What kind of person Rasputin was. Grigory Rasputin

Archimandrite Theophan (Bystrov) meets Rasputin, introducing him also to Bishop Germogen (Dolganov).

Petersburg since 1904

House on Gorokhovaya, where Rasputin lived (with windows to the courtyard)

G. Rasputin and the imperial family

1908 year. Tsarskoe Selo. Rasputin with the Empress, four children and a governess.

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

1st November. Tuesday. Cold windy day. From the coast it froze to the end of our channel and in an even strip in both directions. Was very busy all morning. Breakfast: book. Orlov and Resin (dezh.). I took a walk. At 4 o'clock we went to Sergievka. We drank tea with Militsa and Stana. We got acquainted with the man of God - Gregory from Tobolsk lips. In the evening I went to bed, studied a lot and spent the evening with Alix.

There are other references to Rasputin in the diaries of Nicholas II.

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

Rasputin and the Church

Later biographers of Rasputin (O. Platonov) are inclined to see in the official investigations carried out by the church authorities in connection with the activities of Rasputin, a kind of broader political meaning; but the investigative documents (the Khlysty case and the police documents) show that all the cases were subject to investigation into the very specific acts of Grigory Rasputin, encroaching on public morality and piety.

The first case about Rasputin's "Khlystovism" in 1907

The secret file of the Tobolsk spiritual consistory about the peasant Grigory Rasputin.

By order of the Minister of Internal Affairs Makarov on January 23, 1912, Rasputin was again placed under external surveillance, which continued until his death.

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

Decree of Nicholas II

It should also be noted that Rasputin's opponents often forget about another elevation: Bishop Anthony (Karzhavin) of Tobolsk, who opened the first case against Rasputin on Khlysty, was transferred from cold Siberia to the Tver See in 1910 for this very reason, and on Easter he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. But they remember that this translation took place precisely because the first case was sent to the archives of the Synod.

Prophecies, writings and correspondence of Rasputin

During his lifetime, Rasputin published two books:

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: “… the father was not fully taught to read and write, to put it mildly. He began to take his first lessons in writing and reading 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 live, the dynasty will also live."

Some authors believe that Rasputin is mentioned in the letters of Alexandra Fedorovna to Nicholas II. In the letters themselves, Rasputin's surname is not mentioned, but some authors believe that Rasputin in letters is designated 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 Archives of the Russian Federation - Novoromanovsky archive.

Anti-Rasputin Press Campaign

The assassination attempt of Khioniya Guseva

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

Murder

Rasputin's body taken out of the water.

Photo of a corpse in a morgue

Letter V. to. Dmitry Pavlovich's father V.K. Pavel Alexandrovich about his attitude to the murder of Rasputin and the revolution. Isfahan (Persia) April 29, 1917. Finally, the last act of my stay in Peter [the fence] was a completely conscious and deliberate participation in the murder of Rasputin - as the last attempt to give the Tsar an opportunity to openly change course, without taking responsibility for removing this person. (Alix would not have let him do that.)

Rasputin was killed on the night of December 17, 1916 in the Yusupovs' palace on the Moika. Conspirators: F.F.Yusupov, V.M. Purishkevich, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, MI6 British intelligence officer Oswald Reiner (English) Russian (officially, the investigation did not rank him as murder).

The information about the murder is contradictory, it was confused both by the killers themselves and by the pressure on the investigation of the Russian, British and Soviet authorities. Yusupov changed his testimony several times: in the St. Petersburg police on December 16, 1916, in exile in the Crimea in 1917, in a 1927 book, sworn in 1934 and 1965. Initially, the memoirs of Purishkevich were published, then Yusupov echoed his version. However, they radically disagreed with the testimony of the investigation. Starting from naming the wrong color of clothes in which Rasputin was dressed according to the killers' version and in which he was found, and to how many and where bullets were fired. For example, forensic experts found 3 wounds, each of which is fatal: in the head, in the liver and in the kidney. (According to British researchers who studied the photograph, 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 20 minutes, and is not able, as the murderers said, to run down the street in half an hour or an hour. There was also no shot in the heart, which the killers unanimously claimed.

Rasputin was first lured into the basement, treated with 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. Returning for the cloak, Yusupov checked the body, unexpectedly Rasputin woke up and tried to strangle the killer. The conspirators who ran in at that moment began to shoot at Rasputin. Having approached, they were surprised that he was still alive, and began to beat him. According to the murderers, the poisoned and shot Rasputin came to his senses, got out of the basement and tried to climb the high wall of the garden, but was caught by the murderers who heard the barking of dogs. 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 not far from Kamenny Island and thrown off the bridge into the wormwood of the Neva 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 cloth or ropes.

The investigation into the murder of Rasputin, led by the director of the Police Department, A. T. Vasiliev, progressed rather 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 near 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, passers-by noticed blood stains on the parapet of the Petrovsky bridge. After divers explored the Neva, Rasputin's body 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 survived, and the causes of death can only be speculatively discussed.

“During the autopsy, very numerous injuries were found, of which many were already inflicted posthumously. The entire right side of the head was crushed, flattened as a result of the contusion of the corpse when it fell from the bridge. Death followed from profuse bleeding from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The shot was fired, in my opinion, almost at point-blank range, from left to right, through the stomach and liver with the fragmentation of the latter in the right half. The bleeding was profuse. On the corpse there was also a gunshot wound in the back, in the spine, with the fragmentation of the right kidney, and another point-blank wound, in the forehead, probably already dying or dead. The breasts were intact and superficially examined, but there were no signs of drowning death. The lungs were not distended, and there was no water or foamy fluid in the airways. Rasputin was thrown into the water, already dead. "

Conclusion of the forensic expert professor D.N. Kosorotova

No poison was found in Rasputin's stomach. A possible explanation for this is that the cyanide in the cakes was neutralized by sugar or heat when baked in the oven. His daughter reports that after the assassination attempt, Guseva Rasputin suffered from high acidity and avoided sweet foods. It is reported that he was poisoned with a dose capable of killing 5 people. Some modern researchers suggest that there was no poison - this is a lie to obfuscate the investigation.

There are a number of nuances in defining 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 Captain Stephen Alley, who was born in the Yusupov Palace. Both families were close to Yusupov, and it is difficult to say who exactly killed. The former was suspected, and Tsar Nicholas II directly mentioned that the killer was Yusupov's school friend. In 1919, Reiner was awarded the Order of the British Empire, he destroyed his papers before his death in 1961. The Compton chauffeur's journal records that he brought Oswald to Yusupov (and to another officer, Captain John Scale) a week before the murder, and for the last time - on the day of the murder. Compton also directly hinted at Rayner, reporting that the killer is a lawyer and was born in the same city with him. There is a letter Alley wrote to Scale 8 days after the murder: "Although not everything went according to plan, our goal was achieved ... Reiner is covering his tracks and will undoubtedly contact you for briefing." According to modern British researchers, the order to three British agents (Rainer, Alley and Scale) to eliminate Rasputin came from Mansfield Smith-Cumming. (English) Russian (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 the Minister of Justice in the Provisional Government. On March 4, 1917, he ordered to hastily terminate the investigation, while investigator A. T. Vasiliev (arrested during the February Revolution) was transferred to the Peter and Paul Fortress, where he was interrogated by the Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry until September, and later emigrated.

Version of the English conspiracy

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 of the conspiracy was the following: Great Britain feared Rasputin's influence on the Russian empress, which threatened to conclude a separate peace with Germany. To eliminate the threat, a conspiracy against Rasputin that was ripening in Russia was used.
It also states that the next assassination of the British special services immediately after the revolution was planning the assassination of J. Stalin, who was the loudest striving for peace with Germany.

Funeral

Bishop Isidor (Kolokolov), who was well acquainted with him, performed the funeral service for Rasputin. 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 for the funeral service, rejected this request. In those days, a legend was launched that the Empress was present at the autopsy and funeral service, which reached the British Embassy. It was a typical regular gossip directed against the Empress.

At first they wanted to bury the victim in his homeland, in the village of Pokrovskoye. But because of the danger of possible unrest in connection with the sending of the body across half the country, they were interred in the Alexander Park of Tsarskoye Selo on the territory of the temple of Seraphim of Sarov, which was being built by Anna Vyrubova.

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

The fate of the Rasputin family

The rest of the members of Rasputin's family were brutally dealt with by the Soviet government. In 1922, his widow Praskovya Fyodorovna, son Dmitry and daughter Varvara were deprived of voting rights as "malicious elements." Even earlier, in 1920, the house and the entire peasant economy of Dmitry Grigorievich were nationalized. In the 1930s, all three were arrested by the NKVD, and their trace was lost in the special settlements of the Tyumen North.

Orgies

Rasputin and his admirers (St. Petersburg, 1914). In the top row (from left to right): Den Yu. A., 1914 Rasputin settled in an apartment on the street. Gorokhovaya, 64 in St. Petersburg. Various gloomy rumors began to spread around St. Petersburg about this apartment rather quickly, they say, Rasputin turned it into a brothel and uses it to conduct his "orgies". Some said that Rasputin maintains a permanent "harem" there, others collect it from time to time. There was a rumor that the apartment on Gorokhovaya was used for witchcraft, etc.

From the memories of witnesses

… Once Aunt Agn. Fed. Hartmann (my mother's sister) asked me if I wanted to see Rasputin closer. …… .. Having received the address on Pushkinskaya Street, on the appointed day and hour, I appeared at the apartment of Maria Alexandrovna Nikitina, my aunt's friend. Entering the small dining room, I found everyone already assembled. At the oval table, served for tea, there were 6-7 young interesting ladies. I knew two of them by sight (we met in the halls of the Winter Palace, where the sewing of linen for the wounded was organized by Alexandra Fedorovna). All of them were in one circle and in an undertone were talking animatedly among themselves. Having made a general bow in English, I sat down next to the hostess at the samovar and talked with her.

Suddenly there was a general sigh - Ah! I looked up and saw in the doorway, located on the opposite side from where I entered, a mighty figure - the first impression - a gypsy. A tall, powerful figure was wrapped in a white Russian shirt with embroidery on the collar and fastener, a twisted belt with tassels, black trousers and Russian boots. But there was nothing Russian in it. Black thick hair, a large black beard, a swarthy face with predatory nostrils and a kind of ironic and mocking smile on his lips - a face, of course, spectacular, but somewhat unpleasant. The first thing that attracted attention was his eyes: black, red-hot, they burned, piercing through, and his gaze at you was felt simply physically, it was impossible to remain calm. It seems to me that he really did have a hypnotic power to subdue him when he wanted to. ...

