Grigory Rasputin - biography, photo, personal life, predictions and prophecies, murder. Death of Rasputin
This personality played an important role in the history of Russia. Rasputin never tired of surprising his contemporaries, and continues to do so even today with researchers of his biography. Legends and anecdotes are written about him, historical and not so historical films are made, and he is endowed with supernatural qualities, including sexual power.
Thanks to his friendship with the family of the last Russian Tsar, a simple peasant gained worldwide fame. Rasputin's fame was ambiguous, he was admired and worshiped, but he was also cursed, considered a harbinger of the fall of the tsarist regime.
It is no coincidence that such a bright figure disturbed many, which was the reason for the murder of the elder. Who was he really? Saint or rogue? Let's try to find out by debunking some myths about Grigory Rasputin.
Rasputin was born in 1864 (1865). Very contradictory data about the year of birth of Grigory Efimovich. Historians agree that he was born between 1864 and 1872. The third edition of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia believes that these were 1864-1865. In fact, the birth registers of the village of Pokrovskoye, where Rasputin was born, have been preserved. The years 1862-1868 just survived. The birth of several children to Efim Yakovlevich was recorded. During this period they all died in infancy. But nothing has been written about the birth of Gregory. But in the records of the All-Russian Census for 1897 there are mentions of him. Grigory Efimovich indicated that he is 28 years old, which can be believed. Thus Rasputin was born in 1869.
Rasputin had a powerful physique. It is a myth that Rasputin was a strong and healthy man. He was a short man, physically not very strong and sickly in his youth. In 1980, the film “Agony” was shown in Pokrovsky, but old people who remembered Rasputin said that the main character did not look like his prototype. He was not at all so big and scary, but rather even frail, pale, with sunken eyes and an exhausted appearance. The description of Rasputin was also preserved in police documents. The old man had an average build, an oblong face, a moderate nose, a beard all over, and his general type was originally Russian. It is often written that Rasputin’s height was 187-193 centimeters, but this cannot be true.
Rasputin is not a natural surname. When Rasputin first began to enter the court, they began to say that his last name was a pseudonym that revealed the behavior of this man. They even named the elder’s “true” surname - Vilkin. In fact, this surname appears quite often in the parish registers of the village of Pokrovsky. There were actually seven families with that last name living in it. In Siberia, this surname is generally common, coming from the word “crossroads” (fork, crossroads). Those who lived in such places were called Rasputins, which later transformed into Rasputins. In 1862, rural records recorded the marriage of the peasant Efim Yakovlevich Rasputin and Anna Vasilievna Parshukova, Grigory's future parents.
Rasputin did not even remember his family in his love affairs. Contemporaries noted that the elder did not forget about his wife, loving her sincerely. Rasputin married at the age of eighteen. Of the seven children born, only three survived. Family life began happily, but after the death of his first-born, Gregory changed. He understood this as a terrible sign of God's wrath in response to his lack of faith. Having already acquired his influence, Rasputin moved his daughters to St. Petersburg to give them a good education. His wife visited him in the capital once a year, calmly reacting to gossip about her husband and not causing scandals for him. There was a rumor that Praskovya once even dragged one of her husband’s mistresses out of her house by the hair. However, during the interrogation of Lokhtina, who became the central figure in the scandal, the following became clear. His wife actually pulled the guest's hair, but only in response to accusations of greed. So there was no question of jealousy here.
Rasputin was fabulously rich. Those who assert Rasputin’s power over the Tsar, and therefore over the entire country, draw the logical conclusion that the old man had fabulous wealth. And this seems logical given the fact that very wealthy clients approached him with personal requests. As a token of gratitude, they left significant sums. But the creators of this myth avoid the question of whether Rasputin appropriated all this money for himself. He actually spent some of it on himself. The elder built himself a two-story house in his village and purchased an expensive fur coat. However, compared to those mansions that the modern elite are building today, his house in the village of Pokrovskoye looks very modest. But Rasputin never had his own housing in the capital. Even the apartment on Gorokhovaya Street was not his property, but was rented by his fans. So where did all the rest of the money go? The intelligence services checked Rasputin's bank accounts and did not find significant funds there. But the fact that he spent serious amounts on charity is a fact. Rasputin allocated a lot of personal funds for the construction of churches. After the death of a “wealthy” old man, for some reason his family began to live in poverty. Could this happen to such a rich man?
Rasputin was a member of a gang of horse thiefs. This is one of the first myths that appeared after the appearance of the old man in St. Petersburg. They said that it was horse stealing that became the beginning of a man’s working life. However, there is essentially no evidence for such an accusation. The myth appeared thanks to the words of Rasputin’s fellow villager, Kartavtsev, spoken in a private conversation. He claimed that he once saw his horses being stolen, and among the intruders he saw Rasputin. But the police caught the criminals, and the village assembly sentenced them to various punishments. For some reason, Grigory Efimovich escaped this punishment. And if you think that he could somehow persuade the police, then he certainly could not escape from the reprisals of his neighbors if he was guilty. And Kartavtsev’s testimony suffers from a lack of logic. Why did the owner calmly watch his property being stolen and not stop the criminals? If Rasputin had really been a thief, he would have lost the respect of his fellow villagers. But it is known that they revered him until the end of their lives. Most likely, Rasputin’s personal enemy simply made up his testimony, which was immediately picked up by the sensation-hungry press. In 1915, a Siberian newspaper tried to revive this rumor. Then Rasputin personally turned to the editor and asked for facts confirming this information. And the newspaper could not find anything, which is also remarkable.
Rasputin was a sectarian. They said that Rasputin was part of the notorious Khlysty sect. Her fans believed that they could be saved through self-flagellation and rampant sin, that is, orgies. In the Russian Empire, such associations actually operated illegally for a long time. The “Khlysty,” under the guise of true Christians, sinned in such a way that they had nothing in common with ordinary Orthodoxy. It’s just that someone really wanted to show that the spiritual mentor of the royal family was a member of an immoral and pseudo-religious society. Only Rasputin did not deserve such fame. This is evidenced by the results of a special investigation conducted in 1903-1912 by the Tobolsk Ecclesiastical Consistory. Investigators did a lot of work, interviewing Rasputin’s fellow villagers and studying his life. All the elder’s acquaintances stated that he is an honest and deeply religious person who actively preaches and is not involved in sectarianism in any way. And although they said that Rasputin indulged in pleasures with fans in the bathhouse, this myth also was not proven. Although it quickly became clear that Rasputin’s affiliation with the Khlysts was a fiction, Tobolsk Archbishop Eusebius insisted on a re-investigation. Agents conducted constant surveillance of Grigory Efimovich, but this did not provide any information about his connections with the sect. As a result, on November 29, 1912, the consistory decided to close the case of the Khlysty of the peasant Grigory Rasputin, declaring him completely innocent.
Rasputin was a notorious rowdy. This myth appeared in 1915, when General Dzhunkovsky, the head of one of the special services, showed a note to the Tsar. It said that in March of the same year, Rasputin caused a riot in the Moscow restaurant “Yar”. It was said that Grigory Efimovich behaved obscenely: he drank a lot, pestered ladies with obscene proposals, and even pulled down his pants. The Tsar, knowing the character of his mentor, did not believe the slander and instructed his adjutant Sablin to investigate the incident. The officer turned to Dzhunkovsky with a request to give him written testimony from those persons who were in the restaurant that evening. And then it turned out that these documents simply did not exist. Sablin could not find eyewitnesses of those outrages. But there were people who showed that that evening Rasputin behaved extremely decently in the establishment.
