Source: File: Rasputin: Film: Dark Servant of Destiny
(1996). See original footage:
< https://youtu.be/zC_5ROBX3H0
[Accessed 15 December 2016]
Source: File: Grigori
Rasputin January 1864 - December 1916. See an original image at: <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rasputin_PA.jpg>
[Accessed 15 December 2016]
i
With centuries
old system of serfdom,
That had long
established relationships between
Russian nobility
and peasant population -
18th century
expansions gave proclamations
To a Russian
Empire by Peter the Great.
In a vast great country, many ordinary
People lived amid the federal subjects of Russia.
Situated in Tyuman Oblasta region,
In Pokrovskoye saw a woman, Anna Parshukova,
Situated in Tyuman Oblasta region,
In Pokrovskoye saw a woman, Anna Parshukova,
Wed Efim Vilkin Rasputin - a coach
Driver and yamshchik messenger of Siberian Plains.
Together the
couple procreated a total
Of nine children; the couples fifth child was a son,
Born 9 January
1869 - they named him
A day later
Grigori Yefimovich - his namesake
A venerated saint,
Gregory of Nyssa.
though uneducated the child developed
Intelligence -
Despite a shaky start as a brawler
Whose attitude
lead him to be jailed
For 2 nights -
when aged 18 in 1887, young Grigori
Rasputin married Praskovia by whom
He had six
children, although the first three died.
After ten years
of marriage, possibly
By the death of a
child, Grigori left his family
And entered a
monastery - he travelled
To Verkhoturye
where he learnt from a hermit,
Who taught him alternative thoughts.
Who taught him alternative thoughts.
Something of an
outsider Grigori
Was also a
libertine that always remained central
To his character
- Makary the hermit,
Left a big
influence over this young man - so that
When he returned to his village
When he returned to his village
All noticed a
change in Grigori's personality.
An icon of the
Russian Orthodox Church
Was the lady of
Kazan, a vision of whom Grigori
Claimed to
witness, opening up to him
A religious
mysticism; though seen as a libertine
Grigori was
dismayed while in Greece.
Staying at St.
Panteleimon Monastery
Grigori claimed to witness acts of open sodomy.
His character had
developed so by
1900 Grigori
Rasputin had become a wanderer -
He did not see
himself as a Staret
Or foolish Yurodiviy,
just more as a strannik.
Grigori Rasputin
as a religious pilgrim,
Travlled far
from home to Kiev Pechersk Lavra -
And in the
capital of Tatarstan - Rasputin
Came to
attentions of the bishop and high classes;
From Kazan to St
Petersburg on Baltic sea.
From his younger
days Rasputin had
Held a
charismatic aura and his religious fervor
Started to
attract much attention -
In the capital
via Bishop Theophane, Rasputin
Moved within the
society salons, soon
To gain many lady
admirers, as in Mme Lochtina.
ii
While doctors
failed to cure her
From a severe
illness Rasputin gained relief
For Mme Lochtina -
his influence
For prayers was quickly sought and a keen circle
Of ladies took
him under their wings.
They taught him
to wash, dress and
Comb his unkempt
hair - his religious reputation
Quickly spread - Rasputin
eventually
Became introduced
into ruling Russian family of Tsar;
1 November 1905, Rasputin had
An audience with
Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra.
Various factions
and troubling issues
Occupied the Russian
Tsar - an invitation for pray
Followed a
political attack, then a year
Later 1907, Rasputin was requested to see the heir,
Tsesarevich
Alexei at Alexander Palace.
The distressed
parents asked him to pray
As the doctors
could not heal the boys injury to bleed;
The condition then unknown was hemophilia -
After this
Alexandra held Rasputin as saviour of Alexei;
Having halted blood thinning medications.
Having halted blood thinning medications.
Another event to
cause a bleeding
Hematoma on
Alexia, led Tsarina again to seek help
From Rasputin by
telegram - his reply
Said he will
not die. Only halt the doctors in bothering
The boy; his
prophecy was proved.
