Grigori Efimovich Rasputin: Cause Of The Romanov Dynasty
Did you ever wonder what brought about the Russian Revolution in the year 1917? Grigori Efimovich Rasputin and his actions were one of the main causes of the Revolution that ended the Romanov Dynasty. He was born on January 23, 1872 in Pokrovskoye, Siberia to Anna Egorovna and Efim Akovlevich Rasputin. At the age of eighteen, Rasputin claimed that he was visited by the Holy Virgin of Kazan. He then became convinced that God had chosen him for a special purpose that he would find out later in his life. Soon after he turned nineteen, Rasputin married Praskovia Feodorovna. They had two daughters and two sons and he remained a devoted husband for six years. After six years of marriage, Rasputin sought out spiritual guidance at the monastery of
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Verkhoture. There he met Father Makarii who confirmed that he had been visited by the Holy Virgin of Kazan, and advised him to take a long journey of spiritual guidance. Rasputin took the advice, left his wife and kids, and spent the next six years on his journey for spiritual guidance in the Serbian Steppe. On coming back from his journey, Rasputin converted to the religion Khlystovshchina, which is the oldest Russian Orthodox sect. He became a gifted and passionate preacher of his religion. His preaching brought him to St. Petersburg, Russia, where his reputation as a spiritual leader helped him become acquainted with the royal family of the Romanovs. He soon became a friend and confidante of the royal family. The royal family shared the darkest secret of their family with him. Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra’s son and heir to the throne, Alexis Nikilaevich, was a hemophiliac. Rasputin was soon entrusted with taking care of Alexis and managing his illness. “On occasion, Rasputin would use his abilities to heal Alexis when the illness was at its worst” (Massie). He was successful, and became an extremely influential person in the Royal entourage. Years later, World War I broke out and Tsar Nicholas II joined his army at the front and left Russia in the control of his wife Alexandra. Rasputin used this to his advantage and ruled the country through Alexandra. The royal family and delegates of the Russian Parliament quickly found out about Rasputin’s actions, and soon after assassinated him. Rasputin was supposedly a man of religion, a psychic, and faith healer, but in reality he was insane, a religious charlatan, whose thirst for power led to his demise and helped to discredit the Romanov government. Soon after arriving in St. Petersburg, Rasputin began gaining power in the Romanov government and quickly became intoxicated with his rapidly expanding power. He was immediately recognized as a holy man by John of Kranstadt, who was one of the great preachers of the day. He was soon introduced to other important and famous people. Militsa, Grand duchess and Princess of Montenegro, introduced him to the Tsarina Alexandra Feorova. She and many others were soon very impressed with Rasputin’s skills. They found his wisdom and ability to translate religious texts alluring. “Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra believed that Rasputin was a man of God and a true voice of Russia” (Katkov). Rasputin soon became extremely influential in the royal entourage because of his role in caring for the heir to the throne. “Rasputin seemed to be the only one that could alleviate the disease“ (World History Since 1550: Grigori Rasputin). Alexandra believed that Rasputin had mystical powers and that God listened when he prayed for her. Although Nicholas II was impressed with Rasputin’s charisma, he was somewhat skeptical of his methods for treating his son. Just in case of emergency, Nicholas kept physicians close at hand. He was afraid to voice his doubts to his wife who was greatly influenced by Rasputin and believed that he had true spiritual power. Even though Nicholas II was not a strong believer in what Rasputin was doing, “Nicholas II claimed Rasputin was a good, religious, simple minded Russian” (Nicholas, Czars of Russia). As a result of Rasputin’s success, the numbers of his followers grew very rapidly. His patrons and advisors wanted him to rise up against the Tsar, but Rasputin was not interested in carrying out their plan. “They pushed him to use his influence to gain a promotion, a contract, dismissal of legal case, or some other form of assistance” (Katkov). After Nicholas II left to lead his army in World War I, Rasputin used this time to increase his power and carry out part of his advisors plans. He had much influence over Alexandra because of his work with her son; she listened to almost everything he had to say. “He essentially was ruling the country indirectly through Alexandra” (Moynahan, 10). He used her to elect his friends and advisors to positions in the government. He appointed church officials and cabinet ministers and even intervened in military matters. They helped Rasputin change the rules of the government to suit his needs. Rasputin’s attempts to take over the country were what lead to his own