Grigory Efimovich Rasputin is an outstanding personality in history. His image is quite ambiguous and mysterious. Disputes about this man have been going on for almost a century.

Birth of Rasputin

Many still have not been able to decide who Rasputin is and what he actually became famous for in the history of Russia. He was born in 1869 in the village of Pokrovsky. Official data on the date of his birth are quite contradictory. Some historians believe that Grigory Rasputin has years of life - 1864-1917. In his mature years, he himself did not clarify, reporting various false data about the date of his birth. Historians believe that Rasputin liked to exaggerate his age in order to match the image of an old man he created.

In addition, many explained such a strong influence on the royal family precisely by the presence of hypnotic abilities. Rumors about the healing abilities of Rasputin have been spreading since his youth, but even his parents did not believe in it. The father believed that he became a pilgrim only because he was very lazy.

Assassination attempt on Rasputin

There were several attempts on the life of Grigory Rasputin. In 1914, he was stabbed in the stomach and seriously wounded by Khioniya Guseva, who came from Tsaritsyn. At that time, she was under the influence of Hieromonk Iliodor, who was an opponent of Rasputin, since he saw him as his main competitor. Guseva was placed in a psychiatric hospital, considering her mentally ill, and after a while she was released.

Iliodor himself more than once chased Rasputin with an ax, threatening to kill him, and also prepared 120 bombs for this purpose. In addition, there were also several more attempts on the "holy elder", but they were all unsuccessful.

Predicting one's 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 Admiral Rozhdestvensky's squadron would sink, which happened in the battle of Tsushima.

Once, being with the imperial family in Tsarskoe Selo, Rasputin did not allow them to dine in the dining room, saying that the chandelier might fall. They obeyed him, and literally after 2 days the chandelier really fell.

They say that he left behind 11 more prophecies, which are gradually coming true. He also predicted his own death. Shortly before the murder, Rasputin wrote a will with terrible prophecies. He said that if peasants or hired killers kill him, then nothing threatens the imperial family and the Romanovs will remain in power for many years. And if the nobles and boyars kill him, then this will bring death to the Romanov dynasty and there will be no nobility in Russia for another 25 years.

The story of the assassination 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 were from wealthy families, under the leadership of Prince Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, they 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 slipping cyanide into his cakes and wine. However, potassium cyanide did not work. Yusupov was tired of waiting and shot Rasputin in the back, but the shot only angered the old man more, and he rushed at the prince, trying to strangle him. Yusupov was helped by his friends, who fired several more shots at Rasputin and beat him severely. After that, they tied his hands, wrapped him in cloth and threw him into the hole.

According to some reports, Rasputin fell into the water while still alive, but could not get out, became cold and choked, from which he died. However, there are records that he received mortal wounds during his lifetime and was already dead in the water of the Neva.

Information about, as well as the testimony of his killers, is quite contradictory, so it is not known exactly how this happened.

The series "Grigory Rasputin" is not entirely true, since in the film he was made a tall and powerful man, although, in fact, he was short and sickly in his youth. According to historical facts, he was a pale, frail man with a haggard look and sunken eyes. This is confirmed by the records of police documents.

There are quite contradictory and interesting facts of the biography of Grigory Rasputin, according to which he did not have any outstanding abilities. Rasputin is not the real surname of the elder, it is only his pseudonym. The real name is Wilkin. 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 old man" was fabulously rich. Since he had influence at court, he was often approached with requests for a large reward. Rasputin spent part of the money on himself, as he built a 2-storey house in his native village and bought an expensive fur coat. He spent most of the money on charity, built churches. After his death, the special services checked the accounts, but they did not find any money on them.

Many said that Rasputin was actually the ruler of Russia, but this is absolutely not true, because Nicholas II had his own opinion on everything, and the elder was only allowed to occasionally advise. These and many other interesting facts about Grigory Rasputin say that he was completely different from what he was considered to be.

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 problems. 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 Kiev, 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 old man'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 take into service. 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." Mordvinov's remark 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 his style of 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.

143 years ago, Grigory Rasputin was born, whom some considered a saint, while others considered the devil in the flesh. A Siberian elder, a 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, it is very difficult to imagine what Grigory Rasputin really was ...

