Grigory Efimovich Rasputin.

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin.

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin

Politics is a dirty business. And also very interesting and profitable. If a weak-willed person is at the helm of the state, creepy people will certainly appear next to him, who at different times were called “favorites”, “gray cardinals” or “informal leaders”. They are the ones who govern the country: they distribute top positions, control lawmaking and foreign policy. The political career of most behind-the-scenes intriguers is short, and their fate is simple and unenviable. Only one such “favorite” is still assessed ambiguously. His life is shrouded in a magical aura. It has become one of the most popular myths of twentieth century popular culture.

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin

In the mid-19th century, a peasant from the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province, Efim Yakovlevich Rasputin, at the age of twenty, married a twenty-two-year-old girl, Anna. The wife repeatedly gave birth to daughters, but they died. The first boy, Andrei, also died. From the census of the village population for 1897, it is known that on the tenth of January 1869 (the day of Gregory of Nyssa according to the Julian calendar), her second son was born, named after the calendar saint. However, the registry books of the rural church have not been preserved, and later Rasputin always gave different dates of his birth, hiding his real age, so the exact day and year of Rasputin’s birth is still unknown.

The village of Pokrovskoye on the river. Ture. 1912

Color photographs by S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky

"Debauch" means a dissolute, immoral person. Previously, the names Rasputa and Besputa were in use. Later, through patronymics, they turned into surnames (for example, Savka, Rasputin's son), especially popular in the North.

Rasputin's father drank a lot at first, but then he came to his senses and started a household. In the winter he worked as a coachman, and in the summer he plowed the land, fished and unloaded barges. Young Gregory was frail and dreamy, but this did not last long - as soon as he matured, he began to fight with his peers and parents, and to go for walks (once he managed to drink away a cart with hay and horses at a fair, after which he walked home eighty miles on foot). Fellow villagers recalled that already in his youth he possessed powerful sexual magnetism. Grishka was caught more than once with girls and beaten.

Rasputin in a carriage

Rasputin's house in Pokrovskoye

Soon Rasputin began to steal, for which he was almost deported to Eastern Siberia. Once he was beaten for yet another theft - so much so that Grishka, according to the villagers, became " weird and stupid" Rasputin himself claimed that after being stabbed in the chest with a stake, he was on the verge of death and experienced "the joy of suffering".

The trauma did not pass without a trace - Rasputin stopped drinking and smoking, married Praskovya Dubrovina from a neighboring village (choosing, like his father, an older girl), had children and began visiting holy places.

Rasputin with children (from left to right): Matryona, Varya, Mitya.

His family laughed at him. He did not eat meat or sweets, heard different voices, walked from Siberia to St. Petersburg and back, and ate alms. In the spring, he had exacerbations - he did not sleep for many days in a row, sang songs, shook his fists at Satan and ran in the cold in only a shirt. His prophecies included calls to repentance, " until trouble comes" Sometimes, by pure coincidence, trouble happened the very next day (huts burned, livestock got sick, people died) - and the peasants began to believe that the blessed man had the gift of foresight. He gained followers... and followers.

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin

This went on for about ten years. Rasputin learned about the Khlysty (sectarians who beat themselves with whips and suppressed lust through group sex), as well as the Skoptsy (preachers of castration) who separated from them. It is assumed that he adopted some of their teachings and more than once personally “and amused"Pilgrim from sin in the bathhouse.

Grigory Rasputin with fellow villagers, Pokrovskoye village

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin

At the “divine” age of 33, Gregory begins to storm St. Petersburg. Having secured recommendations from provincial priests, he settles with the rector of the Theological Academy, Bishop Sergius, the future Stalinist patriarch. He, impressed by the exotic character, 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 journey " man of God" to glory.

Patriarch Sergius (in the world Ivan Nikolaevich Stragorodsky

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin

Rasputin's first loud prophecy was the prediction of the death of our ships at Tsushima. Perhaps he got it from newspaper news reports that a squadron of old ships had sailed to meet the modern Japanese fleet without observing secrecy measures.

Ave, Caesar!

The last ruler of the House of Romanov was distinguished by lack of will and superstition: he considered himself Job, doomed to trials, and kept meaningless diaries, where he shed virtual tears, looking at how his country was going downhill. The queen also lived in isolation from 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.

Milica and Stana Montenegrin

Militsa Chernogorskaya

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.

Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia

The first meeting of the Tsar and Tsarina with Rasputin took place on November 1, 1905 at the palace over tea. He dissuaded the weak-willed monarchs from escaping to England (they say they were already packing their things), which most likely would have saved them from death and would have sent Russian history in a different direction. The next time, he gave the Romanovs 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.

Please note that in all photographs Rasputin always holds one hand raised.

The Emperor personally arranges for Gregory to change his dissonant surname to “New” (which, however, did not stick). Soon Rasputin-Novykh acquires another lever of influence at court - the young maid of honor Anna Vyrubova (a close friend of the queen) who idolizes the “elder”. He becomes the confessor of the Romanovs and comes to the tsar at any time without making an appointment for an audience.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Anna Vyrubova

At court, Gregory was always “in character,” but outside the political scene he was completely transformed. Having bought 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».

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin

Rasputin at his home on Gorokhovaya Street in Petrograd.

The growing power of Rasputin did not suit the court. Cases were brought against him, but each time the “elder” very successfully left the capital, going either home to Pokrovskoye or on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In 1911, the Synod spoke out against Rasputin. Bishop Hermogenes (who ten years ago expelled a certain Joseph Dzhugashvili from the theological seminary) tried to drive out the devil from Gregory and publicly beat him on the head with a cross. Rasputin was under police surveillance, which did not stop until his death.

Elder Macarius, Bishop Theophan and Grigory Rasputin.

Rasputin, Bishop Hermogenes and Hieromonk Iliodor

Secret agents watched through the windows the most piquant scenes from the life of a man who would soon be called " holy damn" Once 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 the newspapers - and the word " Rasputin"became known throughout Europe.

G.E. Rasputin with Major General Prince M.S. Putyatin

And Colonel D.N. Loman. Petersburg. 1904-1905.

Public health

People who believed in Rasputin's miracles believe that he himself, as well as his death, are mentioned in the Bible itself: “ And if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16-18).

Today no one doubts that Rasputin really had a beneficial effect on the physical condition of the prince and the mental stability of his mother. How did he do it?

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna at the bedside of the sick heir Alexei

Rasputin and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna drink tea

Rasputin, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna with children

Contemporaries noted that Rasputin’s speech was always incoherent; it was very difficult to follow his thoughts. Huge, with long arms, a tavern floorman's hairstyle and a spade beard, he often talked to himself and patted his thighs. Without exception, all of Rasputin's interlocutors recognized his unusual look - deeply sunken 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.

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin

This certainly influenced the king and queen. However, it is difficult to explain the repeated relief of the royal children from pain. Rasputin's main healing weapon was prayer - and he could pray all night long. 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 " small fly” and who appointed officials by telephone call was illiterate. He learned to read and write only in St. Petersburg. He left behind only short notes filled with terrible scribbles. Until the end of his life, Rasputin looked like a tramp, which repeatedly hindered him " take off» prostitutes for daily orgies. The wanderer quickly forgot about a healthy lifestyle - he drank, and drunk called ministers with various " petitions", the failure of which was career suicide.

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin

Rasputin did not save money, either starving or throwing it left and right. He seriously influenced the country’s foreign policy, twice persuading Nicholas not to start a war in the Balkans (inspiring the Tsar that the Germans were a dangerous force, and the “brothers,” i.e., the Slavs, were pigs).

Facsimile of Rasputin's letter with a request for some of his protégés

When 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 queen - “n German spy y", not forgetting about Rasputin. It was then that the image was created eminence grise", deciding all state issues, although in fact Rasputin's power was far from absolute. German Zeppelins scattered leaflets over the trenches, where the Kaiser leaned on the people, and Nicholas II on Rasputin’s genitals. The priests also did not lag behind. It was announced that the murder of Grishka was a benefit for which “ forty sins will be removed».

Grigory 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 years are 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 the murder, Rasputin wrote a will with terrible 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. A group of conspirators were 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 ladies' man, 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.

Saint and devil, “man of God” and sectarian, peasant and courtier: there seemed to be no end to the definitions characterizing Rasputin. The central and dominant feature of his personality was, without a doubt, the duality of nature: the “old man” was capable of playing one role with extraordinary skill, and then its complete opposite. And it was precisely thanks to the contradictions inherent in his character that he became a great actor.

