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The beginning of the 20th century is famous for outstanding personalities and grandiose deeds that can turn the lives of not dozens of people, but entire generations. Before the Soviet revolution, Grigory Rasputin, a close associate of the royal family, excited the minds of people. Let's analyze interesting facts from his biography.

The birth and youth of the future royal favorite

Rasputin's date of birth is not exactly known (approximately in 1864-1872). Rasputin was very ill from childhood, so he was often taken to monasteries to improve his health, and then he himself began to travel to the Holy places of Russia, later he would visit Athos and Jerusalem. In 1900, a fateful acquaintance with Father Mikhail from the Kazan Theological Academy happened, after which Rasputin thinks about moving.

Acquaintance with the royal family

In 1903, Rasputin moved to St. Petersburg, entered the circles of well-known clergymen of Russia of that period, often makes speeches and uses in his vocabulary the words "old man", "holy fool", "God's man" in relation to himself. Father Feofan, at that moment close to Prince Nikolai Negosh, told about the new "God's wanderer" to his daughters Militsa and Anastasia, who shared the news with the Empress. But only a year later, in 1905, for the first time Rasputin was invited to a meeting with the emperor.

Since then, Rasputin has become a frequent guest in the imperial family, especially warm, trusting relations appear with Alexandra Feodorovna. Despite the fact that Rasputin was still young, he called himself an "old man" and exaggerated his age several times.

He especially helped the imperial son fight hemophilia, the leading minds of medicine refused treatment, it remained only to trust folk medicine and prayers. Several times Rasputin saved Tsarevich Alexei from death (this fact is confirmed by many testimonies).

When Alexei was only three years old, he had a severe hemorrhage in his leg. Grigory Efimovich was called urgently, and thanks to his sincere prayer, the bleeding stopped. From that time on, Rasputin became the "bodyguard" of the young Tsarevich. When Alexei was 8 years old, during the hunt he suffered a severe injury, the doctors insisted that the boy was hopeless.

The Empress again called Rasputin, but he could not come, as he was in Pokrovsky, but sent a telegram to the empress with the words: “God looked at your tears. Do not worry. Your Son will live." In fact, Alexei's condition has noticeably improved, the danger has passed.

Another case of saving Alexei Nikolaevich - in 1915, on the train, the Tsarevich began to have a nosebleed, the train was stopped, Grigory was urgently called. He arrived, crossed Alexei and told the emperor that nothing terrible would happen to the child, and left. The bleeding stopped immediately. Witnesses to this incident are the doctors of the Royal family, who did not understand at all how this could happen.

Rasputin received a salary

Official documents indicate that Grigory Rasputin received 10,000 rubles a year for services to the Royal Family. But the elder gave all the money he received to the poor and his wife and children. After his death, no saved capital appeared on his name, as well as luxurious mansions and dachas in Gagra.

Rasputinism or "Khlystism"

The artist of the cartoon is unknown.

For the first time in 1903, a case was opened against Rasputin for preaching false doctrine (similar to Khlystism). The local priest claimed that Rasputin takes on the cleansing of women from sinfulness, but for some reason such procedures are carried out in baths. The priest also claimed that it had long been known that Rasputin had been trained in whiplash heresy from his youth.

The trial began, close relatives of the elder were called as witnesses. So his daughter Matryona Rasputina said that at one moment her father stopped drinking, smoking, eating meat, and left home for a long time. The family was sure that the wanderer Dmitry Pecherin, who had recently appeared in the district, influenced Grigory in this way.

Another witness, General Spiridonovich, claimed that Rasputin decided to go to Athos after he saw the Mother of God in the field. The house belonging to the Rasputin family was also examined, but nothing illegal was found, the case was closed.

Later, historians argue that the conduct of the case was superficial, it has long been known that the zeal of Khlystism is never held in residential premises, but only in baths, in sheds and even cellars.

About women's kisses and illegal medicine

Already in the modern period, historians and writers begin to study the life of Rasputin. A.N. Varlamov devoted several years of his life to the study of historical materials, on the basis of which he published the book "Grigory Rasputin".

According to the surviving testimonies of witnesses, it is known that Rasputin was engaged in healing, without having permission and a diploma for this business. Only now, because of his treatment, two girls who suffered from consumption died, Rasputin confirmed this fact. Fellow villagers called the cause of the girls' deaths "Grigory's bullying."

Once Rasputin forcibly kissed the prosphora Evkidia Korneeva at the age of 28. As a result, a confrontation was held on this occasion. Rasputin then denied this fact, then says that he forgot.

