Grigory Efimovich Rasputin is an outstanding personality in history. His image is rather ambiguous and mysterious. Disputes about this man have been going on for almost a century.
The birth of Rasputin
Many still have not been able to decide who Rasputin is and what he, in fact, has become famous in the history of Russia. He was born in 1869 in the village of Pokrovsky. Official data on the date of his birth is quite contradictory. Some historians believe that Grigory Rasputin had years of life - 1864-1917. He himself did not clarify in his mature years, reporting various untruthful data about the date of his birth. Historians believe that Rasputin liked to exaggerate his age to match the image of an old man created by him.
The writer Edward Radzinsky believes that he could not have been born before January 10, 1869, since this is the day of St. Gregory, therefore the child was named.
Years of childhood and youth
Parents could not even think what awaits their child, who in childhood was very often ill. He was not particularly literate, both in early childhood and in subsequent years.
In his youth, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin was very sick. After a pilgrimage to the monastery, he turned to religion. After that, he began his journey through the holy places of Russia, visited Greece, Mount Athos, and then in Jerusalem. He met and collaborated with monks, clergy, wanderers.
Rasputin family
The biography of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin suggests that at the age of 18 he married the peasant woman Praskovya Dubrovina, who was 3 years older than him. They had 3 children. Praskovya remained to live in her native village, while Rasputin went to St. Petersburg, where he became famous.
Periodically, he visited his spouse, who was quite calm about his lifestyle. Praskovya remained faithful to her husband until the end of her life.
Prayers and Bribery
The life of Grigory Rasputin was full of various events. He fought for social justice. In 1914, he opposed the war, and also fought for the same rights for absolutely everyone, including Jews, which at that time was not quite popular, supported the poor and condemned the death penalty. There are several cases where Rasputin defended against the persecution of Jews.
However, Rasputin was able to profit from everything, even from his own convictions. For example, if a person requested that his son not be sent to the army, then this service cost 200 rubles, which at that time was considered a lot of money.
Indecent behavior
Who is Rasputin and what was he really like? Disputes on this issue continue to this day. Many historians have come to the conclusion that Rasputin had no sexual relationship with the queen.
Rasputin once boasted in a restaurant where there were a lot of people that he had a strong influence on the tsar and the queen and even slept with Alexandra. People sitting at neighboring tables became interested in his personality. In response, he simply got up, lowered his pants, exposing his 30 cm genital organ. For those present, this evidence was more than enough.
When these rumors reached the tsarina, she refused to believe them and said that they were tricks of an impostor who pretends to be Rasputin.
Advisor to Nicholas II
The uncle of Tsar Nicholas II, Grand Duke Nikolai, was an opponent of Rasputin and resented his boundless influence on the queen. Tsar Nikolai was not a strong and strong-willed person, therefore he often succumbed to influence from his wife.
The fight went so far that Prince Nikolai threatened to hang Rasputin. That is why in 1915, Grigory Efimovich advised the tsar to remove the prince, who at that time was the commander in chief of the Russian army. Rasputin used his position and the glory of a holy man, predicted that Russia would not emerge victorious from the war, until the emperor himself led the troops. However, Nicholas II was not ready for this.
After a while, Nicholas II led the army, leaving the tsarina to rule the state, effectively transferring the reins of government to Grigory Efimovich. This was a rash decision, since it was military failure and problems in the economic sphere that led to the Bolshevik uprising in Russia.
Success in women
Who is Rasputin really? This question excites the minds of many historians and ordinary people, since this person is still a mystery. In addition, its effect on women remains a mystery. He is considered indefatigable womanizer, and there were even rumors about his intimate relationship with the queen, which is unlikely, given her hypocrisy. The tsarina even ordered the bath to be covered when she did not take it, so as not to embarrass anyone.
Tsarina Alexandra was probably the only aristocrat in Petersburg who did not conquer Rasputin’s extraordinary sexual charisma. He had many fans who literally in crowds gathered in front of his house and waited for Rasputin to come out to them. Sometimes it was necessary to wait even for several days to see this charismatic personality and to present the gifts brought. He invited selected fans to his office for a private conversation.
Rasputin had his own, rather unusual interpretation of sin and atonement. He claimed that sin brings a person closer to the Lord, and believed that the best way to be saved is to commit rather unseemly acts daily.
As can be seen in the photo, Grigory Rasputin was not such an attractive man, but this was not an obstacle to his intense sex life. He did not particularly monitor his appearance, there were many crumbs in his long beard after eating, he washed very rarely, he smelled bad, and his teeth resembled black stumps.