Russian history is rich in heroes and anti-heroes, people who, during their lifetime, divided society into their admirers and fierce haters. Among them, undoubtedly, is Grigory Rasputin. Some considered him an old man worthy of canonization, while others considered him the devil in the flesh. He was born on January 10, 1869 on the day of St. Gregory in the village of Pokrovsky, Tobolsk province, in the family of Efim and Anna Rasputin.

Many books have been written about him, both collected bit by bit of historical documents, and frankly fictional. Among the first writers who turned to the image of Grigory Rasputin was Alexei Tolstoy, who, in 1924, having barely returned after emigration to Soviet Russia, co-authored with the historian Pavel Shchegolev, published part of the play The Empress' Conspiracy.

This fact is interesting because the historian Shchegolev since March 1917 was a member of the Extraordinary Investigative Commission established by the Provisional Government, whose main task was to investigate the crimes of the former tsarist administration. Thanks to this, Shchegolev had access to the archives of the tsarist secret police and took part in investigative cases against the last ministers of the interior, Zolotarev and Protopopov, and the director of the police department, Beletsky.

He also witnessed the interrogation of the maid of honor Vyrubova, the very one whose diary, published in 1923 in Paris, shed water on the decision-making mechanism in the tsarist empire.

According to the authors of the play, Vyrubova, in fact, retold and filled with specifics some of the rumors already known to society. First of all, that at the court there was a certain center of like-minded people, headed by the empress and Rasputin, who promoted his people to ministerial posts and in the church hierarchy and interfered in state affairs, including military ones.

In particular, the maid of honor told the story of the banker Dmitry Rubinstein, who, using the cover of Rasputin, supplied Russian bread to Germany through third countries during the most difficult battles between our troops and the Germans. In addition, "Mitka", as Rasputin affectionately called him, provided financial services for the sale of Russian interest-bearing securities located in Germany.

It is known that the Germans, due to the British naval blockade, were in dire need of food and money. When the affairs of the financier became known, Rubinstein was “dismissed”, and instead of the gallows, he returned to his multi-room apartments, with marble bathrooms and numerous paintings worthy of the best museums in the world.

Meanwhile, the situation on the fronts worsened day by day, despite the successful start of the military campaign. Fighting on two fronts, the coalition of Germany and Austria-Hungary, in alliance with Bulgaria, managed to drive the Russian troops out of Galicia and Poland, largely thanks to the urgent advice of Empress Nicholas II to stretch the front.
German artillery literally "grind" the Russian infantry.

Of the 15 million mobilized Russian soldiers, about 2 million died, almost 4 million were wounded and maimed, 3 million were captured. As a result of bloody battles, the monarchy lost its military support - the guards. It was no better in the rear, in 1915-1916 there was practically no bread left on the free market, in many areas the military began to requisition. That is, the war touched almost everyone.

That is why the news about the life of Rasputin, including in terms of influence on the royal family, had a demoralizing effect on Russian society and the army. Rumors about a “bad apartment” in the house at 64 Gorokhovaya in St. Petersburg, in which Rasputin arranged orgies, about his vicious ties with Empress Alexandra, about the cowardice of Tsar Nicholas II, were not refuted in any way.

On the contrary, people clearly saw the causal relationship of many events, just confirming these rumors. Stolypin, who in 1910 personally gave the order for external surveillance of Rasputin, was killed a year later by Dmitry (Mordechai) Gershkovich-Bogrov.

Earlier, in 1907, a great public outcry was caused by the Tobolsk consistory against Rasputin, the case of “Khlysty”. In January 1912, it grew into the conclusion of the same Tobolsk spiritual consistory, in which Grishka was called "a Christian, a spiritually minded person who seeks the truth of Christ."

This happened after Bishop Alexy, close to the Empress, replaced for a year and a half, that is, for the duration of the investigation, Bishop Anthony of Tobolsk, who accused Grigory Efimovich of a false approach to Christianity.
There are many such examples, and all of them caused the most real despondency and disgust in Russian society.

Those who openly entered into confrontation with Rasputin were immediately ranked among the Freemasons, whose goal was to persecute the royal family, since they, the Freemasons, "found a weak spot - the hemophilia of the heir Alexei and wanted to destroy him." The Empress was sure that only the miraculous speeches of Rasputin could save her child.