Rasputin was the de facto ruler of Russia. In those years, many caricatures of Rasputin were published. One of them depicted him as a giant who held the little Tsar Nicholas II in his fist. Today, a very popular myth is that the last years of the Russian Empire’s existence were ruled by Rasputin. But a study of the facts suggests that this is far from the case. For example, with the outbreak of World War I, Rasputin sent as many as 15 telegrams to the Tsar, urging him to prevent Russia from entering the conflict. But the king did not agree with this opinion, entering into a world war. Earlier, in 1911, Rasputin urged the Tsar not to take Stolypin with him to Kyiv. Grigory Efimovich believed that the minister was in mortal danger. But Nicholas rejected this advice, which cost the famous reformer his life. There are many examples that the tsar gave ministerial portfolios to people who were not recommended by Rasputin. And Nikolai ignored his views on the conduct of war. For example, he did not attack in the Riga area and did not stop the offensive near Kovel. It becomes clear that it was the Russian emperor who ruled the country, having a decisive and sole voice in resolving important state issues. Rasputin was only allowed to sometimes give advice.
Rasputin was the lover of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. It is difficult to find out what was really going on in the royal bedroom. In fact, there is no reliable evidence that such different people were connected by anything other than religiosity. The rumor about the tsarina's indecent behavior was launched with a very obvious meaning - to discredit Nicholas and his family. Already in our time, the group “Boney M” turned to the myth in their song, directly singing: “Rasputin is the lover of the Russian queen.” Rasputin’s methods of communication with his fans did not imply intercourse itself. The elder caressed the women, bringing them to a trembling state. Here he stopped the caresses and called for prayer to forgive the sin of voluptuousness. It is likely that Rasputin had this form of intimate friendship with Alexandra Fedorovna and her best friend, maid of honor Anna Vyrubova. But there is counter-evidence to this myth - adventurer Nadezhda Voskoboinikova worked as Vyrubova’s maid. She set herself a goal: to find sensational evidence of Rasputin’s love affair with the queen. The maid began to constantly spy and eavesdrop on the “lovers,” but could not find anything. Even Voskoboynikova was forced to openly admit that there was no physical intimacy between Alexandra Fedorovna and Rasputin.
The heir to the throne Alexei Nikolaevich was the son of Rasputin. The myth about the empress’s love affair gave rise to this one too. But not only were there no facts about Alexandra Fedorovna’s betrayal with Rasputin, she simply could not give birth to a son from him. The fact is that Alexei Nikolaevich was born in the summer of 1904, and the empress met the elder only in the fall of 1905.
Rasputin was a holy man who suffered for his faith. Even if we put aside the rumors and myths about the oddities in Rasputin’s sexual behavior, as well as his drunkenness, his participation in the appointment of ministers is a historical fact. Naturally, the elder did this to please certain circles and not selfishly. There is evidence that Rasputin was involved in thefts in the army and even espionage. For example, the appointment of Dobrovolsky as Minister of Justice brought Grigory Efimovich personally one hundred thousand rubles. And thanks to the adventurer Manasevich-Manuilov, the Germans were able to find out military secrets from Rasputin. The elder did not suffer for his faith. Both the right and the left dreamed of removing him - Rasputin had too strong and unlimited influence on the tsar.
Rasputin was a libertine. This myth is constantly replicated in various stories about Rasputin. There are many facts that seem to confirm this myth. Thus, Maria Vishnyakova worked as a kindergarten teacher. She visited Pokrovsky among her admirers, declaring later that Rasputin raped her at night. But that day there were many guests in the house, and no one heard the screams. And the teacher personally could not confirm this fact to Nicholas II himself, having been fired for slander. Another victim, nun Ksenia Goncharenkova, claimed that she was seriously and permanently seduced by the elder. But the investigation showed that the woman did not even know Rasputin personally, having seen him only a couple of times from afar. They wrote that Rasputin’s mistress was the maid of honor Anna Vyrubova. But in reality they were connected by pure and selfless friendship. After the February revolution, Vyrubova underwent a medical examination, which showed that the “victim of debauchery” was in fact a virgin! It is interesting that after the overthrow of the autocracy, the Provisional Government created a special commission that was supposed to bring to the “clean water” figures of the recent past, including Rasputin. In particular, the goal was to determine the veracity of the information presented about the elder in Iliodor’s book “The Holy Devil.” However, the commission found that there were no victims of sexual depravity; scandalous letters simply did not exist. For the sake of fairness, it should be said that Rasputin did have contact with prostitutes. He admitted to his friend, businessman Filippov, that he liked to look at a naked female body. But at the same time, Rasputin did not undertake sexual actions themselves. Information about this was also included in police reports. One of the priestesses of love said that Rasputin, who came to her, asked her to undress, looked at her for a few minutes and went home. That's all the depravity attributed to this extraordinary personality.
Rasputin was a sexual giant. Today there is a fashionable myth that Rasputin not only had many mistresses, but also suffered from priapism, experiencing a painfully long erection. However, psychiatrists who studied Rasputin's personality came to the conclusion that he was a hysterical person whose sexual abilities were very modest. Most likely, the old man had weak potency, and his hypersexuality was feigned. Such unbridled behavior in this regard allowed him to hide his own inferiority.
A member of Rasputin is kept in St. Petersburg. The country's only erotica museum houses a 30-centimeter giant penis. The organizer of the establishment, urologist Igor Knyazkin, claims that this organ belonged to Rasputin himself. He tells the story of how he bought a penis from private collectors. Along with this part of the body came old photographs and letters. In fact, there is no evidence that the organ actually belonged to the great old man. Knyazkin conducted an examination, which showed that the huge penis is indeed more than 80 years old. But the DNA of Rasputin himself has not been preserved, so there is simply nothing to compare with. Nevertheless, the beautiful myth has taken root, which brings the owner of the “treasure” material income in the form of curious visitors.
Rasputin was a German spy. The Russian army was oppressed by defeats, so they needed a culprit for all the troubles. This is how the myths about Rasputin the spy appeared, to whom the German queen tells all the secrets, and he sells them to enemy intelligence. This question was also of interest to the courtiers, who did not hesitate to follow the queen and even read her letters. But even people neutral to Rasputin believed that he was simply blurting out military secrets. Later, during the investigation, the maid of honor Vyrubova said that the tsar’s secret card was in his locked office, where even children were not allowed. Nikolai never spoke about military affairs among his family. But from the empress’s letters it follows that she was aware of the military strategy of the Russian army, trusting this to her Friend. So Rasputin knew secrets and could well have become an unwitting spy, since there were secret German agents in his circle.
Rasputin was a charlatan. The other extreme is to call Grigory Efimovich a saint. So who was he really? You just need to look at the facts of his activities. Rasputin turned out to be the person who helped the heir Alexei in his fight against hemophilia. After treatment by Rasputin, the boy recovered noticeably. There is no doubt that the elder had a powerful hypnotic gift, literally programming people to recover and change their lives. It is no coincidence that those who wanted to communicate with him and be healed constantly came to Rasputin. Even if one questions the divine basis of the elder’s influence, one cannot escape his talents for psychic influence. He was definitely not a charlatan; he was a talented, bright and controversial personality, discredited by many myths by the will of historical events and fate.
Grigory Rasputin is one of the most amazing people born on Russian soil. Not a single tsar, commander, scientist, statesman in Rus' had such popularity, fame and influence as this semi-literate man from the Urals gained. His talent as a soothsayer and his mysterious death are still a matter of debate for historians. Some considered him vicious, others saw him as a saint. Who was Rasputin really?...
Speaking surname
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin really happened to live at the crossroads of historical roads and was destined to become a witness and participant in the tragic choice that was made at that time.