The priest of the Intercession Church said that he went to see Rasputin on business and saw that he returned wet from the bath, and several girls came in after him - "also wet and steamy." Rasputin, on the other hand, said that he had become very pissed off in the bathhouse and remained lying there, then he came to his senses and left, just at the moment when a company of women entered the bathhouse.

There is an opinion that Grigory Rasputin used a new technique for getting rid of sinfulness, but the St. Petersburg ladies really liked these procedures, that they happily went to Pokrovskoye. Rasputin convinced that through sexual intercourse with him, women are cleansed of carnal sinfulness.

Prophecies of Rasputin

• The earth will be inhabited by monsters that will not resemble either humans or animals.
• "Human alchemy" will create flying frogs, kite butterflies, crawling bees.
• West and East will fight for world domination.
• The most famous prophecy: "As long as I live, the dynasty will live."
• He said that darkness would come to Petersburg and the Neva would be stained with blood.
• He talked about his death - if the peasant robbers were killed, then the Romanovs would still rule for a long time. But if one of the relatives of the dynasty, then the Royal family will die after him.
• About accidents at nuclear power plants - that some of the towers erected will collapse and pollute the earth and rivers with rotten blood.
• About natural anomalies - "the rose will bloom in December, and in June there will be snow."

Prince Yusupov and Dmitry Romanov - a conspiracy of homosexuals?

Right - Felix Yusupov, left - Dmitry Romanov

Felix Yusupov is a kind of narcissistic capricious major of the early 20th century, a famous transvestite and bisexual of imperial Russia. Of course, in women's outfits, he walked not along Nevsky Prospekt, but in the De Capucine theater in Paris.

Yusupov himself says to himself that he liked the attention from women and men, but for a long time connections with no one lingered. After the Parisian triumph, young Yusupov decided to try to perform in St. Petersburg.

In a dress embroidered with precious stones of blue tulle, the father recognized the young man, gradually his anger was replaced by a desire to cure his son of such oddities. Grigory Rasputin, well-known in secular circles, was chosen as a doctor. The treatment procedure was more than strange, according to Yusupov, the elder laid him on the threshold of the room, flogged and hypnotized him.

It is not known whether the treatment helped, but the young man no longer sought to dance in dresses and skirts, but married the daughter of Alexander Romanov with the family wealth of the dynasty. Those. Yusupov's wife Irina was the niece of Emperor Nicholas II.

There is an assumption that Yusupov was intimate with Rasputin, which is hard to believe. Moreover, the more sophisticated method of treatment for bisexuality, on the contrary, caused the young man to reject the old man. So, Felix Yusupov became one of the participants in the murder of Grigory Rasputin.

The second conspirator was a close friend of Felix - Dmitry Romanov. Only there is an interesting point in the relationship between Yusupov and Romanov - contemporaries claim intimate ties between friends.

Dmitry Romanov also has complaints about Rasputin. The emperor planned to marry Dmitry to his daughter - rich and beautiful. But Rasputin tells the Tsar and Tsaritsa about the unconventional sexual orientation of the prince and his connections with Felix Yusupov. Naturally, the emperor does not want such a fate for his daughter and does not let Dmitry even on the threshold of the royal choir.

Who, after all, forcibly killed the royal elder?

The old man after the assassination attempt

In 1914 Rasputin went to Pokrovskoye. There, one day he sent a telegram to the Empress, at that moment a beggar woman (Khionia Guseva) came up and asked for alms, Rasputin handed over the money, and she stuck a knife in his stomach. The wound was severe, but the elder was saved.

Only in March 1917, Rasputin nevertheless overtook a violent death. The previously mentioned Felix Yusupov and Dmitry Romanov, together with the deputy Purishkevich, would not have thought of the murder themselves, but they became suitable pawns in the hands of the British secret service.

Why does the British need Rasputin's death? To prevent the signing of a peace treaty between Russia and Germany. A few words about deputy Purishkevich - this man is distinguished by an amazing strangeness, for example, there is reliable information that on May 1 he once walked around the Duma with a red carnation inserted into his fly.

The main driving force behind the plot was the English intelligence officer Oswald Reiner, who struck up a friendship with Felix Yusupov while studying at Oxford, and through Felix assembled a full group to carry out the assassination. Rasputin was shot in the forehead, incompatible with life. Before the main shot, each of the conspirators fired a bullet, but finished off the royal elder Oswald Reiner.