Contemporaries of that time note that the life of Alexandra Feodorovna, nee German noblewoman Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, turned into a continuous fear for her son. This fear was transmitted to Nicholas II. Any unflattering words addressed to Rasputin were perceived as direct attacks on their Alexei Nikolaevich.

Protecting Rasputin in every possible way, over time, Empress Alexandra herself began to feel hatred for herself from all sides. "Why do they hate me? Because they know that I have a strong will and that when I am convinced that something is right (and if Gregory blessed me), then I do not change my mind, and this is unbearable for them. But these are bad people,” the tsarina would write to Nicholas II one day.

At the end of 1916, her letters become angrier and more aggressive, as she clearly sees a clear danger to her family: “In the Duma, everyone is fools; at Headquarters, they are complete idiots; in the Synod there are only animals; the ministers are scoundrels... Our diplomats must be hanged; disperse everyone, appoint ... new ministers ... close the Duma as soon as possible ... The Duma must be slammed; make them tremble. All of them must learn to tremble before you, ”she calls on her husband to take decisive action.

The situation around Grishka Rasputin is heating up so much that his murder on the night of December 16-17, 1916 in the Yusupov Palace on the Moika in Petrograd was met with mass approval, and even rejoicing.

Obviously, the answer to the question of who Rasputin really was is extremely important from an ideological point of view. Vladimir Lenin, commenting on the reign of Nicholas II, wrote: "This material painted a terrible picture of general decay and moral degradation, ... rottenness, vileness, all the cynicism and depravity of the royal gang with the monstrous Rasputin at the head."

The followers of Rasputin, on the contrary, deny Vyrubova's notes, saying that it is too vile to be true. In addition, numerous versions of the diary clearly contradicted historical truth.

But the fact that Shchegolev had a reputation as an expert on the last years of the Russian Empire was not in doubt at that time. Suffice it to recall the case of the provocateur Okladsky-Petrovsky, which was heard in the Supreme Court in 1925. Shchegolev, within the framework of this case, told about the deeply conspiratorial agent of royal surveillance Gogelman-Landenzan-Garting, who tracked down Istomin-Foynitsky's circle in St. Petersburg in the 90s of the 19th century. “Shchegolev knows everything!”, - shocked by the erudition of the historian, then wrote the correspondent of Krasnaya Gazeta, who was present at the trial.

So, the historian Shchegolev, commenting on the play, said: “The published and unpublished materials contributed so much to the play that we hardly had to resort to fiction.”

The play "The Conspiracy of the Empress" begins without a preface. On May 6, 1917, the Extraordinary Investigative Commission meets in the Trubetskoy Bastion, the meeting of which begins with the speech of the chairman: “Now we will touch on that main and secret center where domestic politics was made in the last months of the imperial regime.

This center is a bunch of fanatics and adventurers - I'm talking about Vyrubova, Rasputin, Minister of Internal Affairs Protopopov, Minister of Justice Dobrovolsky, swindler Prince Andronikov, security journalist Manasevich-Manuilov, banker Dmitry Rubinstein, jeweler Simanovich and so on - this motley company headed by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

Unlike modern historians, Alexei Tolstoy wrote about what he knew from his own life, taking into account the texture provided by the expert Shchegolev. Suffice it to say that the play was successfully staged at the Erwin Piscator Theater in Berlin under the title "Rasputin, the Romanovs, the war and the people who rebelled against them."

According to the actor N. F. Monakhov, who played the role of Rasputin at the Bolshoi Drama Theater of Leningrad, the performances were very popular among the audience due to the recognition of recent events. It should also be emphasized that the design of the play was carried out by academician of architecture Vladimir Shchuko, perhaps the most sought-after St. Petersburg architect, who designed the country estates of the highest nobility precisely when Rasputin lived in the northern capital.

Subsequently, on the basis of this play, the screenplay "Rasputin's Conspiracy" was compiled. The authors deliberately changed the title and shifted their main attention to Rasputin, as if emphasizing the secondary role of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who, in fact, became a hostage to the life situation with a sick child.
The opinion that Alexei Tolstoy deliberately distorted reality for opportunistic reasons does not correspond to reality.

