Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (Novykh, 1869-1916) - a public figure of the late XIX - early XX century, who gained fame as a healer, "old man", able to heal people from serious ailments. He was close to the family of the last emperor, especially his wife Alexandra Feodorovna. In 1915-1916, he had a direct influence on the political decisions made in the country. His name is shrouded in a halo of secrets and mysteries, and historians still cannot give an accurate assessment of Rasputin: who is this - a great soothsayer or a charlatan.
Childhood and youth
Grigory Rasputin was born on January 9 (21), 1869 in the village of Pokrovka, Tobolsk province. True, in different sources there are other years, for example, 1865 or 1872. Gregory himself never added clarity to this issue, never giving the exact date of birth. His parents were simple peasants who devoted their entire lives to working on the land. Gregory was their fourth and only surviving child. From early childhood, the boy was sick a lot and was often alone, unable to play with his peers. This made him withdrawn and prone to solitude. It was in childhood that Gregory began to feel his chosenness before God and attachment to religion. There was no school in his native village, so the boy grew up illiterate. But he knew a lot in work, often helping his father.
At the age of 14, Rasputin became seriously ill and, being on the verge of life and death, managed to get out of a difficult condition. According to him, the miracle happened thanks to the Mother of God, who intervened and contributed to his healing. This further strengthened faith in religion and motivated the illiterate young man to learn the texts of prayers.
Transformation into a healer
After Rasputin turned 18, he went on a pilgrimage to the Verkhoturye Monastery, but he never took the veil. A year later, he returned to his small homeland and soon married Praskovya Dubrovina, who would later bear him three children. Marriage was not an obstacle to the pilgrimage. In 1893 he embarked on a new journey, visiting a Greek monastery on Mount Athos and Jerusalem. In 1900, Rasputin visited Kyiv and Kazan, where he met Father Mikhail, who was associated with the Kazan Theological Academy.
All these visits again convinced Rasputin of his God's chosenness and gave him a reason to devote others to his healing gift. Returning to Pokrovskoye, he tried to lead the life of a real "old man", but he was far from a real ascetic. In addition, his religious views did not fit in well with canonical Orthodoxy. It's all about the powerful temperament of Gregory, who could not do without women, wine, music and dance. "God is joy and gladness", - Rasputin stated more than once.
People from all over the country flocked to a small Siberian village, eager to find healing and getting rid of diseases. They were not embarrassed by the illiteracy of the "old man" and his complete lack of medical education. But good acting skills allowed Grigory to convincingly portray a folk healer, using advice, prayers and persuasion in his manipulations.
Arrival in St. Petersburg
In 1903, when the country was in a pre-revolutionary situation and was completely restless, Rasputin visited the capital of the Russian Empire for the first time. The formal reason was connected with the search for funds necessary for the construction of the temple in his native village. However, there is another explanation for this. While working in the field, Rasputin had a vision of the Mother of God, who told him about the serious illness of Tsarevich Alexei and insisted on the soon arrival of the healer in the capital. In St. Petersburg, he meets the rector of the theological academy, Bishop Sergius, to whom he turned for help due to lack of money. He brings him together with the confessor of the imperial family, Archbishop Feofan.
Doctor of the heir to the throne
Acquaintance with Nicholas II took place at a very difficult time for the country and the tsar. Strikes and protests took place everywhere, the revolutionary movement heated up, the opposition went on the offensive, and a wave of terrorist attacks covered Russian cities. The emperor, worried about the fate of the country, was on an emotional upsurge, and on this basis he met the Siberian seer. In general, the entire revolutionary chaos was for Rasputin an excellent basis for manifesting himself. He heals, predicts, preaches, earning himself a colossal authority.
The good actor Rasputin made a strong impression on Nikolai and his family members. Especially believed in the gift of Grigory Alexandra Fedorovna, who hoped for his ability to save his only son from the disease. In 1907, Alexei's health deteriorated noticeably, and the tsar gave permission for Rasputin's approach. As you know, the boy suffered from a severe genetic disease - hemophilia, which is associated with the inability of blood to clot and, as a result, frequent hemorrhages. He was unable to cope with the disease, but he helped bring the crown prince out of the crisis and stabilize his condition. Incredibly, Gregory managed to stop the blood, in which traditional medicine was absolutely powerless. He often repeated: "The heir will live as long as I live."
