prophecies of all sorts of punishments, ended in a really deplorable way. People were dying, the straw-covered houses of the peasants were on fire, the cattle were sick and dying. Well, how could it be for dark and uneducated people not to believe in the bliss of the old man, who was nothing at all, but a little over twenty years old. Glory spreads 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 all kinds 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 matted hair, fervently screaming in a hole in the backyard of their hut, historians do not understand even today. However, looking at some lifetime photos, at the heavy look from under the thick black eyebrows, even in our time, many tremble. 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 bow to Kiev itself, to the Lavra, which he successfully did. On the way there, and back, Grigory managed to make many useful acquaintances. Returning, he settled for a long time in Kazan, where he was greeted by the mentor of the theological academy, Father Mikhail himself. At about the same time, he made acquaintance with Patriarch Sergius, who was called Ivan Starogorodsky in the world, and also Archbishop Theophan (Vasily Bystrov).
Many modern historians are inclined to think that it was the latter who played key role in the move of Rasputin to St. Petersburg. He introduced the "elder" into society, brought him to the right people, including the Orthodox Bishop Hermogenes. By the way, it was Father Feofan who first told about the existence of the "holy fool" to the daughters of the Montenegrin prince Njegos, 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.
Burner of royal lamps
Arriving in St. Petersburg at the beginning of 1900, Rasputin himself had no idea how this could end for him. But he liked a rich and well-fed life, he loved red silk shirts, like those of gypsies, new boots with a creak, sweet cakes and good wine... The Montenegrin sisters brought Gregory to the royal couple on Wednesday, November 1, 1905, about which there is even an entry in the diary of Nicholas II. The "elder" made a particularly deep impression on Alexandra Fyodorovna, 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 an outlet in Rasputin, the voice of the true God. The hemophilia gene, transmitted by female line, and inherited from her mother. After all, the heir who was born in the summer of 1904, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, was sick with this terrible and incurable disease. The empress suffered, a kind of mysticism and exaltation helped her fight frequent depression and panic attacks.
Rasputin's story has just begun. Whatever it was, but communication with the "elder" had a beneficial effect, both on the nervous and irritable Alix, and on little Alyosha. Then Gregory was just entering into force. He wrote a petition to add the second part, Novykh, to his surname, in order to avoid confusion in his native village of Pokrovskoe. Tellingly, you cannot call Rasputin a silversmith. Over 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, daughters sported 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 incinerator 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. Local priest Pyotr Ostroumov writes to the Tobolsk consistory that Grigory behaves strangely with women, leads them in a crowd to the 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 the Khlysty or Christ-believers already forbidden at that time, which became famous for their nightly delights to ecstasy and self-flagellation. A special investigator was even sent to Pokrovsk, who did not find anything, although in truth he did not look for it.
Only four years later, namely in 1907, a criminal case was opened against Rasputin for the first time on charges of Khlystov. The negligent first investigator provided little information, did not carry out his work as expected, therefore the inconsistencies in the case forced the Tobolsk bishop to resume the investigation again. Although these steps did not work, in May 1907 the case was considered exhausted and closed.
Interesting
After the first case of Khlysty, instituted against Rasputin, was completely closed and even somehow acquitted the elder, the folders with papers themselves physically disappeared from the Tobolsk consistory. The search yielded nothing until it was found in a strange way in Tyumen.
Rumors circulated about this case for a long time. It was rumored that, 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, whose husband Nicholas, himself was friends with the monarchs for a long time, was engaged in this, but lost influence with the appearance of the "elder". The historian Platonov claims that all the charges were fabricated, but Bokhanov says that the story of Grigory 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 across 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 "elder", as if he had really foreseen the events, went to Pokrovskoe himself. In 1910 he returned, hell also took his daughters with him, sending them to study at the gymnasium. At the same time, surveillance was established for him, by order of Stolypin himself.
Throughout 1911, the royal couple were overwhelmed by letters and petitions. Metropolitan Anthony of the Holy Synod wrote to Nicholas about the pernicious influence of Rasputin himself and his false speeches, and Theophan 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 Vasilievsky Island, managed to quarrel with him and the monk Iliodor and even fight, with all the Russian immediacy. Then the "elder" 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 removed until his death.
Already in February, Nicholas II himself personally ordered to reopen the case of the Khlysty Rasputin 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 the "filthy peasant out of the courtyard." However, everything ended in a completely different way and all charges were dropped in November 1912. But did the enemies of Gregory believe such an investigation?
World War II and press ostracism
Whatever one may say, but to persuade the emperor not to interfere in the Balkan conflict of 1912, only Rasputin was able to. This did delay the outbreak 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 hostilities expedient. He represented precisely the peasantry, no matter what clothes they put on, he loudly demanded an improvement in the supply of grain to the capital.
Rasputin believed that Russia should immediately make peace with Germany and conclude an alliance with her, by renouncing its claims to Poland and the Baltic states. But all this no longer had of great importance, people stopped trusting the "elder", the attitude towards him changed dramatically. The writer Novoselov even published in the same year a funny little book entitled "Grigory Rasputin and mystical debauchery." True, the entire circulation was immediately arrested, the essay itself was banned, and the printing house that printed it was fined a tidy sum.
