Healer, healer, Siberian prophet, a person close to Her Imperial Majesty, the personality of Grigory Rasputin, in the history of Russia, one of the most mysterious! All known facts about him are not documented, but are based on the words of people who lived in those days. This information was passed on from one person to another and was distorted accordingly.
Rasputin Grigory Efimovich, was born on July 29, 1871 (according to other sources, January 9, 1869) in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province. The place of his birth was previously almost inaccessible to many of his fans, because of this, information about Rasputin in his native places is inaccurate and fragmentary, and their author was mainly Grigory. They do not exclude the possibility that he might have monastic rank, but there is still a high probability that he simply had excellent acting skills and brilliantly played his holiness and exceptionally close Divine connection.
Rasputin with children in Pokrovskoye. On the left is daughter Varvara, on the right is son Dmitry. Daughter Maria in her arms.
Upon reaching the age of eighteen, Gregory went as a pilgrim to the Verkhoturye Monastery, but did not become a monk. A year later, he returned to his native village and there he married Dubrovina Praskovya Fedorovna, who bore him three children: Dmitry in 1897, Maria in 1898, and Varvara in 1900.
Maria Rasputina in exile
Varvara Rasputina (probably)
Marriage did not interfere with the continuation of pilgrimage activities. Rasputin continues to visit holy places, visiting the Greek monastery of Athos and Jerusalem. He made all these journeys on foot.
As a result of visits to such shrines, Gregory felt his divine chosenness and announced the holiness bestowed upon him, and also told everyone about his exceptional healing gift. News about the Siberian healer spreads throughout the Russian Empire, and now people make pilgrimages to Rasputin. People come to him from the farthest corners of Russia. It is also worth mentioning that the famous healer had no education, was illiterate, and did not understand medicine at all. But thanks to his acting abilities, he could pretend to be a great healer: he calmed the desperate, provided assistance with advice, prayers, and had the gift of persuasion.
One day, when Gregory was plowing a field, he had a vision of the Mother of God. She told him about the illness of Tsarevich Alexei, he was the only son of Nicholas II (he suffered from hemophilia, which was inherited from his mother), and gave him instructions to go to St. Petersburg and help save the heir to the throne.
In 1905, Grigory finds himself in St. Petersburg at the most convenient moment. At that time, the church really needed “prophets” - people who inspired trust in people. This role suited Rasputin perfectly; he had typical peasant appearance, simple speech, and a tough temper. But his opponents spread rumors that this false prophet was using religion only for profit, to satisfy his base needs and gain power.
In 1907, Rasputin received an invitation from the imperial family, which was due to the aggravation of the prince’s illness. All members of the royal family carefully concealed the fact that the crown prince had hemophelia, in order to avoid public unrest. Because of this, for some time they did not want to allow Rasputin to see the heir, but during a severe exacerbation of the illness, the tsar gave his permission.
During Rasputin's subsequent life in St. Petersburg, he was closely associated with concerns about the prince. Having become a frequent guest of the imperial family, Rasputin acquired many acquaintances in high St. Petersburg society, and all representatives of the capital's elite really wanted to get acquainted with the Siberian healer, who was nicknamed “Grishka Rasputin” behind his back.
In 1910, both of Rasputin’s daughters came to the capital and, under the patronage, entered the gymnasium.
St. Petersburg, Gorokhovaya street, the house in which Rasputin lived.
The emperor did not approve of Gregory's frequent visits to the palace. At that time, gossip spread throughout the capital about Rasputin’s indecent lifestyle. Rumors circulated about how Gregory, with his great influence over the Empress, took bribes (in money and in kind) to promote certain projects or help advance his career. His riotous drinking sessions and real pogroms horrified the residents of the capital. There was also talk about Rasputin's intimate relationship with Alexandra Fedorovna, which greatly undermined the authority of the imperial family, and especially Nicholas II.