Grigory Rasputin was born on January 9 (according to the new style - 21) January 1869 in the village of Pokrovsky, Tyumen district, Tobolsk province. The ancestors of Grigory Efimovich came to Siberia among the first pioneers. For a long time they bore the surname Izosimov, named after the same Izosim who moved from the Vologda land beyond the Urals. The two sons of Nason Izosimov began to be called Rasputin - and, accordingly, their descendants.
Here is how researcher A. Varlamov writes about the family of Grigory Rasputin: “The children of Anna and Efim Rasputin died one after another. First, in 1863, after living for several months, daughter Evdokia died, a year later another girl, also named Evdokia.
The third daughter was named Glykeria, but she lived only a few months. On August 17, 1867, son Andrei was born, who, like his sisters, turned out to be a non-tenant. Finally, in 1869, the fifth child, Gregory, was born. The name was given according to the calendar in honor of St. Gregory of Nyssa, known for his sermons against fornication."
With a dream about God
Rasputin is often portrayed as almost a giant, a monster with iron health and the ability to eat glass and nails. In fact, Gregory grew up as a weak and sickly child.
Later, he wrote about his childhood in an autobiographical essay, which he called “The Life of an Experienced Wanderer”: “My whole life was illness. Medicine did not help me. Every spring I did not sleep for forty nights. It was as if I was sleeping like oblivion, and spent all my time.” .
At the same time, already in childhood, Gregory’s thoughts differed from the train of thought of the common man in the street. Grigory Efimovich himself writes about it this way: “At the age of 15 in my village, when the sun was warm and the birds sang heavenly songs, I walked along the path and did not dare to walk in the middle of it... I dreamed of God... My soul rushed into the distance... More than once, dreaming like this, I cried and did not know where the tears came from and why they were. I believed in the good, the good, and I often sat with the old people, listening to their stories about the lives of saints, great deeds, great deeds.
The Power of Prayer
Gregory early realized the power of his prayer, which manifested itself in relation to both animals and people. This is how his daughter Matryona writes about this: “From my grandfather, I know about my father’s extraordinary ability to handle domestic animals. Standing next to a restive horse, he could, placing his hand on its neck, quietly say a few words, and the animal would immediately calm down. And when he watched the milking, the cow became completely docile.
One day at dinner, my grandfather said that his horse was lame. Hearing this, the father silently rose from the table and went to the stable. The grandfather followed and saw his son stand for a few seconds near the horse in concentration, then go up to the back leg and put his palm on the hamstring. He stood with his head slightly thrown back, then, as if deciding that the healing had been accomplished, he stepped back, stroked the horse and said: “You feel better now.”
After that incident, my father became like a miracle worker veterinarian. Then he began to treat people too. "God helped."
Guilty without guilt
As for Gregory’s dissolute and sinful youth, accompanied by horse stealing and orgies, this is nothing more than later fabrications of newspapermen. Matryona Rasputina in her book claims that her father was so perspicacious from a young age that he “saw” the thefts of others several times and therefore for himself personally excluded the very possibility of theft: it seemed to him that others “see” it just as much as he does .
I looked through all the testimony about Rasputin that was given during the investigation in the Tobolsk Consistory. Not a single witness, even the most hostile to Rasputin (and there were many of them), accused him of theft or horse stealing.
Nevertheless, Gregory still experienced injustice and human cruelty. One day he was unfairly accused of horse theft and severely beaten, but the investigation soon found the culprits, who were sent to Eastern Siberia. All charges against Gregory were dropped.
Family life
No matter how many amorous stories are attributed to Rasputin, nevertheless, as Varlamov rightly notes, he had a beloved wife: “Everyone who knew her spoke well of this woman. Rasputin married when he was eighteen years old. His wife was three years older than him, a hard worker , patient. She gave birth to seven children, of whom the first three died."
Grigory Efimovich met his betrothed at the dances that he loved so much. This is how his daughter Matryona writes about it: “Mom was tall and stately, she loved to dance no less than he did. Her name was Praskovya Fedorovna Dubrovina, Parasha...
Rasputin with children (from left to right): Matryona, Varya, Mitya.
The beginning of their family life was happy. But then trouble came - the first-born lived only a few months. The boy's death affected his father even more than his mother. He took the loss of his son as a sign that he was waiting for, but he could not even imagine that this sign would be so terrible.
He was haunted by one thought: the death of a child is a punishment for the fact that he thought so little about God. The father prayed. And prayers consoled the pain. A year later, the second son, Dmitry, was born, then - with an interval of two years - daughters Matryona and Varya. My father started building a new house - two-story, the largest in Pokrovsky..."
Rasputin's house in Pokrovskoye
His family laughed at him. He did not eat meat or sweets, heard different voices, walked from Siberia to St. Petersburg and back, and ate alms. In the spring, he had exacerbations - he did not sleep for many days in a row, sang songs, shook his fists at Satan and ran in the cold in only a shirt.
His prophecies consisted of calls to repentance “before trouble comes.” Sometimes, by pure coincidence, trouble happened the very next day (huts burned, livestock got sick, people died) - and the peasants began to believe that the blessed man had the gift of foresight. He gained followers... and followers.
This went on for about ten years. Rasputin learned about the Khlysty (sectarians who beat themselves with whips and suppressed lust through group sex), as well as the Skoptsy (preachers of castration) who separated from them. It is assumed that he adopted some of their teachings and more than once personally “delivered” pilgrims from sin in the bathhouse.
At the “divine” age of 33, Gregory begins to storm St. Petersburg. Having secured recommendations from provincial priests, he settles with the rector of the Theological Academy, Bishop Sergius, the future Stalinist patriarch. He, impressed by the exotic character, introduces the “old man” (long years of wandering on foot gave the young Rasputin the appearance of an old man) to the powers that be. Thus began the path of the “man of God” to glory.
Rasputin with his fans (mainly female fans).
Rasputin's first loud prophecy was the prediction of the death of our ships at Tsushima. Perhaps he got it from newspaper news reports that a squadron of old ships had sailed to meet the modern Japanese fleet without observing secrecy measures.
Ave, Caesar!
The last ruler of the House of Romanov was distinguished by lack of will and superstition: he considered himself Job, doomed to trials, and kept meaningless diaries, where he shed virtual tears, looking at how his country was going downhill.
The queen also lived in isolation from the real world and believed in the supernatural power of the “elders of the people.” Knowing this, her friend, the Montenegrin princess Milica, took outright scoundrels to the palace. The monarchs listened to the ravings of swindlers and schizophrenics with childish delight. The war with Japan, the revolution and the illness of the prince finally unbalanced the pendulum of the weak royal psyche. Everything was ready for Rasputin's appearance.
For a long time, only daughters were born in the Romanov family. To conceive a son, the queen resorted to the help of the French magician Philip. It was he, and not Rasputin, who was the first to take advantage of the spiritual naivety of the royal family. The scale of the chaos that reigned in the minds of the last Russian monarchs (one of the most educated people of that time) can be judged by the fact that the queen felt safe thanks to a magic icon with a bell that supposedly rang when evil people approached.
Nikki and Alix during their engagement (late 1890s)
The first meeting of the Tsar and Tsarina with Rasputin took place on November 1, 1905 at the palace over tea. He dissuaded the weak-willed monarchs from escaping to England (they say they were already packing their things), which most likely would have saved them from death and would have sent Russian history in a different direction.
The next time, he gave the Romanovs a miraculous icon (found from them after the execution), then allegedly healed Tsarevich Alexei, who had hemophilia, and eased the pain of Stolypin’s daughter, wounded by terrorists. The shaggy man forever captured the hearts and minds of the august couple.
