Grigori Rasputin: The Mad Monk of Russia

Grigori Rasputin, also known as 'The Mad Monk', is an extremely mysterious figure in Russian history of which very little is known. He very quickly went from being a wandering peasant to being extremely close to the Russian royal family. Due to the political climate of World War One Russia, rumours became rife about Rasputin and his outrageous behaviour. These rumours portrayed Rasputin as a devil worshipping drunkard and sexual deviant; a seriously harmful figure to be so closely connected to the Tsar. Other rumours around Rasputin portray him as a psychic and faith healer; both are things he himself claimed to be, and he even gained a small following from this. Even his death is surrounded in mystery due to his killers claiming the man to have been nearly unkillable.

History

Grigori Rasputin was born as Grigori Yefimovich Novykh, to his parents Yefim and Anna, on the 22nd of January 1869. In the Russian Julian Calender, this date is the 10th of January 1869. He was born in Pokrovskoye (possible spelling of Pokrovskoe), which was near to Tyumen, Siberia, within the Russian Empire. Very little is known about Rasputin's early life, although it is thought he was a troublesome boy who was prone to fighting and even spent some days in prison due to his violent tendencies. However, these claims were written after the fact by people who likely didn't know him as a child. He did attend school, but he remained illiterate.

It is thought that Grigori's unruly behaviour earned him a particular reputation, and with that reputation came his last name 'Rasputin' which is said to mean 'debauched one' in Russian. I have found, however, that the name 'Rasputin' in fact means 'where two rivers join'; a reference to his home town. It could be the case that the potentially false meaning of his last name was a result of the many rumours which would be circulated by the Russian media during his later life.

At the age of eighteen Rasputin underwent a religious conversion, and at the age of nineteen he married Proskovya Fyodorovna Dubrovina. His wife gave him a number of children, and I've found conflicting numbers with how many. Some sources say she gave him four children, and others say seven. I've also found that only three of Rasputin's children survived into adulthood. During 1897 Rasputin visited the St. Nicholas monastery in Verkhoture. Why Rasputin left his home has been another topic of speculation with some saying he was escaping punishment for stealing a horse, and with others saying it was due to him receiving a vision from God. Some have even speculated that him leaving home was due to an identity crisis. Regardless of the reason why Rasputin left his home, it sent him on a path that would make him one of the most well known and influential figures in Russian history.

It is thought that while Rasputin was at the monastery, he was introduced to the Khlysty sect, and as a result gained the perverted belief that one was nearest to God when feeling 'holy passionlessness' and that to achieve this state, frequent sexual exhaustion was required. This belief is what led to Rasputin's reputation of being extremely flirtatious and sexually driven. Rasputin, despite his nickname of 'The Mad Monk', did not become a monk. He went on a number of pilgrimages from the age of twenty-eight years old, and even reached as far as Greece. He also is said to have visited Mount Athos and Jerusalem, all while living from donations.

While Rasputin travelled, he gained a reputation as being a 'Starets' which was a self-proclaimed holy man. He also said that he had the ability to heal the sick and predict the future. Through his travelling and supposed mystical abilities, Rasputin is said to have gained a small following and even preached and taught in the small towns he passed through. He was a powerful personality who could easily make people feel safe and at ease. Apparently, he also claimed that physical contact with his body had a purifying and healing effect, something that followed through on his beliefs regarding holy passionlessness. It's also said that he would dip his fingers into jam so that women could lick them clean.

During 1903, Rasputin's wanderings led him to reach St. Petersburg at the age of thirty-four years old. Rasputin was welcomed by Theophan, who was the inspector of the religious academy of St. Petersburg, and by Hermogen, who was the Bishop of Saratov. During this time period, the court circles entertained themselves by means of the mystical and occult. As a result, the Russian Court welcomed Rasputin; an untidy wanderer with brilliant eyes and alledged extraordinary powers of healing.

Rasputin's Royal Involvement

Rasputin's reputation as a faith healer is what led to him being introduced to the Russian royal family in 1905. The son of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra, Aleksey (possible spelling of Alexei) Nikolayevich, suffered from hemophilia which is a condition where the blood is unable to properly clot. It was possibly a lady-in-waiting, Anna Vryubuva, that recommended Rasputin to the Tsarina in 1904 by saying that prayers may help the Tsarina's son; however Anna has since denied this.

