What is Rasputin famous for? Grigory Rasputin: biography, interesting facts from life

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 "I was rushing 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 kind, 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 had been waiting for, but he could not have imagined 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 empress’s lover, 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 superstrength (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 actually 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 Siberian elder, healer, especially close to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Grigory Rasputin is one of the most mysterious personalities in Russian history. Everything that modern historians know about him is based not on documentary information, but on eyewitness accounts. And since these stories passed “from mouth to mouth,” there is a high probability of the effect of a damaged phone.

It is known that Grishka Rasputin was born on July 29, 1871 in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen region. The place of his birth was practically inaccessible to most comers; only fragmentary and inaccurate information has been preserved about the life of Grigory Rasputin in his homeland, the source of which was mainly himself. It is likely that he was a monk, but it is possible that Rasputin is simply a brilliant actor who perfectly portrayed his chosenness and close communication with God.

At the age of 18, Rasputin made his first pilgrimage to the monastery in Verkhotur, but did not take monastic vows. At the age of 19, he returned to Pokrovskoye, where he married Praskovya Fedorovna. Three children were born in this marriage - Dmitry in 1897, Maria in 1898 and Varvara in 1900.

The marriage did not cool the pilgrimage ardor of Grigory Rasputin. He continued to visit various holy places, even reaching the Athos Monastery in Greece and Jerusalem. And all this on foot!

By his nature, Rasputin was destined to be the object of “divine inspiration.” Wandering through villages, he preached gospel sermons and told parables. Little by little he moved on to prophecies, to conjuring demons, to witchcraft; he also claimed to be able to perform miracles.

After such travels, Rasputin imagined himself to be the chosen one of God, declared that he was a saint, and at every step talked about his miraculous gift of bringing healing. Rumors about the Siberian healer began to spread throughout Russia, and soon it was no longer Rasputin who made pilgrimages, but people sought to get to him. Many of his patients came from distant lands. It should be noted that Rasputin did not study anywhere, did not even have a rough idea of ​​medicine, and was illiterate. However, he played his role impeccably: he really helped people, he could calm those who were on the verge of despair.

Once, while plowing a field, Rasputin had a sign - the Mother of God appeared to him, who told him about the illness of Tsarevich Alexei, the only son of Emperor Nicholas II (he suffered from hemophilia - a hereditary disorder that was passed on to him on his mother's side), and ordered Rasputin to go to St. Petersburg and save the heir throne.

In 1905, Rasputin arrived in the capital of the Russian Empire, and at a very fortunate moment. The fact is that the church needed “prophets” - people whom the people would believe. Rasputin was just from this category: a typical peasant appearance, simple speech, cool disposition. However, enemies said that Rasputin was using religion only as a screen for his cynicism, thirst for money, power and sex.

In 1907, he was invited to the imperial court - just in the midst of one of the attacks of the crown prince's illness. The fact is that the imperial family hid the heir's hemophilia, fearing social unrest. Therefore, they refused Rasputin’s services for a long time. However, when the child's condition became critical, Nikolai gave up.

Rasputin's entire subsequent life in St. Petersburg was inextricably linked with the treatment of the prince. However, it was not limited to this. Rasputin made many acquaintances in the upper echelons of St. Petersburg society. When he became close to the imperial family, the capital’s elite wanted to be introduced to the Siberian healer, who was called behind his back only “Grishka Rasputin.”

In 1910, his daughter Maria moved to St. Petersburg to enter the Academy of Theology. When Varvara joined her, both daughters of Grigory Rasputin were sent to the gymnasium.

Nicholas I did not welcome Rasputin's frequent appearances in the palace. Moreover, rumors soon began to circulate in St. Petersburg about Rasputin’s extremely indecent behavior. It was said that, using his enormous influence on Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Raspugan took bribes (cash and in kind) for the promotion of certain projects or to advance his career. His drunken brawls and real pogroms horrified the population of St. Petersburg. He also greatly undermined the imperial authority, since there was talk of too close relations between Grigory Rasputin and the empress. Were these just rumors? Until now, historians have not given a clear answer to this question.