The Emperor personally arranges for Gregory to change his dissonant surname to “New” (which, however, did not stick). Soon Rasputin-Novykh acquires another lever of influence at court - the young maid of honor Anna Vyrubova, who idolizes the “elder” (a close friend of the queen - according to rumors, even too close, who slept with her in the same bed). He becomes the confessor of the Romanovs and comes to the tsar at any time without making an appointment for an audience.
Please note that in all photographs Rasputin always holds one hand raised.
At court, Gregory was always “in character,” but outside the political scene he was completely transformed. Having bought himself a new house in Pokrovskoye, he took noble St. Petersburg fans there. There the “elder” put on expensive clothes, became self-satisfied, and gossiped about the king and nobles. Every day he showed the queen (whom he called “mother”) miracles: he predicted the weather or the exact time of the king’s return home. It was then that Rasputin made his most famous prediction: “As long as I live, the dynasty will live.”
The growing power of Rasputin did not suit the court. Cases were brought against him, but each time the “elder” very successfully left the capital, going either home to Pokrovskoye or on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In 1911, the Synod spoke out against Rasputin. Bishop Hermogenes (who ten years ago expelled a certain Joseph Dzhugashvili from the theological seminary) tried to drive out the devil from Gregory and publicly beat him on the head with a cross. Rasputin was under police surveillance, which did not stop until his death.
Rasputin, Bishop Hermogenes and Hieromonk Iliodor
Secret agents watched through the windows the most piquant scenes from the life of a man who would soon be called “the holy devil.” Once suppressed, rumors about Grishka’s sexual adventures began to swell with renewed vigor. The police recorded Rasputin visiting bathhouses in the company of prostitutes and wives of influential people.
Copies of the Tsarina’s tender letter to Rasputin circulated around St. Petersburg, from which it could be concluded that they were lovers. These stories were picked up by newspapers - and the word “Rasputin” became known throughout Europe.
Public health
People who believed in Rasputin’s miracles believe that he himself, as well as his death, were mentioned in the Bible itself: “And if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16-18).
Today no one doubts that Rasputin really had a beneficial effect on the physical condition of the prince and the mental stability of his mother. How did he do it?
The queen at the bedside of the sick heir
Contemporaries noted that Rasputin’s speech was always incoherent; it was very difficult to follow his thoughts. Huge, with long arms, a tavern floorman's hairstyle and a spade beard, he often talked to himself and patted his thighs.
Without exception, all of Rasputin's interlocutors recognized his unusual look - deeply sunken gray eyes, as if glowing from within and fettering your will. Stolypin recalled that when he met Rasputin, he felt that they were trying to hypnotize him.
Rasputin and the Tsarina drink tea
This certainly influenced the king and queen. However, it is difficult to explain the repeated relief of the royal children from pain. Rasputin's main healing weapon was prayer - and he could pray all night long.
One day in Belovezhskaya Pushcha the heir began to experience severe internal bleeding. Doctors told his parents that he would not survive. A telegram was sent to Rasputin asking him to heal Alexei from a distance. He quickly recovered, which greatly surprised the court doctors.
Kill the dragon
The man who called himself “little fly” and appointed officials by telephone call was illiterate. He learned to read and write only in St. Petersburg. He left behind only short notes filled with terrible scribbles.
Until the end of his life, Rasputin looked like a tramp, which repeatedly prevented him from “picking” prostitutes for daily orgies. The wanderer quickly forgot about a healthy lifestyle - he drank and drunkenly called ministers with various “petitions”, failure to fulfill which was career suicide.
Rasputin did not save money, either starving or throwing it left and right. He seriously influenced the country’s foreign policy, twice persuading Nicholas not to start a war in the Balkans (inspiring the Tsar that the Germans were a dangerous force, and the “brothers,” i.e., the Slavs, were pigs).
Facsimile of Rasputin's letter with a request for some of his protégés
When World War I finally began, Rasputin expressed a desire to come to the front to bless the soldiers. The commander of the troops, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, promised to hang him on the nearest tree. In response, Rasputin gave birth to another prophecy that Russia would not win the war until an autocrat (who had a military education, but showed himself to be an incompetent strategist) stood at the head of the army. The king, of course, led the army. With consequences known to history.
Politicians actively criticized the Tsarina, the “German spy,” not forgetting Rasputin. It was then that the image of a “gray eminence” was created, resolving all state issues, although in fact Rasputin’s power was far from absolute. German Zeppelins scattered leaflets over the trenches, where the Kaiser leaned on the people, and Nicholas II on Rasputin’s genitals. The priests also did not lag behind. It was announced that the murder of Grishka was a good thing, for which “forty sins would be removed.”
On July 29, 1914, the mentally ill Khionia Guseva stabbed Rasputin in the stomach, shouting: “I killed the Antichrist!” Witnesses said that from the blow “Grishka’s guts came out.” The wound was fatal, but Rasputin pulled out. According to his daughter’s recollections, he had changed since then - he began to get tired quickly and took opium for pain.
Prince Felix Yusupov, Rasputin's killer
Rasputin's death is even more mysterious than his life. The scenery of this drama is well known: on the night of December 17, 1916, Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitry Romanov (rumored to be Yusupov’s lover) and deputy Purishkevich invited Rasputin to the Yusupov Palace. There he was offered cakes and wine, generously flavored with cyanide. This supposedly had no effect on Rasputin.
“Plan B” was put into action: Yusupov shot Rasputin in the back with a revolver. While the conspirators were preparing to get rid of the body, he suddenly came to life, tore the shoulder strap off Yusupov’s shoulder and ran into the street. Purishkevich was not taken aback - with three shots he finally knocked down the “old man”, after which he only clanked his teeth and wheezed.
To be sure, he was beaten again, tied with a curtain and thrown into an ice hole in the Neva. The water that killed Rasputin's older brother and sister also took the life of the fatal man - but not immediately. An examination of the body, recovered three days later, showed the presence of water in the lungs (the autopsy report has not been preserved). This indicated that Grishka was alive and simply choked.
Rasputin's corpse
The queen was furious, but at the insistence of Nicholas II, the murderers escaped punishment. The people praised them as deliverers from “dark forces.” Rasputin was called everything: a demon, a German spy or the lover of the empress, but the Romanovs were faithful to him to the end: the most odious figure in Russia was buried in Tsarskoye Selo.
Two months later the February revolution broke out. Rasputin's prediction about the fall of the monarchy came true. On March 4, 1917, Kerensky ordered the body to be dug up and burned. The exhumation took place at night, and according to the testimony of the exhumers, the burning corpse tried to rise. This was the final touch to the legend of Rasputin’s superpower (it is believed that the cremated person can move due to the contraction of the tendons in the fire, and therefore the latter should be cut).
The act of burning Rasputin's body
"Who are you, Mr. Rasputin?" - such a question could have been asked by British and German intelligence at the beginning of the 20th century. A clever werewolf or a simple-minded man? Rebel saint or sexual psychopath? To cast a shadow on a person, it is enough just to correctly illuminate his life.
It is reasonable to assume that the true appearance of the royal favorite was distorted beyond recognition by “black PR”. And minus the incriminating evidence, what appears before us is an ordinary man - an illiterate, but very cunning schizophrenic, who achieved fame only thanks to a successful coincidence of circumstances and the obsession of the heads of the Romanov dynasty with religious metaphysics.
Attempts at canonization
Since the 1990s, radical-monarchist Orthodox circles have repeatedly proposed canonizing Rasputin as a holy martyr.
The ideas were rejected by the Synodal Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church and criticized by Patriarch Alexy II: “There is no reason to raise the question of the canonization of Grigory Rasputin, whose dubious morality and promiscuity cast a shadow on the august family of Tsar Nicholas II and his family.”