Here everyone was familiar to him, vying with each other to please, to attract attention. He casually sat down at the table, addressed each one by name and “you”, spoke catchy, sometimes vulgarly and rudely, called to him, sat down on his knees, groped, stroked, patted the soft places and all the “happy” were thrilled with pleasure ! It was disgusting and offensive to look at this for women who are humiliated, who have lost both their feminine dignity and family honor. I felt the blood rush to my face, I wanted to scream, bang my fist, do something. I sat almost opposite the "distinguished guest", he perfectly felt my state and, laughing mockingly, every time after another attack he stubbornly stuck his eyes into me. I was a new object unknown to him. ...

Impudently addressing one of those present, he said: “Do you see? Who embroidered the shirt? Sasha! " (meaning Empress Alexandra Feodorovna). No decent man would ever betray the secrets of a woman's feelings. My eyes grew dark with tension, and Rasputin's gaze drilled and drilled unbearably. I moved closer to the hostess, trying to hide behind the samovar. Maria Alexandrovna looked at me anxiously. ...

“Mashenka,” a voice said, “would you like some jam? Come to me. " Mashenka hastily jumps up and hurries to the place of call. Rasputin throws one leg over the other, takes a spoonful of jam and throws it over the toe of his boot. "Lizhi" - a voice sounds imperiously, she kneels down and, bowing her head, licks the jam ... I could not stand it any longer. Squeezing the mistress's hand, she jumped up and ran into the hallway. I don’t remember how I put on my hat, how I ran along the Nevsky. I came to myself at the Admiralty, I had to go home to Petrogradskaya. I bellowed at midnight and asked me never to ask me what I saw, and I myself did not remember this hour either with my mother or my aunt, and I did not see Maria Alexandrovna Nikitina either. Since then, I could not calmly hear the name of Rasputin and lost all respect for our "secular" ladies. Once, while visiting De Lazari, I went to the phone and heard the voice of this scoundrel. But she immediately said that I knew who was speaking, and therefore I didn’t want to talk ... ..

Grigorova-Rudykovskaya, Tatiana Leonidovna

The Provisional Government conducted a special investigation into the Rasputin case. According to one of the participants in this investigation, V. M. Rudnev, who was sent by order of Kerensky to the "Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry to Investigate the Abuses of Former Ministers, Chief Governors and Other High Officials" and who was then Deputy Prosecutor of the Yekaterinoslav District Court:

... the richest material for illuminating his personality from this side turned out to be in the data of that very covert observation of him, which was conducted by the security department; at the same time, it turned out that Rasputin's amorous adventures did not go beyond the framework of nocturnal orgies with girls of easy virtue and chansonnet singers, and also sometimes with some of his supplicants.

Daughter Matryona in her book “Rasputin. Why?" wrote:

... that for all his life was saturated, the father never misused his power and ability to influence women in the carnal sense. However, one must understand that this part of the relationship was of particular interest to the father's ill-wishers. Note that they received some real food for their stories.

... Then he answered the phone and called all kinds of ladies. I had to do bonne mine mauvais jeu - because all these ladies were extremely dubious ...

Estimates of the influence of Rasputin

According to the recollections of the courtiers, Rasputin was not close to the royal family and generally rarely visited the royal palace. So, according to the memoirs of the palace commandant VN Voeikov, the head of the palace police, Colonel Gerardi, when asked how frequent Rasputin's visits to the palace are, replied: "once a month, and sometimes twice a month." In the memoirs of the lady-in-waiting A.A. Another lady-in-waiting, S. K. Buxgewden, recalled:

“I lived in the Alexander Palace from 1913 to 1917, and my room was connected by a corridor with the chambers of the Imperial children. I never saw Rasputin during all this time, although I was constantly in the company of the Grand Duchesses. Monsieur Gilliard, who also lived there for several years, also never saw him. "

From the memoirs of the director of the Police Department A. T. Vasiliev (he served in the "secret police" of St. Petersburg since 1906, and headed the police in 1916/17):

Many times I had the opportunity to meet with Rasputin and talk with him on various topics.<…>Intelligence and natural ingenuity gave him the opportunity to soberly and shrewdly judge a person, only once he met. This, too, was known to the queen, so she sometimes asked his opinion about a particular candidate for a high position in the government. But from such harmless questions to the appointment of ministers by Rasputin is a very big step, and neither the tsar nor the tsarina, undoubtedly, never took this step.<…>And yet people believed that everything depended on a piece of paper with a few words written by Rasputin's hand ... I never believed it, and although I sometimes investigated these rumors, I never found convincing evidence of their truth. The incidents I am talking about are not, as one might think, my sentimental inventions; they are evidenced by the reports of agents who worked for years as servants in Rasputin's house and, therefore, knew his daily life in the smallest detail.<…>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 foundations of the Russian throne and the empire ... These harbingers of revolution tried to make Rasputin a scarecrow in order to carry out their plans. Therefore, they spread the most ridiculous rumors, which created the impression that only through the mediation of a Siberian peasant could a high position and influence be achieved.

The publication of reports about Rasputin in print could only be partially limited. By law, articles on the imperial family were subject to prior censorship by the head of the Chancellery of the Ministry of the Court. Any articles in which Rasputin's name was mentioned in combination with the names of members of the royal family were prohibited, but articles where only Rasputin appeared could not be banned.

On November 1, 1916, at a meeting of the State Duma, PN Milyukov delivered a speech critical of the government and the "court party", in which the name of Rasputin was also mentioned. Miliukov took the information he gave about Rasputin from articles in the German newspapers Berliner Tageblatt of October 16, 1916 and the Neue Freye Press of June 25, about which he himself admitted that some of the information reported there was erroneous. On November 19, 1916, V.M. Purishkevich made a speech at a meeting of the Duma, in which great importance was attached to Rasputin. The image of Rasputin was also used by German propaganda. In March 1916, the German zeppelins scattered over the Russian trenches a caricature depicting Wilhelm, leaning on the German people, and Nikolai Romanov, leaning on the genitals of Rasputin.

According to the memoirs of A.A. Golovin, during the First World War, rumors that the empress was Rasputin's mistress were spread among the officers of the Russian army by employees of the opposition Zemsky-City Union. After the overthrow of Nicholas II, the chairman of Zemgor, Prince Lvov, became the chairman of the Provisional Government.

The first revolution and the counter-revolutionary era that followed (1907-1914) revealed the whole essence of the tsarist monarchy, brought it to the "last line", revealed all its rottenness, vileness, all the cynicism and debauchery of the tsarist gang with the monstrous Rasputin at its head, all the atrocities of the family The Romanovs - these pogromists who flooded Russia with the blood of Jews, workers, revolutionaries ...

Opinions of contemporaries about Rasputin

... oddly enough, the question of Rasputin involuntarily became the central issue of the near future and did not leave the stage for almost the entire time of my chairmanship of the Council of Ministers, bringing me to my resignation in a little over two years.

In my opinion, Rasputin is a typical Siberian varnak, a vagabond, intelligent and trained himself in the well-known way of a simpleton and a holy fool and playing his role according to a learned recipe. Outwardly, he lacked only the prisoner's armyman and the ace of diamonds on his back. By manners, this is a person capable of anything. Of course, he does not believe in his antics, but he has worked out for himself firmly memorized techniques with which he deceives both those who sincerely believe in all his eccentricities, and those who deceive themselves with their admiration for him, meaning in fact only to achieve through him of those benefits that are not given in any other way.

How did Rasputin's contemporaries imagine? As a drunken, dirty peasant who infiltrated the royal family, appointed and dismissed ministers, bishops and generals, and for a whole decade was the hero of the scandalous St. Petersburg chronicle. In addition, there are still wild orgies in Villa Rode, lustful dances among aristocratic female fans, high-ranking minions and drunken gypsies, and at the same time an incomprehensible power over the tsar and his family, hypnotic strength and faith in his special purpose. That was all.

If it had not been for Rasputin, the opponents of the royal family and those who prepared the revolution would have created him by their conversations from Vyrubova, if it had not been for Vyrubova, out of me, from whoever you want.

The investigator in the case of the murder of the royal family Nikolai Alekseevich Sokolov writes in his book-judicial investigation:

The head of the Main Directorate of Posts and Telegraphs, Pokhvisnev, who held this position in 1913-1917, shows: "According to the established procedure, all telegrams submitted to the Emperor and Empress were presented to me in copies. Therefore, all telegrams that were sent to the name of Their Majesties from Rasputin, I knew at one time. There were a lot of them. Of course, there is no way to recall their content consistently. In all honesty, I can say that the enormous influence of Rasputin with the Tsar and the Empress was clearly established by the content of the telegrams.

Hieromartyr Archpriest Philosopher Ornatsky, rector of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, describes in 1914 the meeting of John of Kronstadt with Rasputin as follows:

Fr. John asked the elder: "What is your surname?" And when the latter answered: "Rasputin", he said: "Look, by your surname it will be for you"

Attempts to canonize Rasputin

Religious veneration of Grigory Rasputin began around 1990 and came from the so-called. Theotokos center (which changed its name over the next years).

Some extremely radical monarchist Orthodox circles have also, since the 1990s, expressed thoughts about the canonization of Rasputin as a holy martyr. The supporters of these ideas were:

1. Anton Evgenievich Zhogolev, editor of the Orthodox newspaper Blagovest.
2. Dushenov Konstantin - editor-in-chief of Pravoslavnaya Rus.
3. "Church of St. John the Evangelist", etc.

Despite this, over the past ten years, religious admirers of Grigory Rasputin have released at least two akathists for him, and about a dozen icons have been painted.

• By a strange coincidence, Rasputin met Tsar Nicholas II in the same year (1905) as Papus (who came to Russia in 1905). Rasputin, like Papus, had a strong religious influence on the tsar: Papus consecrated the tsar to Martinism, treated his family and, allegedly, predicted his death ... the same is said about Rasputin. Both died at the end of 1916, with a difference of only about two months.

Rasputin in culture and art

According to S. Fomin's research, during March-November 1917 theaters were filled with dubious performances, and more than ten libelous films about Grigory Rasputin were released. The first such film was the two-part "Sensational drama" "Dark Forces - Grigory Rasputin and His Companions"(production of the joint-stock company G. Liebken). The picture was delivered in record time, within a few days: March 5 newspaper "Early morning" announced it, and already on March 12 (! - 10 days after the abdication!) She appeared on the screens of cinemas. It is noteworthy that this first libelous film on the whole failed and was successful only in small suburban cinemas, where the audience was simpler ... pornography and wild eroticism... In order to protect public morality, it was even proposed to introduce cinematography (and this was in the early days of the revolution!), Temporarily entrusting it to the police. A group of filmmakers petitioned the Minister of Justice of the Provisional Government A.F. Kerensky to prohibit the demonstration of the tape "Dark Forces - Grigory Rasputin", stop the flow filmmaking and pornography... Of course, this did not stop the further spread of the film Rasputiniada across the country. Those who "overthrew the autocracy" were in power, and they needed justification for this overthrow. And further S.Fomin writes: “After October 1917, the Bolsheviks approached the matter more fundamentally. the multivolume Protocols of the Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry, created by the Provisional Government; from beginning to end, forged by the same P. Schegolev with the "red count" A. Tolstoy "Diaries" by A. Vyrubova. . ... Only by about 1930 this campaign began to decline - the new generation, entering adulthood in the USSR, was already sufficiently "processed".