In the end, the cup of patience was overflowing. A conspiracy against Rasputin arose among the imperial entourage. Its initiators were Prince Felix Yusupov (husband of the imperial niece), Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich (deputy of the IV State Duma, known for his ultra-conservative views) and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich (cousin of Emperor Nicholas). On December 30, 1916, they invited L. Grigory Rasputin to the Yusupov Palace to meet with the emperor’s niece, a famous St. Petersburg beauty. The cakes and drinks served to the guest contained potassium cyanide. However, the poison had no effect. The impatient conspirators decided to use the absolute remedy - Yusupov shot Rasputin. But he managed to escape again. When he ran out of the palace, he was met by Purishkevich and the Grand Duke, who shot the “Siberian elder” at point-blank range. He was still trying to get to his feet when they tied him up, put him in a bag with a load and threw him into the hole. Later, an autopsy showed that the elder, already at the bottom of the Neva, desperately fought for his life, but, in the end, choked...

From the book History of Russia from Rurik to Putin. People. Events. Dates author Anisimov Evgeniy Viktorovich

Grigory Rasputin The people placed all the blame for the defeats on the German Empress, who allegedly surrounded herself with German spies and suppressed the will of the Tsar. And although the spy mania was unfounded, the empress’s influence on Nicholas II was harmful. A photograph from 1916 has been preserved.

author

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(real name - Novykh)

(1864, according to other sources 1865-1916) Russian political adventurer

Among all the adventurers in the world, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin occupies one of the most famous places. There are many legends about him, and historians are still trying to figure out where is fiction and where is the truth.

He was born in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen district, Tobolsk province. His father Efim Novykh had a fairly strong farm, but he drank heavily and went bankrupt.

From his youth, Grigory Novykh led such a dissolute life that he was nicknamed the Dissolute. This nickname later became his surname - Rasputin.

He left the village for the city of Tobolsk, worked in a hotel as a sex worker and married a maid there, Praskovya, who bore him three children - a son and two daughters. But marriage didn't change him. He continued to drink, began to steal, and was even caught stealing horses. One day he was caught in the act of a crime, beaten and decided to deport him to Eastern Siberia.

Around the age of thirty, Grigory Rasputin changed his lifestyle. By that time, he had visited many holy places in Russia, including Athos, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, came on a pilgrimage to Moscow, and when he returned home, he prayed and bowed so earnestly that he even smashed his forehead on the floor.

Since then, fame has spread about him as a holy elder who has miraculous powers and heals diseases. Soon these rumors reached St. Petersburg, Rasputin became famous in aristocratic houses, and he was soon called to the palace.

The heir to the royal throne, Tsarevich Alexei, suffered from hemophilia, a disease in which the blood does not clot. As soon as he accidentally injured himself, bleeding began, which the doctors could not stop for a long time. The Tsarevich was generally in poor health, and his mother was very afraid for him. She was ready to believe anything and bring anyone who could help her son closer to her.

This is how Grigory Rasputin ended up in the royal palace. To be fair, it must be said that he did not achieve this in any way, lived far from the capital and did not even imagine that he would go down in history as a close friend of the royal family. Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, on whom he had a strong influence, called him “friend” and “Gregory”. Grigory Rasputin really knew how to influence people. He undoubtedly had the ability of a hypnotist and knew the Bible very well. Rasputin did not invent anything new; he spoke long-known Christian truths, but in his mouth they sounded like prophecies. The Tsarina and other high society ladies listened to his every word and obeyed him in everything.

The queen's trust in Grigory Rasputin became limitless after she became convinced that the “old man” was actually helping her son. Eyewitness accounts have been preserved that only Rasputin could stop the boy’s severe bleeding, saved his life more than once, and relieved pain even by telephone.

In the capital he was treated differently. Some idolized him, others were skeptical, at first they were perplexed, then more and more indignant, watching how the royal family kissed the hands of this rude, arrogant man and fulfilled all his demands. The reason for this admiration was simple.