Despite this, over the past ten years, religious admirers of Grigory Rasputin have published at least two akathists to him, and also painted about a dozen icons.
Curious facts
Rasputin supposedly had an older brother, Dmitry (who caught a cold while swimming and died of pneumonia) and a sister, Maria (who suffered from epilepsy and drowned in the river). He named his children after them. Grishka named his third daughter Varvara.
Bonch-Bruevich knew Rasputin well.
The Yusupov family originates from the nephew of the Prophet Mohammed. Irony of fate: a distant relative of the founder of Islam killed a man who called himself an Orthodox saint.
After the overthrow of the Romanovs, Rasputin’s activities were investigated by a special commission, of which the poet Blok was a member. The investigation was never completed.
Rasputin's daughter Matryona managed to emigrate to France and then to the USA. There she worked as a dancer and tiger trainer. She died in 1977.
The remaining family members were dispossessed and exiled to camps, where their trace was lost.
Today the church does not recognize the holiness of Rasputin, pointing out his dubious morality.
Yusupov successfully sued MGM over the film about Rasputin. After this incident, films began to put a warning about fiction: “all coincidences are accidental.”
Rasputiniana:Petrenko, Depardieu, Mashkov, DiCaprio
Since 1917, more than 30 films have been made about the Tobolsk elder! The most famous Russian films are "Agony" (1974, Rasputin - Alexey Petrenko) and "Conspiracy" (2007, Rasputin - Ivan Okhlobystin).
Now the French-Russian film “Rasputin” has been released, in which the old man is played by Gerard Depardieu. Critics did not accept the film well, however, they say that it was this film work that helped the French actor obtain Russian citizenship.
Finally, in 2013, work was completed on the new Russian series “Rasputin” (director - Andrei Malyukov, script - Eduard Volodarsky and Ilya Tilkin), in which the Tobolsk elder was played by Vladimir Mashkov...
And the other day, filming of a Hollywood film about Rasputin begins in St. Petersburg; for the main role, the film company Warner Bros. invited Leonardo DiCaprio. Why is the life story of Grigory Rasputin so attractive to directors and screenwriters?
Russian version
- We do not know whether Cagliostro, Count Dracula, existed or not. But Rasputin is a real historical figure,” says Andrei Malyukov, director of the series “Rasputin”. “At the same time, everything seems to be known about him: where he was born, and how he lived, and how he was killed. But at the same time... nothing is known! Do you know how much has been written about Rasputin? Tons! You can’t re-read everything! And everyone writes about some other person. He is a mystery, and that is why there is such interest in him. Ask anyone outside of Russia: "Who is Rasputin?" - “Yes, of course! There’s a restaurant! There’s a store!” A very popular figure.
— With what heart did you take on the filming of the series?
“I wanted to look at this person from the point of view of the truth.” After all, during his lifetime they wrote a lot about him! If you peel off and leave in a pure residue what he really did, it turns out that he was a man who sincerely supported the Russian Empire, for the Tsar, for the Tsarina, who categorically opposed the war, believing that there is enough of everything in Russia, that it is a great and powerful country. This is his message. And to those who wanted war, to those who hated Russia, he seemed like a fiend from hell. And the bottom line is that he was a man with a big plus sign. And with such a tragic fate...
— So, in your film you want to debunk all the myths that exist about Rasputin?
— There were an insane number of myths. Our eight episodes are not enough to debunk everything. Our story splits into two parallel lines: Rasputin and investigator Sweeten, whom Kerensky instructs to look into the murder of the elder and find evidence of all his “sins.” But during the investigation of this criminal crime, Sweeten, from ardent hatred of Grigory Efimovich, comes to the point that he demands that Kerensky bring the killers to justice...
Vladimir Mashkov about his hero
In the Russian-French film "Rasputin", where Rasputin was played by Depardieu, Vladimir Mashkov starred in the role of Nicholas II. Then he got into character so thoroughly that he even learned to sign his name as an emperor.
— In the new Russian film “Rasputin” my transformation is even deeper. “There’s a settler living inside me,” the actor admits. - The role is amazing! After all, Grigory Efimitch treated with prayer. He loved the person at that moment and took on all his pain. I almost died when I treated people, and this process is incredible, divine...
To declare that Rasputin is a saint or a devil, it seems to me, is the most terrible, disgusting mistake. This is a very sincere person who loved Russia, loved the Tsar, loved his people.
The story with the beard
The creators of the film say that they did not consider anyone for the main role except Mashkov, who specially flew in from America for filming. He got into character so much that sometimes he shocked the film crew: even his gait changed, a Rasputin-like stoop appeared...
Vladimir Mashkov and his hero do not have a portrait-photographic resemblance. The make-up artists even copied the beard from historical photographs down to the last hair! Makeup artists tried several beards and hair extensions, but as a result, Mashkov had to grow his hair and implant a natural beard, one hair at a time. Approximately two hours were spent on his makeup every day.
“We implanted Mashkov’s side cheeks literally hair by hair, so that even the camera would never see the glued-in beard,” said makeup artist Evgenia Malinkovskaya.
Trapped in a mirror
Filming of the film "Rasputin" began in April 2013. Some episodes were filmed in St. Petersburg, near St. Petersburg, and also in Novgorod. At the same time, the film crew faced many difficulties.
When the priests found out who the film would be about, they closed the doors of the churches and prohibited filming. (By the way, Gerard Depardieu’s team faced the same problem: Patriarch Kirill did not give them his blessing, and they also could not film in churches.)
The only temple that opened its doors for the filming of the Russian series about Rasputin was St. Sampsonievsky Cathedral. In Novgorod, they decided to film in the Anthony Monastery - and in just two days, the production designers erected a scaffolding set around the monastery wall.
It was necessary to build palace chambers. Lenfilm recreated the famous mirror trap of the Yusupov Palace, where Felix Yusupov and the conspirators lured Rasputin. This is an octagonal room of mirrors, once in which you don’t know where to go. Special mirrors were ordered for her, which are usually produced for special forces guarding consulates, so that the operator could shoot through the glass and not be reflected.
Stunts, effects, costumes
Vladimir Mashkov's partner in the film was Ingeborga Dapkunaite (Empress Alexandra Feodorovna). All dresses for her and Ekaterina Klimova, who played the Empress's maid of honor Anna Vyrubova, were designed from scratch and sewn in strict accordance with the fashion of the early 20th century. French lace was made according to historical samples. In England they ordered stiff collars, bought top hats and boaters. They found an antique jacket and coat for Mashkov and made a collection of shirts.
The film contains many complex stunts, most of which Vladimir Mashkov performed himself. For example, in one of the scenes, when fellow villagers believed that Rasputin had embezzled money from the sale of someone else’s horse, the actor was beaten with clubs and trampled by horses. The actor worked so honestly and let the horses get so close to him that at one moment he got carried away and the horse touched his hand.
The second no less difficult scene is the murder of the old man. Mashkov was beaten again, and kicked. Of course, the actor was wearing special protection that covered his back, arms, chest, and legs, but the bruises remained.
Mashkov was always eager to fight, but in some episodes the stunt director was categorical: “Volodya, don’t, this is an unnecessary risk!” Therefore, sometimes the actor was replaced by an understudy, Sergei Trepesov, who worked with Vladimir Mashkov in the film “The Edge”.
compilationmaterial - Fox http://www.softmixer.com/2014/10/blog-post_59.html#more
A Russian peasant who became famous for his “fortunes” and “healings” and had unlimited influence on the imperial family, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin was born on January 21 (January 9, old style) 1869 in the Ural village of Pokrovsky, Tyumen district, Tobolsk province (now located in the Tyumen region ). In memory of St. Gregory of Nyssa, the baby was baptized with the name Gregory. His father, Efim Rasputin, was a driver and was a village elder, his mother was Anna Parshukova.
