Tsar Nicolas II -||- Rasputin -||- Discontent and the lure of Communism -||- World War I -||- Bolshevik Revolution

~~~-Russian Revolution & Imperial Russia -~~~

Rasputin

Holy man? Demon? Warlock? Farmer? The debate on who Rasputin truly was is still going on today. 

            It is agreed that he was from Siberia and was originally a farmer.  It is also agreed that he joined a religious order soon afterwards, only to leave a few years later.  It was as a priest that Rasputin was probably taught healing techniques that would assist him later with the Tsarevich.  His ambition was probably natural and his politics was probably assisted when he was educated by his church.

            Rasputin’s appearance at the Palace and his stay bothered the conservatives the most simply because he was just a poor Siberian farmer/monk.  To be quite honest, he did not look very clean or very saving.  Some children look upon pictures of his face today and receive nightmares.  Yet the Tsar kept him.  This was because Rasputin had control of the one thing the Tsar could never deny- his family. 

            Rumors started to spread, about how Rasputin was the true ‘Tsar’ of Russia, and that the Tsarina was having an affair with him.  There were also pictures of him womanizing the ladies of the upper rank.  It further infuriated the conservatives.

            Finally, the nobles decided to take matters into their own hands, and kill Rasputin.  The poisoned him, but a kind of natural internal body mutation kept the poison from being absorbed.  Rasputin was then shot, stabbed and thrown into the river.  He died by drowning.