Soon, a conspiracy against the Siberian healer matured in the imperial entourage. Felix Yusupov (husband of the Tsar's niece), Vladimir Purishkevich (State Duma deputy) and Grand Duke Dmitry (cousin of Nicholas II). On December 30, 1916, Rasputin received an invitation to the Yusupov Palace, ostensibly to meet with the imperial niece, who was one of the most beautiful women in the capital. The sweets and drinks that Gregory treated himself to contained cyanide, but for some reason the poison had no effect at all. Losing patience, the trio of conspirators decided to use another surefire method. Yusupov fired a shot at Rasputin, but he was lucky again. Running out of the palace, he met the other two members of the conspiracy, who, in turn, shot him at point-blank range. Rasputin even after that tried to get up and run away from his pursuers. But they tied the “Siberian elder” tightly, put him in a bag of stones, took him out in a car and threw him off the bridge into the Neva wormwood. new healing abilities and the gift of foresight!!! It is not for today’s “historians” to judge in a negative way the extraordinary personality of the mighty Siberian peasant, who did everything to maintain legitimate power in the country and prevent the unrest (color revolution) caused by the West!!! Even the fact that his enemies were indoctrinated by English politicians with the help of British intelligence services, its very existence confirms the sincere patriotism of the hero of that time!!! The complete lack of will and political weakness of the tsar played a cruel joke on Rasputin, and then on the tsar himself, his dynasty and, ultimately, on Russia!!!
Grigory Rasputin is a well-known and controversial figure in Russian history, debates about which have been going on for a century. His life is filled with a mass of inexplicable events and facts related to his proximity to the emperor’s family and influence on the fate of the Russian Empire. Some historians consider him an immoral charlatan and a swindler, while others are confident that Rasputin was a real seer and healer, which allowed him to gain influence over the royal family.
Rasputin Grigory Efimovich was born on January 21, 1869 in the family of a simple peasant Efim Yakovlevich and Anna Vasilievna, who lived in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province. The day after his birth, the boy was baptized in a church with the name Gregory, which means “awake.”
Grisha became the fourth and only surviving child of his parents - his older brothers and sisters died in infancy due to poor health. At the same time, he was also weak from birth, so he could not play enough with his peers, which became the reason for his isolation and craving for solitude. It was in early childhood that Rasputin felt an attachment to God and religion.
At the same time, he tried to help his father graze cattle, drive a cab, harvest crops and participate in any agricultural work. There was no school in the Pokrovsky village, so Grigory grew up illiterate, like all his fellow villagers, but he stood out among others because of his illness, for which he was considered defective.
At the age of 14, Rasputin became seriously ill and was almost dying, but suddenly his condition began to improve, which, according to him, happened thanks to the Mother of God, who healed him. From that moment, Gregory began to deeply understand the Gospel and, not even knowing how to read, was able to memorize the texts of the prayers. During that period, the gift of foresight awakened in the peasant son, which later prepared for him a dramatic fate.
Monk Grigory Rasputin At the age of 18, Grigory Rasputin made his first pilgrimage to the Verkhoturye Monastery, but decided not to take a monastic vow, but to continue wandering through the holy places of the world, reaching the Greek Mount Athos and Jerusalem. Then he managed to establish contacts with many monks, wanderers and representatives of the clergy, which in the future historians associated with the political meaning of his activities.
Royal family
The biography of Grigory Rasputin changed its direction in 1903, when he arrived in St. Petersburg, and the palace doors opened before him. At the very beginning of his arrival in the capital of the Russian Empire, the “experienced wanderer” did not even have a means of subsistence, so he turned to the rector of the theological academy, Bishop Sergius, for help. He introduced him to the confessor of the royal family, Archbishop Feofan, who by that time had already heard about Rasputin’s prophetic gift, legends about which were spread throughout the country.
Grigory Efimovich met Emperor Nicholas II during a difficult time for Russia. Then the country was gripped by political strikes and revolutionary movements aimed at overthrowing the tsarist government. It was during that period that a simple Siberian peasant managed to make a powerful impression on the tsar, which made Nicholas II want to talk for hours with the wanderer-seer.
Thus, the “elder” acquired enormous influence on the imperial family, especially on. Historians are confident that Rasputin’s rapprochement with the imperial family occurred thanks to Gregory’s help in treating his son and heir to the throne, Alexei, who had hemophilia, against which traditional medicine was powerless in those days.
There is a version that Grigory Rasputin was not only a healer for the tsar, but also a chief adviser, as he had the gift of clairvoyance. “The man of God,” as the peasant was called in the royal family, knew how to look into the souls of people and reveal to Emperor Nicholas all the thoughts of the king’s closest associates, who received high positions at the Court only after agreement with Rasputin.