However, it was not possible to get rid of it completely, and copies secretly 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 the empress's scandalous letters to a simple peasant. Most likely, these were fakes, but as they say, the residue remained. The Russian Masonic Supreme Council also published a brochure with devastating articles about the holy fool. They also tried to ban it, but they did not succeed very well.
The origins of the conspiracy: the death and legacy of the "holy elder"
It cannot be said that the years of Grigory Rasputin's life were wasted, it was not true. He had a tremendous impact on the processes taking place both inside the country and outside it. By 1914, a real conspiracy had matured against the great holy fool, who was on a short leg with the emperor himself. General Nikolai Nikolaevich, the direct grandson of Nicholas the First, volunteered to lead it, as well as Mikhail Rodzianko, who had learned a lot during the investigation of the saint's case. The first assassination attempt was just around the corner.
At 14, Rasputin went with his daughters and wife to Pokrovskoye to spend several weeks in meditation and prayer. On July 12, according to the old style, who came to him, supposedly also for prayer, the bourgeois woman Khioniya Guseva from Tsaritsyn stabbed Gregory with a knife right in the stomach, seriously wounding him. As a result, he survived, having been treated for several months in the Tyumen hospital, and Guseva herself was declared insane, fully acquitted and released with God on all four sides. Rasputin never succeeded in proving her connection with Iliodor.
Political situation: background to the murder
Newspaper bullying is a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled manipulator. For almost the entire 1916, regular devastating articles about Grigory Efimovich himself, as well as the Empress, who so welcomed, did not stop in the press. They wrote different things, even to the extent that the Most Serene Queen 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 a logical end. Probably because he kept repeating to the royal couple that they were alive while he was unharmed. In spite of 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 Nikolai not to join the First World War. He tried to convince the king 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 at that time in London, even wrote tearful letters.
Seeing that all this has no effect, and the tsar is more and more inclined to think about leaving the war, which for Russia could become ideal solution Problems. Such an alignment would definitely not suit Britain, something urgently needed to be done.
Yes, inside the country, the attitude towards the holy fool has changed dramatically. He himself was guilty of this. By the age of sixteen, he had completely forgotten what piety, humility, or a healthy lifestyle were. He did not save money at all, everything that he received was immediately spent. Looked like a thief with big road, silk shirts were glazed with dirty collars. He could call ministers in the middle of the night, handing out instructions, which, to his 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, the 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 which are well known to descendants. Grand Duke Dmitry Romanov, and along with him his friend, and according to rumors also his lover, Felix Yusupov, Lieutenant Sukhotin, as well as the famous deputy Purishkevich, invited Rasputin to visit, for wine and sweets to the house on the Moika. They say that all the cakes and "Madetsa", so beloved by the old man, were generously flavored with cyanide. But nothing worked 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 from a pistol, he ran the entire large courtyard, jumped over a rather high fence, but then three more bullets overtook him. According to eyewitnesses, Gregory was still rolling his eyes and clanging his teeth terribly. The peasant was tied up, wrapped around 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 elder and the Holy Devil, was fished out of the hole. It was decided to take him to the Chesme almshouse not far from Petersburg, where Alexandra Feodorovna thought to say goodbye to her faithful friend. But besides her, no one was indignant, but on the contrary. They say that even the troops rejoiced and threw out pennants and salutes in honor of such a significant event.
The old man's misadventures did not end there. They say that no one wanted to serve the funeral service for him, therefore the monk Isidore, who, according to church rules, did not have the right to serve the funeral, took up the funeral service. At first they wanted to send him home to Pokrovskoe, but the tsarina ordered to bury him on the territory of the temple of Seraphim of Sarov in the Alexander Park of Tsarskoe 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 as much as possible his influence on folk minds, especially since he was buried in a holy place. Kerensky ordered General Kornil to dig it up, after which the coffin simply stood in the car for several days, and only on March 11 was it finally burned. Eyewitnesses said that the lid flew off in the fire, and Grishka got up and sat down, terrifying everyone present. After that, his grave was desecrated several times.
The consequences of death and a 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 prohibited from participating in the elections as a "malicious element." Matryona's daughter, who, fortunately, by that time had finished her studies, immigrated to Paris, and then moved overseas to the United States. In the thirties, everyone except Matryona was captured and their trail was lost in the Siberian dense forests and snowy wastelands.
After the death of the elder and up to the present day, the opinions of people are fundamentally opposite. Some consider him a real saint, while others spit over his left shoulder at the mere mention of his name. But no one doubts that he was a really big iconic figure in the history of the Russian state. So what did the seer and the holy fool leave behind?
From March until November 1917, theaters took it into fashion to stage plays about Rasputin, and mostly devastating and murderously low grade and semi-pornographic content: "The Amorous Adventures of Grishka Rasputin", "Trading House Romanov, Rasputin, Sukhomlinov, Myasoedov, Protopopov and Ko "," People of sin and blood (Tsarskoye Selo sinners) "," Holy devil (Rasputin in hell) ",
- In the movie, he first appeared in the drama "Dark Forces - Grigory Rasputin and his
- companions ".