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin managed to convince the queen, and through her, the king, that as long as he, God’s righteous man, was close to the royal family, everything would be fine with the heir.

Historians believe that Nicholas II, although he treated Rasputin more restrainedly than his wife, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, nevertheless also completely trusted him and was partly under his influence. For him, Grigory Rasputin was a representative of the people, reflecting their essence and mood. The Tsar had long nurtured the idea of ​​rapprochement with his people, and now, in the person of Grigory Rasputin, he seemed to have established this alliance.

Grigory Rasputin would probably have remained a strange “quirk” of the royal family (after all, there were many such “elders” and “prophets” in history) if he had led a more dignified lifestyle and had not interfered in politics. Appearing in the capital and in the palace as a meek, pious peasant, he soon acquired a taste for a free and rich life, and began to behave like any rude, uneducated person to whom everything is permitted. Rasputin organized orgies and drunken brawls in his apartment, in restaurants, could insult people, boasted of his closeness to the queen and said that the king did everything as he told him. Scandals after scandals occurred, the queen became aware of them, but she did not believe anything and believed that evil people, ill-wishers, wanted to discredit the harmless “elder” and “friend” in her eyes.

Taking advantage of his undivided influence on the queen, Grigory Rasputin begins to suggest to her who should be removed and who should be appointed to this or that position in the government. His influence on the royal family especially increased in the last years of the tsarist regime (1914-1916). Rasputin's apartment turned into a haven for all sorts of charlatans, swindlers, shady businessmen - from bankers to speculators. The so-called period of “ministerial leapfrog” began: former ministers were replaced by outright proteges of the “elder”.

The Tsar indulged Rasputin’s “ideas” because it seemed to him that this strengthened his power. He even went so far as to remove his uncle, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich Romanov, from the post of Supreme Commander-in-Chief, at the insistence of the Tsarina, and therefore Rasputin, during World War I. He did this despite the enormous authority of the Grand Duke in the army and society. The reason was also simple and obvious to everyone. The Grand Duke was an ardent enemy of Rasputin and tried to open the Tsar’s eyes to the actions of this adventurer.

When opponents of Grigory Rasputin realized that no reasonable arguments were helping, they decided to kill the “old man.” He guessed about this and conveyed his will to the queen, a prediction in which he wrote that if one of the king’s relatives killed him, then not a single person from the royal family would live more than two years. The queen was in a panic and strengthened the security of the “elder”. But it did not help.

Many people wanted the murder of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, but several people took part in it: Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, a brilliant young man, an “Olympian”, as he was called because he took part in the Olympic Games in Stockholm, some time ago his they were destined to be the husband of the Tsar's eldest daughter, Princess Olga; Members of the State Duma Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich and Prince Felix Yusupov were also participants in the secret conspiracy.

They lured Grigory Rasputin to the St. Petersburg palace of Prince Yusupov on the Moika. The murder was thought out in every detail, but it turned out to be not as simple as they had previously imagined. First, Rasputin was treated to cakes filled with poison, but the poison had no effect on him (there is evidence that instead of poison they were given ordinary powder). Then they shot at Rasputin and drowned the wounded man in an ice hole.

Chairman of the IV State Duma M. Rodzianko wrote interestingly about this, who believed that he should reveal the truth about Grigory Rasputin to his contemporaries and descendants.

Historians consider “Rasputinism” to be an external manifestation of the crisis of the feudal system that took place in a country where bourgeois changes had already begun.

The significance of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin in the history of the Russian state of the 20th century is great. His fate, like a mirror, reflected all the contradictions with which this century was rich. He sought power by any possible means, suffered defeats and again found himself among the favorites. With his unexpected appearance at court, Rasputin seemed to predict the end of one era and the beginning of another, when history would be made by ordinary people like him, and at first unknown to anyone.