In addition, Grigory Efimovich participated in all government affairs, trying to protect Russia from a world war, which, in his conviction, would bring untold suffering to the people, general discontent and revolution. This was not part of the plans of the instigators of world war, who plotted against the seer, aimed at eliminating Rasputin.
Conspiracy and murder
Before committing the murder of Grigory Rasputin, his opponents tried to destroy him spiritually. He was accused of whipping, witchcraft, drunkenness, and depraved behavior. But Nicholas II did not want to take into account any arguments, since he firmly believed in the elder and continued to discuss all state secrets with him.
Therefore, in 1914, an “anti-Rasputin” conspiracy arose, initiated by the prince, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr., who later became the commander-in-chief of all military forces of the Russian Empire during the First World War, and Vladimir Purishkevich, who was an actual state councilor at that time.
It was not possible to kill Grigory Rasputin the first time - he was seriously wounded in the village of Pokrovskoye by Khionia Guseva. During that period, while he was on the verge between life and death, Nicholas II decided to participate in the war and announced mobilization. At the same time, he continued to consult with the recovering seer about the correctness of his military actions, which again was not part of the plans of the royal ill-wishers.
Therefore, it was decided to bring the conspiracy against Rasputin to the end. On December 29 (new style), 1916, the elder was invited to the Palace of Prince Yusupov to meet with the famous beauty, the prince's wife Irina, who needed the healing help of Grigory Efimovich. There they began to treat him to food and drinks poisoned by poison, but potassium cyanide did not kill Rasputin, which forced the conspirators to shoot him.
After several shots in the back, the elder continued to fight for life and was even able to run out into the street, trying to hide from the killers. After a short chase, accompanied by gunfire, the healer fell to the ground and was severely beaten by his pursuers. Then the exhausted and beaten old man was tied up and thrown from the Petrovsky Bridge into the Neva. According to historians, once in the icy water, Rasputin died only a few hours later.
Nicholas II entrusted the investigation into the murder of Grigory Rasputin to the director of the Police Department, Alexei Vasiliev, who got on the “trail” of the killers of the healer. 2.5 months after the death of the elder, Emperor Nicholas II was overthrown from the throne, and the head of the new Provisional Government ordered a hasty end to the investigation into the Rasputin case.
Personal life
The personal life of Grigory Rasputin is as mysterious as his fate. It is known that back in 1900, during a pilgrimage to the holy places of the world, he married a peasant pilgrim like himself, Praskovya Dubrovina, who became his only life partner. Three children were born into the Rasputin family - Matryona, Varvara and Dmitry.
After the murder of Grigory Rasputin, the elder’s wife and children were subjected to repression by the Soviet authorities. They were considered “evil elements” in the country, so in the 1930s the entire peasant farm and the house of Rasputin’s son were nationalized, and the healer’s relatives were arrested by the NKVD and sent to special settlements in the North, after which their trace was completely lost. Only her daughter managed to escape from the hands of the Soviet regime, who emigrated to France after the revolution and then moved to the USA.
Predictions of Grigory Rasputin
Despite the fact that the Soviet authorities considered the elder a charlatan, the predictions of Grigory Rasputin, which he left on 11 pages, were carefully hidden from the public after his death. In his “testament” to Nicholas II, the seer pointed out that several revolutionary coups had taken place in the country and warned the tsar about the murder of the entire imperial family “ordered” by the new authorities.
Rasputin also predicted the creation of the USSR and its inevitable collapse. The elder predicted that Russia would defeat Germany in World War II and become a great power. At the same time, he foresaw terrorism at the beginning of the 21st century, which would begin to flourish in the West.
In his predictions, Grigory Efimovich did not ignore the problems of Islam, clearly indicating that Islamic fundamentalism is emerging in a number of countries, which in the modern world is called Wahhabism. Rasputin argued that at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, power in the East, namely Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, would be seized by Islamic fundamentalists who would declare "jihad" on the United States.
After this, according to Rasputin’s predictions, a serious military conflict will arise, which will last 7 years and will be the last in human history. True, Rasputin predicted one big battle during this conflict, during which at least a million people would die on both sides.