Cases of whiplash
In 1907, Rasputin received a denunciation, according to which he was accused of Khlystism, one of the varieties of religious false doctrine. The case was investigated by Priest N. Glukhovetsky and Archpriest D. Smirnov. In their conclusions, they referred to the report of D. Berezkin, a specialist in sects, who relied on the insufficiency of materials due to the conduct of the case by people who did not understand Khlysty. As a result, the case was sent for further investigation and soon “fell apart”.
In 1912, the State Duma showed interest in this case, and Nicholas II ordered the investigation to be resumed. At one of the meetings, Rodzianko suggested to the emperor that the Siberian peasant be permanently removed. But a new investigation, headed by Bishop Alexy of Tobolsk, expressed a different opinion and called Gregory a true Christian, seeking the truth of Christ. Of course, not everyone believed in this and continued to consider him a charlatan.
Secular and political life
Having settled in the capital, Rasputin, together with the cure of Alexei, plunges headlong into secular life, getting acquainted with the tops of St. Petersburg society. Especially secular ladies were crazy about the "old man". For example, Baroness Kusova frankly declared her readiness to follow him even to Siberia. Using the trust of the empress, Rasputin puts pressure on the tsar through her, promoting his friends to high government posts. He did not forget about his children either: his daughters, under the highest patronage, studied at one of the St. Petersburg gymnasiums.
The city began to be flooded with rumors about the exploits of Rasputin. They talked about his crazy orgies and carousing, drunken brawls, pogroms and bribes. In 1915, due to the difficult situation at the front, the tsar left St. Petersburg and went to the headquarters of the Russian army in Mogilev. For Rasputin, this was a serious chance to further strengthen his position. The slightly naive empress, who remained on business in the capital, sincerely wanted to help her husband, trying to rely on Rasputin's advice. Through him, a decision was made on military issues, the supply of the army and the appointment to government posts. There is a known case when Rasputin decided on the offensive of the Russian army, which ended in complete collapse and the death of thousands of soldiers in the swamp. The tsar's patience was finally undermined by the rumor about the secret closeness of the Empress and Rasputin, which, in principle, could not be by definition. Nevertheless, this became an occasion for the political environment of the king to think about eliminating such an odious figure.
Just at that time, the book “My Thoughts and Reflections” was published from the healer’s pen, in which he presented the reader with his memories of visiting holy places and reflections on religious, moral and ethical topics. In particular, the author devotes a lot of time to presenting his opinion about love. “Love is a big figure, prophecies will stop, but love will never,” the “old man” claimed.
CONSPIRACY
The active and controversial activity of Rasputin disgusted many representatives of the then political establishment, who rejected the Siberian upstart as a foreign element. Surrounded by the emperor, a circle of conspirators formed who intended to deal with an objectionable character. At the head of a group of murderers were: F. Yusupov - a representative of one of the richest families and the husband of the tsar's niece, the emperor's cousin, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, and deputy of the IV State Duma V. Purishkevich. On December 30, 1916, they invited Rasputin to the Yusupov Palace on the pretext of meeting with the emperor's niece, who was reputed to be one of the most beautiful women in the country.
The dangerous poison cyanide was sprinkled into the offered dishes of Gregory. But he acted too slowly and did not cause the expected effect. Then Yusupov decided to resort to a more effective method and fired at Rasputin, but missed. He ran away from Felix, but ran into his accomplices, who seriously injured the healer with their shots. However, even being in a serious condition, he tried to escape and attempted to escape. But he was caught, and then thrown into the cold Neva, having previously been tightly tied and packed in a bag with stones. At the insistence of Alexandra Feodorovna, the body of Grigory was raised from the bottom of the river, then it was found out that Rasputin woke up in the water and fought for life to the last, but, exhausted, choked. At first, Rasputin was buried near the chapel of the Imperial Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, but after the Provisional Government came to power in 1917, his corpse was exhumed and burned.