The hematoma
faded by 19 October 1912.
But a dislike of
Rasputin had been brewing for some
Time among the
court - to suggest he used
Hypnosis or drugged
the boy who then became cured;
Suspicions of his
using spirits was far
From truth; just a man of conviction and strong calm.
Yet to all
Rasputin seemed to have
A mystical power -
Imperial Russia held a fever
For religious
renaissance and
Occultism
obsessed aristocrats - and Rasputin
Appeared to have
this in loads.
Accusations
against the travelling
Religious man had
begun by the church in 1907,
When Rasputin was
called before
The
Ecclesiastical Tobolsk court - accusations
Of his being a
Khlysty, who held
Strange beliefs; carrying
out sin as redemption.
Yet no proof
could be found -
Although Grigori Rasputin
shared some elements
In their belief
system and their
Practices - likely Rasputin was merely something
A magpie of
religious elementals.
Charisma and aura of Rasputin
That had initially
attracted the aristocratic families
Lost their force, as they now made
A turn towards
him - endowed with special
privileges
By the imperial
family, the monk took
Regular visits; once on 6 occasions within four months.
iii
By 1911 Rasputin
followed instructions
Of the Tsar to
travel with pilgrims - these visits
Took them to the Holy Land, while
A new Prime
minister, Vladimir Kokovtsov, asked
The Tsar to
banish Rasputin to Tobolsk.
This was refused
as the Tsar
Stated he knew
the man well enough to ignore all
Scandals -
Rasputin was warned
To keep away, as
first rumors and then actual letters,
Written to him by
Tsarina and her
Daughters were
handed to Nicholas by Kokovtsov.
The prime minister
further tried to pay
Off Rasputin with
money - until finally the Tsar
Giving into pressure allowed
An investigation of their holy friend - the bishop,
Alexey Molchanov, started
this
Only to find him
orthodox Christian seeking truth.
With
investigations disproved
Rasputin found
himself reinstated to the church
And court, until
again to be rejected
For yet another
investigation - but the criticisms
Were condemned by
the Tsarina.
Both Nicholas and
Alexandra
Maintained that
this holy man, Grigori Rasputin
was their
friend - yet threats
Of more scandal prompted
Nicholas to request
Rasputin to leave
for Siberia -
Yet by Alexandra's
demand this was stopped.
Instead
criticisms were turned
On the
politicians - early into 1914 Kokovtsov
Was taken from
post, replaced by
A more pliable
Ivan Goremykin, alongside various
Other government
shuffles.
All such factors
showed how much
Influence
Rasputin had gained within the highest
Russian family;
other such close
Connections existed
between rulers of Germany -
Wilhelm and
Nicholas were cousins,
Their wives
related to the English Queen Victoria.
Unease though
brewed across Europe
And on Russian
soil, that would lead to a general
Strikes in July
1914 - parallelizing industry
In St Peterburg -
meanwhile Grigori Rasputin had
Travelled home to
Pokrovskoye.
Concerned with
the brooding events
Of a likely war,
the Tsarina telegraphed her friend
12 July - mid
afternoon Rasputin left
His house with
the post office boy intent to make
A reply, not
realising a fateful event;
From the city of
Syzran had travelled an enemy.
A peasant woman
Khioniya Guseva
A one-time
follower of Iliodor, also a charismatic
Monk, felt uncertain if Rasputin
Was a saint or devil.
Khioniya Guseva arrived in
Rasputin's
village with the intent
Of seeing him - a chance occurred as he emerged.
iV
With her face
veiled Guseva
Made her move, approaching
the longhaired bearded
Figure - holding
out her hand
Muttering humble
requests for money - Rasputin stood,
Intent to give the
beggar coins.
With swift
movement of her
Other hand, Guseva
pulled out a dagger and drove this
Into his stomach
'I have killed
The antichrist!' Khioniya
Guseva proclaimed - not dead
Rasputin, holding the
wound
Of his slit
stomach, turned and fled down the road.