Even though Rasputin was investigated by the church in 1907 for having connections to the Khlysty sect, he was still very close to the royal family. During 1908, Rasputin was summoned to the Palace during one of Aleksey's bleeding episodes and he succeeded in easing the child's suffering. When Rasputin was leaving the palace, it's said that he warned the Tsar and Tsarina that the destiny of the child and of the Russian Dynasty were linked to him. This caused the royals to keep Rasputin around so that their son and family would be safe.

Media campaigns against Rasputin began in 1910 and were ran by the Moscow Gazette. Many rumours were spread from these campaigns, and the Tsar believed none of them as he thought Rasputin to be nothing but a holy man. While Rasputin was with the royal family, he kept the image of a humble and holy peasant; but it's said that, while away from the royals, he was a drunk who acquired many mistresses and attempted to seduce many other women. It's said that anyone who accused Rasputin of misbehaviour were transferred to remote regions of the Russian Empire, or removed from their positions of influence.

By 1911, Rasputin's behaviour had become a scandal; and after the Prime Minister, P. A. Stolypin, sent a report to the Tsar about Rasputin's behaviour, the Tsar expelled Rasputin. The Tsarina, Alexandra, disputed this action and had Rasputin returned in a few months. Tsar Nicholas II didn't want to anger his wife or endanger his son, and so ignored any further accusations against Rasputin. It was during the spring of 1911 that Rasputin travelled to the Holy Land, but I'm unsure if this had any connection to his expulsion.

During the October of 1912, Aleksey suffered so much from hemophilia that he nearly died. Rasputin advised the royal family to not let the doctors bother the boy too much, and miraculously the boy became much better. There are a number of thoughts as to how Rasputin seemed to display this amazing power of healing when it came to Aleksey's hemophilia; but the main ones are that he either used hypnosis on the boy to slow his heart rate and blood flow, or the recommendation of keeping the doctors away led to Aleksey no longer taking Aspirin which is a blood thinner.

Alaxandra had requested Rasputin to become a close advisor to the family, and so Rasputin had daily access to the family. He was even appointed as the Lampadnik, translated as lamplighter, which meant he was allowed to light the candles in the royal cathedral. It's also said that Rasputin paraded around the capital showing off various silks and other textiles which had been embroidered for him by the Royal family.

It is said that Rasputin's closeness to the Tsar and Tsarina led to him influencing certain political decisions, however his role in the court was apparently limited to religious practices and assisting with the children. Apparently though, during 1915, he reach the pinnacle of his power within the Russian Court. Due to World War One, Tsar Nicholas II took personal command of his forces during the September of 1915, and so went to the troops on the front line. This action left Tsarina Alexandra in charge of Russia's internal affairs with Rasputin serving as her personal advisor.

Rasputin's influence is said to have included appointing church officials, selecting cabinet members, and occasionally intervening in military matters. He didn't support any particular political group, but quickly acted against anyone who opposed himself or the autocracy. Apparently Rasputin even played a role in getting the foreign minister 'Monsieur De Sazonow' fired and the minister Samarin dismissed. The dismissal of this minister was an unpopular event, and I'm sure it only spurred the rumours on further. It's even said that Rasputin had an affair with the Tsarina, something which the Russian media played on with certain imagery.

A memo from Lord Bertie discusses how Prince Orlof tried explaining the danger of the royal family having connections to such a man as Rasputin, and even describes how Rasputin would boast about being the lover of the Tsarina. Apparently this memo also goes on to say after Orlof had this discussion with the Tsar, the Tsar refused to see Orlof again. It's safe to say that a great many people hated Rasputin by this point, and he was viewed as a conman, a drunk, and a sexual deviant. There were even rumours of Rasputin conspiring with Germany during World War One to create a cholera epidemic in St Petersburg through the use of poisoned apples. It was also speculated on Rasputing not only having sexual relations with the Tsar's wife, but also with the Tsar's young daughters.

On the 29th of June 1914, Rasputin was stabbed by a thirty-three year old woman by the name of either Khioniya, or Chionya, Guseva. The stabbing occured outside of Rasputin's house in Pokrovskoe while he was on the way to the post office. The woman was said to be a follower of Lliodor, the leader of a powerful religious sect in St. Petersburg. Lliodor had denounced Rasputin as an antichrist and tried to seperate the man from the Tsar. Rasputing escaped from the woman, but had to spend several weeks healing from what was a severe wound. He did return to full health. Lliodor was never officially accused of being behind the attack, however he did leave St. Petersburg before the police could question him. The woman who did the stabbing was seemed as insane.