The killers were not punished: Oswald Reiner returned to his homeland and received a promotion, Felix Yusupov, having collected family jewels on an English warship, moved to England with his wife, Dmitry Romanov spent time under house arrest until revolutionary October.

And then, with the remaining members of the Romanov dynasty, he moved abroad and joined the ranks of the English army! Later he marries an American, moves to the USA, and becomes a winemaker.

The fate of Grigory Rasputin is mysterious, rich and tragic at the same time. Rasputin achieved incredible heights, although he could have been an ordinary monk.

The elder actually helped Tsesarevich Alexei survive, was the chief adviser to the royal family, and supported the Emperor in a difficult time for Russia. But a lot of negative is hovering around the image of Grigory Rasputin from the evil-pagans, 80% of all speculation will remain unconfirmed rumors. And yes, Rasputin was not in an intimate relationship with Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

In March 2020, it will be 103 years since the death of Grigory Rasputin.

As is known from a brief biography, Rasputin was born into the family of a coachman on January 9, 1869 in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province. However, according to many biographers of this historical figure, the date of his birth is very controversial, since Rasputin himself more than once indicated different data and often exaggerated his true age in order to match the image of the “holy old man”.

In his youth and early maturity, Grigory Rasputin travels to holy places. According to researchers, he made the pilgrimage due to frequent illnesses. After visiting the Verkhoturye Monastery and other holy places in Russia, Mount Athos in Greece, and Jerusalem, Rasputin turned to religion, maintaining close contact with monks, wanderers, healers, and clergy.

Petersburg period

In 1904, as a holy wanderer, Rasputin moved to Petersburg. According to Grigory Efimovich himself, he was prompted to move by the goal of saving Tsarevich Alexei, the mission of which was entrusted to the “old man” by the Mother of God. In 1905, the wanderer, who was often called "saint", "God's man" and "great ascetic", met Nicholas II and his family. The religious "elder" influences the imperial family, in particular the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, due to the fact that he helped in the treatment of the heir Alexei from the then incurable disease - hemophilia.

Since 1903, rumors began to spread in St. Petersburg about the vicious deeds of Rasputin. Persecution by the church begins and accusations of him of "whistism". In 1907, Grigory Efimovich was repeatedly accused of spreading false teachings of an anti-church nature, as well as of creating a society of followers of his views.

Last years

Because of the accusations, Rasputin Grigory Efimovich is forced to leave Petersburg. During this period he visits Jerusalem. Over time, the case of “Khlystism” is reopened, but the new Bishop Alexy drops all charges against him. The cleansing of the name and reputation was short-lived, as rumors of orgies taking place in Rasputin's apartment on Gorokhovaya Street in St. Petersburg, as well as acts of witchcraft and magic, caused the need to investigate and open another case.

In 1914, an assassination attempt was made on Rasputin, after which he was forced to be treated in Tyumen. However, later the opponents of the "friend of the royal family", among whom were F.F. Yusupov, V. M. Purishkevich, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, British intelligence officer MI6 Oswald Reiner, nevertheless manage to complete their plans - in 1916 Rasputin was killed.

Achievements and legacy of a historical figure

In addition to his preaching activities, Rasputin, whose biography is very rich, actively participated in the political life of Russia, influencing the opinion of Nicholas II. He is credited with persuading the emperor to refuse to participate in the Balkan War, which changed the timing of the outbreak of the First World War, and other political decisions of the king.

The thinker and politician left behind two books “The Life of an Experienced Wanderer” (1907) and “My Thoughts and Reflections” (1915), more than a hundred political, spiritual, historical predictions and prophecies are also attributed to his authorship.

Other biography options

• There are many secrets and mysteries in the biography of Rasputin. For example, it is not known exactly when he was born. Questions are raised not only by the date and month of birth, but also by the year. There are several options. Some believe that he was born in the winter, in the month of January. Others - in the summer, July 29. Information about the year of Rasputin's birth is also extremely contradictory. The following versions are put forward: 1864 or 1865, and 1871 or 1872.
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Rasputin Grigory Efimovich (real name Novykh) (1864 or 1865-1916), political adventurer, Old Believer, favorite of Emperor Nicholas II.