Rasputin and his historical significance had a great influence on both Russian and Western culture. Germans and Americans are to some extent attracted by his figure as a kind of "Russian bear" or "Russian peasant".
In with. Pokrovskoe (now - Yarkovsky district of the Tyumen region) there is a private museum of G.E. Rasputin.

List of literature about Rasputin

• Avrekh A. Ya. Tsarism on the eve of the overthrow.- M., 1989 .-- ISBN 5-02-009443-9
• Amalrik A. Rasputin
• Varlamov A.N. Grigory Rasputin-New... ZhZL series. - M: Young Guard, 2007.851 pp. - ISBN 978-5-235-02956-9
• Vasiliev A.T. Security: Russian secret police. In the book: "Security". Memoirs of the leaders of the political investigation. - M .: New literary review, 2004. Volume 2.
• Watala E. Rasputin. Without myths and legends. M., 2000
• Bokhanov A.N. The truth about Grigory Rasputin... - M: Russian Publishing Center, 2011. 608 p., 5000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-4249-0002-0

Gatiyatulina Yu. R. Museum of Grigory Rasputin // Revival of the historical center of Tyumen. Tyumen in the past, present and future. Abstracts of reports and messages of the scientific and practical conference. - Tyumen, 2001.S. 24-26. - ISBN 5-88131-176-0

• E.F.Dzhanumova. My meetings with (Grigory) Rasputin
• N.N. Evreinov. The secret of Rasputin. L .: "Byloe", 1924 (M: "Book Chamber", 1990 reprint: ISBN 5-7000-0219-1)
• V. A. Zhukovskaya. My memories of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin 1914-1916
• Iliodor (Trufanov S.) Holy devil. Notes on Rasputin... With a foreword by S. P. Melgunov. Printing house of the Ryabushinsky t-va. - M., 1917 XV, 188 p.
• Zhevakhov N. Memories. Volume I. September 1915 - March 1917]
• V. N. Kokovtsov From my past. Memories of 1903-1919 Volumes I and II. Paris, 1933. Chapter II
• Miller L. The royal family is a victim of the dark force. Melbourne, 1988. ("Lode": reprint) ISBN 5-8233-0011-5
• Nikulin L. Adjutant of the Lord God. Chronicle novel. - M., 1927 "Worker" No. 98 - "Worker" No. 146
• The fall of the tsarist regime... Verbatim records of interrogations and testimonies given in 1917 by the Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry of the Provisional Government. - M.-L., 1926-1927. In 7 volumes.
• Pikul V. Unclean Power ("At the Last Line")
• O. Platonov. A Life for the Tsar (The Truth About Grigory Rasputin)
• Polishchuk V.V., Polishchuk O.A. - Tyumen, 2006.S. 97-99. - ISBN 5-88081-558-7
• Purishkevich VM Diary for 1916 (Death of Rasputin) // "Life of the prodigal elder Grishka Rasputin". - M., 1990 .-- ISBN 5-268-01401-3
• Purishkevich VM Diary (in the book "The Last Days of Rasputin"). - M.: "Zakharov", 2005
• Radzinsky E. Rasputin: Life and Death. - 2004.576 s - ISBN 5-264-00589-3
• Rasputin M. Rasputin. Why? Memories of a daughter. - M .: "Zakharov", 2001, 2005.
• The Rasputin theme on the pages of the editions of our day (1988-1995): an index of literature. - Tyumen, 1996. 60 p.
• Fulop-Miller, Rene Holy demon, Rasputin and women- Leipzig, 1927 (German. René Fülöp-Miller "Der heilige Teufel" - Rasputin und die Frauen, Leipzig, 1927 ). Reprinted in 1992. M .: Respublika, 352 pp. - ISBN 5-250-02061-5
• Ruud Ch.A., Stepanov S.A. Fontanka, 16: Political investigation under the tsars.- M .: Mysl, 1993. Chapter 14. "Dark forces" around the throne
• Holy Devil: Collection. - M., 1990.320 s - ISBN 5-7000-0235-3
• Simanovich A. Rasputin and the Jews. Memoirs of the personal secretary of Grigory Rasputin. - Riga, 1924 .-- ISBN 5-265-02276-7
• Spiridovich A.I. Spiridovitch Alexandre (Général). Raspoutine 1863-1916. D'après les documents russes et les archives de l'auteur.- Paris. Payot. 1935
• A. Tereshchuk. Grigory Rasputin. Biography
• Fomin S. The murder of Rasputin: the creation of a myth
• Chernyshov A. Who was “on watch” on the night of the murder of Rasputin in the courtyard of the Yusupov Palace? // Lukich. 2003. Part 2.P. 214-219
• Chernyshov A.V. In search of the grave of Grigory Rasputin. (Regarding one publication) // Religion and Church in Siberia. - Issue. 7.P. 36-42
• Chernyshov A.V. Choice of the way. (Sketches to the religious-philosophical portrait of G.E. Rasputin) // Religion and Church in Siberia. - Issue. 9.P.64-85
• Chernyshov A.V. Something about the Rasputiniad and the publishing conjuncture of our days (1990-1991) // Religion and Church in Siberia. Collection of scientific articles and documentary materials. - Tyumen, 1991. Issue 2. S. 47-56
• Shishkin O.A.Kill Rasputin. M., 2000
• Yusupov FF Memoirs (The End of Rasputin) Published in the collection "The Life of the Prodigal Elder Grishka Rasputin". - M., 1990 .-- ISBN 5-268-01401-3
• Yusupov F. F. The End of Rasputin (in the book "The Last Days of Rasputin") - M .: "Zakharov", 2005
• Shavelsky GI Memoirs of the Last Protopresbyter of the Russian Army and Navy. - New York: ed. them. Chekhov, 1954
• Etkind A. Whip. Sects, Literature and Revolution. Department of Slavic Studies, University of Helsinki, New Literary Review. - M., 1998. - 688 p. (Review of the book - Alexander Ulanov A. Etkind. Whip. Bitter experience of culture. "Banner" 1998, No. 10)
• Harold Schuckman. Rasputin. - 1997 .-- 113 p. ISBN 978-0-7509-1529-8.

Documentaries about Rasputin

• Last of the Czars. The Shadow of Rasputin, dir. Teresa Cherf; Mark Anderson, 1996, Discovery Communications, 51 min. (released on DVD 2007)
• Who killed Rasputin? (Who Killed Rasputin?), Dir. Michael Wedding, 2004, BBC, 50 min. (released on DVD 2006)

Rasputin in theater and cinema

It is not known for certain whether there were any chronicles of Rasputin. Not a single tape has survived to this day, on which Rasputin himself would have been captured.

The very first silent feature short films about Grigory Rasputin began to appear in March 1917. All of them, without exception, demonized Rasputin's personality, exposing him and the Imperial Family in the most unattractive light. The first such film, entitled "A Drama from the Life of Grigory Rasputin," was released by the Russian film mogul AO Drankov, who simply made a film montage of his 1916 film Washed in Blood, based on the story of M. Gorky "Konovalov". Most of the other films were filmed in 1917 by the then-largest film company "G. Liebken Joint Stock Company". In total, more than a dozen of them were released and there is no need to talk about any of their artistic value, since even then they provoked protests in the press because of their "pornographic and wild eroticism":

• Dark Forces - Grigory Rasputin and His Companions (2 episodes), dir. S. Veselovsky; in the role of Rasputin - S. Gladkov

• Holy Devil (Rasputin in Hell)

• People of sin and blood (Tsarskoye Selo sinners)

• Grishka Rasputin's love affairs

• The funeral of Rasputin

• Mysterious murder in Petrograd on December 16

• Trading house Romanov, Rasputin, Sukhomlinov, Myasoedov, Protopopov and Co.

• Tsar's oprichniks

etc. (Fomin S.V. Grigory Rasputin: investigation.vol. I. Punishment by the truth; M., Forum publishing house, 2007, pp. 16-19)

Nevertheless, already in 1917, the image of Rasputin continued to appear on the silver screen. According to IMDB, the first person to embody the image of the old man on the screen was actor Edward Conelli (in the film "The Fall of the Romanovs"). In the same year, the film "Rasputin, the Black Monk" was released, where Rasputin was played by Montague Love. In 1926, another film about Rasputin was released - "Brandstifter Europas, Die" (in the role of Rasputin - Max Newfield), and in 1928 - three at once: "Red Dance" (in the role of Rasputin - Dimitrius Alexis), "Rasputin is a Saint sinner "and" Rasputin "- the first two films where Rasputin was played by Russian actors - Nikolai Malikov and Grigory Khmara, respectively.

In 1925, A. N. Tolstoy's play The Conspiracy of the Empress (published in Berlin in 1925) was written and immediately staged in Moscow, which shows in detail the murder of Rasputin. In the future, the play was staged by some Soviet theaters. In the Moscow theater. Boris Chirkov played the role of Rasputin in I.V. Gogol. And on Belarusian television in the mid-60s, the TV show "Crash" was filmed based on Tolstoy's play, in which Roman Filippov (Rasputin) and Rostislav Yankovsky (Prince Felix Yusupov) played.

In 1932, the German "Rasputin - a demon with a woman" (in the role of Rasputin - the famous German actor Konrad Weidt) and, nominated for an "Oscar", "Rasputin and the Empress", in which the title role went to Lionel Barrymore, were released. In 1938, Rasputin was released with Harry Baur in the title role.

Once again, cinema returned to Rasputin in the 50s, which were marked by performances with the same name "Rasputin", released in 1954 and 1958 (for television) with Pierre Brasser and Narzms Ibanez Menta in the roles of Rasputin, respectively. In 1967, the cult horror film Rasputin the Mad Monk was released with the famous actor Christopher Lee as Grigory Rasputin. Despite many mistakes from a historical point of view, the image he created in the film is considered one of the best film incarnations of Rasputin.

The 1960s also saw the release of such films as The Night of Rasputin (1960, with Edmund Pardom as Rasputin), Rasputin (a 1966 TV show with Herbert Stass in the title role) and I Killed Rasputin (1967), where the role was played by Gert Froebe, best known for his role as Goldfinger, the villain from the James Bond film of the same name.

In the 70s, Rasputin appeared in the following films: Why the Russians Revolutionized (1970, Rasputin - Wes Carter), the TV show Rasputin as part of the Play of the Month cycle (1971, Rasputin - Robert Stevens), Nikolai and Alexandra (1971, Rasputin - Tom Baker), TV series "Eagles Fall" (1974, Rasputin - Michael Aldridge) and TV show "A Cárné összeesküvése" (1977, Rasputin - Nandor Tomanek)

In 1981, the most famous Russian film about Rasputin was released - "Agony" Elem Klimova, where the role was successfully portrayed by Alexei Petrenko. 1984 saw the release of Rasputin - Orgien am Zarenhof with Alexander Conte as Rasputin.