The Death of Rasputin

Eventually the people grew so appalled by Rasputin that a conspiracy to assassinate Rasputin was formed by some extreme conservatives. These conservatives were: Prince Felix (possible spelling of Feliks) Yusupov (possible spellings of Yussupov or Youssupov), who was the husband of the Tsar's niece, Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich, who was a member of the Duma, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, who was the Tsar's cousin, Lieutenant Serge Sukhotin, and Doctor Stanislaus Lazovert.

On the night running between the 29th and 30th of December 1916, or the 16th and 17th according to the Russian calander, Rasputin was invited to Yusupov's residence: Moika Palace. According to the account of Felix, Rasputin was driven to the palace. It is possible though that he was lured there. Apparently Rasputin went to the cellar with Yusupov, and once here ate cakes, and drank Madeira wine which were laced with cyanide. At roughly 2:30am, Yusupov panicked about the poison seemingly having no effect on Rasputin; who alledgedly said he had started feeling a little ill but that it wasn't something more wine couldn't fix.

Yusupov ran upstairs and told the fellow conspirators about Rasputin still being alive. He then grabbed a gun, went back to the cellar, and shot Rasputin in the side. Everyone thought this shot killed Rasputin; so Pavlovich, Sukhotin, and Lazovert drove to Rasputin's house. Sukhotin dressed in Rasputin's overcoat and hat to make it seem like the man had returned home from the palace. Both Purishkevich and Yusupov stayed at the palace.

According to Yusupov; when he went back to the cellar, Rasputin opened his eyes, screamed, jumped to his feet, and began to attack Yusupov. In each retelling Yusupov has done of this story, he has made Rasputin seem more superhuman and demonic. A man by the name of Douglas Smith has argued this could be due to Yusupov's guilt over killing an unarmed man. Apparently Yusupov escaped from Rasputin, and Rasputin escaped the palace through a side door which led into the courtyard. He is said to have done this while crawling and screaming like a 'wounded animal'. According to Purishkevich, Purishkevich shot Rasputin four times. The first two missed, the third went into Rasputin's back, and the fourth into the man's head.

Other people, such as the Tsar's eldest daughter Olga, have argued that Dmitry was the one to fire the fatal shot to to him being a professional soldier. The conspirators then tied up Rasputin's body with ropes, wrapped it in blue fabric, put it in the car, and then drove to Petrovski Bridge. Rasputin's body was then dropped into a hole in the ice of the River Neva. Rasputin's daughter has claimed he was still alive when thrown into the water, and his daughter called Maria has disputed the poisoning by saying Rasputin didn't like sweets and so would never have eaten a platter of cakes. Some people believe that Rasputin did die through drowning, however the autopsy says that he was shot to death and that no traces of poison were found in his system.

Rumours immediately started to be spread about Rasputin's murder, and so the Minister of the Interior Protopopov began an investigation into the disappearance, and then murder. The investigation was run by General Pyotr Popov and, during the afternoon of the 30th of December, a brown boot was retrieved from the river and blood was seen on the bridge railings. The river police were then called to the scene and Rasputin's body was retrieved from the river on the 1st of January, or the 19th of December from the Russian calander.

The autopsy occured at roughly 10pm on the 1st of January, and was was conducted by Doctor Dmitry Kosorotov. The autopsy found that Rasputin had been shot three times; one in the left side of his chest, one in his back, and the fatal shot was in his forehead. As mentioned earlier, there were no traces of poison in his body, and his lungs had no water in them which confirms he didn't die by drowning. Regarding the poisoning, Lazovert later said his conscience caused him to put a harmless substance on the cakes instead of the powdered cyanide. It's also been speculated that if cyanide was used, then they could have used cyanide which had aged to the point of being harmless, or that the sugar of the cakes nullified the effects of the cyanide, or that Rasputin had a condition which caused him to have less stomach acid and so the cyanide wasn't as effective.

Many Russians, Swedes, and Germans, believed that the British Secret Service were involved in the murder of Rasputin. The murder for British involvement was the rumours about Rasputin not agreeing with the war and wanting to broker a peace between Russia and Germany. It was thought that if Russia was to leave the war, then Germany could direct it's attention to Britain and would likely win the war. Andrew Cook's 'To Kill Rasputin' says the agent who likely would have been involved, and likely would have fired the fatal shot, was Oswald Rayner. The logic here was that Rayner was a close friend of Yusupov from his time at Oxford University. Apprently the Tsar even suspected British involvement as he said to the British Ambassador George Buchanan that he'd heard British agents were involved. The ambassador strongly denied any British involvement. Buchanan had heard of a plot to assassinate Rasputin roughly a week before it happened, but there is no evidence that the British were involved.