Grigory grew up as a sickly child. He did not receive an education, since there was no parochial school in the village, and remained illiterate for the rest of his life - he wrote and read with great difficulty.
He began to work early, at first he helped herd cattle, went with his father as a carrier, then he took part in agricultural work and helped harvest the crops.
In 1893 (according to other sources in 1892) Gregory
Rasputin began to wander to holy places. At first, the matter was limited to the nearest Siberian monasteries, and then he began to wander throughout Russia, mastering its European part.
Rasputin later made a pilgrimage to the Greek monastery of Athos (Athos) and to Jerusalem. He made all these journeys on foot. After his travels, Rasputin invariably returned home for sowing and harvesting. Upon returning to his native village, Rasputin led the life of an “old man,” but far from traditional asceticism. Rasputin's religious views were distinguished by great originality and did not coincide in everything with canonical Orthodoxy.
In his native places he gained a reputation as a seer and healer. According to numerous testimonies from contemporaries, Rasputin indeed, to a certain extent, possessed the gift of healing. He successfully dealt with various nervous disorders, relieved tics, stopped bleeding, easily relieved headaches, and banished insomnia. There is evidence that he had extraordinary powers of suggestion.
In 1903, Grigory Rasputin visited St. Petersburg for the first time, and in 1905 he settled there and soon attracted everyone's attention. The rumor about the “holy elder” who prophesies and heals the sick quickly reached the highest society. In a short time, Rasputin became a fashionable and famous person in the capital and began to enter high society drawing rooms. Grand Duchesses Anastasia and Militsa Nikolaevna introduced him to the royal family. The first meeting with Rasputin took place in early November 1905 and left a very pleasant impression on the imperial couple. Then such meetings began to happen regularly.
The rapprochement between Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna with Rasputin was of a deeply spiritual nature; in him they saw an old man who continued the traditions of Holy Rus', wise in spiritual experience, and capable of giving good advice. He gained even greater trust from the royal family by providing assistance to the heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei, who was ill with hemophilia (incoagulability of blood).
At the request of the royal family, Rasputin was given a different surname - Novy - by a special decree. According to legend, this word was one of the first words that the heir Alexei uttered when he began to speak. Seeing Rasputin, the baby shouted: “New! New!”
Taking advantage of his access to the Tsar, Rasputin approached him with requests, including those of a commercial nature. Receiving money for this from interested people, Rasputin immediately distributed part of it to the poor and peasants. He did not have clear political views, but firmly believed in the connection between the people and the monarch and the inadmissibility of war. In 1912 he opposed Russia's entry into the Balkan Wars.
There were many rumors in the St. Petersburg world about Rasputin and his influence on the government. Around 1910, an organized press campaign began against Grigory Rasputin. He was accused of horse stealing, belonging to the Khlysty sect, debauchery, and drunkenness. Nicholas II expelled Rasputin several times, but then returned him to the capital at the insistence of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
In 1914, Rasputin was wounded by a religious fanatic.
Opponents of Rasputin prove that the influence of the “old man” on Russian foreign and domestic policy was almost comprehensive. During the First World War, every appointment in the highest echelon of government services, as well as at the top of the church, passed through the hands of Grigory Rasputin. The Empress consulted with him on all issues, and then persistently sought from her husband the government decisions she needed.
Authors sympathetic to Rasputin believe that he did not have any significant influence on the foreign and domestic policies of the empire, as well as on personnel appointments in the government, and that his influence related mainly to the spiritual sphere, as well as to his miraculous abilities to alleviate suffering Tsarevich.
In court circles, the “elder” continued to be hated, considered guilty of the decline in the authority of the monarchy. A conspiracy against Rasputin matured in the imperial entourage. Among the conspirators were Felix Yusupov (husband of the imperial niece), Vladimir Purishkevich (state Duma deputy) and Grand Duke Dmitry (cousin of Nicholas II).
On the night of December 30 (December 17, old style) 1916, Grigory Rasputin was invited to visit by Prince Yusupov, who served him poisoned wine. The poison did not work, and then the conspirators shot Rasputin and threw his body under the ice in a tributary of the Neva. When Rasputin's body was discovered a few days later, it turned out that he was still trying to breathe in the water and even freed one hand from the ropes.
At the insistence of the empress, Rasputin's body was buried near the chapel of the imperial palace in Tsarskoe Selo. After the February Revolution of 1917, the body was dug up and burned at the stake.
The trial of the murderers, whose act aroused approval even among the emperor’s circle, did not take place.
Grigory Rasputin was married to Praskovya (Paraskeva) Dubrovina. The couple had three children: a son, Dmitry (1895-1933), and two daughters, Matryona (1898-1977) and Varvara (1900-1925). Dmitry was exiled to the north in 1930, where he died of dysentery. Both daughters of Rasputin studied in St. Petersburg (Petrograd) at the gymnasium. Varvara died in 1925 from typhus. In 1917, Matryona married officer Boris Solovyov (1893-1926). The couple had two daughters. The family emigrated first to Prague, then to Berlin and Paris. After the death of her husband, Matryona (who called herself Maria abroad) performed in dance cabarets. Later she moved to the USA, where she began working as a tamer in a circus. After she was injured by a bear, she left this profession.
She died in Los Angeles (USA).
Matryona wrote memoirs about Grigory Rasputin in French and German, published in Paris in 1925 and 1926, as well as short notes about her father in Russian in the emigrant magazine Illustrated Russia (1932).
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin is an outstanding personality in history. His image is quite ambiguous and mysterious. Disputes about this man have been going on for almost a century.
Birth of Rasputin
Many still have not been able to decide who Rasputin is and what he actually became famous for in the history of Russia. He was born in 1869 in the village of Pokrovskoye. Official information about the date of his birth is quite contradictory. Some historians believe that Grigory Rasputin's life span is 1864-1917. In his mature years, he himself did not clarify things, reporting various untrue data about the date of his birth. Historians believe that Rasputin liked to exaggerate his age in order to fit the image of an old man he himself created.
In addition, many explained such a strong influence on the royal family precisely by the presence of hypnotic abilities. Rumors about Rasputin's healing powers had been spreading since his youth, but even his parents did not believe in it. His father believed that he became a pilgrim only because he was very lazy.
Assassination attempt on Rasputin
There were several attempts on the life of Grigory Rasputin. In 1914, he was stabbed in the stomach and seriously wounded by Khionia Guseva, who came from Tsaritsyn. At that time she was under the influence of Hieromonk Iliodor, who was an opponent of Rasputin, since he saw him as his main competitor. Guseva was placed in a psychiatric hospital, considered mentally ill, and after some time she was released.
Iliodor himself more than once chased Rasputin with an ax, threatening to kill him, and also prepared 120 bombs for this purpose. In addition, there were also several more attempts on the life of the “holy elder,” but all of them were unsuccessful.
Predicting your own death
Rasputin had an amazing gift of providence, so he not only predicted his own death, but also the death of the royal family, and many other events. The empress's confessor, Bishop Feofan, recalled that Rasputin was once asked what the outcome of the meeting with the Japanese would be. He replied that Admiral Rozhdestvensky’s squadron would drown, which is what happened in the battle of Tsushima.
Once, while with the imperial family in Tsarskoe Selo, Rasputin did not allow them to have dinner in the dining room, saying that the chandelier might fall. They obeyed him, and literally 2 days later the chandelier actually fell.