Seeing he still
lived Guseva
Chased him,
intending to finish him off - the wounded
Monk staggered as
the woman
Caught up with
him - a wooded shaft lay on the ground
And as she raised
the knife
Again, Rasputin
swung the wood hard into her face.
People appeared
shouting 'kill her!'
Giving her self
up to police as Rasputin bleeding badly
Was taken home to
be saved
By a local Doctor
- treatments followed paid by Tsarina;
Over six-weeks
Rasputin recovered.
With Khioniya
Guseva locked
Away in an
asylum, Tsar Nicholas ordered full protection
For Rasputin, who
would never
Fully recover from the attack - by time of his leaving
Hospital on 17
August, war
Had broken out between
major European countries.
Rasputin raised
his opinions
Against war, while those close to him tried to persuade
him otherwise - but he remained
Adamant. While in
hospital July's crisis
Austria
Hungaria gave an ultimatum
To Serbia, who
then appealed to Russia for assistance.
With war declared
on Serbia by Austria,
Russia started to
mobilise their army - though unable
To stop anything, Rasputin sent telegrams
From hospital in
dire warnings - if Russia went into war
The monarchy's institutions were at risk.
As police
protection followed the
Movements of
Rasputin, there was no final end
To the dislike of
the man, that carried
Influence of
Russia's leader - dossier of reports
On the
monks lifestyle were compiled.
January 1915; these words were
Handed to Tsar
Nicholas as evidence, to persuade
The Russian leader
to sever
Connections with
the religious man - yet they were
Flawed, as one of
the supposed
Events occurred when Rasputin was in Tsarskoe Selo.
Without any
ability in military ways
Tsar Nicholas in
August 1915, took over supreme
Control of
Russian armies - prompted
In the matter by
combined ideas from Alexandra
And Rasputin - this
he believed would
Boost morale. Duty led Nicholas away from capital.
V
With Tsar's
absence the throne would
Be held by the
empress - now the fear was Rasputin
Would be perched
on the seat of power;
the monk potentially advising an all powerful empress.
In the capital on
Gorohovaya Street
The monk lived in
an apartment, to have many visitors.
All elements of
Saint Petersburg
Society sought
Rasputin - a trending figure who would
See at his
apartment, aristocrats
And peasants
alike - the rich sought his favour in the
Court, as the poor
sought his help.
Rumours abounded
about him
To suggest he formed a sect of sex rituals with wealthy
Social ladies and
prostitutes - all of which
The Tsar laughed
off as total slander - another talent
Attributed to
Rasputin lay in prediction.
December 1916 and
Rasputin wrote
About his visions to
Tsar Nicholas - Rasputin had
No fear if common
assassins
Killed him - but if nobles
murdered him then descent
Would fall across
the Russian state;
The Tsar's children
would not live beyond 2 years.
A plague of the
antichrist would devour
All and they will
beg for death - the Russian people
Will kill the
Tsar - the people would kill
each other and be cursed 3 times in 25 years - all
Faith destroyed; 'think of your family.'
each other and be cursed 3 times in 25 years - all
Faith destroyed; 'think of your family.'
Russian women in
presence
Of Rasputin were compelled by monk's charisma -
Not adverse to
having his image
Taken, photographs
show him with wide-open eyes,
Framed by often
unkempt hair,
A dark straggly beard and dressed in long robes.
Described as an
hypnotist
Grigori Rasputin had by society women's influence,
Tided his
appearance -
His status lifted
amid these women who treated him
Like some great
apostle.
From the first days it
was an
Association with the Tsarist friend, Mme Vyroubova,
That had led
Rasputin into
Close circle of
the imperial family - a situation that would
Finally be his
undoing; his
Friendship with
the Tsar and Tsarist despised by elite.
Here was a
peasant from the Baltic
Lands who apparently
worked his way into arms
Of power - an
ability to influence
The imperial
family, with talents to heal the sick and
Make prophecies intrigued the rulers.