The conspirators against Rasputin were proud to have killed Rasputin and many Russians believed them to be patriotic heroes. At the time of Rasputin's death, he had become a symbol of the corruption a the heart of imperial rule, and this helped the Russian Revolution come into motion during 1917. The murder hadn't led to any change in the Tsar's politics and strengthened Alexandra's resolve to uphold the principle of autocracy. This all significantly helped in overthrowing the Russian monarchy.

The killers of Rasputin weren't really punished either. Yusupov was banished to a distant family estate, and then moved to America, and Dmitry was exiled to Persia, but the others recieved no punishment. Yusupov even cashed in on the murder by writing memoirs about it. In one of his memoirs, published in 1928, regarding Rasputin's death he wrote: 'This devil who was dying of poison, who had a bullet in his heart, must have been raised from the dead by the powers of evil. There was something appalling and monstrous in his diabolical refusal to die.' Prince Felix Yusupov's memoirs are the most famous, and it's clear in the quoted statement that he seemed to think he was saving Russia from Rasputin's influence.

Seemingly backing up Rasputin's claims of being psychic and being able to predict the future, he apparently wrote the following before his death: 'When the bell tolls three times, it will announce that I have been killed. If I am killed by common men, you and your children will rule Russia for centuries to come; if I am killed by one of your stock, you and your family will be killed by the Russian people! Pray Tsar of Russia. Pray.' Rasputin alledgedly sent that to Tsar Nicholas II, and it seemingly came true. Following Rasputin's death, which was done by people close to the Tsar, not only was the monarchy abolished, but the Tsar and his family were all killed shortly after.

A final detail about Rasputin, which I really wasn't expecting to be writing about, revolves around his penis. Stories say that Rasputin was castrated and dismembered after the murder as a punishment for his debauchery and sin. This myth has led people to claim they own Rasputin's penis, and they say that looking at it helps to cure impotency problems. As far as historians know, Rasputin's genitals remained intact after his death and probably stayed that way. These rumours likely exist from people trying to make money in a really bizarre and humorous way.

My Thoughts

Writing this post reminded me of Aleister Crowley, another figure I've written about on this website. Rasputin didn't delve as much into the occult as Crowley did, but both seem victims of the media. Of course, I've never met these people and so can only judge them based on what I've found online, but it seems to me like in the case of Rasputin the political climate shaped him into a scapegoat and excuse to abolish the monarchy. The Tsar's son having hemophilia was kept a secret from the Russian people, so from their perspective an unkempt wanderer who had appeared out of nowhere become very close to the royal family. This led to speculation which the Tsar, for the most part, seemed to just ignore. It makes me think that imaginations ran wild, and due to the mindset of time was to view the monarchy as bad, then Rasputin naturally became seen as an antichrist-type figure.

Very little seems to be known for sure about Rasputin and how he actually did behave in life. He had a wife and many children, all of which seemed to remain loyal to him through his life. The only certainties regarding the life and death of Rasputin seems to be that he travelled, he helped the Tsar's son, and he died from being shot. The rest is all in doubt due to media campaigns against him; and memoirs from the murders which seem to contradict not only one another, but the autopsy too.

Now, do I think that Rasputin genuinely had healing powers and was genuinely psychic? Ish. I think he was a good healer, but healed through natural methods. I think he likely could have learnt relaxation techniques on his travels, and so could have learnt about the impact of relaxation on blood flow. I also think he would have picked up bits and pieces about medical knowledge on his travels. Regarding him being psychic, I think he was likely stating the obvious within mystical wording. As far as he knew, he had been the only one to really help the Tsar's son, and so to say the health of his son relied on him was stating the obvious. Also, he could have assumed that to be killed by people in close connection to the royal family would lead to the downfall of the monarchy given the political climate of the time. It was as prophecies tend to be; quite vague along with stating the obvious.

I do find it quite amazing though that Rasputin went from being an illiterate peasant, wandering about aimlessly, to becoming close with the most powerful people in Russia. I think it goes to show just how powerful taking advantage of certain opportunities can be, and it shows how influential and potentially dangerous conmen can become.

Thank you for reading to the end of this article! Rasputin was someone I decided to write about because of all the mystical rumours surrounding him. He also fits in surprisingly well with the posts I've been doing lately regarding skeptics and psychics. It also really goes to show that you can't always believe what you read in the news as everything tends to have some sort of agenda behind it; a message I feel is growing increasingly important in present times.

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