Grigori Rasputin is one of the most mysterious and disputed figures in modern
history. Born in 1869 in Siberia, when he was 28 he became influenced by an unusual
religious sect that taught that to attain salvation, one had to sin, so he sinned often by
getting drunk and indulging in orgies. He called himself a holy man and soon became
known for his powers to heal the sick and predict the future. People travelled long
distances, bringing him gifts to experience his healing powers. In 1903, he went St
Petersburg where his mysterious powers became legendary. People also claimed that
he could exert an inexplicable influence over others and that his eyes changed colour.
The Tsar and Tsarina’s son and heir to the throne, Alexei, was a haemophiliac,
which meant that his blood did not clot, so if he cut himself he could bleed to death.
The royal couple kept Alexei’s illness a secret, fearing that if it was known he would
never become Tsar. After trying all they could, they realized that no doctors could
cure their son and they invited Rasputin to court. Alexei was ill at the time and
Rasputin apparently used hypnosis to save his life. From then on, the Tsarina kept him
close by her. Unaware of Alexei’s illness, the Russian people became suspicious of
Alexandra’s involvement with Rasputin. Rumours spread of his hypnotic control over
the royal couple, it was also alleged that he was having an affair with the Tsarina and
that he continued to conduct orgies at the palace.
Meanwhile, in 1906, Nicholas appointed a new Prime Minister; Peter
Stolypin. There was unrest and widespread discontent among the people. Throughout
Russia, police and public officials were being murdered. Stolypin introduced new
industrial and agricultural reforms to improve lives and a new court system so
criminals were arrested and put on trial speedily. Stolypin also frequently warned
Nicholas neither to trust Rasputin nor to allow him to spend much time at the palace,
so Alexandra hated him. Stolypin brought Nicholas written proof of Rasputin’s wild
antics, but the Tsar ignored him, not wanting to deprive his wife of the one person she
believed could save her son’s life. In the presence of the royal family, Rasputin was
merely a humble and holy man. Outside court, however, he had many mistresses.
When accounts of his conduct reached the royal couple, they refused to believe that
he was anything other than a holy man. In 1911, after Stolypin sent the Tsar a report
on Rasputin’s behaviour outside the palace, Nicholas expelled Rasputin. Before he
left, Rasputin allegedly prophesied Stolypin’s death and in 1911, Stolypin was
assassinated. In October 1912, Alexei fell and hit himself. Bruised and bleeding,
doctors could do nothing and Alexandra spent ten days without sleep at his bedside.
In desperation, she sent a telegram to Rasputin. He replied: ‘God has seen your tears.
Do not grieve. The Little One will not die.’ Within hours of receiving this telegram,
the bleeding subsided and Alexei began to recover. Rasputin was once more
established as a favourite of the Imperial family, Nicholas ignored further allegations
of his bad behaviour and rumours quickly spread that he had put the entire royal
family under a spell. In December 1916, a group of aristocrats, including the Grand
Duke Dmitri Pavlovich (the Tsar’s cousin), decided that Rasputin’s influence was too
great and that he had to be killed in order to save the monarchy and Russia. They
lured him to the Yusupov Palace by saying that Prince Felix Yusupov (husband of the
Tsar’s niece) would introduce Rasputin to his beautiful wife. While waiting for her to
appear, the men gave Rasputin poisoned cakes and wine. He ate some cakes, then
complained of a dry throat and drank the wine. At this point, he had taken enough
potassium cyanide to kill six men, but all that happened was that he said he felt a
burning sensation in his stomach and appeared sleepy for a few moments, then
suddenly became alert and asked the prince to sing for him. So Yusupov took a pistol
and shot him in the chest. Rasputin fell to the floor. Two men checked the body and
agreed he was dead. A short time later, Yusupov bent over to look at the lifeless
corpse. Rasputin sat up and grabbed at him. Yusupov struggled free and ran out of the
door, with Rasputin staggering after him. In the courtyard, the other two men,
Purishkevich and Pavlovich, were about to leave the palace. Purishkevich shot
Rasputin a second time, but he still lived. So they bound his body and threw it into the
Neva River. When his body was found the next day, his ties were broken and his
lungs were filled with water, showing that he didn’t actually die until he was
submerged in the frozen waters.