Rasputin's predictions
Interestingly, shortly before the assassination, Rasputin wrote a letter to the emperor, in which he predicted his own death no later than January 1, 1917. He claimed that he would die at the hands of a relative of Nicholas II, but his family would also die and "none of the children would be left alive." Rasputin predicted the emergence and collapse of the Soviet Union (“the arrival of a new government and mountains of the slain”), as well as his victory over Nazi Germany. Some of the predictions of the “old man” also apply to our days, in particular, he saw through the veil of times the threat of terrorism for Europe and rampant Islamic extremism in the Middle East.
According to the main version, on December 29, 1916, Prince Felix Yusupov lured Rasputin to his palace in St. Petersburg by cunning. There he was regaled with poisoned treats, but the poison did not work, and then Yusupov and Purishkevich simply shot the royal favorite.
Conspiracy against the Empress
The organizers of the assassination, in addition to them, were also Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, cousin of Nicholas II, and a well-known lawyer and deputy of the State Duma Vasily Maklakov. The conspirators set themselves the goal of freeing the emperor, as Yusupov admitted, "from the influence of Rasputin and his wife," which should have made the tsar "a good constitutional monarch." The emperor's cousin Dmitry Pavlovich, in turn, believed that the assassination of Rasputin would give "the opportunity for the sovereign to openly change course." It is not known what course the Grand Duke was talking about, but it can be argued who, in the opinion of the conspirators, was the main obstacle - the elder and the empress. Having removed the elder, the killers wanted to remove Alexandra Fedorovna, who favored Rasputin.
It must be said that the Romanov family did not really like Empress Alexandra Feodorovna: for example, the tsar's cousin, Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich, almost openly spoke about the "German policy" of the empress, dismissively calling her "Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt" on the sidelines.
Almost the entire year of 1916 was spent in the newspaper persecution of Rasputin, which looked like organized defamation. There were even publications that led readers to the specific conclusion that the Empress was in love with her "confessor". All this hype was focused on the king, but he was silent. Then the conspirators resorted to at least...
Main beneficiaries
As you know, Rasputin opposed Russia's entry into the First World War, and even after Russia's entry into the conflict, he tried to convince the royal family to go to peace negotiations with the Germans. Most of the Romanovs (Grand Dukes) supported the war with Germany and oriented themselves towards England. For the latter, a separate peace between Russia and Germany threatened defeat in the war.
London tried to influence the emperor with the help of his relatives, the Romanov family. In 1916, the grand dukes suddenly began to convince the emperor to create a liberal government, which was called upon to "save the country from revolution." In November 1916, Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov, who lived in London, wrote to Nicholas II: “I have just returned from Buckingham Palace. Georges (King George of Great Britain) is very upset by the political situation in Russia. Intelligence Service agents are usually very knowledgeable and predict a revolution in Russia in the near future. I sincerely hope, Nikki, that you will find it possible to meet the people's just demands before it is too late." But the king held on, more and more immersed in plans to exit the First World War. The British in such a situation had to come up with some non-standard moves. The death of Rasputin was a real gift for them. Nicholas II was demoralized, ideas and concepts for a possible peace with the Germans were shelved.
What was Rasputin wearing?
The details of the murder of Rasputin are set out in the memoirs of its direct participants - Felix Yusupov and the "monarchist" Vladimir Purishkevich. They almost repeat each other in detail, but for some reason they do not coincide at some points with the documents of the investigation into the murder of Rasputin. So, in the expert report of the autopsy, it is described that the elder was dressed in a blue silk shirt embroidered with golden ears of corn. Yusupov writes that Rasputin was wearing a white shirt embroidered with cornflowers.
Shot in the heart
Another controversy has to do with the nature of the gunshot wounds: Yusupov claims he shot Rasputin after he suddenly "revived" after being shot twice by Purishkevich. Allegedly, the last, fatal, shot was made in the region of the heart. However, the autopsy reports mention three wounds on the body of the deceased - in the areas of the liver, back and head. Death came after a shot in the liver.
Control shot
However, this is not even the most important thing. The fact is that, according to the existing version of the murder of Rasputin, only two people shot at him - Yusupov and Purishkevich. The first is from Browning, the second is from Sauvage. However, the hole in the victim's head does not match the caliber of these two pistols. In 2004, the BBC released the documentary Who Killed Rasputin?, based on the investigation of a certain researcher Richard Cullen. In the film, it is proved in every detail that a professional shot him in the head. The program even called the name of this man - Oswald Reiner, an officer of the British Intelligence Service, a friend of Felix Yusupov.