Tolstoy's contemporaries emphasized that the writer, being a statesman by turn of mind, understood that the last Russian emperor was led to a personal tragedy and a national catastrophe by unscrupulousness and weak will, the priority of narrow personal interests over state interests, and legal selectivity.

In the history of Russia, Grigory Rasputin is one of the most mysterious and interesting characters. Many believed that Rasputin is the seal of misfortune and the black mark of Russia, removing it, the country will find light and a new path. Removed, didn't happen...

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin is a rather interesting old man for Russia, who gained his fame by becoming close to eminent persons, and later to the family of representatives of the Romanov dynasty ruling during his life.

In his religious views, he was closer to Orthodoxy, although he could not relate to its canonical prescriptions in its entirety, since he was a real old man, more foolish than a dean. Even during his lifetime, his activities were surrounded by many hoaxes and a variety of interpretations. He is considered a seer and a healer, although it is impossible to say something unambiguous about how this happened and what significance it had in practice.

The mental status of Grigory Rasputin

Whatever activity Grigory Rasputin is engaged in, no matter what they say about him and no matter how they evaluate him, the picture will not be complete if his mental status is not taken into account. Originality, the ability to snatch the main thing and, on the basis of this, make rather far-sighted conclusions. Medium height, strong look, such that not many could endure. He loved to philosophize and talk about God, but he prayed little. He always wore his peasant attire. At the same time, he was slovenly, and wore beautiful embroidered shirts only on occasion.

He was not a particular libertine. He himself did not chase women, but acquired the status of a libertine more due to the fact that he became fashionable. Eminent women hung themselves around his neck. It happened that famous men offered him their mistresses and even wives. How can a simple coachman's son resist here? But, nevertheless, no frank evidence was ever revealed, because Nicholas II heard a lot about the "adventures" of Rasputin, so Gregory was followed.

Two papers were laid on the table for the tsar, the first public newspaper or article and the second report of the assigned officers to Gregory. Nicholas II knew everything the elder did, for the latter treated his son.

The interrogated prostitutes, whom Grigory took to the hotel, explained that he treated them to food and tea in the rooms and never did anything shameful with them. What are the motives of such actions of Gregory is unknown. We add to the word that dummy Rasputin actors staggered around the taverns, repaired drunkenness and debauchery, creating a negative image. Perhaps Grigory was a victim of his popularity, this was the first black PR.

I have always had a very high opinion of myself. He often taught people, sometimes in incomprehensible words. A whole swarm of sycophants formed around him, many of whom were secular persons, others officials, military men, representatives of bohemians and almost intelligentsia. He didn't even think of changing his behavior. He could scold noble women in such words that even a groom would not allow himself.

All this, on the one hand, can be called a style of behavior, and on the other, low adaptive abilities. Grigory Efimovich constantly showed either a craving for mysticism, or prudence, or an outstanding mind, or his absence. Not only did he express himself strangely, but he thought the same way. Seductive rudeness and clumsy attempts to get involved not only in intrigue, but also in politics indicate that he had a condition that modern psychiatrists would most likely label as "schizotypal personality disorder." Which does not at all prevent you from becoming a significant person and going down in history, but on the contrary, it helps. Especially if such a person becomes the favorite of the Empress.

The beginning of the life path of Grigory Rasputin

Grigory Rasputin was born in the Tobolsk province, in the village of Pokrovskoye on January 9, 1869, in the family of a coachman. Gregory did not go to school, therefore he was illiterate.

In his youth, he was sick a lot, wanting to be cured, Gregory saw his healing only in religion. So Rasputin went to the holy places, on his first pilgrimage to the Verkhoturye Monastery. The road lures, and people especially respected pilgrims then. So, he went around many holy places in Russia, and then went to Greece and Jerusalem. Pilgrimage is a whole institution of alternative religiosity. It allows you to get to know the world and yourself, make a lot of acquaintances. After visiting one of the holy places, Gregory suddenly announces that he is endowed with a gift and knows how to heal people.

The pilgrimage did not prevent Grigory from finding a family, in 1890 he married Praskovya Dubrovina from the peasants, who was also a pilgrim who bore him three children.