Into months of
war against Germany
And Austria
Hungary, the Tsar's presence amid
His army kept him
way from the capital -
To leave the Tsarist to take the weight of power;
A belief being Rasputin controlled her.
A belief being Rasputin controlled her.
Vi
A conspiracy
among a few sought
His demise; a Russian noble Prince Felix Felixovich
Yusupov, began to
acquaint himself
With Rasputin - gaining his confidence in asking
Him to treat a
simple illness.
With extremist
views, Russian politician
Vladimir
Mitrofanovich Purishkevich made a speech
To impress
Yusupov, stating how Rasputin
Was a threat
being a advisor to the Tsarist - the two
Met to create a
conspiracy; in order
To do their plan
they recruited Stanilaus de Lazovert.
Doctor Lazovert
would be of help,
Along with
Lieutenant Sergei Mikhailovich Sukhotin.
Conspirators
began their plan
Although precise information varied over exact events,
All stories held
same elements.
Preparations were
everything,
In order to carry
out a intent to destroy a man
Who had already
survived attempt
Of assassination
- the venue, Prince Yusupov
Decided, was his
favourite palace
In St Petersburg, on the banks of river Moyka.
On the day of the
western Calendar,
17 December 1916, Rasputin took the invitation
To attend a visit
to Prince Yusupov,
At his grand
Moyka Palace - over the two nights
The conspirators
had gathered.
In set preparations to welcome
The guest the
five men, who intended to depose
The monk were: Prince Yusupov,
Vladimir
Purishkevich, Captain Suhotine along
With Stanislaus de
Lazovert, and
Dmitri Pavlovich; a basement room was prepared.
Dmitri Pavlovich; a basement room was prepared.
Purishkevich
later told of the changed
Space - a cellar
away from all other rooms, was
Transformed into
a salon and dining
Room. A log fire
had been lit in a huge chimney
Place, with
comfortable easy chairs.
Rare wines had
been set on a round
Table with plates
of cakes - at that table the men
Sat and took tea
and tried some
Of the unspoilt
cakes - next they arranged the table
As if various
guests had just
Visited and had recently left, as if hurried away.
Visited and had recently left, as if hurried away.
Prince Yusupov
handed over
The elements to
Doctor Lazovert who, wearing
Gloves, grated
potassium cynaide
Into a plate - then
choose the vessels; two types
Of cakes, pink
cream and chocolate.
Choosing the pink
petits fours,
Lazovert cut them and the poison was dropped
Inside sealed
with cream - with
Some left to look
half eaten, they were mixed
Amid the
chocolate - Pavlovich
And Suhotine
would play lively music upstairs.
Vii
Then taking
bottles of liquid cyanide,
Purishkevich and
Lazovert divied this between two
Glasses, next
to bottles of rare wine.
Pavlovich
had sudden fear that Yusupov might
In error drink
poison - but was then
Assured of the Prince's iron will and steady nerve.
Assured of the Prince's iron will and steady nerve.
A gramophone was
to play much
Music - ready for
Rasputin Doctor Lazovert
Drove into the
night to collect
The monk from the
imperial palace; dressed
In the uniform of
a chauffer.
On meeting
Rasputin prior
To midnight, Lazovert found him in relaxed mood.
Driving him quickly back
To the Palace - Pavlovich
and Suhotine watched
The
car drove across snow
Into the
courtyard - snow crunched underfoot.
The two figures
made their
Entry. Leaving Rasputin with the prince, Lazovert
Entry. Leaving Rasputin with the prince, Lazovert
Joined the others
upstairs to
Play music - the prince greeted Rasputin who sat
Play music - the prince greeted Rasputin who sat
In a chair by
the warm fire.
A gramophone
scratched out
Echoing American
tunes - finished and played
Again - the two talked in the cellar.
Rasputin relaxed
reportedly talking of his great
Successes and of
Germany's
Over Roumania, while the Prince poured wine.
Over Roumania, while the Prince poured wine.