In the 90s, the image of Rasputin, like many others, began to deform. In the parody sketch of the show "Red Gnome" - "Melting", released in 1991, Rasputin was played by Stephen Micalf, and in 1996 two films about Rasputin were released - "Successor" (1996) with Igor Solovyov as Rasputin and "Rasputin", where he was played by Alan Rickman (and the young Rasputin - Tamash Toth). In 1997, the cartoon "Anastasia" was released, where Rasputin was voiced by the famous actor Christopher Lloyd and Jim Cummings (singing).

In the new millennium, interest in the figure of Rasputin continues unabated. The films "Rasputin: The Devil in the Flesh" (2002, for television, Rasputin - Oleg Fedorov and "Killing Rasputin" (2003, Rasputin - Ruben Thomas), as well as "Hellboy: Hero from the Hell", where the main villain is the resurrected Rasputin, have already been released. played by Karel Roden. In 2007 the film was released "Conspiracy", directed by Stanislav Libin, where the role of Rasputin is played by Ivan Okhlobystin.

In music

Rasputin in poetry

Commercial use of Rasputin's name

The commercial use of the name Grigory Rasputin in some brands began in the West in the 1980s. Today known:

In St. Petersburg there are also:

see also

Notes (edit)

1. GOVERNMENT OF THE TYUMEN REGION. On approval of the list of unique documents to be included in the register of unique documents of the archival funds of the Tyumen region. Rasputin's birth metric data.
2. "Great Soviet Encyclopedia" (3rd edition), Moscow, publishing house "Soviet Encyclopedia" 1969-1978. (Retrieved April 12, 2009)
3. "Rasputin: Life and Death", M .: Vagrius, 2000, 279 pages (chapter - "The Disappeared Birthday") Edward Radzinsky (Retrieved April 12, 2009)
4. See Chapter LXI // Nikolay Zhevakhov. Memoirs of the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, Prince N. D. Zhevakhov... T. 1. September 1915 - March 1917. - Munich: Ed. F. Vinberg, 1923.
5. Varlamov A.N. Grigory Rasputin-New. ZhZL series. - M: Young Guard, 2007.851 pp. - ISBN 978-5-235-02956-9
6. Diaries of Nicholas II (1894-1916) Diary of Nicholas II. 1905
7. Ioffe G.Z.Even the warnings of Elizaveta Fyodorovna's own sister that the people's dissatisfaction with Rasputin is transferred to the royal family did not in any way affect the empress. Writer and journalist Igor Obolensky writes about this in his book "Riddles of Love. Rasputin. Chanel. Hollywood":

   To warnings that the people's dissatisfaction with Rasputin is carried over to the royal family, which surrounded itself with people who were dishonest and thoughtful, and the worst might happen, the empress coldly replied: "All this is not true. The people love us." Leaving her sister, who made it clear that the audience was over, the Grand Duchess said: "Do not forget about the fate of Marie Antoinette, whom the people who loved her in the same way sent to the guillotine together with her husband-emperor" ...

   This man was loved by the entire royal family and hated by the educated society of Russia. Perhaps he was the only one who incurred such hatred. Rasputin was called the servant of the Antichrist. During his life and after his death, there were many rumors and gossip about him. And to this day, many are asking the question: who was he all the same - a saint or an adventurer?

   Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (real name - Novykh) was born into a peasant family in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province. As the only assistant to his father, he started working early: grazing cattle, was a cab driver, fished, helped to harvest. There was no school in Pokrovskoye, and Gregory was illiterate until the beginning of his wanderings. In general, he did not stand out among other peasants, except for his morbidity, which in peasant families was assessed as inferiority and gave rise to ridicule. At the age of 19, he married a peasant woman, Praskovya Fedorovna. She gave birth to three children.

   
   

   However, something pushed Rasputin to dramatically change his life. He began to pray often and fervently, quit drinking and smoking. Beginning in the mid-1890s, Rasputin began to wander around the country, earning his living with any job that turned up. He visited dozens of monasteries, visited an Orthodox monastery on the sacred Greek Mount Athos, and reached Jerusalem twice. In his wanderings, Rasputin learned a lot, but for some reason he never fully learned to read and write. I wrote constantly with gross errors in almost every word.

   

   Repeatedly the wanderer helped the sick, even those who were considered incurable. Once in the Ural monastery, he healed a "demoniac" - a woman suffering from severe seizures.

   At the beginning of the 20th century, Rasputin was already respectfully called the "elder". So they called him not for age, but for experience and faith. It was at that time that he came to St. Petersburg. The Siberian "elder" was attracted by people who did not find complete consolation in the state church. They visited Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, listened to his stories, instructions. The visitors were especially impressed by the eyes of the elder, as if looking into the very soul of the interlocutor.

   Bishop Theophan became interested in Rasputin. He was struck by a special religious ecstasy into which the old man at times fell. Such a deep, prayerful mood, said the bishop, he met only on rare occasions among the most prominent representatives of Russian monasticism.

   1908 - thanks to the bishop, Rasputin met with the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna herself. Count Vladimir Kokovtsov conveyed the content of this conversation in the following way: “Rasputin began to say that it is especially difficult for her and the sovereign to live, because they can never learn the truth, since there are more and more flatterers and self-lovers around them who cannot say what is needed for this to make it easier for the people. The Tsar and she need to be closer to the people, to see them more often and to believe them more, because he will not deceive the one whom he considers almost equal to God himself, and will always tell his real truth, not like ministers and officials who have nothing to do with people's tears and to his needs. These thoughts have sunk deeply into the soul of the Empress. "

   Over time, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin began to be called the "friend" of the royal couple. He treated their children, especially the heir Alexei, who had hemophilia. The "elder" kept himself with the king and queen surprisingly freely and naturally. He called them simply "Mom" and "Dad", and they called him - Gregory. “He told them about Siberia and about peasant needs, about his wanderings,” wrote the maid of honor Anna Vyrubova. "When, after an hour's conversation, he left, he always left their Majesties cheerful, with joyful hopes and hope in their souls."

   

   For more than 10 years, Rasputin was one of the closest people to the royal family. The Romanovs believed him, but at the same time they repeatedly collected information about the Siberian wanderer and especially checked the information that they very often presented to them in order to alienate them from the elder.

   Nicholas II sometimes consulted with Rasputin about the appointment of certain important dignitaries. And although his opinion was taken into account, it was far from always decisive. The king reckoned with him, but made decisions on his own.

   Many of the prominent officials, who were looking for a promotion, now sought to please the Siberian peasant, currying favor with him. Along with beggars, millionaires, ministers and aristocrats often visited the elder's apartment.

   But if the monarch consulted with Gregory about the appointment of officials, then he listened to his political advice much less often. For example, in 1915-1916, the State Duma sought the right to appoint ministers. Rasputin tried to persuade the tsar to bow before the demand of the times. Nicholas II agreed, but never did it.

   The emperor did not welcome the frequent appearance of the "elder" in the palace. Moreover, soon rumors began to circulate in St. Petersburg about the extremely indecent behavior of Rasputin. It was rumored that, using his enormous influence on the empress, he took bribes for the promotion of people in the service, although the Commission of the Provisional Government could not establish a single real case (but there were many rumors about this) when, according to Rasputin's notes, a request was carried out in violation law.

   V. Rudnev, an investigator of the Provisional Government commission, writes: “When examining the papers of the Minister of Internal Affairs Protopopov, several typical letters of Rasputin were found, always speaking only of any interests of private persons, for whom Rasputin was bothering. Among the papers of Protopopov, as well as among the papers of all other high-ranking officials, not a single document was found indicating Rasputin's influence on foreign and domestic policy. "

   Many people came to Rasputin with requests to pray for their deeds, telegrams and letters were sent to him. However, most of all, of course, the direct contact with him was appreciated. Unbiased sources testify that when he met in person, he charmed people with some kind of special confidence, the ability to set himself up, benevolence and just kindness.

   Many noted the elder's deep insight and intuition. He could aptly characterize a person immediately after meeting. A subtle psychological flair for people amazed many in him. The special psychological abilities of Rasputin were also at the heart of the ability to heal diseases. A number of cases are documented that confirm his gift as a healer. These cases are confirmed by the materials of the Provisional Government commission.

   Rasputin showed his ability to heal many times in his life. Rudnev established the undoubted fact of the cure of the seizures of the "dance of St. Vitus" in the son of Rasputin's secretary, Aron Simanovich, while all the phenomena of the disease disappeared forever after two sessions. The "elder" undoubtedly possessed some kind of hypnotic gift, knew how to inspire what he wanted, and in particular was successfully engaged in healing women and children, who, as you know, are more easily influenced by outside influences. As already mentioned, with the greatest strength he showed his gift in the treatment of the prince, who suffered from hemophilia, thereby gaining the trust and deep recognition of the empress.

   

   In addition to prayer help and healing, people went to Rasputin with purely material requests, intercessions, complaints of offenses and oppression.

   The Commission of the Provisional Government, which interrogated hundreds of people who visited Rasputin, found that he often received money from petitioners to grant their requests. Usually, these were wealthy persons who asked Gregory to convey their request to the Highest name or to petition in this or that ministry. They gave money of their own free will, but he did not spend it on himself, but distributed it to the same petitioners, only poorer.

   Rasputin's apartment in Petrograd, where he spent most of his time, according to eyewitnesses, was filled with all kinds of poor people and various petitioners who, believing rumors that he had a tremendous influence on the tsar, came to him with their needs.

   In fact, the doors of his apartment were open to all public. Rasputin rarely refused anyone a request for help if he saw that a person was actually in need.

   But along with this kind of characterization of the activity of the "divine man" Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, there was another, absolutely opposite. Some time after his arrival in St. Petersburg, rumors began to spread in secular society about the riotous behavior of the "elder" and the "prophet", his communication with various rabble, ugly revelry (for which they called him Grigory Rasputin).

   They even talked about his too close relations with the empress, which greatly undermined the authority of the king. However, society was even more outraged by the influence that this Siberian peasant had on the tsar when solving state issues.

   All educated strata of the population felt hostility towards Grigory Efimovich Rasputin. Monarchist nobles and intellectuals, both revolutionary and liberal, agreed on his negative role in the royal court, calling him the evil genius of the Romanovs. On September 19, 1916, a Black Hundred deputy Vladimir Purishkevich made a passionate speech in the State Duma against Rasputin. He hotly exclaimed: "The dark man should not rule Russia longer!"

   On the same day, the plan to kill Rasputin was born. After listening to Purishkevich's accusatory speech, Prince Felix Yusupov approached him with this proposal. Then several more people joined the conspiracy, including Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich.