Mediumistic intuition, coupled with the cunning typical of peasants, turned Rasputin into a creature with supernatural capabilities: he always managed to discover the vulnerable side of a person and benefit from it. When the “elder” firmly established himself in the Alexander Palace, he immediately revealed the weaknesses of the imperial couple; he never flattered them, addressed them only as "you", calling them "mom" and "dad". In communicating with them, he allowed himself all sorts of familiarity and realized that his worn-out boots, peasant shirt and even unkempt beard had an irresistible attractive effect on their august patrons.

Before the empress he played the role of “elder,” which she liked most; as during a large theatrical performance, he demonstrated his talent on the stage of the Alexander Palace. It did not matter that there might be a false saint, a libertine or a sectarian in the imperial residence; All that mattered was what Alexandra Fedorovna wanted to see and hear. Everything else - as she thought - was nothing more than baseness, slander and malice of those who dreamed of alienating her from this “holy man”.

The world in which the empress lived was rather simple and limited, and Rasputin, with his intuition, quickly understood how to win her favor. Surrounded by supposedly enlightened, but in fact depraved courtiers to the core, Alexandra Feodorovna decided that in the person of this ignorant peasant she had met the only one who could bring her and the tsar closer to the people. This man, sent to her by God himself and who came from a Russian village, combined in himself a peasant and a saint; the fact that Rasputin had the gift of healing was, in the eyes of the empress, another manifestation of his holiness. All this took place away from the outside world, in a residence similar to an ancient Russian tower.

And indeed, almost only women lived in the Alexander Palace; the empress, her ubiquitous friends, four daughters, as well as a great many teachers, governesses and maids. As in the days of ancient Russian towers, women from the family of Nicholas II were not supposed to be seen by male persons, except for close relatives, church representatives and high-ranking dignitaries. Alexandra Fedorovna did not consider Rasputin’s presence to be something unacceptable, since the “elder” was a holy man for her and directly expressed the will of the Almighty.

Rasputin did not live in the Alexander Palace, but when he was received there, he was given complete freedom: he entered the rooms of the young princesses at any time of the day, kissed all the women, claiming that the apostles also did this as a sign of greeting, and always found an explanation for his behavior . Rasputin was by nature a rude, primitive and vulgar man, but when he entered the palace, he turned into an “old man” to whom Alexandra Feodorovna and her daughters turned with hope; he was their guiding star, which enlightened them and pointed them in the right direction in the complex whirlpool of life. You just need to follow his advice, Rasputin said, and he will be able to help the imperial family overcome all the troubles that have befallen it: thanks to his gift of a seer, he will take it beyond fate and divine Providence itself.

The “elder” understood perfectly well that he had become necessary for the imperial couple. In addition, he had an irresistible magnetic influence, and a variety of people had already experienced, finding themselves unable to resist, the hypnotic spell of his gaze. Perhaps this is how Rasputin stopped the little crown prince’s bleeding, although it will never be possible to accurately establish his methods of “treatment.” Everything happened in the presence of only relatives and servants, and no one - even those who knew the secret of the Romanovs - could act as a witness.

Rasputin’s role in state affairs should not be exaggerated, since in reality he did not have any specific program: the “old man” was a real devil in psychology, but a complete layman in politics. Dramatic events began during the war, when Alexandra Fedorovna herself, together with Rasputin, had to control the situation in raging Petrograd. Undoubtedly, the “elder” managed to impose on the emperor people he liked, Rasputin, to influence the appointment of new ministers: and indeed, from that moment on, ministers began to replace one another with dizzying speed, and they were all under Rasputin’s heel. However, at that time the entire state machine was in such a deplorable state, and in addition there was such a shortage of suitable people, that there is no basis for asserting that without the direct intervention of the “old man” things would have gone better.

Rasputin's real conquest was his close relationship with the imperial couple, friendly and trusting; everything else came later, as a natural consequence of this closeness, which only he, the “Man of God,” was awarded. Rasputin - a healer or Rasputin - a political adviser to the sovereign is nothing compared to Rasputin - an “old man” devoted to the imperial family: it was he who was the real mentor for the Romanovs. Only he was able to alleviate the mental suffering of those to whom history had placed too heavy a burden on their shoulders. The phenomenon of Rasputin originated in the minds of these people themselves, and its appearance became possible precisely because of the weak character of Nicholas II in combination with the mystical exaltation of Alexandra Fedorovna. In other words, the Tsar and Tsarina themselves opened the doors to the swindler, a worthy follower of the numerous charlatans who infested the Russian court in past centuries.