Born in the village of Pokrovsky, Tobolsk province (now in the Tyumen region) in 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 around holy places, discovered in himself the gift of 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 dealing with people "of the people" were in vogue among the aristocracy of St. Petersburg; it was on this Wednesday that Rasputin was introduced by Feofan (1904-1905), rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 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 man in the salons of the Northern capital. However, the glory of a seducer and a deceiver has already entrenched in him. Soon, the "holy old man" ended up in the palace of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich, and in 1907 - in the royal palace.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna unsuccessfully sought help from all sorts of healers and holy fools for her only son Alexei, who was terminally ill with hemophilia (blood incoagulability). Rasputin won the trust of the royal family precisely by the fact that he knew how to "talk" the blood of the heir. The boy felt better, Nicholas II and Alexandra were happy and tried not to notice that the "old man" was using their location for unseemly purposes.

The emperor did not want to listen to police reports about the scandalous behavior of Rasputin. Having inspired the tsar that only he could save both Alexei and the autocracy with prayers, Rasputin advised whom to appoint and dismiss from the highest church and state officials up to the prime minister, arranged profitable financial combinations. A large group of politicians and financiers formed around him, high-ranking admirers and petitioners crowded around him, 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 did not work on him, the “old man” was finished off with several shots at point-blank range, and the body was pushed under the ice of the Malaya Nevka. An autopsy showed that Rasputin died only after a few hours in the river.

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Biography, life story of Rasputin Grigory Efimovich

Birth

Born on January 9 (January 21), 1869 in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen district, Tobolsk province, in the family of a coachman Efim Vilkin and Anna Parshukova.

Information about Rasputin's date of birth is extremely contradictory. Sources report various birth dates between 1864 and 1872. TSB (3rd edition) reports that he was born in 1864-1865.

Rasputin himself in his mature years did not add clarity, reporting conflicting information about the date of birth. According to biographers, he was inclined to exaggerate his true age in order to better match the image of the "old man".

According to the writer Edward Radzinsky, Rasputin could not have been born before 1869. The surviving metric of the village of Pokrovsky reports the date of birth on January 10 (according to the old style), 1869. This is the day of St. Gregory, which is why the baby was named so.

Beginning of life

In his youth, Rasputin was ill a lot. After a pilgrimage to the Verkhoturye Monastery, he turned to religion. In 1893, Rasputin traveled to the holy places of Russia, visited Mount Athos in Greece, then in Jerusalem. He met and made contacts with many representatives of the clergy, monks, wanderers.

In 1890 he married Praskovya Fedorovna Dubrovina, the same peasant pilgrim who bore him three children: Matryona, Varvara and Dimitri.

In 1900 he went on a new journey to Kyiv. On the way back, he lived in Kazan for a long time, where he met Father Mikhail, who was related to the Kazan Theological Academy, and came to St. Petersburg to the rector of the Theological Academy, Bishop Sergius (Stragorodsky).

In 1903, the inspector of the St. Petersburg Academy, Archimandrite Feofan (Bystrov), met Rasputin, introducing him also to Bishop Hermogenes (Dolganov).
Petersburg since 1904

In 1904, Rasputin, apparently with the assistance of Archimandrite Feofan, moved to St. Petersburg, where he acquired from a part of the high society the glory of "old man", "holy fool", "man of God" ", which "fixed the position of" saint "in the eyes of the St. Petersburg world" . It was Father Feofan who told about the "wanderer" to the daughters of the Montenegrin prince (later King) Nikolay Negosh - Militsa and Anastasia. The sisters told the empress about the new religious celebrity. Several years passed before he began to clearly stand out among the crowd of "God's people."

CONTINUED BELOW

In December 1906, Rasputin filed a petition to the highest name to change his last name to Rasputin-New, referring to the fact that many of his fellow villagers have the same last name, which may cause misunderstandings. The request was granted.

G. Rasputin and the imperial family

The date of the first personal meeting with the emperor is well known - on November 1, 1905, Nicholas II wrote in his diary:

"November 1st. Tuesday. Cold windy day. From the shore it froze to the end of our channel and an even strip in both directions. Been very busy all morning. Breakfast: book. Orlov and Resin (Dej.). Walked. At 4 o'clock we went to Sergievka. We drank tea with Milica and Stana. We got acquainted with the man of God - Grigory from the Tobolsk province. In the evening I went to bed, did a lot of work and spent the evening with Alix".

There are other mentions of Rasputin in the diaries of Nicholas II.

Rasputin gained influence on the imperial family, and above all on Alexandra Feodorovna, by helping her son, heir to the throne, Alexei, fight hemophilia, a disease that medicine was powerless to face.