The last "blessing" of the elder
Grigory Rasputin was buried in the chapel of St. Seraphim under construction in Tsarskoye Selo. His killers escaped severe punishment: Yusupov went into exile to his own estate in the Kursk region, and Nicholas II sent his cousin to serve in Persia. Soon a revolution broke out, the tsar was overthrown, and Kerensky gave written permission for Felix Yusupov to return to St. Petersburg. The criminal case was dropped.
In March 1917, during the days of Great Lent, Rasputin's body was removed from the grave, transported to Petrograd, to Poklonnaya Gora, and burned there. There is an urban legend that when the coffin with the old man was set on fire, the corpse, probably under the influence of the flame, rose from the coffin and even made a gesture to the crowd. Since then, the place near Poklonnaya Gora has been considered cursed.
fatal coincidence
At various times, there were legends about the so-called curse of Rasputin, which allegedly hangs over both St. Petersburg and all of Russia. But this, of course, is the fruit of "folk mythology." By the way, all the participants in the murder, except for Purishkevich, lived, perhaps not the happiest, but a long life.
The only thing is that sometimes there were some fatal coincidences associated with Rasputin. For example, the sudden death of Bobby Farrell, a member of the band Bonny M, who performed the famous hit Rasputin. On the night of January 29, 2010, on the anniversary of Rasputin's assassination, the showman's heart stopped in a hotel room after performing at a Gazprom corporate party, which, of course, sounded the famous song about the old man. ..
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the figure Grigory Rasputin received the most publicity. Moreover, the perception of the "old man" is striking in its inconsistency. In the novel by the famous writer Valentin Pikul "Agony", we see a "fiend of hell". Rasputin marks the collapse of tsarist Russia, personifies the depravity and corruption of the top, makes appointments, gives prophetic advice on key political issues. However, times are changing, and now it is not averse to demonstrate it in a different light. From the TV screens we are presented with the image of a true saint, who lives exclusively on higher matters, thoughts about Russia. Let's try to figure out how things really were.
Grigory Rasputin did not immediately attract the attention of wide circles. He was more known as one of the characters who made their way in court circles and specialized in the church field. In this, he practically did not differ from persons of a similar plan. The only difference, perhaps, was one: Rasputin showed no interest in the monarchist "Union of the Russian People." If the same Bishop Hermogenes or monk Iliodor relentlessly denounced ministers, including P.A. Stolypin, and called them traitors to Russia and the monarchy, then Rasputin did not follow this path. As soon as he appeared in St. Petersburg, he began to shower influential officials not with curses, but with all sorts of requests for a variety of reasons (to receive someone, arrange something, allow something, etc.). The Siberian "old man" managed to establish a real conveyor of petitions and notes to all significant departments. Of course, this required a demonstration of communicative resources, based on the favor of the imperial couple for him.
It should be noted that Rasputin masterfully used every opportunity to demonstrate his own influence, and most importantly, to spread rumors about it. In the meantime, he could say that he was commanded by the highest to think about what to do with the State Duma. Or, in the presence of strangers, declare that he has now called Grand Duchess Olga- daughter NicholasII(later, however, it turned out that some strange lady actually came.) After the assassination attempt in June 1914, he complained that if it were not for this unfortunate incident, he would “postponed this war for another year.” When visiting (with another request) the governor of Kyiv, he casually pointed to his belt: “And the belt was embroidered by the mother queen herself with her own hands,” thereby plunging the official into confusion. At the entrance to the elder's apartment on Gorokhovaya Street, in a conspicuous place, there was a book with an open page, where the phones of the chief prosecutor of the Synod and other high-ranking persons flaunted. In short, Rasputin's whole way of life was subordinated to a specific goal: to extract the maximum benefit from his position. By the way, in his homeland, in the province of Tobolsk (even before he established himself in St. Petersburg), Rasputin was doing about the same thing: according to the governor, he constantly went to local officials, begged for something, sent all kinds of petitions to the capital for which the provincial administration had to unsubscribe.