This dissolute man, as such, never existed for them: Rasputin was only a projection of the imagination of two confused creatures, suppressed by the seriousness of the events taking place and by nature prone to irrationality. At all times, monarchs loved to surround themselves with flatterers and mediocre personalities, but, unlike the jesters of bygone eras, Rasputin appeared as a “saint” who also possessed supernatural power. So, Nikolai and Alexandra unconsciously joined a game that could satisfy their spiritual needs, but this home game turned into a tragedy for the entire country.

Outside the walls of the Alexander Palace, Rasputin again became himself: a drunkard, a lover of prostitutes, especially willing to resort to violence against women. Fanfare and bragging, he boasted of his successes at court and, having drunk heavily, told obscene details, sometimes invented by himself. His house was a meeting place for a variety of people: great princes, the priesthood, ladies of high society and simple peasant women came to him to get to the sovereign. And everyone, without exception, asked for royal mercy and intercession.

But no matter what Rasputin did, he always took all precautions so that in Tsarskoye Selo the image of a holy man that he managed to create would remain untarnished, which was the real secret of his success. Thanks to his resourcefulness and tenacity, this man knew how to defend the positions he had conquered; Moreover, here he did not encounter any particular difficulties, since Alexandra Fedorovna was unable to admit that he had at least one negative trait. The Empress always rejected all stories about Rasputin’s unseemly behavior, considering them fictitious and slanderous, and could not believe that “her old man” could have another face. Moreover, this illiterate man was absolutely necessary for her, since he personified the traditional triumvirate of the Russian nation: the tsar, the church and the people.

When Rasputin felt that there was a real threat to his career, he relied primarily on the eternal fears and deep religiosity of Alexandra Fedorovna. He used psychological blackmail, describing the future of her and her loved ones in gloomy tones; he also convinced the queen that they could not survive without him, and these predictions sounded like the death knell for the king and his dynasty.

Square

The beginning of the 20th century is famous for its extraordinary personalities and grandiose deeds that could change the lives of not just dozens of people, but entire generations. Before the Soviet revolution, Grigory Rasputin, a close associate of the royal family, excited people's minds. Let's look at some interesting facts from his biography.

The exact date of birth of Rasputin is unknown (approximately in 1864-1872). Rasputin was very ill since childhood, so he was often taken to monasteries to improve his health, and then he himself began to travel to the Holy Places of Russia, and later he would visit Athos and Jerusalem. In 1900, he had a fateful acquaintance with Father Mikhail from the Kazan Theological Academy, after which Rasputin thought about moving.

Meeting the royal family

In 1903, Rasputin moved to St. Petersburg, entered the circles of famous Russian clergy of that period, often gave speeches and used the words “old man,” “fool,” and “man of God” in his vocabulary in relation to himself. Father Feofan, at that moment close to Prince Nikolai Njegosh, told his daughters Militsa and Anastasia about the new “God’s wanderer”, who shared the news with the empress. But only a year later in 1905, for the first time, Rasputin was invited to a meeting with the emperor.

Since then, Rasputin has become a frequent guest in the imperial family, and a particularly warm, trusting relationship appears with Alexandra Feodorovna. Despite the fact that Rasputin was still young, he called himself an “old man” and exaggerated his age several times.

He especially helped the imperial son fight hemophilia; the leading minds of medicine refused treatment; all that remained was to trust only traditional medicine and prayers. Several times Rasputin saved Tsarevich Alexei from death (this fact is confirmed by many testimonies). When Alexei was only three years old, he suffered a severe hemorrhage in his leg. They urgently called Grigory Efimovich, thanks to his sincere prayer, the bleeding stopped. It was from then on that Rasputin became the “bodyguard” of the young Tsarevich. When Alexei was 8 years old, he suffered a severe injury during a hunt; doctors insisted that the boy was hopeless. The Empress again summoned Rasputin, but he could not come, since he was in Pokrovskoye, but he sent a telegram to the Empress with the words: “God looked upon your tears. Do not worry. Your Son will live." In fact, Alexei’s condition has noticeably improved, the danger has passed.

Another case of saving Alexei Nikolaevich - in 1915, on the train, the Tsarenich began to have a nose hemorrhage, the train was stopped, and Grigory was urgently called. He arrived, crossed Alexei and told the emperor that nothing bad would happen to the child, and left. The bleeding stopped immediately. Witnesses to this incident are the doctors of the Royal Family, who did not understand at all how this could happen.