They say that he left behind 11 more prophecies that are gradually coming true. He also predicted his own death. Shortly before his murder, Rasputin wrote a will with dire prophecies. He said that if he was killed by peasants or hired killers, then nothing would threaten the imperial family and the Romanovs would remain in power for many years. And if the nobles and boyars kill him, then this will bring destruction to the House of Romanov and there will be no nobility in Russia for another 25 years.
The story of Rasputin's murder
Many people are interested in who Rasputin is and why he is famous in history. Moreover, his death was unusual and surprising. The group of conspirators was from wealthy families, under the leadership of Prince Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, they decided to put an end to the unlimited power of Rasputin.
In December 1916, they lured him to a late dinner, where they tried to poison him by mixing potassium cyanide into cakes and wine. However, potassium cyanide had no effect. Yusupov got tired of waiting and shot Rasputin in the back, but the shot only provoked the old man more, and he rushed at the prince, trying to strangle him. His friends came to Yusupov’s aid, who shot Rasputin several more times and beat him severely. After that, they tied his hands, wrapped him in cloth and threw him into the hole.
According to some reports, Rasputin fell into the water while still alive, but could not get out, became hypothermic and choked, from which he died. However, there are records that he received mortal wounds while still alive and fell into the water of the Neva already dead.
Information about this, as well as the testimony of his killers, is quite contradictory, so it is not known exactly how this happened.
The series "Grigory Rasputin" is not entirely true to reality, since in the film he was made to be a tall and powerful man, although, in fact, he was short and sickly in his youth. According to historical facts, he was a pale, frail man with an exhausted appearance and sunken eyes. This is confirmed by police records.
There are quite contradictory and interesting facts in the biography of Grigory Rasputin, according to which he did not possess any extraordinary abilities. Rasputin is not the old man’s real name, it is just his pseudonym. Real name is Vilkin. Many believed that he was a womanizer, constantly changing women, but contemporaries noted that Rasputin sincerely loved his wife and constantly remembered her.
There is an opinion that the “holy elder” was fabulously rich. Since he had influence at court, he was often approached with requests for large rewards. Rasputin spent part of the money on himself, as he built a 2-story house in his native village and purchased an expensive fur coat. He spent most of his money on charity and built churches. After his death, security services checked the accounts, but found no money in them.
Many said that Rasputin was actually the ruler of Russia, but this is absolutely not true, because Nicholas II had his own opinion on everything, and the elder was only allowed to sometimes advise. These and many other interesting facts about Grigory Rasputin show that he was completely different from what he was thought to be.
His magnetism, his supernatural power of suggestion changed the course of history and was believed to be the cause of many of the misfortunes that befell the Russian Empire.
The murder, which took place in December 1916 at the Yusupov Palace, was inevitable, but overdue, from the point of view of many left, right, liberal and conservative groups. Although Grigory Efimovich himself had been warned for a long time and repeatedly about the inevitable tragic end. 1905
A small group of conspirators gathered to commit the murder. It included Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, a relative of the Romanovs, Prince Felix Yusupov, right-wing deputy Purishkevich and Lieutenant Sukhotin. It was they who decided that Rasputin should be killed with poison, choosing it as the means most suitable for hiding traces of the murder. But everything did not go at all as the killers expected.
In order not to retell the events associated with the murder of Rasputin, one should only dwell on one fact: in memoirs it was described many times that the conspirators wanted to use poison - a remedy, although not for the brave, was, from the point of view of the participants, correct. Famous writer E. Radzinsky does not agree that poison was used, and generally gives his personal version of the murder, moreover, he places emphasis on the fact that, in his opinion, Rasputin did not like and did not eat sweets. In general, the further into the past events recede, the more implausible and fantastic versions appear. So, in 1981, the book “The Intimate and Sexual Lives of Famous People” by Irving Wallis, Sylvia Wallis, Emmy Wallis and David Walechinsky was published in England. It also writes about Grigory Rasputin. Let us cite just one passage from that work, testifying to the “Scientific” approach of the authors, this is what they wrote: “when Rasputin began to lose consciousness from the poison starting to take effect, Yusupov first raped him and then shot him four times with a pistol. Rasputin fell on sex, but was alive. Grigory Rasputin was then castrated. His severed penis was later found by a servant."
However, if we follow the generally accepted picture of the murder, which was recorded in documents and memoirs, then poison was still used, and the murder scene was less phantasmagoric than in the fabrications of authors from England. For example, the French ambassador in St. Petersburg, Maurice palaeologue, in his memoirs about Rasputin writes: “between the chairs in which Yusupov and his guest were lounging, a round table was placed in advance, on which were placed two plates of cakes with cream, a bottle of Madeira and tray with six glasses.
The cakes placed near the elder were poisoned with potassium cyanide, delivered by a doctor at the Obukhov hospital, an acquaintance of Prince Felix. Each of the three glasses standing near these cakes contained three decigrams of potassium cyanide dissolved in a few drops of water; No matter how weak this dose may seem, it is nevertheless huge, because already a dose of four centigrams is lethal...
Suddenly the “Elder” drinks his glass. And, clicking his tongue, he says:
- Your Madera is noble. I'd like to drink more.
Mechanically, Yusupov filled not the glass held out by the old man, but two other glasses with potassium cyanide.
Gregory grabs it and drinks the glass in one breath. Yusupov waits for the victim to faint.
But for some reason the poison had no effect.
Third glass. Still no action."
And here is what Prince Yusupov himself wrote in his memoirs: “I managed to throw the glass from which Rasputin was drinking onto the floor, it broke. Taking advantage of this, I poured Madeira into a glass with potassium cyanide.”
The old man's only reaction to the attempted poisoning, described by the paleologist, is the following: “but Rasputin barely listens to him; he walks back and forth, puffing and burping. Potassium cyanide works.” Yusupov described the effect of poison on an old man who drank poisoned drinks and ate poisoned food: “yes, my head became somewhat heavy, and my stomach felt heavy. Give me another glass and it will become easier.”
But as you know, the killers still had to resort to a revolver and dumbbells, and then drown the resilient old man. Why the poison did not affect the body of Grigory Rasputin - this remained a mystery, which he took with him to the grave (his decomposed corpse was subsequently burned. Perhaps the miracle was due to the fact that Rasputin, like King Mithridates, accustomed his body to various poisons. In During his youth in the Irtysh region, Grigory often performed tricks with poisons in taverns. He diluted the poison provided to him and gave some to the dog, which died in terrible convulsions. After this, Rasputin drank all the poison and washed it down with kvass from the stall. Forensic experts could have reported the presence of poisons, but they were not allowed to do so. During the autopsy, a viscous dark-brown mass was found in Rasputin’s stomach, but they could not determine its composition, since, on the orders of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, further research was required. prohibited. The lack of autopsy results and the subsequent burning of the remains of the great old man do not make it possible to confirm the hypothesis that the size of Rasputin’s liver was significantly larger than normal and this anomaly made it possible to take doses of poison that would be fatal to an ordinary body.
How many years did Rasputin live?
47 years (1869–1916)
What can unite Grigory Rasputin, Emperor Nicholas II and Joseph Stalin? The fates of these great personalities are contradictory and full of secrets; the lives of historical characters have not yet been fully studied. But the deaths of these three people are even more mysterious, and the secrets that rest in the graves of their owners excite the minds of many modern people. The author, Edward Radzinsky, in his audiobook tries to study the lives and deaths of Rasputin, Nicholas II and Stalin in order to answer some questions. The writer lifts the veil of secrecy, and who knows what will be behind it?
Name: Grigory Rasputin
Zodiac sign: Aquarius
Age: 47 years old
Occupation: peasant, friend of Tsar Nicholas II, seer and healer
Marital status: married
Grigory Rasputin: biography
Grigory Rasputin is a well-known and controversial figure in Russian history, debates about which have been going on for a century. His life is filled with a mass of inexplicable events and facts related to his proximity to the emperor’s family and influence on the fate of the Russian Empire. Some historians consider him an immoral charlatan and a swindler, while others are confident that Rasputin was a real seer and healer, which allowed him to gain influence over the royal family.
