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Who Was Rasputin?

Diana Bocco
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Updated: May 23, 2024
Views: 19,888
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Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, known as "The Mad Monk," was born in an impoverished Siberian village on 10 January 1869. Little is known of his life before the age of 18, when he set off to study at the Verkhoturye Monastery and to follow on the steps of a local holy man named Makariy. Empowered by Makariy, he eventually left his wife and four children to become a pilgrim. After 12 years of pilgrimage, Rasputin arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, and quickly earned a reputation as a holy man with healing powers.

Rasputin's first contact with the imperial family occurred in 1905. One-year old Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov, who suffered from hemophilia, had an accident while vacationing with his family and was suffering from severe internal bleeding that doctors seemed unable to control. Following the advice of a friend, the Tsarina contacted Rasputin, who is said to have helped the boy through remote prayer. After this, Rasputin became a trusted confidant of the royal family, who referred to him as "our friend, the holy man." He stayed close to Alexei and eventually gained a post as a court official.

Skeptics believe that one of the reasons Rasputin was able to help the Tsarevich is that the monk recommended all medical treatments be stopped. One of the most common medicines of the time was aspirin, an anticoagulant that probably contributed to the boy's pain and joint swelling. If the stories are true, the recommendation of stopping treatment would have helped the Tsarevich significantly.

As his power became stronger, Rasputin began counseling the Tsar on official business. It was because of his advice that Russian troops withdraw from World War I and that Tsar Nicholas II made the mistake of moving to the Eastern Front to command his own troops. Rasputin was also infamous for his religious practices. He was a follower of the Khlysty sect, which advocated extremes such as mass orgies and flagellation.

The presence of Rasputin in the imperial home caused a lot of controversy among the St. Petersburg elite. Both the Russian Orthodox Church and many nobles were increasingly unhappy with the man's power and influence. It's believed that Prince Felix Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich conspired to have him killed on 16 December 1916.

There are several theories regarding Rasputin's death. Some say he was poisoned with cyanide but survived, just to be shot by Yusupov in the back. New evidence suggests that things may be a little more complex than originally thought. It is now believed that he was shot to death by a British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) officer as a favor to Yusupov.

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Diana Bocco
By Diana Bocco
Diana Bocco, a versatile writer with a distinct voice, creates compelling long-form and short-form content for various businesses. With a data-focused approach and a talent for sharing engaging stories, Diana’s written work gets noticed and drives results.

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Discussion Comments
By anon322299 — On Feb 26, 2013

Anyone in the world who doesn't die from bullet shots and poison to kill five men can say he sold his soul to the devil, like many other people who live now, but I can't say their names.

Anyway, Rasputin is a devil soul and the devil himself helped him survive all the events he had been through. Rasputin is in fact, a devil worshiper. Some say he thought to worship Christ, but the devil is a nasty liar.

By anon245276 — On Feb 04, 2012

But it was also said that he raped every woman in the palace, and they tried to tell the queen, but she didn't listen to anyone.

They also said he sold his soul to the devil to get revenge on the Romanovs who killed him, right? But it did take a lot to kill him since he kept on avoiding the attacks.

But this story is way too complex to even know how he died, but why does no one really know how he died? Did he sell his soul to the devil? Did he rape every woman in the palace? I really want the truth to the Rasputin story.

By anon191943 — On Jun 29, 2011

There's no doubt it took a lot to kill this man, but I seriously doubt he was able to stay underground long enough to again resurface in World War II. His ego wouldn't have allowed him to stay unnoticed that long. Having been a prominent member of the Romanov court, he wouldn't have willingly gone back to being a humble priest. Like Robespierre, he rather enjoyed the limelight and attention.

I think Rasputin's presence at the Romanov court was largely destructive, and had he not been present, it is possible that Nicholas could have held the throne. Rasputin just created too much animosity and controversy.

By anon59839 — On Jan 10, 2010

but is it really true the he was killed by being poisoning and then stabbing him and then drowning him inthe river? I have heard that he was again seen also in times of World War II.

By anon38825 — On Jul 28, 2009

didn't Rasputin sell his soul to the devil to kill the Romanovs?

By anon256 — On Apr 19, 2007

I believe that Rasputin's poision and getting shot and the river, are the true and original story, and I'm sticking to it, so deal with it!!

Diana Bocco
Diana Bocco
Diana Bocco, a versatile writer with a distinct voice, creates compelling long-form and short-form content for various...
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