Rasputin received a salary

Official documents indicate that Grigory Rasputin received 10,000 rubles a year for services to the Royal Family. But the elder gave all the money he received to the poor and to his wife and children. After his death, no saved capital appeared in his name, as well as luxurious mansions and dachas in Gagra.

Debauchery or “Khlystyism”

The author of the cartoon is unknown

For the first time in 1903, a case was opened against Rasputin for preaching false teaching (similar to Khlysty). The local priest claimed that Rasputin was taking on the task of cleansing women from sinfulness, but for some reason such procedures were carried out in baths. The priest also claimed that it has long been known that Rasputin was taught the Khlysty heresy from his youth.

The trial began, and the elder’s close relatives were called as witnesses. So his daughter Matryona Rasputina said that at one point her father stopped drinking, smoking, eating meat, and left home for a long time. The family was sure that the wanderer Dmitry Pecherin, who had recently appeared in the area, had this effect on Gregory. Another witness, General Spiridonovich, claimed that Rasputin decided to go to Athos after he saw the Virgin Mary in a field. A house belonging to Rasputin’s family was also inspected, but nothing illegal was found and the case was closed. Later historians claim that the conduct of the case was superficial; it has long been known that Khlysty zeal is never carried out in residential premises, but only in bathhouses, barns and even cellars.

About women's kisses and illegal witchcraft

Already in the modern period, historians and writers begin to study the life of Rasputin. A.N. Varlamov devoted several years of his life to the study of historical materials, on the basis of which he published the book “Grigory Rasputin”.

According to the surviving testimony of witnesses, it is known that Rasputin was engaged in healing without having a permit or diploma for this work. Only because of his treatment, two girls suffering from consumption died, Rasputin confirmed this fact. Fellow villagers called the cause of the girls’ deaths “Grigory’s bullying.”

Once Rasputin forcibly kissed the prosphora Evkidiya Korneeva at the age of 28. As a result, a confrontation was held on this case. Rasputin either denied this fact or said that he had forgotten.

The priest of the Church of the Intercession said that he went to Rasputin on business and saw that he returned wet from the bathhouse, and several girls came in after him - “also wet and steamy.” Rasputin said that he got very angry in the bathhouse and remained lying there, then came to his senses and left, just at the moment when a group of women entered the bathhouse.

There is an opinion that Grigory Rasputin used a new technique for getting rid of sinfulness, but the St. Petersburg ladies really liked these procedures that they happily went to Pokrovskoye. Rasputin convinced that through sexual intercourse with him, women were cleansed of carnal sinfulness.

Rasputin's prophecies

• The earth will become inhabited by monsters that will look neither like humans nor animals.
• “Human alchemy” will create flying frogs, kite butterflies, and crawling bees.
• West and East will fight for world domination.
• The most famous prophecy: “As long as I live, the dynasty will live.”
• He said that darkness would come to St. Petersburg and the Neva would be stained with blood.
• He talked about his death - if the peasant robbers killed him, the Romanovs would still rule for a long time. But if one of the relatives of the dynasty, then the Royal Family will die after him.
• About accidents at nuclear power plants - that some of the erected towers will collapse and pollute the earth and rivers with rotten blood.
• About natural anomalies - “the rose will bloom in December, and there will be snow in June.”

Prince Yusupov and Dmitry Romanov - a conspiracy of homosexuals?

Right - Felix Yusupov, left - Dmitry Romanov

Felix Yusupov is a kind of narcissistic, capricious major of the early 20th century, a famous transvestite and bisexual in imperial Russia. Of course, he walked in women's clothes not along Nevsky Prospect, but at the De Capucine Theater in Paris. Yusupov himself says to himself that he liked the attention from women and men, but the connections with anyone did not last long. After the Paris triumph, young Yusupov decided to try to perform in St. Petersburg. In a blue tulle dress embroidered with precious stones, the young man was recognized by his father, and gradually his anger gave way to a desire to cure his son of such oddities. Grigory Rasputin, well-known in secular circles, was chosen as the doctor. The treatment procedure was more than strange; according to Yusupov, the elder laid him on the threshold of the room, flogged him and hypnotized him.

It is not known whether the treatment helped, but the young man no longer sought to dance in dresses and skirts, but married the daughter of Alexander Romanov with the family wealth of the dynasty. Those. Yusupov's wife Irina was the niece of Emperor Nicholas II.