Biography of the writer

Valentin Grigorievich Rasputin

15.03.1937 - 14.03.2015

Russian writer, publicist, public figure, full member of the Academy of Russian Literature, honorary professor of the Krasnoyarsk Pedagogical University. V. P. Astafieva, honorary citizen of the city of Irkutsk, honorary citizen of the Irkutsk region. Author of many articles devoted to literature, art, ecology, the preservation of Russian culture, and the preservation of Lake Baikal. Novels, short stories, essays and articles by V.G. Rasputin's works have been translated into 40 languages ​​of the world. Many works have been staged in theaters across the country and filmed.

Most famous works: stories “Money for Maria” (1967), “Deadline” (1970), “Live and Remember” (1974), “Farewell to Matera” (1976), “Ivan’s Daughter, Ivan’s Mother” (2003); stories “Meeting” (1965), “Rudolfio” (1966), “Vasily and Vasilisa” (1967), “French Lessons” (1973), “Live a Century, Love a Century” (1981), “Natasha” (1981), “What should I tell the crow?” (1981); book of essays “Siberia, Siberia...” (1991).

V. G. Rasputin was born on March 15, 1937 in the village of Ust-Uda. Mother - Nina Ivanovna Chernova, father - Grigory Nikitich Rasputin. The building of the clinic where the future writer was born has been preserved. When flooded, it was dismantled and moved to the new village of Ust-Uda. In 1939, the parents moved closer to their father’s relatives, to Atalanka. The writer's paternal grandmother is Maria Gerasimovna (nee Vologzhina), grandfather is Nikita Yakovlevich Rasputin. The boy did not know his maternal grandparents; his mother was an orphan.

From grades 1 to 4, Valentin Rasputin studied at Atalan Elementary School. From 1948 to 1954 - at the Ust-Udinsk secondary school. Received a matriculation certificate with only A's and a silver medal. In 1954 he became a student at the Faculty of History and Philology at Irkutsk State University. On March 30, 1957, the first article by Valentin Rasputin, “There is no time to be bored,” about the collection of scrap metal by students of school No. 46 in Irkutsk, appeared in the newspaper “Soviet Youth.” After graduating from the university, V. G. Rasputin remained a staff member of the newspaper “Soviet Youth”. In 1961 he got married. His wife was Svetlana Ivanovna Molchanova, a student at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at ISU, the eldest daughter of the famous writer I. I. Molchanov-Sibirsky.

In the fall of 1962, V. G. Rasputin, his wife and son, left for Krasnoyarsk. Works first in the newspaper “Krasnoyarsky Rabochiy”, then in the newspaper “Krasnoryasky Komsomolets”. Vivid, emotional essays by V. G. Rasputin, distinguished by the author’s style, were written in Krasnoyarsk. Thanks to these essays, the young journalist received an invitation to the Chita Seminar of Young Writers of Siberia and the Far East (autumn 1965). Writer V. A. Chivilikhin noted the artistic talent of the aspiring writer. In the next two years, three books by Valentin Rasputin were published: “Bonfires of New Cities” (Krasnoyarsk, 1966), “The Land Near the Sky” (Irkutsk, 1966), “A Man from This World” (Krasnoyarsk, 1967).

In 1966, V. G. Rasputin left the editorial office of the newspaper “Krasnoyarsk Komsomolets” and moved to Irkutsk. In 1967 he was admitted to the Union of Writers of the USSR. In 1969 he was elected a member of the bureau of the Irkutsk Writers' Organization. In 1978 he joined the editorial board of the series “Literary Monuments of Siberia” of the East Siberian Book Publishing House. In 1990-1993 was the compiler of the newspaper “Literary Irkutsk”. On the initiative of the writer, since 1995 in Irkutsk and since 1997 in the Irkutsk region, Days of Russian Spirituality and Culture “Radiance of Russia” and Literary Evenings “This Summer in Irkutsk” have been held. In 2009, V. G. Rasputin participated in the filming of the film “River of Life” (dir. S. Miroshnichenko), dedicated to the flooding of villages during the launch of the Bratsk and Boguchansk hydroelectric power stations.

The writer died in Moscow on March 14, 2015. He was buried on March 19, 2015 in the necropolis of the Znamensky Monastery (Irkutsk).