The activity of Rasputin, who flaunted his closeness to the imperial family and connections in high society, could not but attract attention. Naturally, the appearance of such a character was also noticed by the opposition-minded public. His indefatigable activity gave an excellent reason to think about how matters of national importance are resolved. Therefore, when in the fall of 1915 a crisis broke out in relations between the authorities and the opposition, the latter perfectly understood what weapon it should adopt. As a result, the glory of the Siberian "righteous man" reaches its climax: simultaneously with talk about the influence of dark forces and dirty gossip about the royal family. All the key appointments of that time began to be associated with the "old man"; in the so-called ministerial leapfrog of 1915-1916, they saw evidence of the influence of a "friend" of the imperial family. Many believed that Rasputin's scribbles were as valid as the highest rescripts. Rasputin is the gravedigger of the dynasty. This opinion, which later became a textbook, captured the minds of contemporaries of those dramatic events (and later future historians).
At the same time, the worldview of the “old man” was absolutely free from political predilections. He did not favor not only liberal figures, but also right-wing organizations. In particular, he remained indifferent to the leaders of the monarchists, who asked to support this or that undertaking, and they hated him no less than the liberals. One of the police officials who “patronized” Rasputin noted: “His political views, as far as he had them at all, were quite simple ... The subtleties of the so-called high politics were far from the circle of his interests, and he could not understand at all what was the end result. Various parties, groupings in the Duma are striving for a score, which the newspapers are arguing about. In other words, he showed his sympathies or antipathies, guided not by ideological considerations, but by personal and household preferences.
Head of Police Department A.T. Vasiliev testifies: “Rasputin did not climb into the front ranks of the political arena, he was pushed there by other people who were trying to shake the foundation of the Russian throne and empire ... they spread the most ridiculous rumors that created the impression that only through the mediation of a Siberian peasant could one achieve a high position and influence.” A similar idea is expressed by the adjutant wing of the king A.A. Mordvinov: “I could not imagine that an educated, deeply cultured, historically well-read person ... what, without any doubt, the Sovereign was, could fall under the influence and be led, not only in private life, but in public administration, by some kind of illiterate man." The following remark by Mordvinov is also very curious: if not a single statesman of different years could assert his exclusive influence on Nicholas II, then what can we say about Rasputin ?!
First of all, the following circumstance attracts attention: people who actively spread the version about the power of dark forces could not rely on real facts, received, as they say, first-hand. It is well known that Nicholas II and his household led a rather secluded life; even with the families of the imperial family, they spoke infrequently, avoiding the entertainments and balls that were so usual at that time. Palace commandant V.N. Voeikov noted: all those who competently discussed the Rasputin topic did not know and could not know the ins and outs of the royal family, but stories about this were taken at face value. Rasputin really became a part of the life of the Tsar's family. As you know, this was facilitated by its beneficial effect on the heir, who suffered from a serious illness, as well as the disposition of the monarch and his wife to the representatives of the people. Nicholas II said about Rasputin: “This is just a simple Russian man, very religious and faithful. The Empress likes him for his sincerity of the people... she believes in his devotion and in the strength of his prayers for our family and Alexei... but this is our completely private matter... it's amazing how people like to interfere in everything that doesn't concern them at all. Who can he interfere with?!”
In fact, Rasputin's behavior in Tsarskoye Selo was impeccable and gave no reason to doubt his moral purity. Most likely, the "old man" did not dare to go beyond the established framework of communication with the family of Nicholas II. Another thing is that when he returned to the capital after another visit to the court, he played a completely different role - the highest adviser on key issues of state life, and most importantly, personnel policy. Sometimes through the mask of the "arbiter of fate" he broke through regret about his insignificant influence. police officer P.G. Kurlov who met with Rasputin at the doctor's Badmaeva, recalled: “I will never forget the characteristic expression that escaped Rasputin’s lips:“ sometimes you have to beg the king and queen for a whole year until you interrogate them for something. By the way, during the war, for a long time he could not get permission to arrange his own recruit son Dmitry in a safer place. In the end, Rasputin's offspring was assigned to the Empress' ambulance train, which delivered the wounded to hospitals. The only successful personnel cases that the “old man” really lobbied for include the appointment of Tobolsk governor ON THE. Ordovsky-Tanaevsky. Rasputin fussed about this official of the Perm Treasury, with whom he often stopped on his way to Tobolsk, motivating the request with the safety of his own person during his stay in his homeland (after all, it was there that an attempt was made on his life in 1914). In this case, they went to meet him.