There is an assumption that Yusupov had intimate relationships with Rasputin, which is hard to believe. Moreover, the sophisticated method of treatment for bisexuality, on the contrary, caused the young man’s rejection of the elder. So, Felix Yusupov became one of the participants in the murder of Grigory Rasputin. The second conspirator was Felix’s close friend, Dmitry Romanov. Only there is an interesting point in the relationship between Yusupov and Romanov - contemporaries claim intimate connections between friends.

Dmitry Romanov also has complaints against Rasputin. The emperor planned to marry Dmitry to his daughter, rich and beautiful. But Rasputin tells the Tsar and Tsarina about the prince’s unconventional sexual orientation and his connections with Felix Yusupov. Naturally, the emperor does not want such a fate for his daughter and does not even allow Dmitry onto the threshold of the royal mansion.

Who, after all, forcibly killed the royal elder?

The old man after the assassination attempt

In 1914, Rasputin went to Pokrovskoye. There, one day he was sending a telegram to the empress, at that moment a beggar woman (Khionia Guseva) came up and asked for alms, Rasputin handed over the money, and she stuck a knife in his stomach. The wound was severe, but the old man was saved.

Only in March 1917, Rasputin still suffered a violent death. The previously mentioned Felix Yusupov and Dmitry Romanov, together with deputy Purishkevich, would not have thought of murder themselves, but became suitable pawns in the hands of the British secret service. Why do the British need Rasputin's death? To prevent the signing of a peace treaty between Russia and Germany. A few words about deputy Purishkevich - this man is distinguished by amazing oddities, for example, there is reliable information that on May 1 he once walked around the Duma with a red carnation inserted into his fly.

The main driving force behind the conspiracy was the English intelligence officer Oswald Rayner, who made friends with Felix Yusupov while studying at Oxford, and through Felix assembled a full group to commit the murder. Rasputin was killed by a shot in the forehead, incompatible with life. Before the main shot, each of the conspirators fired a bullet, but Oswald Reiner finished off the royal elder.

The murderers were not punished: Oswald Reiner returned to his homeland and received a promotion, Felix Yusupov, having collected family jewels on an English warship, moved to England with his wife, Dmitry Romanov sat under house arrest until the revolutionary October Revolution. And then, with the remaining members of the Romanov dynasty, he moved abroad and joined the ranks of the English army! Later he marries an American, moves to the USA, and becomes a winemaker.

The fate of Grigory Rasputin is mysterious, intense and tragic at the same time. Rasputin achieved incredible heights, although he could have been an ordinary monk. The elder actually helped Tsarevich Alexei survive, was the main adviser to the royal family, and supported the Emperor in difficult times for Russia. But a lot of negative things are floating around the image of Grigory Rasputin from evil-pagans; 80% of all speculation will remain unconfirmed rumors. And yes, Rasputin did not have an intimate relationship with Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

In March 2017 it will be 100 years since the death of Grigory Rasputin.

• Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (real name of the Novykhs) was born in 1871 (according to various sources, 1864, 1865 or 1872) in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen province, into a peasant family. Many facts from the biography of Grigory Rasputin are known only from his own words.
• Rasputin's father was a coachman.
• The healer never studied anything, including not even a basic medical education, since he was illiterate.
• Rasputin received his nickname and surname in his native village “for fornication.”
• 1890 - Rasputin marries a girl from his village; her name is Praskovya Fedorovna. Three children are born in the marriage: Dmitry, Maria and Varvara.
• 1892 - Rasputin makes his first pilgrimage to the monastery at Verkhotur (Perm province).