Valentin Grigorievich Rasputin was awarded the 1977 USSR State Prize in the field of literature, art and architecture for the story “Live and Remember”, the 1987 USSR State Prize in the field of literature and architecture for the story “Fire”, the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art 2012 city, Prize of the Irkutsk OK Komsomol named after. I. Utkin (1968), Certificate of Honor of the Soviet Peace Committee and the Soviet Peace Fund (1983), Prizes from the magazine “Our Contemporary” (1974, 1985, 1988), Prize named after. Leo Tolstoy (1992), Prize named after. St. Innocent of Irkutsk (1995), Moscow-Penne Prize (1996), Alexander Solzhenitsyn Prize (2000), Literary Prize named after. F. M. Dostoevsky (2001), Prize named after. Alexander Nevsky’s “Faithful Sons of Russia” (2004), Award “Best Foreign Novel. XXI century" (China) (2005), Literary Prize named after. S. Aksakov (2005), Prize of the International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Peoples (2011), Prize "Yasnaya Polyana" (2012). Hero of Socialist Labor with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the hammer and sickle gold medal (1987). Other state awards of the writer: Order of the Badge of Honor (1971), Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1981), Order of Lenin (1984), Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2002), Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree (2008).

March 15th. Born into the peasant family of Grigory Nikitich (born in 1913) and Nina Ivanovna Rasputin in the village of Ust-Uda, Ust-Udinsky district, Irkutsk region. My childhood years were spent in the village of Atalanka, Ust-Udinsky district.

Study time at Atalan Primary School.

Study time in grades 5-10 at Ust-Udinsk secondary school.

Studying at the Faculty of History and Philology of Irkutsk State University. A. A. Zhdanova.

March. Start of work as a freelance correspondent for the newspaper “Soviet Youth”.

January. He was accepted into the editorial staff of the newspaper “Soviet Youth” as a librarian.
Continues to work for the newspaper “Soviet Youth”. Published under the pseudonym V. Kairsky.

January March. In the first issue of the anthology "Angara" the first story "I forgot to ask Alyoshka..." was published (in later editions "I forgot to ask Alyoshka...").
August. He resigned from the editorial office of the newspaper “Soviet Youth” and took up the position of editor of literary and dramatic programs at the Irkutsk television studio.
November 21. Birth of son Sergei.

July. Dismissed from the Irkutsk television studio together with S. Ioffe for a program about the fate of the Siberian writer P. Petrov. Restored with the intervention of L. Shinkarev, but did not work in the studio.
August. Departure for Krasnoyarsk with his wife Svetlana Ivanovna Rasputina. Hired as a literary employee of the Krasnoyarsk Worker newspaper.

February. Moved to the position of special correspondent at the editorial office of the Krasnoyarsky Komsomolets newspaper.

September. Participation in the Chita zonal seminar for beginning writers, meeting with V. A. Chivilikhin, who noted the talent of the beginning author.

March. He left the editorial office of the newspaper “Krasnoyarsk Komsomolets” for professional literary work.
Returned with his family to Irkutsk.
In Irkutsk, at the East Siberian Book Publishing House, a book of essays and stories “The Land Near the Sky” was published.

May. Accepted into the USSR Writers' Union.
July August. The story “Money for Maria” was first published in the Angara almanac No. 4.
The Krasnoyarsk book publishing house published a book of short stories, “A Man from This World.”

Elected to the editorial board of the anthology “Angara” (Irkutsk) (since 1971 the almanac has been titled “Siberia”).
Elected a member of the bureau of the Irkutsk Writers' Organization.
The Irkutsk television studio showed the play “Money for Maria” based on the story of the same name by V. Rasputin.

March 24-27. Delegate to the III Congress of Writers of the RSFSR.
July August. The first publication of the story “The Deadline” appeared in the magazine “Our Contemporary” No. 7-8.
Elected to the audit commission of the Writers' Union of the RSFSR.
A trip to Frunze took place as part of the club of the Soviet-Bulgarian youth creative intelligentsia.