As for the influence of Alexandra Feodorovna on her husband, it, apparently, is greatly exaggerated. One of the leaders of the opposition, Chairman of the State Duma M.V. Rodzianko, assured that after the departure of Nicholas II to the headquarters, the empress, who turned into a kind of regent, began to dispose of all affairs. However, people close to him expressed great doubts about this opinion. For example, the finance minister P.L. Barque argued that the sovereign "very rarely followed the advice of the empress, which she gave him in her letters to headquarters." The well-informed palace commandant V.N. Voeikov. In the end, the episode with the appointment of Comrade Chief Procurator of the Synod of Prince N.D. Zhevakhova, who was a creature of the queen: for a whole year she begged her husband to make this appointment. So it's not very much like controlling the emperor. And the following fact speaks eloquently about the influence of Rasputin: it is estimated that during the war the empress in her letters to her husband mentioned the name of the “old man” 228 times, while he only eight.
Let's summarize. We are not dealing with the real personality of Rasputin, but with the product of a liberal PR project designed to crush the imperial power. The “elder”, of course, could not be any arbiter of the fate of Russia due to his obvious intellectual state. At the same time, Rasputin was the organizer of fate - only not of Russia, but of his own, moreover, since he was aware of this. Therefore, the enthusiastic mythologization of his personality, certainly not devoid of natural talent, is hardly acceptable. If his natural data were at least to a small extent guided by intelligence (which was completely absent), then he understood that the relationship that had begun with the imperial couple was a very responsible matter. This should not be treated as contacts with the Tobolsk officials, squeezing what they can out of them. Alas, Rasputin was never able to realize that the style of his behavior, having come into contact with the life of the family of Nicholas II, was of detrimental significance, giving chances to the enemies of Russia, in love with which he so loved to swear.
Rasputin Grigory Efimovich was born on January 9 (21), 1869 in a simple family of peasants in the village of Pokrovskoye located in the Tyumen district. His father was the coachman Efim Rasputin, his mother's name was Anna Rasputina. As a child, Rasputin was a weak child and was often ill. He received no education and could not read or write.
In 1893 he made pilgrimages: he traveled to the holy places of Russia, was in the Middle East, on the Greek Mount Athos, then visited Jerusalem. He saw various spiritual people, monks. After visiting the Verkhotursky monastery, he became a religious person.
In 1890 he married Praskovya Feodorovna. Later they had three children: Matryona, Barbara and Dimitri. Only Matryona survived, two other children died shortly after birth.
In 1903 he moved to St. Petersburg and a year later the glory of an "old man" and a "man of God" was entrenched in him. Many considered him a saint, and some cited examples of his extreme cruelty.
In 1905, the "man of God" met Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna. They were looking for help for their son, who was sick. Rasputin soon gained the confidence of Alexandra Feodorovna, having cured the boy of hemophilia.
Meanwhile, various politicians and journalists used Rasputin's connection to Nicholas II's family to undermine the dynasty's trust and push for reform. In 1915, Rasputin was the closest adviser to Alexandra Feodorovna. Government officials tried to warn her that Rasputin's undue influence was unjustified, but she continued to defend him.
On the night of December 29, 1916, Prince Dmitry Pavlovich and F. Yusupov called Rasputin to Yusupov's house. They fed him cyanide cakes and poisoned wine. But the poison had no effect on Rasputin. Confused, the conspirators shot Rasputin, then wrapped him in a carpet and threw him into the Neva, where he was discovered three days later.