   The assassination of Rasputin was scheduled for December 16, 1916. F. Yusupov invited Rasputin to his mansion. When they met, they kissed, according to Russian custom. Rasputin unexpectedly derisively exclaimed: "I hope this is not a Judas kiss!"

   They wanted to poison him with potassium cyanide. He ate several cakes with poison - and no consequences. After consulting, the conspirators decided to shoot Rasputin. Yusupov was the first to shoot. But Rasputin was only wounded. He rushed to run, and then Purishkevich shot him several times. The elder fell only after the fourth shot.

   The assassins lowered Rasputin's tied body into an ice-hole on the Malaya Nevka ice near Krestovsky Island. As it turned out later, he was thrown under the ice while still alive. When the body was found, they found that the lungs were full of water: Rasputin tried to breathe and choked. He freed his right hand from the ropes, the fingers on it were folded for the sign of the cross.

   The names of the killers were immediately known to the police. However, they got off very easily - they sent Yusupov to their own estate, the Grand Duke to the front, and did not touch Purishkevich at all.

   Grigory Efimovich Rasputin was modestly buried in Tsarskoe Selo. But he did not rest there for long. After the February Revolution, his body was dug up and burned at the stake.

   According to Pavel Milyukov, the peasants said: "Here, for once, a peasant got to the tsars in chorus - to tell the tsars the truth, and the nobles killed him."

   During his lifetime and after, attempts were made repeatedly to investigate his activities. But, covering the problem from the point of view of some political forces, almost all of them were tendentious. As the historian O. Platonov wrote in his research: “There is not a single article, let alone a book, where the life of Rasputin would be viewed consistently, historically, based on a critical analysis of sources. All the essays and articles about Rasputin that exist today are a retelling - just now in different combinations - of the same historical legends and anecdotes, most of which are outright fiction and falsification. "

   Unfortunately, despite the thoroughness and detail of the research, Platonov's book is also not free from bias. As you can see, it is almost impossible, in the absence of consistent and reliable evidence, to objectively characterize Grigory Efimovich Rasputin. Only the trace that he left in the history of Russia will remain unquestionable.

   Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (New)(January 9 (22), 1869 - December 16 (29), 1916) - a peasant in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province.

   He gained worldwide fame due to his closeness to the family of the last Russian emperor Nicholas II. In the 1900s, among certain circles of St. Petersburg society he had a reputation as an "elder", a seer and a healer; according to some contemporaries, he played a significant role in the adoption of personnel and political decisions of the emperor.

   In the last years of his life, he became the most odious figure, undermining the authority of the royal family and the monarchy.

   Biography of Grigory Rasputin

   Beginning of life

   Born in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen district, Tobolsk province, in the family of the coachman Yefim Rasputin and Anna Parshukova. The surname "Rasputin" is quite common both in this village and in Siberia in general.

   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 Athos in Greece, then Jerusalem. I met and established contacts with many representatives of the clergy, monks, and pilgrims.

   In 1890 he married Praskovya Dubrovina, who bore him three children: Matryona, Varvara and Dimitriya.

   In 1900 he set off on a new journey to Kiev. For a relatively long time he lived on the way back to Kazan, where he met Father Mikhail, who was related to the Kazan Theological Academy, and came to St. Petersburg to see the rector of the Theological Academy, Bishop Sergius (Stragorodsky).

   In 1903, the inspector of the St. Petersburg Academy, Archimandrite Theophan (Bystrov), met Rasputin and introduced him to Bishop Germogen (Dolganov).

   Petersburg since 1904

   In 1904, Rasputin, apparently with the assistance of Archimandrite Theophanes, moved to St. Petersburg, where he acquired from a part of the high society the fame of an "old man," ... It was Father Feofan who told about the "wanderer" to the daughters of the Montenegrin prince (later king) Nicholas Njegos - Milica 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".

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

   1st November. Tuesday. Cold windy day. From the coast it froze to the end of our channel and in an even strip in both directions. Was very busy all morning. Breakfast: book. Orlov and Resin (dezh.). I took a walk. At 4 o'clock we went to Sergievka. We drank tea with Militsa and Stana. We got acquainted with the man of God - Gregory from Tobolsk lips. In the evening I went to bed, studied a lot and spent the evening with Alix.

   There are other references to Rasputin in the diaries of Nicholas II.

   In 1912, an acquaintance of Rasputin, former hieromonk Iliodor, began distributing 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 a forgery .. Later, on the advice of Gorky, Iliodor wrote the libelous book "Holy Devil" about Rasputin, which was published in 1917.

   Rasputin and the Church

   By the beginning of the century, the time was ripe and reforms started talking about the convocation of even a council and the establishment of the patriarchate. It was in Rasputin that the discrepancy between the official, "synodal" church and the unofficial one, connected with Orthodox monasteries, elders, the people's quest for God, etc., on the one hand, and the synod and the Ober-Prosecutor on the other, appeared.

   Modern biographers of Rasputin (O. Platonov) tend to see in the official investigations carried out by the church authorities in connection with the activities of Rasputin some kind of broader political meaning; but the investigative documents (the Khlysty case and the police documents) show that all the cases were subject to investigation into the very specific acts of Grigory Rasputin, encroaching on public morality and piety.

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

   In 1907, the Tobolsk consistory opened a case against Rasputin on the denunciation of 1903, who was accused of spreading false teaching, similar to the Khlystov one, and forming a society of followers of his false teaching. The business was started on September 6], 1907, completed and approved by the Tobolsk Bishop Anthony (Karzhavin) on May 7, 1908. The initiative for the investigation came from Anthony himself, and behind him were people from the entourage of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich [source?]. The initial investigation was carried out 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 the attachment of a comment on the case under consideration by Dmitry Mikhailovich Berezkin, inspector of the Tobolsk Theological Seminary.

   Undercover Police Surveillance, Jerusalem - 1911

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

   In 1910, his daughters moved to St. Petersburg to live with Rasputin, whom he arranged to study at a gymnasium. By order of Prime Minister Stolypin, Rasputin was under surveillance for several days.

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

   On December 16, 1911, Rasputin had a clash with Bishop Hermogenes and Hieromonk Iliodor. Bishop Hermogenes, acting in alliance with Hieromonk Iliodor (Trufanov), invited Rasputin to his courtyard, on Vasilievsky Island, in the presence of Iliodor, “denounced” 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.

   By order of the Minister of Internal Affairs Makarov of January 23, 1912, Rasputin was again placed under external surveillance, which continued until his death.

   In January 1912 the Duma declared its attitude to Rasputin, and in February 1912 Nicholas II ordered VK Sabler to reopen the case of the Holy Synod the case of Rasputin's “Khlysty” and to hand over to Rodzianko for a report, "and the palace commandant Dedyulin gave to him the Case of the Tobolsk Spiritual Consistory, which contained the beginning of the Investigative Proceedings on the accusation of Rasputin of belonging to the Khlyst sect. " On February 26, 1912, at an audience, Rodzianko invited the tsar to expel the peasant forever. Archbishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) openly wrote that Rasputin is a whip and participates in the zeal.

   The new (who replaced Eusebius (Grozdov)) Tobolsk Bishop Alexy (Molchanov) personally took up this matter, studied the materials, demanded information from the clergyman 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 on November 29, 1912, which was sent to many high-ranking officials and some deputies of the State Duma. In conclusion, Rasputin-Novy is called "a Christian, a spiritually minded man who seeks the truth of Christ." No official accusations over Rasputin were weighed down anymore. But this did not mean 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. after which he was appointed Exarch of Georgia and elevated to the rank of Archbishop of Kartala and Kakheti with the title of a member of the Holy Synod. This is seen as the influence of Rasputin.

   However, researchers rightly believe that the rise of Bishop Alexy in 1913 took place only thanks 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 fermentation in Georgia.

   It should also be noted that Rasputin's opponents often forget about another elevation: Bishop Anthony (Karzhavin) of Tobolsk, who opened the first case against Rasputin on Khlysty, was transferred from cold Siberia to the Tver See in 1910 for this very reason, and on Easter he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. But they remember that this change took place precisely because the first case was sent to the archives of the Synod.

   Orgies

   In 1914, Rasputin settled in an apartment on the street. Gorokhovaya, 64 in St. Petersburg. Various gloomy rumors began to spread around St. Petersburg about this apartment rather quickly, they say, Rasputin turned it into a brothel and uses it to conduct his "orgies". Some said that Rasputin maintains a permanent “harem” there, others collect it from time to time. There was a rumor that the apartment on Gorokhovaya was being used for witchcraft, etc. The Provisional Government, which was looking for discrediting facts about the overthrown Nicholas II and his entourage, conducted a special investigation into the Rasputin case. According to one of the participants in this investigation, V. M. Rudnev, who was sent by order of Kerensky to the "Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry to Investigate the Abuses of Former Ministers, Chief Governors and Other High Officials" and who was then Deputy Prosecutor of the Yekaterinoslav District Court:

   ... the richest material for illuminating his personality from this side turned out to be in the data of that very covert observation of him, which was conducted by the security department; at the same time it became clear that Rasputin's amorous adventures did not go beyond the framework of nocturnal orgies with girls of easy virtue and chanson singers, and also sometimes with some of his petitioners.

   Daughter Matryona in her book Rasputin. Why? "Wrote:

   ... that for all his life was saturated, the father never misused his power and ability to influence women in the carnal sense. However, one must understand that this part of the relationship was of particular interest to the father's ill-wishers. Note that they received some real food for their stories.

   From the testimony of the book. M.M. Andronnikova of the Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry

   ... Then he would go to the phone and call all kinds of ladies. I had to do bonne mine mauvais jeu - because all these ladies were extremely dubious ...

   During his lifetime, Rasputin published two books:

   * G.E. Rasputin. The 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.

   Photocopy of Rasputin's note to the Minister of Internal Affairs Alexei Khvostov, cited in the book by Rene Fyulop-Miller "The Holy Demon, Rasputin and Women" published in 1927 The source of the note in the book is not indicated, Khvostov himself was killed during the Red Terror.

   The eldest daughter writes about her father:

   ... my father was not fully trained to read and write, to put it mildly. He began to take his first lessons in writing and reading 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 live, the dynasty will live.

   Some authors believe that Rasputin is mentioned 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 letters is designated 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 Archives of the Russian Federation - Novoromanovsky archive.

   The assassination attempt of Khioniya Guseva

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

   On June 21, 1915, Rasputin arrived at Pokrovskoe. He lived there until September 25, when he left for Petrograd.

   Estimates of Rasputin's influence on the royal family

   In the last years of the reign of Nicholas II, there were many rumors in the Petersburg world about Rasputin and his influence on power. ... It was said that he himself absolutely subjugated the tsar and tsarina and ruled the country, either Alexandra Feodorovna seized power with the help of Rasputin, or the country was ruled by a "triumvirate" of Rasputin, Anna Vyrubova and the tsarina.