Rasputin and the Church

Later biographers of Rasputin (O. Platonov) are inclined to see in the official investigations conducted by the church authorities in connection with the activities of Rasputin, some broader political meaning; but the investigative documents (the case of Khlystism and police documents) show that all cases were the subject of their investigation of the very specific acts of Grigory Rasputin, which encroached on public morality and piety.

The first case of Rasputin's "Khlysty" in 1907

In 1907, following a denunciation of 1903, the Tobolsk consistory opened a case against Rasputin, who was accused of spreading false teachings similar to Khlyst's and forming a society of followers of his false teachings. The case was started on September 6, 1907, completed and approved by Bishop Anthony (Karzhavin) of Tobolsk on May 7, 1908. The initial investigation was led by priest Nikodim Glukhovetsky. On the basis of the collected "facts", Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov, a member of the Tobolsk Consistory, prepared a report to Bishop Anthony with a review of the case under consideration by Dmitry Mikhailovich Berezkin, inspector of the Tobolsk Theological Seminary.

Secret Police Surveillance, Jerusalem - 1911

In 1909, the police were going to expel Rasputin from St. Petersburg, but Rasputin got ahead of her and left for his homeland in the village of Pokrovskoye for a while.

In 1910, his daughters moved to St. Petersburg to Rasputin, whom he arranged to study at the gymnasium. At the direction of the Prime Minister, Rasputin was placed under surveillance for several days.

At the beginning of 1911, Bishop Feofan invited the Holy Synod to officially express displeasure to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in connection with Rasputin's behavior, and a member of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky), reported to Nicholas II about Rasputin's negative influence.

On December 16, 1911, Rasputin had a skirmish with Bishop Hermogenes and Hieromonk Iliodor. Bishop Germogenes, acting in alliance with Hieromonk Iliodor (Trufanov), invited Rasputin to his courtyard, on Vasilyevsky Island, in the presence of Iliodor, "convicted" him, hitting him with a cross several times. An argument ensued between them, and then a fight.

In 1911, Rasputin voluntarily left the capital and made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

On January 23, 1912, by order of the Minister of the Interior, Makarov, Rasputin was again placed under surveillance, which continued until his death.

The second case of Rasputin's "Khlysty" in 1912

In January 1912, the Duma declared its attitude towards Rasputin, and in February 1912, Nicholas II ordered V.K. and the palace commandant Dedulin and handed over to him the File of the Tobolsk Ecclesiastical Consistory, which contained the beginning of the Investigative Proceedings regarding Rasputin's accusation of belonging to the Khlyst sect". On February 26, 1912, at an audience, Rodzianko suggested that the tsar expel the peasant forever. Archbishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) openly wrote that Rasputin is a whip and participates in zeal.

The new (replaced Eusebius (Grozdov)) Tobolsk Bishop Alexy (Molchanov) personally took up this matter, studied the materials, requested information from the clergy of the Intercession Church, and repeatedly talked with Rasputin himself. Based on the results of this new investigation, the conclusion of the Tobolsk Spiritual Consistory was prepared and approved on November 29, 1912, and sent to many high-ranking officials and some deputies of the State Duma. In conclusion, Rasputin-New is called "a Christian, a spiritually minded person who seeks the truth of Christ." There were no more official accusations against Rasputin. But this did not mean at all that everyone believed in the results of the new investigation. Rasputin's opponents believe that Bishop Alexy "helped" him in this way for selfish purposes: the disgraced bishop, exiled to Tobolsk from the Pskov see as a result of the discovery of a sectarian St. John's monastery in the Pskov province, stayed at the Tobolsk see only until October 1913, that is, only a year and a half, after which he was appointed Exarch of Georgia and elevated to the rank of Archbishop of Kartal and Kakheti with the title of member of the Holy Synod. This is seen as the influence of Rasputin.

However, researchers believe that the exaltation of Bishop Alexy in 1913 took place only due to his devotion to the reigning house, which is especially evident from his sermon delivered on the occasion of the 1905 manifesto. Moreover, the period in which Bishop Alexy was appointed Exarch of Georgia was a period of revolutionary ferment in Georgia.

It should also be noted that opponents of Rasputin often forget about a different elevation: Bishop Anthony of Tobolsk (Karzhavin), who brought the first case of “Khlystism” against Rasputin, was moved in 1910 from cold Siberia to the Tver cathedra and was elevated to the rank of archbishop on Easter. But they remember that this translation took place precisely because the first file was sent to the archives of the Synod.