- In 1915, the historical chronicles were published, which also included the elder.
- 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, entitled Agony, was released by the controversial director Elem Klimov.
- In 2011, in the film about Grishka, Gerard Depardieu played the main role, and he played very well, as if he felt the images.
The image of this truly unusual man, who was able to rise to the sky-high distance, 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 Corrosion of Metal have songs about him. There is a mention of him in the verses of Yesenin and Nikolai Klyuev more than once drew an analogy between the elder and himself. But the use of the name of the holy fool had commercial significance.
- Rasputin vodka is produced in Germany by Dethleffen.
- Beer with the same name is sold in the Netherlands and the United States.
- There is a nightclub and restaurant of the same name in New York, and in the Californian 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 exotic Thai Pattaya there is a Russian restaurant called Rasputin.
Grigory Rasputin is one of the most mysterious and mystical personalities in Russia. Some consider him a prophet who was able to save him from revolution, while others accuse him of charlatanism 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 saint.
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
The biography of Rasputin was noted from birth, because little Grisha was the only child with 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 lifestyle and had little contact with his peers. The reason for this was poor health, because of which he was teased and avoided communication with him.
While still 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 near 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 fell so badly ill that he was close to death. But suddenly, somehow miraculously, his health improved and he recovered completely.
It seemed to the boy that he owed his healing Mother of God... It was from this moment in his biography that the young man began different ways study the Scriptures and memorize prayers.
Pilgrimage
Soon, the teenager discovered in himself a prophetic gift, which in the future will make him famous and radically affect both his own life, and in many respects on the life of the Russian Empire.
At the age of 18, Grigory Rasputin decides to make a pilgrimage to the Verkhoturye Monastery. Then he, without stopping, continues his wanderings, as a result of which he visits Athos in Greece, and Jerusalem.
During this period of his biography, Rasputin met with various monks and representatives of the clergy.
The royal family and Rasputin
Grigory Rasputin's life changed dramatically when he visited at the age of 35.
At the beginning, he experienced serious financial difficulties. But since during his wanderings he managed to get acquainted with various spiritual leaders, Gregory was supported by the church.
So, Bishop Sergius not only helped him financially, but also introduced him to Archbishop Theophan, who was the confessor of the royal family. At that time, many had already heard about the shrewd gift of an unusual wanderer named Gregory.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia was not going through the most better times... In the state, in one place after another, peasant strikes took place, accompanied by attempts to overthrow the current government.
Added to all this Russo-Japanese war, ending, which became possible thanks to 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 was looking for an opportunity to talk with the wanderer on various topics. When Grigory Efimovich met Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, he endeared her to him even more than her royal husband.
It is worth noting that such a close relationship with the royal family was also explained by the fact that Rasputin was involved in the treatment of their son Alexei, who was suffering from hemophilia.
The doctors could do nothing to help the unfortunate boy, but the elder somehow miraculously managed to heal 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 wondrous 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 II repeatedly consulted with Rasputin on various 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 hinterland did.
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 to prevent Russia from being dragged 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 fully trust him.
When this idea was unsuccessful, they decided to literally destroy him. Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich the Younger and Vladimir Purishkevich, who held the post of State Councilor, took part in the conspiracy against Rasputin.
The first unsuccessful assassination attempt was made by Khionia Guseva. The woman stabbed 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 the military conflict. However, Nicholas II still fully trusted "his friend" and consulted with him on the correctness of certain actions. This further aroused hatred among the opponents of the king.
Every day the situation was heating up, and a group of conspirators decided to kill Grigory Rasputin by all means. 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, assured that the lady herself would now join them. Rasputin, suspecting nothing, calmly went downstairs. There he saw a set table with exquisite treats and his favorite wine - Madeira.
While waiting, he was offered to taste the cakes, which had been 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. The time was extremely limited, so as a result of a short discussion, they decided to shoot Rasputin with a pistol.
Several shots were fired at him in the back, but this time he did not die either, and even managed to run out into the street. There they shot at him several more times, after which the killers began to beat him with their hands and feet.
Then the body of the murdered man was wrapped in a carpet and thrown into the river.
An interesting fact is that a medical examination proved that even being in icy water, after poisoned cakes and many point-blank shots, Rasputin was still alive for several hours.
Personal life of Rasputin
The personal life of Grigory Rasputin, like 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 a son, Dmitry.
Rasputin with his children In the 30s of the 20th century, the Soviet authorities arrested them and deported them to special settlements in the North. Their further destiny unknown, except for Matryona, who in the future managed to escape to France.
Grigory Rasputin's predictions
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 disintegration. Rasputin also predicted that Russia would win over Germany in the great war and turn it into a powerful state.
He also spoke 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.
Photos of Rasputin
Grigory Rasputin's widow Paraskeva Feodorovna with her son Dmitry and his wife. The housekeeper stands behind. 
Accurate recreation of the murder site of Grigory Rasputin 
Rasputin's body recovered from the river 
Rasputin's killers (left to right): Dmitry Romanov, Felix Yusupov, Vladimir Purishkevich
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