Grigory Rasputin often liked to attend a bath with women. After the sweating room, he was zealously whipped with brooms, and after that he went to church and repented of his sins. In addition to sexual pleasures, alcohol was another passion of the “elder”. He could drink a few bottles of wine in the evening, while remaining sober.
Hypnotic abilities
Back in 1901, one of the priests accused Rasputin of belonging to one of the sects. However, there was no evidence for this accusation, and Grigory Efimovich himself denied this. Over time, he began to organize spiritualistic sessions in St. Petersburg . Many attributed incredible hypnotic power to him and claimed that it could cause the pupils to expand in a person. He knew how to immediately recognize people. His heavy hypnotic look subjugated many. Prince Yusupov lost consciousness during his first meeting with Rasputin. And the women were just crazy about his piercing gaze.
In addition, many attributed such a strong influence on the royal family precisely to the presence of hypnotic abilities. Rumors about Rasputin's healing abilities have been spreading since his youth, but even his parents did not believe in it. My father believed that he became a pilgrim only because he was very lazy.
The attempt on Rasputin
There were several attempts on the life of Grigory Rasputin. In 1914, he was stabbed in the stomach and severely wounded by Khioniy Gusev, who had come from Tsaritsyn. At that time, she was influenced by Hieromonk Iliodor, who was an opponent of Rasputin, since he saw in him his main rival. Gusev was placed in a psychiatric hospital, having considered it insane, and after a while she was released.
Iliodor himself repeatedly chased Rasputin with an ax, threatening to kill him, and also for this purpose prepared 120 bombs. In addition, there were also several more attempts on the "holy elder", but all of them were unsuccessful.
Prophesy of own death
Rasputin had an amazing gift of providence, so he not only predicted his own death, but also the death of the royal family, and many other events. The confessor of the empress, Bishop Feofan recalled that Rasputin was once asked what the outcome of the meeting with the Japanese would be. He replied that the squadron of Admiral Rozhdestvensky would drown, which happened in the battle of Tsushima.
Once, being with the imperial family in Tsarskoye Selo, Rasputin did not allow them to dine in the dining room, saying that a chandelier could fall. They obeyed him, and literally after 2 days the chandelier really fell.
They say that he left behind another 11 prophecies that are gradually coming true. He predicted his own death. Shortly before the assassination, Rasputin wrote a will with terrible prophecies. He said that if he was killed by peasants or hired killers, then the imperial family was not in danger and the Romanovs would remain in power for many years. But if he was killed by nobles and boyars, this would bring destruction to the Romanov’s house, and in Russia the nobility would not be another 25 years.
The story of the murder of Rasputin
Many are interested in who Rasputin is and what he is famous for in history. In addition, his death was unusual and surprising. A group of conspirators was from wealthy families, under the leadership of Prince Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich decided to put an end to the unlimited power of Rasputin.
In December 1916, they lured him to a late dinner, where they tried to poison him by mixing potassium cyanide into cakes and wine. However, potassium cyanide did not work. Yusupov was tired of waiting and shot Rasputin in the back, but the shot only irritated the old man, and he rushed at the prince, trying to strangle him. His friends came to the rescue of Yusupov, who shot several times at Rasputin and beat him severely. After that, they tied his hands, wrapped in cloth and threw into the hole.
According to some reports, Rasputin fell into the water while still alive, but could not get out, was cold and choked, from which he died. However, there are records that he received mortal wounds during his lifetime and fell into the Neva’s water already dead.
The information about the murder of Rasputin, as well as the testimonies of his killers, are quite contradictory, therefore it is not known exactly how this happened.
Interesting Biography Facts
The series "Grigory Rasputin" is not entirely true, as in the film he was made a tall and powerful man, although, in fact, he was short and painful in his youth. According to historical facts, he was a pale, puny man with an exhausted look and sunken eyes. This is confirmed by the records of police documents.
There are quite contradictory and interesting facts about the biography of Grigory Rasputin, according to which he did not have any extraordinary abilities. Rasputin is the fake surname of an old man, this is only his pseudonym. The real name is Vilkin. Many believed that he was a womanizer, constantly changing women, but contemporaries noted that Rasputin sincerely loved his wife and constantly remembered her.
There is an opinion that the "holy elder" was fabulously rich. Since he had influence at court, he was often asked for a great reward. Rasputin spent part of the money on himself, since he built a 2-storey house in his native village and acquired an expensive fur coat. He spent most of the money on charity, built churches. After his death, the security services checked the accounts, but found no money for them.
Many said that Rasputin was actually the ruler of Russia, but this is absolutely not the case, because Nicholas II had his own opinion on everything, and the elder was only allowed to advise sometimes. These and many other interesting facts about Grigory Rasputin say that he was completely not what he was considered.