death. Grigori Rasputin called himself a holy man and man of God, but he was actually a hypocrite and ultimately disobeyed almost every tenet of his religion. Initially Rasputin preached the traditional teachings of the Khlysty faith. True Khlysty practiced a severe asceticism including total abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, medicine, drugs and sexual intercourse. As his thirst for power grew, Rasputin began to preach a heretical doctrine that promoted rebirth through sin. He was actually following the misrepresentations of his religion that permeated Russian Orthodox propaganda (Katkov). Rasputin was also apt to drink alcohol and smoke tobacco throughout his life which violated the rules of his religion. He also preached that he believed communion with God occurred in a state of holy passionlessness brought on by sexual exhaustion (Katkov). His teachings followed neither the Orthodox nor Khlysty beliefs. His belief of communion through sex alone violated the rule of abstinence from sexual intercourse of the Khlysty religion. Throughout his years of caring for the Romanov heir and dealing with his illness, Rasputin took many trips away from the palace where he is believed to have had intercourse with many women. Word of his explicit behavior spread throughout the kingdom and it angered the Tsar. Nicholas II wanted to send Rasputin away, but was afraid for his son’s life, and worried that if his son died, his wife would blame him for his death. He did not think he could live with the guilt of causing his son‘s death. Nicholas could not defend Rasputin publicly because his actions were so reviled throughout the kingdom. However, Rasputin was very influential in the royal entourage and Nicholas II was afraid of disclosing out the family secret that his son was a hemophiliac, so at first he decided he could not send Rasputin away. His solution was that he would simply silence anyone criticizing Rasputin. Rasputin’s presence distracted the government and decreased public confidence in the court system. Too many people were calling for the Tsar Nicholas II to silence Rasputin. Nicholas II finally asked Rasputin to leave St. Petersburg for a short period of time. Rasputin took some time off in the Middle East before returning and being asked to leave again and return to his hometown of Pokrovskoye. Later he returned to his position in St. Petersburg where he continued his duties with the heir to the throne. Grigori Rasputin was murdered in an unusual fashion and his it triggered the Russian Revolution in 1917.
Rasputin was murdered in the basement of the St. Petersburg palace on December 29, 1916. “To his enemies he was the incarnation of an insane evil genius” (Moynahan, 12). He was murdered because members of the nobility believed that he was the real power behind the throne and that he was destroying the dynasty. The murderers included some royal family members and some members of the Russian Duma or parliament. For their first attempt to kill Rasputin, the murderers fed Rasputin poisoned food and wine. Rasputin did not immediately succumb to the food poisoning, so the conspirators panicked and shot Rasputin several times in the chest and in the stomach. Rasputin still did not die after the shooting and ran out into the courtyard. The murderers grabbed him and brought him over to the frozen Neva River. They threw him into a pre-cut hole in the ice where he soon drowned. His body was later found and the autopsy revealed that he died of drowning and not from the poisoning or gun shots. After his death, the murderers searched through his home and found a note on his dresser. “The note was a detailed prediction of his murder. He claimed that the royal family would be the ones who would kill him and that every member of the family would die in the next two years” (Moynahan, 15). His prophecy came true, and two years later the royal family had been completely wiped out. Rasputin’s murder was a surreal event that cemented his position in Russian
history. Some believe that Rasputin was a holy man and a true voice of Russia, but in reality he was an insane man, who hypocrisy and heretical practices and thirst for power led to his demise. He did not follow any of the rules or regulations of the religion that he preached. He regularly was having sex, drinking alcohol, and smoking tobacco products in violation of his religion. After he gained all the trust of the Romanov family by caring for the heir to their throne, he attempted ruling the government indirectly through Alexandra during World War I. Rasputin used Alexandra to put his friends and advisors into positions in the government to gain power and support. He was intent on gaining more and more power, and was soon murdered because his influence on the Romanovs was viewed as a threat to the empire. Rasputin’s murder was quite bizarre. The conspirators tried poisoning him, and even shooting him, but could not kill him. They ended up throwing him into the Neva River where he soon drowned. After the assassination, tension built up throughout the empire, the Russian Revolution soon began, and the Romanov Dynasty came to an end.