May. He made a trip to Bulgaria as part of the club of the Soviet-Bulgarian youth creative intelligentsia.
May 8. Daughter Maria was born.

The story “Live and Remember” was published for the first time in the magazine “Our Contemporary” No. 10-11.
The writer's father, Grigory Nikitich, has died.

Member of the editorial board of the newspaper Literary Russia.

May. Traveled to the Hungarian People's Republic as part of the delegation of the USSR Writers' Union.
December 15-18. Delegate to the IV Congress of Writers of the RSFSR.

June 21-25. Delegate to the VI Congress of Writers of the USSR.
Elected to the Audit Commission of the USSR Writers' Union.
July. A trip to Finland with prose writer V. Krupin.
September. A trip to the Federal Republic of Germany together with Yu. Trifonov to the book fair in Frankfurt am Main.
The story “Farewell to Matera” was first published in the magazine “Our Contemporary” No. 10-11.

September. Participation in the first world book fair (Moscow).
Elected as a deputy of the Irkutsk Regional Council of People's Deputies of the sixteenth convocation.
Moscow Theater named after. M. N. Ermolova staged the play “Money for Maria” based on the story of the same name.
The Moscow Art Theater staged the play “The Deadline” based on the play by V. Rasputin.

March. Traveled to the GDR at the invitation of the Volk und Welt publishing house.
The television film “French Lessons” directed by E. Tashkov was released on the screens of the country.
The VAAP Publishing House (Moscow) released the play “Money for Maria.”
October. Trip to Czechoslovakia as part of the delegation of the USSR Writers Union.
December. A trip to West Berlin for creative purposes.

March. Traveled to France as part of the VLAP delegation.
October November. Trip to Italy for the “Days of the Soviet Union” in Turin.
Elected as a deputy of the Irkutsk Regional Council of People's Deputies of the seventeenth convocation.

December. Delegate to the V Congress of Writers of the RSFSR. Elected to the board of the RSFSR Joint Venture.

June 30-July 4. Delegate to the VII Congress of Writers of the USSR.
Elected to the board of the USSR Joint Venture.
The feature film “Vasily and Vasilisa” directed by I. Poplavskaya was released.
Participation in a visiting meeting of the Council on Russian Prose of the Union of Writers of the RSFSR. The results of the work and V. Rasputin’s speech were published in the magazine “North” No. 12.
In the almanac “Siberia” No. 5 the story “What to convey to the crow?” is published.
The feature film “Farewell” directed by L. Shepitko and E. Klimov was released.

June 1-3. Delegate to the IV Congress of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments (Novgorod).

A trip to Germany to a meeting organized by the Interlit-82 club.
A documentary film by the East Siberian studio “Irkutsk is with us”, filmed according to the script by V. Rasputin, was released.

The biography of Grigory Rasputin interests people to this day. There is hardly a Russian person who has never heard of this famous personality, who left a significant mark in the last years of the Russian Empire. Many fiction books, studies, dissertations and simply abstracts were written based on the life of this man, who had outstanding, downright extraordinary data, physical and spiritual.

In the article:

Grigory Rasputin's childhood

The patronymic of this legendary personality is Efimovich, and Grigory was born in the family of an ordinary Russian peasant from Pokrovskoe village, which is still located in the former Tobolsk province. He was born in the sixty-ninth year of the nineteenth century, at a time when popular movements were already beginning to gain strength, and the kings felt how the hitherto resigned people were raising their heads, protesting against tyranny.

Rasputin Grigory Efimovich

He was born a frail and weak child, but survived, unlike his sisters and brothers, who left this world at the age of less than a year. They baptized him the morning after his birth and named him Gregory, which means awake. Because of his health, he could not indulge in children's games with his peers, who did not accept him as equals. As a result, the boy withdrew into himself, became unsociable, and began to show a craving for solitude and reflection alone with himself. Like many elders, saints and other miracle workers, for example, it was at the age of childhood, because of his rejection, that he felt a craving for religion and found peace of mind in it.