Prophecies, writings and correspondence of Rasputin

During his lifetime, Rasputin published two books:
Rasputin, G. E. Life of an experienced wanderer. - May 1907.
G. E. Rasputin. My thoughts and reflections. - Petrograd, 1915..

The books are a literary record of his conversations, since the surviving notes of Rasputin testify to his illiteracy.

The eldest daughter writes about her father:

"... my father was literate, to put it mildly, not quite. He began to take his first writing and reading lessons in St. Petersburg.".

In total, there are 100 canonical prophecies of Rasputin. The most famous was the prediction of the death of the Imperial House:

"As long as I'm alive, the dynasty will live".

Some authors believe that there are mentions of Rasputin in the letters of Alexandra Feodorovna to Nicholas II. In the letters themselves, Rasputin's surname is not mentioned, but some authors believe that Rasputin in the letters is indicated by the words "Friend", or "He" with capital letters, although this has no documentary evidence. The letters were published in the USSR by 1927, and by the Berlin publishing house "Slovo" in 1922. The correspondence was preserved in the State Archive of the Russian Federation - the Novoromanovsky archive.

Anti-Rasputin press campaign

In 1910, the Tolstoyan M. A. Novoselov published several critical articles about Rasputin in Moskovskie Vedomosti (No. 49 - “The spiritual guest performer Grigory Rasputin”, No. 72 - “Something else about Grigory Rasputin”).

In 1912, Novoselov published in his publishing house the pamphlet "Grigory Rasputin and mystical debauchery", which accused Rasputin of whiplash and criticized the highest church hierarchy. The brochure was banned and confiscated at the printing house. The newspaper "Voice of Moscow" was fined for publishing excerpts from it. After that, the State Duma followed up with a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs about the legality of punishing the editors of Golos Moskvy and Novoye Vremya.

In the same 1912, Rasputin's acquaintance, the former hieromonk Iliodor, began to distribute several letters of scandalous content from Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and the Grand Duchesses to Rasputin.

Copies printed on a hectograph went around St. Petersburg. Most researchers consider these letters to be forgeries. Later, Iliodor, on the advice of Gorky, wrote the libelous book "Holy Devil" about Rasputin, which was published in 1917 during the revolution.

In 1913-1914. The Supreme Council of the VVNR made an attempt at an agitation campaign about the role of Rasputin at court. Somewhat later, the Council made an attempt to publish a pamphlet directed against Rasputin, and when this attempt failed (the pamphlet was censored), the Council took steps to distribute this pamphlet in a typewritten form.

Assassination attempt on Khionia Guseva

On June 29 (July 12), 1914, an assassination attempt was made on Rasputin in the village of Pokrovsky. He was stabbed in the stomach and seriously wounded by Khionia Guseva, who had come from Tsaritsyn. Rasputin testified that he suspected Iliodor of organizing the assassination attempt, but could not provide any evidence of this. On July 3, Rasputin was transported by ship to Tyumen for treatment. Rasputin remained in the Tyumen hospital until August 17, 1914. The investigation into the assassination attempt lasted about a year. Guseva was declared mentally ill in July 1915 and freed from criminal liability by being placed in a psychiatric hospital in Tomsk. On March 27, 1917, on the personal instructions of A.F. Kerensky, Guseva was released.

Murder

Rasputin was killed on the night of December 17, 1916 in the Yusupov Palace on the Moika. Conspirators: F. F. Yusupov, V. M. Purishkevich, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, British intelligence officer MI6 Oswald Reiner (officially, the investigation did not attribute him to the murder).

Information about the murder is contradictory, it was confused both by the killers themselves and by pressure on the investigation by the Russian, British and Soviet authorities. Yusupov changed his testimony several times: in the police of St. Petersburg on December 16, 1916, in exile in the Crimea in 1917, in a book in 1927, given under oath in 1934 and in 1965. Initially, Purishkevich's memoirs were published, then Yusupov echoed his version. However, they radically differed from the testimony of the investigation. Starting from naming the wrong color of the clothes in which Rasputin was dressed according to the killers and in which he was found, and up to how many and where the bullets were fired. For example, forensic scientists found 3 wounds, each of which is fatal: in the head, liver and kidney. (According to British researchers who studied photography, a control shot in the forehead was made from a British Webley .455 revolver.) After a shot in the liver, a person can live no more than 20 minutes, and is not able, as the killers said, to run down the street in half an hour or an hour. Also, there was no shot in the heart, which the killers unanimously claimed.