Verkhoture. There he met Father Makarii who confirmed that he had been visited by the Holy Virgin of Kazan, and advised him to take a long journey of spiritual guidance. Rasputin took the advice, left his wife and kids, and spent the next six years on his journey for spiritual guidance in the Serbian Steppe. On coming back from his journey, Rasputin converted to the religion Khlystovshchina, which is the oldest Russian Orthodox sect. He became a gifted and passionate preacher of his religion. His preaching brought him to St. Petersburg, Russia, where his reputation as a spiritual leader helped him become acquainted with the royal family of the Romanovs. He soon became a friend and confidante of the royal family. The royal family shared the darkest secret of their family with him. Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra’s son and heir to the throne, Alexis Nikilaevich, was a hemophiliac. Rasputin was soon entrusted with taking care of Alexis and managing his illness. “On occasion, Rasputin would use his abilities to heal Alexis when the illness was at its worst” (Massie). He was successful, and became an extremely influential person in the Royal entourage. Years later, World War I broke out and Tsar Nicholas II joined his army at the front and left Russia in the control of his wife Alexandra. Rasputin used this to his advantage and ruled the country through Alexandra. The royal family and delegates of the Russian Parliament quickly found out about Rasputin’s actions, and soon after assassinated him. Rasputin was supposedly a man of religion, a psychic, and faith healer, but in reality he was insane, a religious charlatan, whose thirst for power led to his demise and helped to discredit the Romanov government. Soon after arriving in St. Petersburg, Rasputin began gaining power in the Romanov government and quickly became intoxicated with his rapidly expanding power. He was immediately recognized as a holy man by John of Kranstadt, who was one of the great preachers of the day. He was soon introduced to other important and famous people. Militsa, Grand duchess and Princess of Montenegro, introduced him to the Tsarina Alexandra Feorova. She and many others were soon very impressed with Rasputin’s skills. They found his wisdom and ability to translate religious texts alluring. “Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra believed that Rasputin was a man of God and a true voice of Russia” (Katkov). Rasputin soon became extremely influential in the royal entourage because of his role in caring for the heir to the throne. “Rasputin seemed to be the only one that could alleviate the disease“ (World History Since 1550: Grigori Rasputin). Alexandra believed that Rasputin had mystical powers and that God listened when he prayed for her. Although Nicholas II was impressed with Rasputin’s charisma, he was somewhat skeptical of his methods for treating his son. Just in case of emergency, Nicholas kept physicians close at hand. He was afraid to voice his doubts to his wife who was greatly influenced by Rasputin and believed that he had true spiritual power. Even though Nicholas II was not a strong believer in what Rasputin was doing, “Nicholas II claimed Rasputin was a good, religious, simple minded Russian” (Nicholas, Czars of Russia). As a result of Rasputin’s success, the numbers of his followers grew very rapidly. His patrons and advisors wanted him to rise up against the Tsar, but Rasputin was not interested in carrying out their plan. “They pushed him to use his influence to gain a promotion, a contract, dismissal of legal case, or some other form of assistance” (Katkov). After Nicholas II left to lead his army in World War I, Rasputin used this time to increase his power and carry out part of his advisors plans. He had much influence over Alexandra because of his work with her son; she listened to almost everything he had to say. “He essentially was ruling the country indirectly through Alexandra” (Moynahan, 10). He used her to elect his friends and advisors to positions in the government. He appointed church officials and cabinet ministers and even intervened in military matters. They helped Rasputin change the rules of the government to suit his needs. Rasputin’s attempts to take over the country were what lead to his own death. Grigori Rasputin called himself a holy man and man of God, but he was actually a hypocrite and ultimately disobeyed almost every tenet of his religion. Initially Rasputin preached the traditional teachings of the Khlysty faith. True Khlysty practiced a severe asceticism including total abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, medicine, drugs and sexual intercourse. As his thirst for power grew, Rasputin