At the same time, Gregory did not forget about earthly activities: he helped his father, tended cattle, mowed hay, planted and harvested crops, and, like everyone else, went to carts. But due to his health, he quickly got tired and weakened. Therefore, his fellow villagers considered him flawed and not like them, although the boy tried to be useful to the family.

At the age of fourteen, Gregory was struck by a serious illness, from which he fell ill and almost died. The family was already preparing to bury their only son, when suddenly the teenager’s condition improved, and soon he completely recovered, amazing those around him. According to Rasputin, he was healed by the Mother of God, appearing to him in a dream. After his illness, he became even more religious and immersed himself in the study of theological texts. There was no school in the village, but he had such a thirst for knowledge that he got information from everywhere. Even without knowing how to read, he learned many prayers by heart, memorizing them by ear.

The son of an illiterate peasant, who never attended class and never read the alphabet, he had an amazing gift of insight, which determined his entire future fate. Who could have imagined that even after a century and a half, people would remember how Grigory Rasputin once lived, whose biography would become the basis for many scientific works and works of art - from the cartoon "Anastasia", where he is depicted as a demonic villain, to comic books, books and films? This was a truly extraordinary person.

Rasputin Grigory Efimovich - biography of adults

Grigory Rasputin and Iliodor

At the age of eighteen, which in modern times means entering adulthood, Gregory made a pilgrimage to many monasteries and temples. He did not take monastic vows and vows, but made many useful acquaintances with priests, pilgrims, representatives of the white and black clergy of all ranks. This helped him a lot in the future.

Years later, already in adulthood, Grigory Rasputin arrived in the capital. This happened in the third year of the twentieth century, in St. Petersburg, where the doors of the imperial palace were opened to a wanderer with amazing abilities. Just arriving in the city on the banks of the Neva, Gregory did not have a penny to his name. Looking for help, he came to Bishop Sergius, who was the rector of the theological academy. He brought him together with the right person - Archbishop Feofan, the spiritual mentor of the entire royal family. He had heard a lot about Rasputin’s prophetic gift, since rumors had already spread throughout the vast country.

Colonel Dmitry Loman, Grigory Rasputin and Prince Mikhail Putyatin

Rasputin made acquaintance with the royal family during difficult times for the Russian Empire. Revolutionary movements such as “Narodnaya Volya” gained considerable influence, reaching all segments of the population. Workers went on strike every now and then. They demanded tough decisions and strong-willed actions from the tsar, and Nicholas II, who was gentle in character, feeling enormous pressure, became confused. This is probably why a simple peasant from Siberia was able to make such an impression on the tsar that he talked with him for hours. Being the so-called “holy elder,” Grigory Rasputin had an incredible influence on the entire imperial family, but especially on the Empress, Alexandra Feodorovna, who trusted her newly-minted spiritual mentor in everything.

Many historians believe that the main factor in acquiring such influence was the completely successful treatment of the heir to the throne Alexei Nikolaevich, the empress’s beloved only son. He was seriously ill with hemophilia, a rare hereditary disease characterized by chronic bleeding and poor blood clotting. Rasputin somehow calmed the boy down. The Prophet eased his pain, and it seemed that he was recovering as much as possible with folk remedies.

So a simple peasant son became a confidant of the emperor himself, his personal adviser and a man with colossal influence on the fate of the entire country. Rasputin Grigory Efimovich, whose biography amazes with the dizziness of his rise, has been and remains the subject of controversy. To this day, people's opinions on him vary wildly. Some believe that Gregory was a man of amazing spiritual strength, patient and intelligent, who only wanted the best for Russia. Others call him Grishka and say that he was a greedy self-lover, indulging in debauchery, who, taking advantage of the indecision of Nicholas II, only pushed the empire towards destruction.

Be that as it may, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, whose biography begins in a remote village, even without school, lived in the emperor’s palace in his mature years. No one could be appointed to the post without a preliminary meeting with Rasputin. Possessing amazing insight, this “man of God” could open the king’s eyes to the secret thoughts of the courtiers, the true essence of a person, advise him to bring someone closer or dissuade him from rewarding him. He participated in all palace affairs, having eyes and ears everywhere.