Already by the time of the change of centuries, when he went to Kiev, Rasputin was a well-known figure in narrow circles. So in 1903, when our hero decided to visit St. Petersburg, he was already quite popular. In St. Petersburg, rumors spread about Rasputin as a healer, so rumors gradually reached the Empress.

Activities in the capital initially were exactly what the elders always did - he met with a variety of spiritual persons. They had already brought him together with the secular nobility, since they were her confessors and had connections. So, slowly, the glory of a man of God was entrenched in Rasputin. And to such an extent that on November 1, 1905, an acquaintance with Nicholas II took place. The emperor came to visit the Montenegrin princesses to drink tea, and Rasputin had been dining with them for a long time. So we met ... At that time, the son of Nicholas II suffered from a rare disease, hemophilia (blood incoagulability), which could lead to death from any minor wound. Subsequently, eyewitnesses said that Rasputin could positively influence the illness of Tsarevich Alexei.

Gradually, his influence on the Romanov family became stronger and stronger. He performed functions that were in between the original home therapist and healer. Allegedly, he helped Tsarevich Alexei fight hemophilia, spent time talking with Alexandra Feodorovna about being, God and other fascinating matters.

Enemies are everywhere...

Of course, such an alliance, when the empress calls a simple peasant "dear friend", could not please the nobility. Intrigues and intrigues began. The personality of Rasputin has become a kind of cornerstone. He found opponents among the church authorities, and among secular officials, eminent nobility, as well as rogues and adventurers. Two ecclesiastical cases were opened and investigations were ongoing. Both were built on accusations of Khlystism, and both collapsed. It is possible that not without a direct order from Nicholas II.

The essence of the matter is that, being an elder and a pilgrim, a person not bound by any obligations to the hierarchs of the Orthodox Church, who had never taken a single rank and was not a former monk, Rasputin had the freedom to believe as he saw fit. But the proof of participation in some heretical movements would immediately deprive him of the right to be considered Orthodox, and indeed, a Christian. Therefore, the accusations were quite serious.

They were based on the denunciation of some Tobolsk priest, who did not contain anything intelligible. There was not even a mention that Rasputin had anything to do with the whip movement. It was only mentioned that in his youth he made acquaintances with people who later turned out to be whips. And basically the denunciation was about immoral behavior.

As in the years of Soviet power, in the days of tsarism, immoral behavior could become a formal reason for putting pressure on anyone. But the fact is that the Tobolsk priest wrote about strange behavior towards women who themselves went to some kind of God's wanderer from the capital to Tobolsk. One can only guess what their motives were, and what was hidden under the hats with a veil.

At the height of the First World War in 1915, Nicholas II goes to the front as commander in chief, the Empress remains alone in the capital. It is known that in many of her cases, Alexandra Fedorovna turned to Grigory Rasputin for advice. Historians point to at least 10 ministerial appointments in which Rasputin took part. Gregory becomes a person whose doors are open to any home. Many were interested in the personal life of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in their opinions and views, Rasputin in this sense was a godsend.

It was Gregory's finest hour, he was everything. Members of the royal family sounded the alarm, the situation was clearly out of control. The Empress does not want to listen to the anxiety of her relatives and friends. It got to the point that the State Duma took up arms against Rasputin, it was also said that relations between Grigory and the Empress had already gone indecently far.

Rasputin had a large number of enemies, and in completely different circles and strata of society. Historians argue that Gregory was dishonest, loved money and never refused them, contributing to promotion or, conversely, removal from office.

Rasputin and his women

Rasputin, by the way, always justified himself so directly. He said that, they say, he was innocent, - they themselves came. And he had nothing to show. The Orthodox Church has always considered fornication the smallest human sin.

Nevertheless, the intriguers nevertheless achieved that he became a person who officially rested only on the patronage of the king and queen. Constant secret surveillance was established behind him, the question of deportation from the capital was raised several times. In 1911, Rasputin took advantage of the tense situation and made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Away from the eyes of ill-wishers, closer to holy places.

But the number of enemies was directly proportional to the level of fame. A certain part of the intelligentsia quietly did not accept it, while the more radical one openly protested. Campaigns were raised against Rasputin in the press, his name was made a household name. However, this also contributed to the fact that the queue of various petitioners lined up even more.

