The RaRaRasputin Story

“There lived a man in Russia long ago” as Boney M. sings. A man by the name of Rasputin lived and breathed in Russia during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Grigori Rasputin was born in Siberia in the village of Pokrovskoye. Despite his monk-like career aspirations, he had an unruly youth - certainly not resisting temptation. He married young, at the age of 19, to Proskovya Fyodorovna Dubrovina. Before he got acquainted with the Romanov family in St. Petersburg, Rasputin was a holy wanderer. He was never ordained or part of the official clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church. Rasputin was a self-appointed holy man with the power to heal the less fortunate. Socially, Rasputin was doing pretty well for himself - his charm made him well-liked. It was his friendship with two women married to the Tsar's cousins ​​that led to his fateful connection with Tsar Nicolas and Empress Alexandra. Rasputin also happened to be in the right place at the right time. Interest in the occult and mysticism was growing among the aristocratic circles of St. Petersburg and he presented himself as a man with extraordinary healing abilities which intrigued the couple.

The Romanovs had four daughters and a son, Alexei, who had the unfortunate fate of inheriting hemophilia, a disorder that prevents blood from flowing properly. Rasputin prayed for the kid and provided reassurance of his recovery to his parents. Somehow, this worked in his favor, as his encouragement gave confidence to Alexandra who saw signs of improvement in Alexei. Whether it was due to Rapsutin's healing powers or simply because the advice of limiting medical visits from the doctors worked (at that time doctors would prescribe aspirin which has a side effect of thinning the blood, a fatal consequence for people with hemophilia). After this, Rapsutin became a prominent figure in the palace. There, Rasputin adopted the image of an ascetic Siberian peasant. Yet outside on the streets of St. Petersburg, he hosted wild gatherings, indulged in heavy drinking, and frequently spent his nights in taverns or questionable establishments.

Various rumors started floating around, the most famous one being that he had an affair with the Empress Alexandra. “Lover of the Russian Queen” as Boney M. says. No matter how crazy the rumors became and how hard people tried to tarnish his image, the grip of his influence on the Romanov family was firm. After Tsar Nicholas left the capital to lead the Russian army in the early 1900s, Alexandra was left to rule, depending heavily on Rasputin for guidance. Rasputin probably used the chance to also be self-proclaimed as a political leader. However, his demise was the aristocratic rage personified in Felix Yusupov. He was married into the Romanov family, did not approve of Rasputin and sought to bring back the prestige of the monarchy. He planned to poison Rasputin by hiding potassium cyanide in his cake and wine. When he found out that Rasputin was unaffected by the poison, he resorted to shooting him multiple times. The events of Rasputin's murder remain unclear. The most detailed depiction of the events can be found in Yusupov's memoirs. However, Yusupov portrays the murder as an ultimate battle between righteousness and an unkillable evil, which begs the question whether some parts of the murder were exaggerated to enhance his own image.