began to preach a heretical doctrine that promoted rebirth through sin. He was actually following the misrepresentations of his religion that permeated Russian Orthodox propaganda (Katkov). Rasputin was also apt to drink alcohol and smoke tobacco throughout his life which violated the rules of his religion. He also preached that he believed communion with God occurred in a state of holy passionlessness brought on by sexual exhaustion (Katkov). His teachings followed neither the Orthodox nor Khlysty beliefs. His belief of communion through sex alone violated the rule of abstinence from sexual intercourse of the Khlysty religion. Throughout his years of caring for the Romanov heir and dealing with his illness, Rasputin took many trips away from the palace where he is believed to have had intercourse with many women. Word of his explicit behavior spread throughout the kingdom and it angered the Tsar. Nicholas II wanted to send Rasputin away, but was afraid for his son’s life, and worried that if his son died, his wife would blame him for his death. He did not think he could live with the guilt of causing his son‘s death. Nicholas could not defend Rasputin publicly because his actions were so reviled throughout the kingdom. However, Rasputin was very influential in the royal entourage and Nicholas II was afraid of disclosing out the family secret that his son was a hemophiliac, so at first he decided he could not send Rasputin away. His solution was that he would simply silence anyone criticizing Rasputin. Rasputin’s presence distracted the government and decreased public confidence in the court system. Too many people were calling for the Tsar Nicholas II to silence Rasputin. Nicholas II finally asked Rasputin to leave St. Petersburg for a short period of time. Rasputin took some time off in the Middle East before returning and being asked to leave again and return to his hometown of Pokrovskoye. Later he returned to his position in St. Petersburg where he continued his duties with the heir to the throne. Grigori Rasputin was murdered in an unusual fashion and his it triggered the Russian Revolution in 1917.
Rasputin was murdered in the basement of the St. Petersburg palace on December 29, 1916. “To his enemies he was the incarnation of an insane evil genius” (Moynahan, 12). He was murdered because members of the nobility believed that he was the real power behind the throne and that he was destroying the dynasty. The murderers included some royal family members and some members of the Russian Duma or parliament. For their first attempt to kill Rasputin, the murderers fed Rasputin poisoned food and wine. Rasputin did not immediately succumb to the food poisoning, so the conspirators panicked and shot Rasputin several times in the chest and in the stomach. Rasputin still did not die after the shooting and ran out into the courtyard. The murderers grabbed him and brought him over to the frozen Neva River. They threw him into a pre-cut hole in the ice where he soon drowned. His body was later found and the autopsy revealed that he died of drowning and not from the poisoning or gun shots. After his death, the murderers searched through his home and found a note on his dresser. “The note was a detailed prediction of his murder. He claimed that the royal family would be the ones who would kill him and that every member of the family would die in the next two years” (Moynahan, 15). His prophecy came true, and two years later the royal family had been completely wiped out. Rasputin’s murder was a surreal event that cemented his position in Russian
history. Some believe that Rasputin was a holy man and a true voice of Russia, but in reality he was an insane man, who hypocrisy and heretical practices and thirst for power led to his demise. He did not follow any of the rules or regulations of the religion that he preached. He regularly was having sex, drinking alcohol, and smoking tobacco products in violation of his religion. After he gained all the trust of the Romanov family by caring for the heir to their throne, he attempted ruling the government indirectly through Alexandra during World War I. Rasputin used Alexandra to put his friends and advisors into positions in the government to gain power and support. He was intent on gaining more and more power, and was soon murdered because his influence on the Romanovs was viewed as a threat to the empire. Rasputin’s murder was quite bizarre. The conspirators tried poisoning him, and even shooting him, but could not kill him. They ended up throwing him into the Neva River where he soon drowned. After the assassination, tension built up throughout the empire, the Russian Revolution soon began, and the Romanov Dynasty came to an end.