About the main years of life for grade 6
Biography of Rasputin Grigory about the main thing
As far as is known, the healer of the royal family, Grigory Efremovich Rasputin, was born in the village of Pokrovskoye on January 9 (21), 1869. His parents Anna and Efim Rasputin were simple peasants, and Grigory became the fourth child in the family and one who survived. From early childhood, due to very poor health, the seer withdrew into himself and fell into religion, which would later affect his fate. Having matured a little, Gregory almost died from an illness that seized him, but he managed to overcome the illness, as he later declared, the Mother of God saved him. From that moment on, he devotes himself entirely to the study of the Gospel, despite being illiterate, he memorizes prayers. At the same time, he awakens a gift for insight.
At the age of 18, Gregory makes his first pilgrimage, while refusing to take a monastic vow. He decides to visit sacred places, having visited Jerusalem and Mount Athos, makes many acquaintances with spiritual people.
Upon arrival in the capital in 1903, Gregory already had fame as a person with a prophetic gift. In the capital, Bishop Sergius introduces him to Archimandrite Feofan, who was the spiritual mentor of the royal family.
Rasputin meets the emperor, being already famous in society as a man of God or an Elder. Gregory makes such an impression on Nicholas II that he is ready to talk with the seer for hours and days on end, which earns him a huge influence on the royal family. He deserves special authority from the wife of the Tsar, Alexandra Feodorovna, after he helps with the treatment of young Alexei, a patient with hemophilia.
There is an opinion that for the sovereign, the man of God was not only a healer, but also the main adviser, whose opinion Nicholas II unconditionally listened to. According to statements, Gregory easily read people and could see all the insidious thoughts. In addition, Rasputin was a fierce opponent of Russia's entry into the world war, stating that this would not end well for the empire, as it would only bring suffering to the people and revolution. But this protest was not part of the plans of the conspirators in favor of the war, who finally decided to get rid of the seer by any means.
All attempts to crush Rasputin spiritually failed miserably. The king categorically refused to listen to statements about a depraved life, witchcraft, drunken antics of the Elder. Nicholas II believed Gregory and trusted him in everything, continuing to discuss with him questions about state affairs. All this led to the emergence of an “anti-Rasputin” conspiracy, the main persons of which were the princes Yusupov, Purishkevich and the great Nikolai Jr., who later became the commander-in-chief of the empire.
The first attempt to kill the healer failed miserably, he was only wounded by Guseva Khionia when Grigory was in the village of Pokrovskoye. Although the wound turned out to be severe, Gregory, being on the verge, continued to influence the king and turn him against the war, which was categorically not according to the plan of the conspirators. Therefore, the ill-wishers decided to bring the matter to completion.
On December 29, 1916, while in the palace of Prince Yusupov, Grigory Efremovich was poisoned with potassium cyanide, but the poison was sprinkled on treats, and did not produce the desired effect on the seer. Therefore, the conspirators decided to shoot him. Several shots were fired in the back of the Elder, after which he continued to fight for his life and tried to escape from the killers. Rasputin was caught up only on the Petrovsky bridge, when the healer could not move further. After a long beating, Gregory was tied up and thrown into the cold water of the Neva. They say the healer died after several hours in the cold water.
Interesting facts and dates from life
Among the many controversial personalities given to us by the Russian land was Grigory Rasputin. The practically illiterate Ural peasant gained such inexplicable fame that neither the kings nor the great ones had ...
Among the many controversial personalities given to us by the Russian land was Grigory Rasputin. The practically illiterate Ural peasant gained such inexplicable fame that neither the kings, nor the great generals, nor those in power had. Even today, disputes about his abilities, a strange death, do not subside. Who are you Grishka Rasputin? Seer or demon?
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin lived at a time when Russia was in a situation that it was necessary to rebuild something, and he was an eyewitness and protagonist of these changes. Grigory Rasputin was born on January 21 (old style - 9) January 1869 in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen district, Tobolsk province. The progenitors of Rasputin can be considered the pioneers of Siberia. It was then that they received the name Izosimov, in honor of Izosim, who left the Vologda Territory for the sake of the Urals. The two sons of Nason Izosimov became Rasputins - and then their children.
Grigory Rasputin was the fifth child in the family, although all previous children died in childhood. Gregory was named after St. Gregory of Nyssa. When describing Rasputin's childhood years, he was often described as a hero, a horseshoe bender, but in reality he grew up as a frail boy and was in poor health. On the one hand, Rasputin is described as a pious man who prayed for both people and animals. Various miraculous talents were attributed to him, in particular, he knew how to get along with livestock. On the other hand, many describe the young years of Rasputin as a series of criminal and immoral years, in which adultery and theft were present.