   The publication of reports about Rasputin in print could only be partially limited. By law, articles about the imperial family were subject to prior censorship by the head of the office of the Ministry of the Court. Any articles in which the name of Rasputin was mentioned in combination with the names of members of the royal family were forbidden, but articles in which only one Rasputin appeared was impossible to ban.

   In the last months before the February revolution the image of Rasputin became an important part of the speeches of opposition deputies in the State Duma. On November 1, 1916, at a meeting of the Duma, PN Milyukov made a speech critical of the government and the "court party", in which the name of Rasputin was also mentioned. Miliukov took the information he gave about Rasputin from articles in the German newspapers Berliner Tageblatt of October 16, 1916 and Neue Freye Press of June 25, about which Miliukov himself admitted that some of the information reported there was erroneous.

   On November 19, 1916, V.M. Purishkevich made a speech at a meeting of the Duma in which great importance was attached to Rasputin.

   The image of Rasputin was also used by anti-German propaganda. In March 1916, the German zeppelins scattered over the Russian trenches a caricature depicting Wilhelm, leaning on the German people, and Nikolai Romanov, leaning on the genitals of Rasputin.

   According to the memoirs of A.A. Golovin, during the First World War, rumors that the empress was Rasputin's mistress were spread among the officers of the Russian army by employees of the opposition Zemsky-City Union. After the overthrow of Nicholas II, the chairman of Zemgor, Prince Lvov, became the chairman of the Provisional Government.

   V.I.Lenin wrote:

   The first revolution and the counter-revolutionary era that followed (1907-1914) revealed the whole essence of the tsarist monarchy, brought it to the ... the Romanov family - these pogromists who flooded Russia with the blood of Jews, workers, revolutionaries ...

   According to the recollections of the courtiers, Rasputin was not at all close to the royal family and rarely visited the palace. In the memoirs of the lady-in-waiting AA Vyrubova, it is said that Rasputin visited the royal palace no more than 2-3 times a year, and the tsar received him much less often. Another lady-in-waiting S.K.Buksgewden recalled that:

   “I lived in the Alexander Palace from 1913 to 1917, and my room was connected by a corridor with the chambers of the Imperial children. I never saw Rasputin during all this time, although I was constantly in the company of the Grand Duchesses. Monsieur Gilliard, who also lived there for several years, also never saw him. "

   Gilliard recalls his only meeting with Rasputin: “One day, getting ready to go out, I met him in the hall. I managed to examine him while he was taking off his fur coat. He was a tall man, with a gaunt face, with a very sharp gaze of gray-blue eyes from under his tousled eyebrows. He had long hair and a big peasant beard. " According to the memoirs of Kokovtsov, Nicholas II himself told him about Rasputin in 1911 that:

   ... personally, he hardly knows "this little man" and saw him briefly, it seems, no more than two or three times, and moreover, at very large distances of time.

   Rasputin's inner circle at one time or another included:

   * Vyrubova, Anna Alexandrovna

   * Manasevich-Manuilov, Ivan Fedorovich

   * Aron Simanovich

   * Andronnikov, Mikhail Mikhailovich

   * Dmitry Rubinstein

   Opinions of contemporaries about Rasputin

   Letter V. to. Nikolai Mikhailovich to the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. December 24, 1916. It is about the salvation of the throne - not a dynasty that is still strong, but the current sovereign. Otherwise it will be too late ... All of Russia knows that the late Rasputin and AF are one and the same. The first one is killed, now the other must disappear as well.

   Vladimir Kokovtsov wrote with surprise in his memoirs:

   In my opinion, Rasputin is a typical Siberian varnak, a vagabond, intelligent and trained himself in the well-known way of a simpleton and a holy fool and playing his role according to a learned recipe. Outwardly, he lacked only the prisoner's armyman and the ace of diamonds on his back. By manners, this is a person capable of anything. Of course, he does not believe in his antics, but he has worked out for himself firmly memorized methods with which he deceives both those who sincerely believe in all his eccentricities, and those who deceive themselves with their admiration for him, having in fact only to achieve through him of those benefits that are not given in any other way.

   Rasputin's secretary, Aron Simanovich, writes in his book:

   How did Rasputin's contemporaries imagine? As a drunken, dirty peasant who penetrated the royal family, he appointed and dismissed ministers, bishops and generals, and for a whole decade was the hero of the scandalous St. Petersburg chronicle. In addition, there are wild orgies at Villa Rode, lustful dances among aristocratic female fans, high-ranking minions and drunken gypsies, and at the same time an incomprehensible power over the king and his family, hypnotic strength and faith in his special purpose. That was all.

   Investigator in the case of the murder of the royal family Nikolai Alekseevich Sokolov writes in his book-judicial investigation:

   The head of the Main Directorate of Posts and Telegraphs, Pokhvisnev, who held this position in 1913-1917, shows: "According to the established procedure, all telegrams submitted to the Emperor and Empress were presented to me in copies. Therefore, all telegrams that were sent to the name of Their Majesties from Rasputin, I knew at one time. There were a lot of them. Of course, there is no way to recall their content consistently. In all honesty, I can say that the tremendous influence of Rasputin with the Tsar and the Empress was clearly established by the content of the telegrams.

   However, it is important to know the fate of investigator Sokolov, who did not listen to Henry Ford's persuasion to stay in the United States, just in case, and died unexpectedly in France at the age of over forty in November 1924 (found dead in the courtyard of his house). The circumstances surrounding the publication of his book are vague. The manuscript of the book and the materials of the investigation fell into the hands of the "benefactor" of the investigator, Prince Nikolai Orlov, who already in 1925 published the manuscript under the title "Murder of the Tsar's Family. From the notes of the investigator N. A. Sokolov. "

   Hieromartyr Archpriest Philosopher Ornatsky, rector of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, describes in 1914 the meeting of John of Kronstadt with Rasputin as follows:

   Fr. John asked the elder: "What is your surname?" And when the latter replied: "Rasputin", he said: "Look, by your surname it will be for you."

   Schiarchimandrite Gabriel (Zyryanov), the elder of the Seven Desert, spoke very sharply about Rasputin: "Kill him like a spider: forty sins will be forgiven ...".

   Murder and funeral of Rasputin

   Rasputin was killed by conspirators (F.F.Yusupov, V.M. Purishkevich, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich and British intelligence officer Oswald Reiner ) on the night of December 17, 1916. They tried to poison Rasputin and shoot him, and even when after that Rasputin seemed alive, the body was drowned in the Neva.

   One thing is certain - representatives of the Union diplomacy and the press, in particular, Samuel Khor, were informed and implicated.

   The emperor and empress entrusted the forensic medical examination to the famous professor of the Military Medical Academy D.P. Kosorotov. The original autopsy report has not survived, and the causes of death can only be speculatively discussed.

   Before the February Revolution of 1917, attempts were made to canonize Rasputin.

   Bishop Isidor (Kolokolov), who was well acquainted with him, performed the funeral service for Rasputin. In his memoirs, 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 for the funeral service, rejected this request. In those days, a legend was launched that the Empress was present at the autopsy and funeral service, which reached the British Embassy. It was a typical regular gossip directed against the Empress.

   At first, they wanted to bury the victim in his homeland, in the village of Pokrovskoye, but because of the danger of possible unrest in connection with the sending of the body across half the country, they were interred in the Alexander Park of Tsarskoye Selo on the territory of the Seraphim Sarovsky temple, which was being built by Anna Vyrubova.

   The investigation into the murder of Rasputin lasted a little over two months, and was hastily terminated by Kerensky on March 4, 1917. Three months passed between the death of Rasputin and the desecration of his grave.

   Letter V. to. Dmitry Pavlovich's father V.K. Pavel Alexandrovich about his attitude to the murder of Rasputin and the revolution. Isfahan (Persia) April 29, 1917. Finally, the last act of my stay in Peter [the fence] was a completely conscious and deliberate participation in the murder of Rasputin - as the last attempt to give the Tsar an opportunity to openly change course without taking responsibility for removing this person. (Alix would not have let him do that.)

   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 at night .. An official act was drawn up on the burning of Rasputin's corpse. At the site of the burning, two inscriptions are inscribed on the birch, one of which is in German: "Hier ist der Hund begraben" ("A dog is buried here") and then "Here the corpse of Grigory Rasputin was burnt on the night of March 10-11, 1917" ...

   Investigation by the Provisional Government

   After overthrow of nicholas 2 The Provisional Government organized an extraordinary commission of inquiry, which was supposed to look for the crimes of the tsarist officials, including investigating the activities of Rasputin. The commission conducted 88 interrogations and interrogated 59 persons, prepared “verbatim reports”, the editor-in-chief of which was the poet A. Blok, who published his observations and notes in the form of a book entitled “The Last Days of the Imperial Power”. The commission has not finished its work. Some of the protocols of interrogation of high-ranking officials were published in the USSR by 1927. From the testimony of A.D. Protopopov to the Extraordinary Investigative Commission on 21.03.1917:

   CHAIRMAN. Do you know the importance of Rasputin in the affairs of Tsarskoe Selo under the sovereign? - PROTOPOP. Rasputin was a close person, and as with a close person they consulted with him.

   The fate of the Rasputin family

   Rasputin's daughter Matryona emigrated to France after the revolution, and later moved to the United States. The rest of the members of Rasputin's family were brutally dealt with by the Soviet government. In 1922, his widow Praskovya Fyodorovna, son Dmitry and daughter Varvara were deprived of voting rights as “malicious elements”. Even earlier, in 1920, the house and the entire peasant economy of Dmitry Grigorievich were "nationalized". In the 1930s, all three were arrested by the NKVD, and their trace was lost in the special settlements of the Tyumen North. In the late 1970s, the Soviet government settled scores even with the Rasputins' house, as happened with the house where the royal family was killed.

   A Siberian elder, a healer, especially close to the 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," the likelihood of the effect of a damaged phone is high.

   It is known that Grishka Rasputin was born on July 29, 1871 in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen region. The place of his birth was practically inaccessible for the majority of those who wish, only fragmentary and inaccurate information about the life of Grigory Rasputin in his homeland was preserved, the source of which was mainly himself. It is likely that he was a monk, but it is possible that Rasputin is just a brilliant actor who perfectly portrayed his chosenness and close communion with God.

   At the age of 18, Rasputin made his first pilgrimage to the monastery in Verkhotur, but did not take a monastic vow. At the age of 19, he returned to Pokrovskoe, where he married Praskovya Fedorovna. Three children were born in this marriage - Dmitry in 1897, Maria in 1898 and Varvara in 1900.

   The marriage did not cool the pilgrimage fervor of Grigory Rasputin. He continued to visit various holy places, even as far as the monastery of Athos in Greece and as far as Jerusalem. And all this on foot!