Rasputin was first lured into the cellar, treated to red wine and a pie poisoned with potassium cyanide. Yusupov went upstairs, and, returning, shot him in the back, causing him to fall. The conspirators went out into the street. Yusupov, who returned for a cloak, checked the body, suddenly Rasputin woke up and tried to strangle the killer. The conspirators who ran in at that moment began to shoot at Rasputin. Approaching, they were surprised that he was still alive, and began to beat him. According to the killers, the poisoned and shot Rasputin came to his senses, got out of the basement and tried to climb over the high wall of the garden, but was caught by the killers, who heard the rising barking of a dog. Then he was tied with ropes hand and foot (according to Purishkevich, first wrapped in a blue cloth), taken by car to a pre-selected place near Kamenny Island and thrown off the bridge into the Neva hole in such a way that the body was under the ice. However, according to the materials of the investigation, the discovered corpse was dressed in a fur coat, there was no fabric or ropes.

The investigation into the murder of Rasputin, which was led by the director of the Police Department A. T. Vasiliev, progressed quite quickly. Already the first interrogations of Rasputin's family members and servants showed that on the night of the murder, Rasputin went to visit Prince Yusupov. Policeman Vlasyuk, who was on duty on the night of December 16-17 on a street not far from the Yusupov Palace, testified that he had heard several shots at night. During a search in the courtyard of the Yusupovs' house, traces of blood were found.

On the afternoon of December 17, a passer-by noticed bloodstains on the parapet of the Petrovsky Bridge. After divers explored the Neva, the body of Rasputin was found in this place. The forensic medical examination was entrusted to the well-known professor of the Military Medical Academy D.P. Kosorotov. The original autopsy report has not been preserved; the cause of death can only be hypothesized.

« During the autopsy, very numerous injuries were found, many of which were already inflicted posthumously. The entire right side of the head was shattered, flattened due to bruising of the corpse during the fall from the bridge. Death followed from profuse bleeding due to a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The shot was fired, in my opinion, almost point-blank, from left to right, through the stomach and liver, with crushing of the latter in the right half. The bleeding was very profuse. The corpse also had a gunshot wound in the back, in the region of the spine, with crushing of the right kidney, and another wound point-blank, in the forehead, probably already dying or deceased. The chest organs were intact and were examined superficially, but there were no signs of death from drowning. The lungs were not swollen and there was no water or foamy fluid in the airways. Rasputin was thrown into the water already dead.”, - The conclusion of the forensic expert Professor D.N. Kosorotov.

No poison was found in Rasputin's stomach. Possible explanations for this are that the cyanide in the brownies has been neutralized by the sugar or heat from the oven. His daughter reports that after the assassination attempt, Gusev Rasputin suffered from high acidity and avoided sweet foods. He was reportedly poisoned with a dose capable of killing 5 people. Some modern researchers suggest that there was no poison - this is a lie to confuse the investigation.

There are a number of nuances in determining the involvement of O. Reiner. At that time, there were two MI6 officers in St. Petersburg who could have committed the murder: Yusupov's school friend Oswald Reiner and Yusupov Palace-born Captain Stephen Alley. Both families were close to Yusupov, and it is difficult to say who exactly killed. The former was suspected, and Tsar Nicholas II explicitly mentioned that the killer was Yusupov's school friend. In 1919, Rayner was awarded the Order of the British Empire, he destroyed his papers before his death in 1961. Compton's chauffeur's journal records that he brought Oswald to Yusupov (and to another officer, Captain John Scale) a week before the murder, and the last time - on the day of the murder. Compton also directly hinted at Rayner, saying that the killer is a lawyer and was born in the same city with him. There is a letter from Alley written to Scale 8 days after the murder: “ Although not everything went according to plan, our goal was reached... Reiner is covering his tracks and will no doubt contact you for briefings.» According to modern British researchers, the order for three British agents (Reiner, Alley and Scale) to eliminate Rasputin came from Mansfield Smith-Cumming (the first director of MI6).

The investigation lasted two and a half months until the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II on March 2, 1917. On that day, Kerensky became Minister of Justice in the Provisional Government. On March 4, 1917, he ordered the investigation to be hastily terminated, while the investigator A. T. Vasiliev (arrested during the February Revolution) was transferred to the Peter and Paul Fortress, where he was interrogated by the Extraordinary Investigative Commission until September, later emigrated.