Rasputin Grigory Efimovich (real name of the Novykhs) (1864 or 1865-1916), political adventurer, Old Believer, favorite of Emperor Nicholas II.
Born in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province (now in the Tyumen region) into a peasant family. From his youth he was distinguished by bad behavior - hence the nickname, which later became a surname; More than once he was beaten by his fellow villagers for horse stealing.
By the age of 30, he became close to sectarians and, wandering through holy places, discovered the gift of a powerful psychological influence on believers, especially women. The parishioners who listened to his sermons sometimes fell into a hysterical trance.
Mysticism and the search for new sensations in communicating with people “of the people” were in fashion among the aristocracy of St. Petersburg; Rasputin was brought into this environment by the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Feofan (1904-1905). Secular ladies turned out to be greedy for the exalted sermons of the “old man,” as Rasputin began to be called.
The new prophet became his own man in the salons of the Northern capital. However, he has already gained the reputation of a seducer and deceiver. Soon the “holy elder” ended up in the palace of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, and in 1907 - in the royal palace.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna unsuccessfully sought help from various healers and holy fools for her only son Alexei, who was terminally ill with hemophilia (incoagulability of the blood). Rasputin won the trust of the royal family precisely because he knew how to “charm” the blood of the heir. The boy felt better, Nicholas II and Alexandra were happy and tried not to notice that the “elder” was taking advantage of their location for unseemly purposes.
The Emperor did not want to listen to police reports about Rasputin's scandalous behavior. Having convinced the tsar that only he could save Alexei and the autocracy through his prayers, Rasputin advised who to appoint and remove from the highest church and government officials up to the prime minister, and arranged profitable financial combinations. A large group of politicians and financiers formed around him, high-ranking admirers and petitioners crowded around him, and various political and commercial adventures were carried out through him.
Prominent monarchists united against Rasputin. On the night of December 30, 1916, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, Prince F. F. Yusupov and V. M. Purishkevich killed Rasputin, luring him to Yusupov’s palace under the pretext of a meeting with the owner’s wife.
Rasputin turned out to be unusually strong and tenacious. After the poisoned cakes and Madeira had no effect on him, the “old man” was finished off with several shots at point-blank range, and his body was pushed under the ice of Malaya Nevka. An autopsy showed that Rasputin died only after several hours in the river.
Rasputin played a dark role in the last years of the reign of Nicholas II and completely undermined the prestige of the ruling dynasty.
After the war with Germany began in 1914, Nikolai spent most of his time at the front - at his headquarters in Mogilev. While he was away, his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, was in charge of many government affairs. She was an intelligent, strong-willed, but superstitious woman. Just then the influence of the famous Rasputin increased at court.
This man’s real name was Grigory Efimovich Novykh, and he received the nickname Rasputin for his wild life. He came from Siberian peasants, in his youth he wandered through monasteries, and joined the Khlysty sect. Cunning and intelligent, he became known as the Siberian "prophet" and "holy elder". Rumors about him reached St. Petersburg, and Rasputin was summoned to the capital. First, he penetrated the salons of the St. Petersburg aristocracy, where examples of Rasputin’s “holiness” were passed on from mouth to mouth, and they talked about his “wonderful gift” of healing the sick. So this rogue ended up in the royal palace.
Rasputin managed to convince the suspicious empress that only he could provide “divine” support for the reign of Nicholas II and save the young heir to the throne Alexei, who suffered from an incurable disease - hemophilia (incoagulability of blood). Rasputin cleverly played on the parents' affection for their son and assured that without his prayers the heir would die. Soon, nicknamed the “royal lamp-bearer,” the unkempt drunkard acquired unlimited influence over the imperial couple. On the advice of the illiterate Rasputin, ministers and other senior officials of the state were appointed and removed. He carried out financial “combinations” that were beneficial to himself, and provided protection for bribes. Rasputin was surrounded by a crowd of half-crazed admirers and, using his power and connections, spent whole days in drunken revelry, which quickly became widely known.
“Rasputinism” alienated even staunch supporters of an unlimited monarchy from Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna and led them to an alliance with the bourgeoisie. Among the bourgeois-landlord aristocracy, the idea of a palace conspiracy against the tsar arose in order to prevent a new revolution and save the monarchy. The conspirators wanted to remove Nicholas from power, send the Empress to a monastery, proclaim the young Alexei emperor, and appoint the Tsar’s brother Michael as regent until Alexei came of age. But first of all, it was decided to remove Rasputin.