• Marriage does not stop either the temper of Grigory Rasputin or his desire to wander. While still relatively young, he walks to the Greek monastery of Athos, and then to Jerusalem. Upon returning to Pokrovskoye, Rasputin declares himself the chosen one of God, the owner of a miraculous healing gift. Perhaps he really had some abilities (for example, he had hypnosis), perhaps he was just a good actor. One way or another, rumors about Grigory Rasputin begin to spread throughout Siberia, and then further. People from afar come to the “elder” and receive, if not healing, then consolation.
• 1900 - the healer, as always on foot, goes to Kyiv. Here he meets Archimandrite Chrysanthus, who sends him to St. Petersburg, to the inspector of the Theological Academy and at the same time the famous mystic Father Theophan.
• 1903 - Rasputin visits St. Petersburg for the first time.
• According to the stories of Rasputin himself, one fine day the Mother of God appeared to him and informed him that Alexei Nikolaevich, the only heir to the Russian throne, was ill. And only he, the Siberian elder, can save the crown prince. So, at the direction of the Mother of God, Grigory Rasputin again goes to the capital.
• 1905 - Rasputin appears in St. Petersburg. There is a wave of strikes and industrial action in the city. The Siberian healer easily earns his authority in the revolutionary chaos. He preaches, heals, even predicts the future. Following the people, representatives of high society turn to him. Gradually, the fame of the wonderful old man reaches the imperial court.
• 1907 - another attack for the Tsarevich. The heir suffers from hemophilia, an incurable disease characterized by incoagulability of blood. For a patient with hemophilia, any scratch or bruise is mortally dangerous... The doctors declare themselves powerless to save Alexei, and the empress, in despair, turns to Grigory Rasputin. An old man saves a child.
• The same year - Rasputin publishes the book “The Life of an Experienced Wanderer.”
• One can argue a lot about Rasputin's abilities, but one thing is known - he really could stop bleeding. And at moments when the best doctors of the empire threw up their hands, and the Russian people gradually began to prepare for the death of the only heir to the throne, Rasputin came to the rescue and eased the boy’s suffering. “The heir will live as long as I live,” he declared. It is not surprising that Empress Alexandra Feodorovna gradually begins to idolize the elder and completely submits to his influence.
• This is how Rasputin finds himself close to the royal court. He not only treats Alexei, but also leads an active social life and gets acquainted with the cream of St. Petersburg society.
• Gradually, through Maria Feodorovna, Rasputin begins to influence Russian politics. Under the pressure of his wife, Nicholas II has to “promote” to government positions those whom the Siberian healer points out. Rasputin's friends receive high positions for which they clearly do not correspond (there is a well-known scandal when an illiterate fellow villager of the healer becomes the Bishop of Tobolsk); his children are placed in the best gymnasiums in the capital. For the healer himself, his chosenness and faith do not in the least prevent him from organizing drunken brawls and orgies, the fame of which spreads throughout St. Petersburg.
• 1915 is the apogee of Rasputin's power. The First World War is underway. Nicholas II is constantly in Mogilev, the Empress remains in St. Petersburg. She really wants to help her husband, but she discusses her every step with Rasputin. As a result, all government appointments and all supply issues go through him. It comes to the point that, at his insistence, Nikolai removes his relative, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, from command of the Russian army and begins to command himself.
• The same year, Grigory Rasputin Novykh’s book “My Thoughts and Reflections” was published.
• 1915 - 1916 - in a few months, four prime ministers change in Russia, not to mention lower positions. The imperial court begins to talk about Rasputin's favoritism.
• The closeness of “Grishka Rasputin” to the imperial family gives rise to many rumors. Not only are they unpleasant in themselves, but they also undermine the authority of the emperor. Gossip that the empress is too close and friendly with the healer overwhelms the patience of Nicholas II and his entourage. A conspiracy is brewing against Rasputin.
• Autumn 1916 - the healer writes a letter-testament addressed to the Tsar. In it, he says that he will give up his life before January 1, 1917 and predicts the future of Russia. If a relative of Nicholas becomes the killer, writes Rasputin, then “none of your (the emperor’s) children or relatives will survive... they will be killed by the Russian people.” The letter was drawn up according to all the rules by a lawyer and handed over to the addressee.
• December 30 (17), 1916 - Prince Felix Yusupov, deputy of the IV State Duma Vladimir Purishkevich and Prince Dmitry Pavlovich (the emperor’s cousin) plan an assassination attempt on the elder. They invite him to a party, where they first try to poison him - potassium cyanide is added to the wine and food. However, the poison has no effect on Rasputin. Yusupov shoots at him, but only wounds him. Purishkevich and Romanov “finish off” the healer. The body is thrown into the hole.
• At the request of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the old man’s body was raised from the bottom of the Neva. During the autopsy, the incredible is revealed: poisoned with a lethal dose of poison and riddled with bullets, Grishka Rasputin came to his senses under water and fought for his life until he choked. He was buried near the chapel of the imperial palace in Tsarskoye Selo. The investigation into the murder, begun by the emperor, naturally came to naught. In 1917, by order of the Provisional Government, the body of Grigory Rasputin was exhumed and burned.