Grigory Rasputin
Rasputin Grigory Efimovich was born on January 21, 1869 in the family of a simple peasant Efim Yakovlevich and Anna Vasilievna, who lived in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province. The day after his birth, the boy was baptized in a church with the name Gregory, which means “awake.”
Grisha became the fourth and only surviving child of his parents - his older brothers and sisters died in infancy due to poor health. At the same time, he was also weak from birth, so he could not play enough with his peers, which became the reason for his isolation and craving for solitude. It was in early childhood that Rasputin felt an attachment to God and religion.
Where and how was Rasputin killed?
Yusupov Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia
Grigory Rasputin interesting facts. Grigory Rasputin - interesting facts
Hello friends. Today I will tell you interesting facts from the life of Rasputin Grigory Efimovich, and the no less mysterious story of his death. But let's look at everything in chronological order.
He comes from the village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen region, but no one knows about the exact date of his birth; they call it 1864 - 1872, and the date is February 9 or 21. Different sources provide different information on this matter. As a child, he was a sickly child and had health problems.
Interesting facts about Rasputin's biography begin after he came of age. Until the age of 18, he was an ordinary peasant and was engaged in agricultural work. And after coming of age, he went on pilgrimage.
In 1890, he acquired a wife of peasant origin; she also led a pilgrimage lifestyle. He was characterized as having a piercing gaze, but sloppily dressed. He began his journey from the Verkhoturye Monastery, and then was in Greece, Jerusalem and directly in his native Russia.
After visiting holy places, Rasputin became famous for his discovered abilities for treatment and prediction. From birth he had the gift of a hypnotist; Grigory Rasputin could charm wounds and turn any object into a talisman.
After their marriage, they had a son and two daughters. It is not known for what merits, but the elder was revered by many society ladies who came to see him in Siberia. Even Empress Alexandra Feodorovna herself supported him and considered him a holy man. While all the people made fun of the stories about Rasputin’s festivities and revelries, the empress considered them the slander of envious people and ill-wishers. Rasputin was completely trusted by the children of the royal family. According to the elder himself, the Mother of God herself called him to St. Petersburg in order to help Tsarevich Alexei, who was sick with hemophilia.
Whatever reputation Rasputin Grigory Efimovich may have, interesting facts speak for themselves. Rasputin's predictions came true. He foreshadowed the death of the royal family, the revolution and the death of a large number of the aristocracy. Even his predictions, which he prophesied after his death, came true, namely, about the illness of Tsarevich Alexei. He also foreshadowed his death, talked about the fate of the throne, and upcoming disasters associated with nuclear power plants.
His predictions included terrible natural changes, earthquakes, the decline of moral values, human cloning and the danger from such experiments. We can talk about one more prediction with a shudder; let’s hope that Rasputin was wrong here - the third world war.
From the memoirs of Rasputin’s only surviving daughter Matryona, it follows that her father abused alcohol and the female sex. But if we look at it from the point of view of an outside observer, then, as the tsar’s confessor, Rasputin haunted many, including the Soviet government in the person of the Bolsheviks. It was all because of the fear that some felt, knowing about his abilities.
Facts about the last day of Rasputin's life: after taking a large dose of poison in food, washing it down with wine, Rasputin remained alive. Apparently the poison was old or something had weakened its effect. Afterwards he was finished off with a shot in the head, and his body was thrown into the river.
However, on this day, a note was found on Grigory Efimovich, where he assumed his death and if it was at the hands of the peasants, then the monarchy would remain in the country. If his killers are aristocrats, then there will be no monarchy, just as there will be no mercy for the royal family.
All his predictions were recorded from his words and are still being studied to this day. When the February Revolution ended, Elizaveta Feodorovna was visited by the abbess of the monasteries, who told about strange things after the death of Rasputin. That night, most of the brothers and sisters at the monastery suffered fits of madness, uttered loud cries and blasphemed.
In times of instability, more and more people are becoming interested in the predictions of psychics and clairvoyants. Perhaps one of the most important prophecies about Russia was compiled by the elder Grigory Rasputin.
The figure of Rasputin in the history of Russia still remains a mystery, and there are still rumors and legends about his influence on the royal family. Rasputin's predictions about Russia were published in the book Pious Reflections in 1912. And if at that time most of his prophecies were perceived as fantasy, now almost all of his words can truly be called prophetic.
Which of Rasputin's predictions came true?
It should be noted that many of Grigory Rasputin’s prophecies came true. So, what did the elder talk about during his lifetime and what followed his words?
Execution of the royal family. Rasputin knew that the entire royal family would be killed long before the tragedy. This is what he wrote in his diary: “Every time I hug the Tsar and Mother, and the girls, and the Tsarevich, I shudder with horror, as if I were hugging the dead... And then I pray for these people, because in Rus' they are in greater need than anyone else. And I pray for the Romanov family, because the shadow of a long eclipse falls on them.”
About the revolution of 1917: “Darkness will fall on St. Petersburg. When his name is changed, then the empire will end."
About his own death and about the future of Russia after his death. Rasputin said that if ordinary people, peasants kill him, then Tsar Nicholas need not fear for his fate, and the Romanovs will rule for another hundred years and more. If the nobles kill him, then the future of Russia and the royal family will be terrifying. “The nobles will flee the country, and the king’s relatives will not remain alive in two years, and brothers will rebel against brothers and kill each other,” the elder wrote.
Accidents at nuclear power plants. “Towers will be built all over the world; they will be castles of death. Some of these castles will collapse, and from these wounds will flow rotten blood that will infect the earth and the sky. Because clots of infected blood, like predators, will fall on our heads. Many clots will fall to the ground, and the land where they fall will become deserted for seven generations,” this is what Grigory Rasputin said about the future of Russia.
Natural disasters. The elder also spoke about natural disasters, which we see more and more every year. “At this time, earthquakes will become more frequent, lands and waters will open, and their wounds will swallow people and belongings... The seas will enter the cities, and the lands will become salty. And there will be no water that is not salty. A person will find himself under the salty rain, and will wander through the salty earth, between drought and flood... The rose will bloom in December, and there will be snow in June.”
Cloning. Grigory Rasputin also knew that in the future they would conduct experiments with cloning: “Irresponsible human alchemy will ultimately turn ants into huge monsters that will destroy houses and entire countries, and both fire and water will be powerless against them.”
Rasputin's prediction about the future of Russia
The following predictions are difficult to decipher, since Rasputin used symbols and images in his prophecies. This is probably his prediction about the future of Russia, which has not yet come true or is just beginning to come true: “People are heading towards disaster. The most inept will drive the cart in Russia, and in France, and in Italy, and in other places... Humanity will be crushed by the steps of madmen and scoundrels. Wisdom will be shackled in chains. The ignorant and powerful will dictate laws to the wise and even the humble... Three hungry snakes will crawl along the roads of Europe, leaving behind ashes and smoke. The world expects three “lightnings” that will successively burn the earth between the sacred rivers, the palm garden and lilies. From the west will come a bloodthirsty prince who will enslave man with wealth, and from the east another prince will come who will enslave man with poverty."
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Who killed Rasputin and how?
Who killed Grigory Rasputin and why On December 17, 1916 (old style) Grigory Rasputin fell at the hands of murderers. He was killed as a result of a conspiracy headed not by Felix Yusupov or State Duma deputy Purishkevich, but by British intelligence agent Oswald Rainer.