To this end, one of the conspirators, Prince Felix Yusupov, managed to gain his trust. On the night of December 17-18, 1916, he invited Rasputin to his apartment, where, in the presence of the monarchist Vladimir Purishkevich and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, he put an end to the “old man.” However, Rasputin turned out to be very tenacious: the poison that was pumped into the cakes served to the table had little effect, so he had to shoot. But even being wounded, Rasputin still made attempts to hide from his killers.
Further plans for a palace coup were prevented by the February bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1917, which overthrew the Russian monarchy.
History, unfortunately, also has its own “scapegoats”, victims of the subjectivism of their contemporaries, which for some reason passed on to their descendants.
The “well-wishers” who were interested in this tried very hard to ruin their reputation. And now, with the passage of time, it is not easy to separate the wheat from the chaff, truth from falsehood.
We are unlikely to ever get the full truth, even after all the archives are opened. The point is to get rid of patterns and stereotypes of thinking, so as not to replace statistics with emotions.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin is a figure in Russian history so odious, ambiguous and mysterious that disputes about this person have been going on for a whole century.
Biography of Grigory Rasputin (9(21).01.1869-16(29).12.1916)
The future friend and adviser of the last royal family was a native of the village of Pokrovskoye, which was located in the Tobolsk province. Detractors pointed to the allegedly initially negative etymology of this man’s surname, linking it with Gregory’s subsequent lifestyle at the imperial court. However, most likely, the surname is not associated with debauchery, but with words like “crossroads” or “thaw.”
Grigory came from a peasant family, and it is unlikely that his parents could even imagine what a dramatic fate was in store for their son, who was sick a lot in childhood and was on the verge of death more than once.
His biography is not rich in external events - rather, on the contrary, it is poor in them. Rasputin was married and had three children. Having turned to religion, he was at home extremely rarely, especially in recent years, having acquired weight and power at the royal court and taking advantage of it. Rasputin was not particularly literate - both in his early years and subsequently.
Elder Grigory Rasputin
Having grown a beard during pilgrimages to holy places and monasteries, Gregory seemed older than his years. And, of course, by the age of 47 (that’s how old he was at the time of the murder), he was by no means an “old man.” However, it was this nickname that firmly stuck to him soon after moving to St. Petersburg in 1904. Two years later, Grigory made an attempt to change his surname to Rasputin-Novy. The request was granted.
At the beginning of November 1905, Rasputin was introduced to members of the royal family and personally to the emperor. In the latter’s diaries and in the empress’s letters, the “man of God” is mentioned quite often. Rasputin gains influence over the imperial couple not only thanks to his intelligence and insight.
He owes his goodwill to the fact that he knew how to alleviate the suffering of the heir to the throne, a hemophiliac. At court there were many envious people and haters who demanded the removal of Rasputin, fearing the growth of his influence. For this purpose, “cases” were instigated against the “elder”, incriminating evidence was collected, and a powerful “anti-Rasputin” campaign was launched in the media.
Murder of Grigory Rasputin
Back in 1914, while staying in his native place, Rasputin survived an attempt on his life by a certain Khionia Guseva, who stabbed the “man of God” in the stomach. Then he miraculously survived. Two years later, death came for him. The conspiracy was made by very high-ranking and influential persons, including Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich.
The conspirators were led by Prince Felix Yusupov. He enlisted the support of deputy V.M. Purishkevich. The killers' testimony is confusing. According to the canonical version, the veracity of which is highly doubtful today, Rasputin was not affected by the poison, so he was shot in the back. However, Rasputin soon woke up and tried to escape. They overtook him and shot him several more times. Then they lowered us under the ice of the Neva.
In 2004, it became known about the participation in the murder of British intelligence officer Oswald Rayner. Britain feared that Russia would withdraw from the First World War and conclude a separate peace with Germany, for Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, as is known, was German by nationality. One way or another, less than a year after the death of the “elder”, one of his several dozen predictions came true - the Russian Empire ceased to exist, and a year later the reigning dynasty met a terrible death in the basement of the Ipatiev mansion in Yekaterinburg.