Rasputin drank and
accepted pink
Cream cakes, which
he enjoyed - the others
Upstairs listened
tense - with
Time going by
without any results, Yusupov
Briefly went
upstairs.
He proclaimed his
fear; Rasputin
Had drunk two
glasses of poison, and ate several
Cakes - all
without any effect
Other than to
belch and dribble the wine - what
Could they do? A debate ensued.
This then could
only prove
Grigori Rasputin
was the devil - that he could
Not be killed - likely the effects
May have been
partially stayed by a man with
Iron constitution
- what Yusupov
Had to do was go back
and end him by a bullet.
Taking a revolver
Yusupov nervously
Descended the
stairs - maybe by then Rasputin
Suspected his own
prophecy - how if he
Died at hands of
nobles the Tsar was doomed -
Yet he was drunk
and drugged.
He stood as the
Prince solemnly
Walked to him, dour and tense as gramophone
Music drifted
into the room.
Rasputin was
motionless with head bent, maybe
In prayer. The
Prince looked
At him; both fixed on
the crucifix around his neck.
Viii
Yusupov held the
crucifix and raised
His gun - where to
shoot him? In heart or temple?
He shuddered with
fear, his hand
Tensed with the
gun - then fired into Rasputin’s
Chest; with a
scream the monk fell.
Yusupov stepped
back, to wonder
How with ease a
man could be killed. The others
Ran down into the room, to see
Monk face
pressed on bearskin rug - they agreed
To leave him to
die alone, while they
Decided on how to
dispose of the Rasputin body.
The door was
closed - then not long
After came a wild sound - as they looked the door
Opened. On hands
and knees Rasputin
Crawled out, a bloody
froth spitting from his mouth.
With bulging eyes
he sprang and ran.
With sudden
strength of recovery
Rasputin pushed open
the doors and ran outside
Like some
superhuman - the five
Gave chase out into
the snow covered gardens -
Purishkevich took
aim and fired
Two shots into
his back - the man fell with a groan.
The five walked
to him thinking
Maybe he might
rise again and flee - then Doctor
Lazovert made a
study of Rasputin
And said he was
dead; bullets struck near his heart.
They dragged him
into a car.
Pavlovich drove
slowly to avoid
Attention and
paused close to Varshavsky railway
Station - they burned the monks
clothes. Night was close to ending when they arrived
clothes. Night was close to ending when they arrived
Petrovskii Bridge
- 4.50 a.m. they
Bound Rasputin’s body in chains and fixed weights.
Bound Rasputin’s body in chains and fixed weights.
The five of them
wrapped Rasputin's
Body into a sheet
and dragged to edge of the frozen
Malaya Nevka
River - they broke
Through ice
to push him down in the water; the deed
Was done, Grigori Rasputin was dead.
by Jamie Mann.
Source: File: Russia
In World War I. Available at: <Syzran
http://alphahistory.com/russianrevolution/world-war-i/> [Accessed 15 December 2016]
Source: File: Prominent
Russians: Grigory Rasputin . Available at: <http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/history-and-mythology/grigory-rasputin/>
[Accessed 15 December 2016]
Source: File: Grigori
Rasputin From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigori_Rasputin>
[Accessed 15 December 2016]
Source: File: The
Murder of Rasputin by Jennifer Rosenberg. Available at: <http://history1900s.about.com/od/famouscrimesscandals/a/rasputin.htm>
[Accessed 15 December 2016]
Source: File: 1916
Rasputin is murdered. Available at: <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rasputin-is-murdered>
[Accessed 15 December 2016]
Source: File: The
death of Rasputin - December, 1916. Available at:
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/from-the-archive-blog/2016/dec/30/rasputin-murder-russia-december-1916>
[Accessed 15 December 2016]
Source: File: The
Murder of Rasputin, 100 Years Later. Available at: <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/murder-rasputin-100-years-later-180961572/>
[Accessed 15 December 2016]
Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal
communication, 15 December 2016).
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary
#worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Russia