Grigory Efimovich met his future wife at the dances. He married like him, spoke for love. Her name is Praskovya Fedorovna Dubrovina. At first, everything in their lives went smoothly. But then the firstborn was born ... His life was cut short after a few months. There was no limit to the grief of his parents. Rasputin saw in this tragic event some kind of sign from above. He constantly prayed, his pain subsided in prayers. Soon the couple had a second child - again a boy, later two more daughters.
Those close to him made fun of him. He stopped eating meat and sweets, he heard voices, from Siberia to St. Petersburg and back, he walked, lived on alms. All his revelations called for repentance. Sometimes these predictions could coincide purely by chance (fires, loss of livestock, death of people) - and ordinary people believed that the madman was a seer. Pupils and pupils were drawn to him. This went on for approximately 10 years.
At the age of 33, Grigory decided to go to Petersburg. He was patronized by the rector of the Theological Academy, Bishop Sergius, presenting him as "God's man."
The main prophecy of the elder turned out to be the prediction of the death of our fleet at Tsushima. Most likely, all of his prophecy was a banal analysis of what was read in the newspaper, and about obsolete ships, about scattered leadership, lack of secrecy. Nicholas II was a weak-willed and superstitious person. To match himself, he chose a wife. She had confidence in mysticism, listened to the "people's elders." Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, turmoil within the state, the hemophilia of the heir completely shook their mental state. Therefore, the appearance in the royal palace of Rasputin is quite expected.
The Romanovs and Rasputin met for the first time on November 1, 1905. A poorly educated dork settled forever in the royal house, captured their spirit and heads. Over time, he was appointed the confessor of the Romanovs, after which the doors of the palace and the matrimonial chambers were always open for him. At the same time, he utters his sacred phrase: "As long as I am alive, the dynasty will live."
The increasing influence of Rasputin frightened the court. They tried to fight him legally, investigating his activities, religiously, the Synod tried to debunk his personality. Everything is useless. The phenomenon of Rasputin is still incomprehensible. In fact, he could alleviate the attacks of hemophilia of the heir, stabilize the psyche of the empress. What did he do for this? According to eyewitnesses, Rasputin was the owner of a strange look, this consisted in deep-set gray eyes, which seemed to radiate light from within and fetter the will of the royal family.
This werewolf, who settled in the palace, appointed and dismissed officials by telephone, decided the fate of Russia in the international arena, tried to go to the front, recommended the tsar to stand as commander in chief, which was known from this. Rasputin is the arbiter of destinies, whose orders could not be carried out, since non-fulfillment was equated with suicide. This man did not know how to read and write, having learned to write only some scribbles over time. And the moral character is not even worth mentioning. A string of drunks, orgies, prostitutes for the rest of your life.
The first attempt on his life took place on July 29, 1914, when the deranged Khionia Guseva rushed at the old man with a knife and wounded him in the stomach. He survived.
On the night of December 17, 1916, Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitry Romanov and Deputy Purishkevich invited Rasputin to visit the Yusupov Palace. When it was not possible to poison him with cyanide, Yusupov shoots Rasputin from a revolver in the back, but this did not kill the seer, then Purishkevich shoots Rasputin three times, the body was tied up and thrown into the Neva. The most amazing thing is that when the corpse was caught and an autopsy was performed, water was found in the lungs, that is, he drowned. Mystic. The queen was beside herself with anger, but at the request of the emperor, the participants in the conspiracy were not touched. Rasputin was buried in Tsarskoye Selo.
Soon Grishka's prophecy came true. The dynasty collapsed. They decided to exhume Rasputin's body and burn it.
Who are you, man Rasputin? Over time, Orthodox circles proposed to canonize the personality of Grishka Rasputin. The proposal was not supported. But this still did not prevent the appearance of Rasputin's religious students. The Rasputin family, except for their daughter Matryona, who went to France and then to America, was dispossessed and sent to Siberia, where their trace is lost.
