Grigori Rasputin
It has long been debated whether Grigori Rasputin was a mystical monk devoted to his religion, or a charlatan who knew how to work the fears of the upper classes. The Romanov family believed firmly in the former. Beset with worries over the illness of their son, the Tsarevich Alexei (who was born with hemophilia) they turned to the monk as the one person who seemed able to settle the boy's pains.
Despite his connection with the Imperial family - or perhaps because of it - Rasputin became a very unpopular figure. He was rumoured to have a penchant for seducing society women, and during the war years he was criticised for interfering in politics. Due to the secrecy of the Romanov family regarding Alexei's illness and Rasputin's treatment of it, many believed his closeness to the family was due to an affair with the
Tsarina.
Fed up with his political maneuvering, a group of nobles which included Prince Felix Yusupov and the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich assassinated Rasputin at the Yusupov Palace. The exact circumstances of his death have long been shrouded in mystery and rumour, but the common belief is that Rasputin was given poisoned wine and food. When he showed no effects from this, he was shot multiple times, then wrapped in a cloth and dropped from a bridge into a river.
Rasputin was survived by a daughter who fled to France and then the United States after the events of the 1917 revolution.
Despite his connection with the Imperial family - or perhaps because of it - Rasputin became a very unpopular figure. He was rumoured to have a penchant for seducing society women, and during the war years he was criticised for interfering in politics. Due to the secrecy of the Romanov family regarding Alexei's illness and Rasputin's treatment of it, many believed his closeness to the family was due to an affair with the
Tsarina.
Fed up with his political maneuvering, a group of nobles which included Prince Felix Yusupov and the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich assassinated Rasputin at the Yusupov Palace. The exact circumstances of his death have long been shrouded in mystery and rumour, but the common belief is that Rasputin was given poisoned wine and food. When he showed no effects from this, he was shot multiple times, then wrapped in a cloth and dropped from a bridge into a river.
Rasputin was survived by a daughter who fled to France and then the United States after the events of the 1917 revolution.
Below image: The Yusupov Palace, where Rasputin was murdered. Photo belongs to Kerri Turner.