Attempts on Rasputin and his death

Before committing the murder of Rasputin, who was interfering with their plans, his opponents tried in every possible way to denigrate Gregory in the eyes of the emperor. Rasputin was accused of witchcraft, drunkenness, debauchery, embezzlement and theft. Gossip and slander had no result: Nicholas II continued to unconditionally trust his adviser.

As a result, a conspiracy of the great princes arose who wanted to remove the old man who was interfering with them from the political arena. Acting State Councilor Vladimir Purishevich, Prince and, in the future, Commander-in-Chief of the military forces of the Russian Empire, Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr., as well as Prince Felix Yusupov, seriously set out to destroy Rasputin. The conspiracy was drawn up at the highest level, but in the end everything did not go smoothly.

Khionia Guseva

The first time they sent a shooter to Grigory - Khionia Guseva. The elder received a serious wound and was on the verge of life and death. At this time, left without an adviser, who in every possible way dissuaded him from participating in the war, Nicholas II declared general mobilization and announced the beginning of the war. When Rasputin began to recover, the emperor continued to consult with him, take an interest in Rasputin's opinion on his actions and trust the seer.

This did not suit the great conspiratorial princes at all. They were determined to see the matter through to completion. For this purpose, Rasputin was invited to the palace of Prince Yusupov, where potassium cyanide, a deadly poison, was mixed into his food and drink, which, however, did not kill the old man. Then he was shot - but even with bullets in his back, Rasputin continued to fiercely fight for his life. He ran out into the street in an attempt to escape from the killers pursuing him. However, his wounds quickly weakened him and the chase was not long. They threw Grigory onto the pavement and began to beat him brutally. Then he, almost beaten to death and having lost a lot of blood, was thrown from the Petrovsky Bridge into the Neva. Even in icy water, the elder and prophet Grigory Rasputin lived for several more hours before death finally took him.

This man was distinguished by truly titanic fortitude and desire for life, but by the will of the great princes he was sentenced. Nicholas II, left without an adviser and assistant, was overthrown in just two and a half months. Almost when Rasputin’s life ended, the history of the House of Romanov, which ruled Russia for several centuries, also ended.

Rasputin's terrible predictions

A little earlier we called this old man a seer. It is indeed believed that the Siberian peasant had the gift of seeing the future. Rasputin's predictions made him famous throughout Russia and eventually brought him to the imperial palace. So what did he prophesy?

The most famous prophecies of Grigory Rasputin include the prediction of the catastrophic year 17, the brutal destruction of the royal family, the horrors of the war between the whites and the reds that engulfed Russia. In their "Pious Reflections" Rasputin wrote that, hugging one of the royal children, he felt them as dead - and this terrible insight caused him the deepest horror. He also said that if he was killed by people in whom imperial blood flows, the entire house of Russian rulers would not last even two years, they would all be killed for the shed blood of the elder.

Skeptical people say that Rasputin's prophecies are too much like. Maybe it is so. But the quatrains themselves indicate the appearance on Russian soil of such a person as Rasputin. It is likely that the elder could have been influenced by familiarization with.

Rasputin's predictions are perhaps one of the most significant prophecies made in the twentieth century. Despite the fact that many of them came true, there are also those that were not confirmed. For example, the coming of the Antichrist and the Apocalypse in two thousand and thirteen. Therefore, we can confidently say that not all of the visions of the prophetic elder were accurate.

Rasputin's predictions about Russia

Regarding our days, Gregory left almost no prophecies. In any case, as unambiguous as about the twentieth century in which he lived. Rasputin's predictions about Russia have an alarming message: many temptations, probable death if the country succumbs Antichrist temptations and will lose his way.

Basically, Rasputin's prophecies about the future of Russia are as follows, if you make a dry summary of the facts: if Russia manages to avoid all temptations, it will take a significant place in the world. If not, then only death, decay and ashes await her. Like the other powers of Europe, if they are seduced by the gifts of the Antichrist and lose their moral values.