   By his nature, Rasputin was destined to be the object of "divine inspiration." Wandering through the villages, he delivered gospel sermons, told parables. Little by little he moved on to prophecy, to conjuring demons, to witchcraft; he also claimed to be able to perform miracles.

   After such travels, Rasputin imagined himself to be the chosen one of God, declared that he was a saint, and at every step talked about his miraculous gift to bring healing. Rumors of a Siberian medicine man began to spread throughout Russia, and soon it was not Rasputin who made pilgrimages, but people sought to get to him. Many of his patients came from distant lands. It should be noted that Rasputin did not study anywhere, did not even have a rough idea of ​​medicine, was illiterate. However, he played his role impeccably: he really helped people, could calm those who were on the verge of despair.

   Once, while plowing a field, Rasputin received a sign - the Mother of God appeared to him, who told about the illness of Tsarevich Alexei, the only son of Emperor Nicholas II (he suffered from hemophilia, a hereditary disability, which was passed on to him through the maternal line), and ordered Rasputin to go to Petersburg and save the heir throne.

   In 1905, Rasputin ended up in the capital of the Russian Empire, and at a very opportune moment. The fact is that the church needed “prophets” - people whom the people would believe. Rasputin was just in this category: a typical peasant appearance, simple speech, a tough disposition. However, the enemies said that Rasputin uses religion only as a screen for his cynicism, thirst for money, power and sex.

   In 1907 he was invited to the imperial court - just in the midst of one of the attacks of the Tsarevich's illness. The fact is that the imperial family hid the heir's hemophilia, fearing public unrest. Therefore, they refused Rasputin's services for a long time. However, when the child's condition became critical, Nikolai gave up.

   The whole subsequent life of Rasputin in St. Petersburg was inextricably linked with the treatment of the tsarevich. However, it was not limited to this. Rasputin acquired many acquaintances in the upper strata of St. Petersburg society. When he became close to the imperial family, the capital's elite wished to be introduced to the Siberian healer, who was called “Grishka Rasputin” behind his back.

   In 1910, his daughter Maria moved to St. Petersburg to enter the Academy of Theology. When Varvara joined her, both daughters of Grigory Rasputin were sent to the gymnasium.

   Nicholas I did not welcome Rasputin's frequent appearances at the palace. Moreover, soon in St. Petersburg rumors began to circulate about the extremely indecent behavior of Rasputin. They said that, using his enormous influence on the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Raspugan took bribes (in cash and in kind) for promoting certain projects or up the career ladder. His drunken brawls and real pogroms horrified the population of St. Petersburg. He also greatly undermined the imperial authority, since there was talk of too close relations between Grigory Rasputin and the empress. Was it just a rumor? Until now, historians have not given an unambiguous answer to this question.

   In the end, the cup of patience was overflowing. In the midst of the imperial entourage, a conspiracy arose against Rasputin. Its initiators were Prince Felix Yusupov (husband of the imperial niece), Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich (deputy of the IV State Duma, known for his ultra-conservative views) and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich (cousin of Emperor Nicholas). On December 30, 1916, they invited L Grigory Rasputin to the Yusupov palace to meet with the emperor's niece, a famous Petersburg beauty. The cakes and drinks served to the guest contained potassium cyanide. However, the poison did not work. The impatient conspirators decided to use one hundred percent means - Yusupov shot Rasputin. But he managed to escape again. When he ran out of the palace, he was greeted by Purishkevich and the Grand Duke, who shot the "Siberian elder" point-blank. He was still trying to get to his feet when they tied him up, put him in a bag with a load and threw him into the ice hole. An autopsy later showed that the elder, already at the bottom of the Neva, was desperately fighting for his life, but in the end he choked ...