English conspiracy version

In 2004, the BBC aired the documentary Who Killed Rasputin?, which brought new attention to the murder investigation. According to the version shown in the film, the "fame" and the idea of ​​this murder belongs exclusively to Great Britain, the Russian conspirators were only performers, a control shot in the forehead was fired from a revolver of British officers Webley .455.

According to researchers motivated by the film and published books, Rasputin was killed with the active participation of the British intelligence service Mi-6, the killers confused the investigation in order to hide the British trail. The motive for the conspiracy was the following: Great Britain was afraid of Rasputin's influence on the Russian Empress, which threatened to conclude a separate peace with Germany. To eliminate the threat, a conspiracy brewing in Russia against Rasputin was used.

It also states that the next assassination of the British secret services immediately after the revolution planned the assassination of I. Stalin, who most loudly strove for peace with Germany.

The funeral

Rasputin was buried by Bishop Isidore (Kolokolov), who knew him well. In his memoirs, A. I. Spiridovich recalls that Bishop Isidore served the funeral mass (which he had no right to do).

It was said later that Metropolitan Pitirim, who was approached about the funeral, rejected this request. In those days, a legend was started that the Empress was present at the autopsy and the funeral service, which also reached the English Embassy. It was a typical gossip directed against the Empress.

At first they wanted to bury the dead man in his homeland, in the village of Pokrovsky. But because of the danger of possible unrest in connection with sending the body across half the country, they buried it in the Alexander Park of Tsarskoye Selo on the territory of the temple of Seraphim of Sarov built by Anna Vyrubova.

The burial was found, and Kerensky ordered Kornilov to organize the destruction of the body. For several days the coffin with the remains stood in a special carriage. Rasputin's body was burned on the night of March 11 in the furnace of the steam boiler of the Polytechnic Institute. An official act was drawn up on the burning of Rasputin's corpse.

Three months after Rasputin's death, his grave was desecrated. At the place of burning, two inscriptions are inscribed on a birch, one of which is in German: “Hier ist der Hund begraben” (“A dog is buried here”) and further “The corpse of Rasputin Grigory was burned here on the night of March 10-11, 1917” .

Very short biography (in a nutshell)

Born March 15, 1937 in the village of Ust-Uda, Irkutsk Region. Father - Grigory Nikitich Rasputin, a peasant. Mother - Nina Ivanovna, a peasant woman. In 1959 he graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology of the Irkutsk University. Since 1967 - a member of the Writers' Union of the USSR. In 1987 he received the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. He was married and had a daughter and a son. The daughter died in 2006. He died on March 14, 2015 at the age of 77. He was buried in the Znamensky Monastery in Irkutsk. Main works: "French Lessons", "Live and Remember", "Farewell to Matera" and others.

Brief biography (detailed)

Valentin Grigoryevich Rasputin is a Russian writer, prose writer, a representative of the so-called "village prose", as well as a Hero of Socialist Labor. Rasputin was born on March 15, 1937 into a peasant family in the village of Ust-Uda. He spent his childhood in the village of Atalanka (Irkutsk region), where he went to elementary school. He continued his studies 50 km from home, where the nearest secondary school was. About this period of study, he later wrote the story "French Lessons".

After graduating from school, the future writer entered the Faculty of History and Philology of Irkutsk University. As a student, he worked as a freelance correspondent for the university newspaper. One of his essays “I forgot to ask Lyoshka” attracted the attention of the editor. The same work was later published in the literary journal Siberia. After university, the writer worked for several years in the newspapers of Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk. In 1965, Vladimir Chivilikhin got acquainted with his works. The novice prose writer considered this writer to be his mentor. And from the classics, he especially appreciated Bunin and Dostoevsky.

Since 1966, Valentin Grigoryevich became a professional writer, and a year later he was enrolled in the Writers' Union of the USSR. In the same period, in Irkutsk, the first book of the writer "The Land near himself" was published. This was followed by the book "A Man from This World" and the story "Money for Mary", which was published in 1968 by the Moscow publishing house "Young Guard". The maturity and originality of the author manifested itself in the story "Deadline" (1970). Of great interest to the reader was the story "Fire" (1985).

In the last years of his life, he was more involved in social activities, but without breaking away from literature. So, in 2004, his book "Ivan's Daughter, Ivan's Mother" was published. Two years later, the third edition of the essays "Siberia, Siberia". In the writer's hometown, his works are included in the school curriculum for extracurricular reading.

The writer died on March 14, 2015 in Moscow, at the age of 77. He was buried in the Znamensky Monastery in Irkutsk.

Video short biography (for those who prefer to listen)