First attempt on Rasputin

On June 29, 1914, in the village of Pokrovsky, a certain Khionia Kuzminichna Guseva attempted to assassinate him. Guseva in the middle of the street approached Rasputin, begging for alms, while Grigory reached into his pocket in search of a coin, Khionia took out a ritual knife and furiously hit the old man in the stomach with it. Rasputin, clutching at the wound, ran, Khionia, with a knife in her hands, rushed in pursuit, fortunately the people detained, it passed.

The knife was stabbed from top to bottom and directed towards the pubic bone, which suggests that the blow was probably intended for the groin. And only an accident saved Gregory from castration, meanwhile the wound was heavy and serious. The knife went into the abdominal cavity and touched the intestine. (As it turned out later from documents found in the Russian State Historical Archive) It took Grigory Efimovich almost two months to correct.

Gregory believed that these were the machinations of Iliodor, a rather stormy and dark personality. It is possible that this was not just guesswork. Rasputin repeatedly helped Iliodor, in the world Sergei Mikhailovich Trufanov, but later their paths diverged, and a sharp conflict arose. Khionia Guseva was declared mentally ill and sent for treatment to the appropriate hospital. And Rasputin's failed assassination added world fame.

Assassination of Grigory Rasputin

History of events. 1916 on the fields of the First World War, hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have been dying for two years in a war that no one needs in Russia.

In Petrograd, one of the residents of British intelligence receives information about Grigory Rasputin's attempts to negotiate peace with Germany through Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (German by birth). Not dedicating England and France, Russia's allies in the war, to their affairs. Such behind-the-scenes affairs greatly excited England, and the captain of the British intelligence service MI6 Oswald Reiner was urgently sent to Russia. The purpose of Reiner's trip is information regarding the negotiations between Russia and Germany, as well as the assassination of Rasputin, as an agent of influence on the empress in the matter of a separate peace between Germany and Russia.

The purpose of the First World War was the destruction of Germany, as a competitor to England in the colonization of the African continent, as well as Germany's entry into the world market, where everything had already been divided by that time. England could not allow Russia to withdraw from the war, because her motto was: "Fight Germany to the last Russian soldier!"

“God willing, there will be no war, and I will take care of it,” Grigory Rasputin said on this occasion. It should be noted that shortly before the decision by Nicholas II to enter the First World War, Rasputin was assassinated by Khionia Guseva. At the end of the summer of 1914, Grigory Rasputin is hospitalized at such an important moment, he is not near the tsar. On July 28, the First World War begins; on August 1, Germany declares war on Russia. Who knows how the historical paths of Russia would have turned if Gregory had been next to Nicholas II at that time? Perhaps the First World War would have done without Russia, or without Russia it could not exist at all?

In the official version, Rasputin's killer was Felix Yusupov, a 27-year-old graduate of Oxford University, a "social lion", bisexual, who also suffered from sleepwalking as a child. The murder was committed by a group of like-minded people, in association with deputy V. M. Purishkevich, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov (cousin of Nicholas II) and British intelligence officer Oswald Reiner. It is worth noting that Reiner knew Yusupov when the latter was still studying in England. In a narrow circle of people, Reiner was known as bisexual and they talked about the connection between Yusupov and Reiner.

Felix Yusupov with his wife Irina

However, that night in Yusupov's palace, where everything happened, there were also Lieutenant Sukhotin, Dr. Lazovert and other persons. It is difficult to imagine a better and more friendly company of Russian rescuers from Rasputinism. It happened on the night of December 17, 1916.

This is where the main mystery begins, the fact is that the testimony of the killers diverge from the very beginning, with the purpose of Rasputin's arrival at Yusupov's house. The testimonies of the participants also do not agree with the description of Grigory's clothes at the time of his arrival at the house, and the answers to questions about the shooting at Rasputin do not correspond to the gunshot wounds on Grigory's body.

Poisoned cakes and levitation...

Let's leave such popular and surprising stories about a plate of supposedly eaten cakes with potassium cyanide, washed down by Grigory with poisoned wine and the subsequent incessant belching and hiccups after everything he ate. Next comes shooting, chasing and fighting. As Russian forensic experts found out, having studied in detail the photographs of Grigory Rasputin after his death, everything was a little different.