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   Biography
   For a long time, historical information about Rasputin was not available to the general public. One could learn about him only from the Encyclopedic Dictionary: I Rasputin (Novykh) Grigory Efimovich (1872-1916), favorite of Nikolai2 and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna. A native of the peasants of the Tobolsk province, in his youth a horse thief. Posing as a Seer and Healer, he penetrated into the court environment and gained great influence on state affairs. Killed in December 1916. monarchists. The curious were content with only this laconic description. We know much more now
   Rasputin's biography can be divided into two periods: life before arriving in St. Petersburg and after. Little is known about the first stage of life in Siberia. He was born in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province, the youngest son in a well-to-do, at that time, peasant family, a big house with a lot of land, cattle, horses. Rasputin is a village nickname, which was almost officially assigned to them. Its exact origin is unknown. Maybe from the words "debauchery", "crossroads", or maybe "unravel". The character of his father confirms this - he is not averse to drinking, and he lives in a big way, and is savvy in a village way. I did not particularly deal with children, did not force me to comprehend science, since I saw a greater sense in life school. Brothers Mikhail and Grigory live freely, their universities are a village, the endless expanses of fields and forests. There is something wild about them, closely intertwined with the almost fanatical Orthodox faith. But they were not together for long. Once they played on the banks of the Tura River, but they played out that both flew into the water. The river is stormy, the current is strong, the water is cold, the disease cannot be avoided. Mikhail was not saved, but Gregory was "prayed for". Having recovered, he says that the Mother of God herself appeared to him and ordered him to recover. This shocked the entire village. There, far from civilization, true, unshakable faith flourishes. The simplicity of morals does not interfere with earnestly praying, observing all the rituals, anxiously crying out to the healing power of nature. The gross carnal reality coexists with the most sublime spiritual feelings. After his recovery, Gregory often reflects on his healing. He is sure that the powers of heaven have blessed him. This is how his spiritual development begins.
   Having matured, he is more and more drawn to wanderings, to those who are called "elders", God's people. Perhaps this is the result of the fascinating stories of pilgrims who found shelter in the Rasputins' house, or perhaps a true vocation. Gregory listens to messengers not of this world, opening his eyes wide. His dream is to become like them. He annoys his parents with conversations that God is calling him to wander around the world and his father, having agreed, finally blesses him. Gregory begins with the surrounding villages, marvels at all the hardships and humiliations that fall to the lot of God's people.
   At the age of nineteen, he marries the beautiful Praskovya Dubrovina, whom he meets at a festival in the church. At first, their family life proceeds peacefully, but Gregory's reputation is not so clean, besides, he deeply experiences the death of his first child. In 1892. he was accused of stealing stakes from the monastery fence and was exiled from the village for a year. He spends this time on wanderings, makes a pilgrimage to holy places, where he learns the Holy Scriptures and literacy from the elders. He goes without a specific goal, from monastery to monastery, sleeps with monks and peasants, feeds on the occasion from other people's tables, thanks the owners with prayers and predictions. In 1893. goes to Greece, and on his return to Russia to Valaam, Solovki, Optina Pustyn and other shrines of the Orthodox Church. During short visits to his home, he diligently takes care of the household and at the same time recovers strength to set off on new wanderings. His visits were marked by the birth of three children: Dmitry in 1895, Matryona (Maria) in 1898 and Barbara in 1900.
   Rasputin's life is full of black and white stripes. Now he is pure like an angel, then he rushes to extremes, gives free rein to his broad nature. For some he is a clairvoyant and a healer, for others he is a repentant sinner, for others, like him, a spiritual teacher. Bad fame, intertwined with the glory of the ascetic and the elder, reaches the capital. He is accused of belonging to the Khlystun sect, but not finding sufficient evidence, the case is closed.
   What brought "Elder Gregory" to St. Petersburg? Perhaps a broader field of activity. It is not the splendor of the capital that attracts him, but the presence of the highest clergy. Together with them, he could improve the talent of a healer, a true believer. He is confident that he is acting according to the will of the Lord.
   The second stage begins. In the spring of 1903. Rasputin, 34, arrives in St. Petersburg. Here are some of the major dates from this period.
   November 1, 1905 Grand Duchesses Militsa and Anastasia, daughters of Prince Nicholas of Chernogorsky, arrange an unofficial meeting of Rasputin with the Emperor and Empress at their Znamenskoye estate.
   November 15, 1906 The first official meeting of Rasputin with the Tsar. The king notes that he "makes an impression."
   October 1907 the first healing of the prince.
   Early 1911 trip to the Holy Land. Rasputin described his impressions of her in his notes entitled "My Thoughts and Reflections".
   Summer 1911 return to S.-Pb.
   On September 1, 1912, the imperial family leaves for Poland, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
   October 2, a sharp deterioration in the health of the crown prince.
   October 12, noon The Empress telegraphs this to Rasputin, who prayerfully helps. Answer: "The disease is not so terrible. Do not let the doctors get rid of it!"
   In 1914. Rasputin settles in his own apartment on the street. Gorokhovoy, 64.
   June 29, 1914 assassination attempt on Rasputin.
   January 2, 1915 accident with A. Vyrubova, her healing by Rasputin.
   November 22, 1916 conspiracy against Rasputin.
   Night from 16 to 17 December 1916 murder of G.E. Rasputin in the palace of Prince Yusupov.
   It should be noted that Rasputin alternated his life in St. Petersburg with regular visits to Pokrovsky, at least once a year he was at home. There he took refuge as soon as his position in society became unfavorable.
   Arrival to St. Petersburg.
   The glory of Rasputin got ahead of him, the rumor about his ascetic life reached the capital and became known to the highest spiritual ranks. Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, thanks to a letter of recommendation, he was received by His Holiness Theophanes, an inspector of the Theological Academy, who sees in him a true son of the Russian land, an original Christian, not a church man, but a divine person. Rasputin makes an impression not only with his spirituality, but also with his appearance. A. Truaya describes it most vividly:
   "The man is tall, thin, with long and straight hair, a tufted beard, a scar on his forehead. His face is cut with wrinkles, a wide nose with flaring nostrils. His eyes are most attracted by his eyes. His gaze gives out magnetic force. A shirt, tied at the waist with a belt, does not cover the hips. Wide trousers tucked into high-toed boots. Despite the rustic style, he feels comfortable and at ease in any society "Of course, such a person could not remain unnoticed in the capital. Under the patronage of the bishop's mantle, Vladyka Theophanes, he has access first to the St. Petersburg high society clerical circles, then through their influential representatives to the palace of Prince Nikolai Nikolaevich. His reputation was confirmed by his meeting with John of Kronstadt and the fact that Vladyka Theophan was the empress's confessor.
   Undoubtedly, Rasputin would not have been able to break through to the "top" so quickly if there were no appropriate circumstances for this. In short, he was lucky. These are the circumstances.
   First, the empress's spirituality, deep faith and trust in her confessor, who had in her eyes not only personal, but also church authority. Rasputin also did not raise doubts among the empress because he was precisely that phenomenon of Russian life that especially attracted the empress, who saw in his person the embodiment of images with which she first got acquainted in Russian spiritual literature.
   Secondly, the character of the Emperor, his trust in his wife and religiosity.
   Thirdly, church authorities were looking for a way to shake the consciousness of believers, corrupted by Western influence. In their eyes, Rasputin was that kind genius, capable of connecting believers with heaven, and the people with the king.
   However, for most people, Rasputin was not an "old man." This was confirmed by his lifestyle, which allowed him to live in the capital, visit his many acquaintances, while real elders live in monasteries, retiring in their cells. People did not know what to think about him, since many of his actions were inexplicable to them: healings of the sick, mysterious predictions, influence on the Tsarevich's illness.
   That is why Petersburg at first took an average position in relation to Rasputin, not having a complete understanding of him and preferring to treat him with confidence, so as not to "sin" before God than to openly blame him. Many were simply afraid of Rasputin and did not deny his influence on others, but for lack of explanations they were afraid to condemn him.
   Rasputin's relationship with the royal family.
   The decisive factor in the attitude of the Royal family to Rasputin was that he healed the prince. As you know, the heir to Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich suffered from hemophilia. This disease was transmitted through the maternal line and was expressed in poor blood clotting. Each injury could lead to internal hemorrhage, each wound could become life-threatening. Naturally, like any mother, this torments the empress, she feels her guilt in this and seeks to redeem her. When it became clear that Rasputin, by means of suggestion, copes better with the manifestations of this disease than all medical specialists, which created a very special position for Elder Gregory. The Empress sees in him a person on whom, in the literal sense of the word, the life of her beloved son depends.
   In addition, for Their Majesties, Rasputin was a living representative of the people, the embodiment of the peasantry, a little man. They were amazed at his manner of behaving, which in relation to another person would be considered indecent. His rustic dialect, impudence, clumsiness - all this worked in his favor. His behavior was exactly the opposite of the manner of court circles, imbued with the sole purpose of making a favorable impression on the Tsar. Against the background of their pretense, his sincerity and innocence were striking in their naturalness and were undeniable. They were not "made", this is explained by Rasputin's simple ideas about the Tsar, typical of the Russian peasant. For him, He is the source of mercy and truth. Here is what Prince N.D. Zhevakhov: "Rasputin's love for the Tsar, bordering on adoration, was really unfeigned, and there is no contradiction in the recognition of this fact. The Tsar could not help but feel this love, which he appreciated doubly, because it came from someone who appeared in His eyes not only the embodiment of the peasantry, but also its spiritual power "He did not deceive the trust of the emperor and gradually" a connection arose between the Tsar and Rasputin on a purely religious basis: the Tsar saw in him only an "elder" and, like many sincerely religious people, was afraid to break this connection with the slightest mistrust to Rasputin so as not to anger God. This connection grew stronger and stronger and was supported as much by the conviction of Rasputin's undoubted loyalty as, later, by bad rumors about his behavior, which the sovereign did not believe, because they came from unbelieving people ... ".
   After the first meeting with Rasputin, the Tsar only noted that he "makes a great impression." Subsequently, he was of the opinion that Gregory was a man of "pure faith". Nevertheless, not so much trusting the "elder" as Alexandra Feodorovna, Nicholas II instructs General VN Dedyulin, the commandant of the palace, and his assistant to subject Rasputin to biased but courteous interrogation. In their opinion, he is a cunning and false man; further reports from undercover agents reveal the impostor, a false preacher, revealing who he is in real life. Members of the Tsar's family are also trying to open the Tsar's eyes to what is happening. He patiently listens to everything, but at the same time does not take any action against Rasputin. As for the Empress, she did not believe the rumors that were spreading more and more around Rasputin, since she considered them slander and, because of this, refused to lose a man who knew how to overcome her son's illness with a few words. Despite further revelations, for the Royal family (i.e. for the Emperor, Empress and their children) Rasputin remained a saint forever, and nothing could force them to change this belief.
   Influence of Rasputin on politics.
   There are many versions regarding this controversial issue. It is probably impossible to list everything. Let's dwell only on the main and most famous ones.
   Initially, Rasputin used his proximity to the court only to interfere in church affairs, in which he was helped by close relations with Theophanes and Hermogenes. But as rumor spreads about its influence, various dexterous people decide to use it to achieve their goals. This leads to the fact that official receptions are organized at Rasputin's. He settles in an apartment on the street. Gorokhovoy, where he accepts both those who come with material donations and those in need of financial assistance. Gradually, Rasputin himself, as he rose, began to develop ambition. To play a prominent role, to be revered for an almighty force, to be on the same level with people who are in social position much higher than him - all this reinforced his pride, and he even took on such affairs, the arrangement of which did not bring him personal benefit. This continued until the beginning of 1915, when the "little people" began to use Rasputin for personal purposes for promotion, promising him "great blessings" for bringing them to the top of the government. One of the first was Prince Shakhovskoy, who, through Rasputin, secured an appointment as Minister of Trade and Industry. Naturally, such activities of Rasputin could not but cause indignation in a revolutionary-minded society, given that his personality was perceived mostly negatively.
   However, the question remains whether people used Rasputin only for personal purposes, or did he fall into the hands of agents of Russia's enemies? There is a version that he was an agent of Germany and was at the same time with the Empress on the issue of a separate peace. But it is unlikely that such a simple man as Rasputin was capable of any political actions - it would be too "abstruse" for him, would be contrary to his nature.
   In fact, Rasputin did not exert direct influence on Russian policy. It was expressed, firstly, in a pernicious, in the opinion of most contemporaries, action on the empress, and through her on the sovereign. Rodzianko explains the power of Rasputin's influence by his hypnotic abilities: "By the power of his hypnotism, he inspired the tsarina with an unshakable, invincible belief in himself and that he was God's chosen one sent down to save Russia." The same opinion is shared by other political figures: M. Paleologue, Zhevakhov, Hieromonk Iliodor, and others. Secondly, this influence was manifested in letters where he gave advice or simply supported the Tsar. His sayings and predictions are also known, which were later confirmed: "I will, there will be a Tsar and Russia, but as I will not be, there will be no Tsar or Russia"; On August 29, 1911, standing in the crowd, past which Stolypin was passing, Rasputin suddenly exclaimed: "Death has come for him, here it is, here!"; he predicted his own death: "They will kill me, and in three months the Tsar's Throne will also collapse."
   Rasputin never tried to refute the words about his power among the tsars, but on the contrary was proud of this and confirmed by his deeds: for example, during his orgies he boasted that the queen was embroidering shirts for him and thus gave rise to gossip himself. He behaved naively and did not foresee the consequences of his actions. Rasputin did not need the Tsar's power, but his position under the Tsar alone was enviable and became the reason for his own murder.
   Most likely, the words of Professor S. S. Oldenburg are the most objective: "Rasputin himself did not claim any political influence, but for the enemies of the Emperor he turned out to be the point of application of a skillful slanderous campaign that completely perverted the true state of affairs." It is interesting that the opponents of the monarchy were also opponents Rasputin. Most of the attacks came from the monarchists, who saw in him "an inextinguishable lamp in the royal chambers" and the cause of all Russia's troubles, both in foreign and domestic policy.
   It will probably be fair to slightly change the well-known aphorism and say: how many people, so many judgments about Rasputin.
   The Empress refused to submit to fate. She spoke incessantly about the ignorance of the doctors. She turned to religion, and her prayers were filled with despair, the stage was ready for the appearance of Rasputin.
   Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich.
   Truly, there is nothing more talented than a talented Russian peasant. What a peculiar, what a distinctive type! Rasputin is an absolutely honest and kind person, always willing to do good and willingly distributing money to those in need.
   Count S.J. Witte
   If the Tsar had obeyed Rasputin and concluded the very Brest-Litovsk peace, then there would have been no revolution in Russia.
   Zinaida Shakhovskaya.
   The first revolution and the counter-revolutionary era that followed it revealed the whole essence of the tsarist monarchy, brought it to the "last line", revealed all its rottenness, all the cynicism and debauchery of the tsarist gang with the monstrous Rasputin at its head, all the atrocities of the Romanov family - these pogromists who flooded Russia blood.
   V.I. Lenin.
   Without Rasputin there would be no Lenin either.
   A.F. Kerensky.
   He is all as if invented, he lived in a legend, died in a legend, and in memory he will be clothed with a legend. A semi-literate man, a royal advisor, a sinner and a prayer book, a werewolf with the name of God on his lips.
   N.A. Teffi.
   Conclusion
   There are at least three myths about Rasputin.
   "The fiend of hell, a selfish person who brought Russia to ruin with his entourage" - this is how Rasputin appears in the first myth.
   "The Demon", "the second Cardinal Richelieu", an eternally drunken and lascivious man with a mysterious Russian soul - this is a favorite myth of foreign authors.
   "A talented Russian man who saved Russia and the tsar's throne and was killed by the Freemasons" is a modern myth.
   Who was Rasputin really? "Cunning and innocence, suspicion and childish gullibility, harsh feats of asceticism and reckless revelry, and above all this, fanatical devotion to the Tsar and contempt for his fellow peasant, all this coexisted in his nature, and, rightly, either intent or thoughtlessness is needed to to ascribe crimes to Rasputin where only the manifestation of his peasant nature affected "- these, in my opinion, most accurately characterize Rasputin's personality.
   Rasputin was not a saint, and this was the tragedy of the Tsar's family and Russia. For those who were healed by him, he remained a saint forever. This is how he was in the eyes of AA Vyrubova, predicting her unhappy marriage and then healing her; this was also in the eyes of Their Majesties, who reckoned with his beneficial influence on the illness of the heir to the crown prince. The witnesses of his drunken orgies, who saw him once in a tavern, dancing "Kamarinskaya" had a completely opposite impression. What did those who saw both think? There were almost no such people, because both sides excluded the possibility of both extremes in Rasputin. And only we, evaluating this personality after more than 80 years, can take a fair position of the "golden mean" in relation to her, taking into account both views. On the one hand, Rasputin was a simple peasant. For him, there is no difference between Petersburg and the countryside - everywhere he behaves the same way, ignoring the laws of society and the elementary rules of decency. On the other hand, there is something intriguing, mysterious in his personality. His strange religiosity, combining a thirst for pleasure with an unshakable faith, his physical strength, finally, "indestructibility" by any poison - all this involuntarily inspires awe. Isn't there something in these features that is dear, close to every Russian soul? Probably, in any corner of Russia there is a similar "Rasputin", and every Russian has inherited some of his features. Perhaps because of these qualities, Russians remain incomprehensible, "wild" for other nations, and this sets our country apart in the world community.
   Rasputin is accused of influencing politics and the tsar. If he really had one, then his death would have to change the situation, but this did not happen, and passions intensified even more and "splashed out" into the revolution. If the name of Rasputin is so significant in history, why then are the current new "rasputins" not noticed, the influence of which is a thousand times more pernicious and significant? They are the destroyers, not a simple Russian man, for whom the first place has always been not political intrigue, but delicious food and women.
   The personality of Rasputin, born of time, mysteriously came, mysteriously and disappeared, closing another page in the history of Russia.