Rasputin's post-mortem photographs show hematomas on his face that he received during his lifetime. There is a bruise near the right eye, there is also a hematoma near the left eye, a pronounced fracture of the bones of the nose with a bruise in the nose, a wound on the left cheekbone. Grigory Rasputin was tortured before his death, most of the wounds were inflicted on the still living royal adviser. It is documented that Rasputin's scrotum was crushed. In other words, they tortured him very cruelly, probably, they wanted to know what he told the tsarina and Nicholas II about a separate peace, the details and details, the stages of negotiations, the names of agents. Naturally, after this, it was impossible to leave Grigory alive, it smelled at least of an international scandal.

The question remains open, who fired a control shot in the forehead of Rasputin, the frail Yusupov, Dmitry Romanov, or maybe the deputy Purishkevich, passionate in speeches? From the materials of the investigation it is known that Yusupov and Purishkevich had small-caliber pistols, Savage and Browning of 1906 models, by today's standards they can be called traumatic.

Only one large-caliber service weapon of Oswald Reiner remains - the 455 Webley revolver, a powerful, lethal 11 mm caliber, only he could leave such an inlet in Rasputin's forehead. This revolver at that time was a regular weapon in England.

After torture and murder, the body was loaded into a car and taken to the Bolshoy Petrovsky Bridge, from there they were thrown into the Neva. A couple of days later on December 19, the corpse of Grigory Rasputin was discovered by a policeman on the river bank.

What was the story with poisoned cakes and wine, invulnerability and a living drowned Rasputin for? Yusupov and Pushkarevich needed evidence in black magic, the demonization of the tsar's adviser and the subsequent deliverance of Russia from the "unclean".

Later, Nicholas II summoned the ambassador of England and said everything in the forehead about the murder of Rasputin by a British subject, the ambassador denied everything and in every possible way tried to dissuade the tsar from such a thought. Rasputin's body was burned in a short time, the sad story was forgotten.

"We have changed history for a generation ahead" - Rasputin passage from a letter sent to London to King George V of Russia, intercepted in 1917.

It is characteristic that none of the killers suffered due punishment. And also because of the intervention of the king, who was a very kind person and patronized everyone. First to Rasputin, and then to his killers. None of the participants in the murder said, in a word, about Oswald Reiner and his role.

The role of Rasputin and his farewell letter

Rasputin really talked with Nicholas II about whether Russia should participate in the military campaign of 1912 in the Balkans and asked on his knees for the Russian people. Gregory spoke about the consequences of such a war for Europe and in Russia as a whole, probably, Nicholas II took into account his arguments. Some historians believe that Rasputin was rewarded for this influence.

It is possible that Grigory Efimovich himself was very much distressed because he could not prevent the outbreak of the First World War. But from this it is impossible to conclude that he could interfere. Germany delivered an ultimatum, which contained obviously impossible conditions. Russia did not enter the war at someone's will. There was no other choice. Germany demanded that the western borders of the empire be almost exposed and interfered in the affairs of the state, which was unacceptable.

In those cunning conspiracies and intrigues that unfolded in the country at the beginning of the 20th century, there simply did not exist such a force and such a person who could single-handedly influence the development of all processes. And Rasputin, with his almost childish thinking, could not have done anything like that.

Two of his writings, "The Life of an Experienced Wanderer" and "My Thoughts and Reflections," show that it was an adult child. He prophesies as if he were engaged in forecasting, but at the same time primitive fantasy. Of course, he is mistaken in many ways, but quite correctly he points to the technogenic nature of future wars, the conflict between East and West, and the outcome of the monarchy in Russia. He understands perfectly well that it will not be the peasant brothers who will kill him, but the representatives of the highest circles of the nobility, whom he calls the boyars. If one of the princes or counts kills him, the royal favorite and saint, then he takes a step against the emperor and empress.

Rasputin sent his farewell letter to the tsar a few days before his own death. It says that if the boyars kill him, “then not one of your Family, that is, children and relatives, will live longer than two years. They will be killed." This happened on the night of July 16-17, 1918. As the elder pointed out, no one from the ruling dynasty lived two years after his death. So who was Grigory Rasputin for Russia, Saint or devil?

"Scattering is good, the current people in it have become painfully bad"

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin