Who was Grigory Rasputin for real. Grigory Rasputin: biography, interesting facts. Predictions of Grigory Rasputin
The biography of Grigory Rasputin interests people to this day. There is hardly a Russian person who has never heard of this famous personality, who left a significant mark on last years Russian Empire. Many fiction books, studies, dissertations and simply essays were written on the basis of the life of this man, who had outstanding, downright extraordinary data, physical and spiritual.
In the article:
Grigory Rasputin's childhood
The patronymic of this legendary personality is Efimovich, and Grigory was born in the family of an ordinary Russian peasant from the village of Pokrovskoe, which to this day is located in the former Tobolsk province. He was born in the sixty-ninth year of the nineteenth century, at a time when they were already beginning to gain strength popular movements, and the kings felt how the hitherto uncomplaining people raise their heads, protesting against the tyranny of arbitrariness.
Rasputin Grigory Efimovich
He was born a frail and weak child, but survived, unlike his sisters and brothers, who left this world at the age of less than a year. They baptized him the morning after his birth, they called him Gregory, which means - awake. Because of his health, he could not indulge in childish games with his peers, who did not accept him on an equal footing. From this, the boy closed himself in, became unsociable, began to show a craving for solitude and reflection alone with himself. Like many elders, saints and other miracle workers, for example, it was at the age of childhood because of his rejection that he felt a craving for religion and found peace of mind in it.
At the same time, Grigory did not forget about earthly activities: he helped his father, grazed cattle, mowed hay, planted and harvested crops, went, like everyone else, to haul. But because of his health, he quickly got tired and weakened. Therefore, the villagers considered him defective and not like them, although the boy tried to be useful to the family.
At the age of fourteen, Gregory was struck by a serious illness, from which he fell ill and almost died. The family was already preparing to bury their only son, when suddenly the teenager's condition improved, and soon he completely recovered, striking those around him. According to Rasputin, the Mother of God healed him, appearing to him in a dream. After his illness, he became even more religious, immersed himself in the study of theological texts. There was no school in the village, but he had such a craving for knowledge that he got information from everywhere. Even without being able to read, he learned many prayers by heart, memorizing them by ear.
The son of an illiterate peasant, who himself never attended a class and did not read the alphabet, he had an amazing gift of insight, which determined his entire future fate. Who could have imagined that even after a century and a half, people would remember how Grigory Rasputin once lived, whose biography will become the basis for many scientific works and works of art - from the cartoon "Anastasia", where he is depicted as a demonic villain, to comics, books and films? It was truly an extraordinary person.
Rasputin Grigory Efimovich - biography of adult years
Grigory Rasputin and Iliodor
At the age of eighteen, which in modern times means entering adulthood, Gregory made a pilgrimage to many monasteries and temples. He did not take tonsure and monastic vows, but made many useful acquaintances with priests, wanderers, representatives of the white and black clergy of all ranks. It helped him a lot in the future.
Years later, already in adulthood, Grigory Rasputin arrived in the capital. This happened in the third year of the twentieth century, in St. Petersburg, where the doors of the imperial palace were opened for a wanderer with amazing abilities. Only when he arrived in the city on the banks of the Neva, Gregory did not have a penny for his soul. In search of help, he came to Bishop Sergius, who was the rector of the theological academy. He brought him to the right person - Archbishop Feofan, the spiritual mentor of the entire royal family. He had heard a lot about the prophetic gift of Rasputin, since rumors had already spread throughout the vast country.
Colonel Dmitry Loman, Grigory Rasputin and Prince Mikhail Putyatin
Rasputin made acquaintance with the royal family in difficult times for the Russian Empire. revolutionary movements such as "Narodnaya Volya" had considerable influence, covering all segments of the population. Workers went on strike every now and then. They demanded tough decisions, strong-willed acts from the tsar, and Nicholas II, with a soft character, feeling enormous pressure, was confused. Probably, that is why a simple peasant from Siberia managed to make such an impression on the king that he talked with him for hours. Being the so-called "holy old man", Grigory Rasputin had an incredible influence on the whole imperial family, but in particular - to the Empress, Alexandra Feodorovna, who trusted the newly-minted spiritual mentor in everything.
Many historians believe that the main factor in acquiring such influence was the completely successful treatment of the heir to the throne, Alexei Nikolaevich, the empress's beloved only son. He was seriously ill with hemophilia, a rare hereditary disease characterized by chronic bleeding and poor blood clotting. Rasputin calmed the boy in an unknown way. The prophet weakened his pain, and it seemed that he was getting better, as far as it was possible with the treatment of folk remedies.
So a simple peasant son became a confidant of the emperor himself, his personal adviser and a man with tremendous influence on the fate of the whole country. Rasputin Grigory Efimovich, whose biography is striking in the dizziness of takeoff, has been and remains the subject of controversy. To this day, people's opinions on his account are extremely different. Some believe that Gregory was a man of amazing spiritual strength, patient and intelligent, who wanted only good for Russia. Others call him Grishka and say that he was a greedy self-lover who indulged in debauchery, who, taking advantage of the indecision of Nicholas II, only pushed the empire to destruction.
Be that as it may, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, whose biography originates in a remote village even without a school, lived in the emperor's palace in his mature years. No one could be appointed to a post without a preliminary consultation with Rasputin. Possessing amazing insight, this "God's man" could open the king's eyes to the secret thoughts of the courtiers, the true essence of a person, advise to bring someone closer or dissuade him from rewarding. He participated in all palace affairs, having eyes and ears everywhere.
Assassination attempts on Rasputin and his death
Before committing the murder of Rasputin, who was interfering with their plans, his opponents tried in every possible way to denigrate Gregory in the eyes of the emperor. Rasputin was accused of witchcraft, drunkenness, debauchery, embezzlement and theft. Gossip and slander had no result: Nicholas II continued to unconditionally trust his adviser.
As a result, a conspiracy of the great princes arose, who wanted to remove the old man who was interfering with them from the political arena. Actual State Councilor Vladimir Purishevich, Prince and, in the future, Commander-in-Chief of the military forces of the Russian Empire, Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr., as well as Prince Felix Yusupov, seriously set out to destroy Rasputin. The conspiracy was made on top level but in the end it didn't go smoothly.
Khioniya Guseva
For the first time, they sent a shooter to Grigory - Khionius Gusev. The elder received a severe wound and was on the verge of life and death. At this time, left without an adviser who tried to dissuade him from participating in the war in every possible way, Nicholas II announced a general mobilization and announced the start of the war. When Rasputin began to recover, the emperor continued to consult with him, to be interested in Rasputin's opinion about his actions, and to trust the seer.
This did not suit the great princes-conspirators at all. They were determined to see it through to the end. For this purpose, Rasputin was invited to the palace of Prince Yusupov, where potassium cyanide, a deadly poison, was added to his food and drink, which, however, did not kill the old man. Then he was shot - but even with bullets in his back, Rasputin continued to fight fiercely for his life. He ran out into the street in an attempt to escape from the killers pursuing him. However, the wounds quickly weakened him and the chase was not long. Grigory was thrown onto the pavement and began to be severely beaten. Then he, almost beaten to death, having lost a lot of blood, was thrown from the Petrovsky bridge into the Neva. Even in the icy water, the elder and prophet Grigory Rasputin lived for several more hours before death nevertheless took him.
This man was distinguished by a truly titanic fortitude and craving for life, but he was sentenced by the will of the great princes. Nicholas II, left without an adviser and assistant, was overthrown after only two and a half months. Almost when the life of Rasputin ended, the history of the Romanov dynasty, which ruled Russia for several centuries, also ended.
Terrible predictions of Rasputin
A little earlier, we called this elder a seer. Indeed, it is believed that the Siberian peasant had the gift of seeing the future. Rasputin's predictions made him famous throughout Russia and eventually brought him to the imperial palace. So what did he prophesy?
The most famous prophecies of Grigory Rasputin include the prediction of the catastrophic 17th year, the brutal destruction of the royal family, the horrors of the war between the whites and the reds that engulfed Russia. In their "Pious Reflections" Rasputin wrote that, hugging one of the royal children, he felt them dead - and this terrible insight caused him the deepest horror. He also said that if he was killed by people in whom imperial blood flows, the whole house of Russian lords would not stand for two years, they would all be killed for the shed blood of the elder.
Skeptical people say that Rasputin's prophecies are too much like. Maybe it is so. But even in the quatrains themselves, the appearance on Russian soil of such a person as Rasputin is indicated. It is likely that the elder could be influenced by familiarization with.
Rasputin's predictions are perhaps one of the most significant prophecies made in the twentieth century. Despite the fact that many of them have come true, there are those that have not been confirmed. For example, the coming of the Antichrist and the Apocalypse in two thousand and thirteen. Therefore, we can confidently assert that not all visions of the prophetic elder were accurate.
Rasputin's predictions about Russia
With regards to our days, Gregory left almost no prophecies. In any case, as unambiguous as about the twentieth century in which he lived. Rasputin's predictions about Russia have a disturbing message: many temptations, probable death if the country succumbs. Antichrist temptations and lose your way.
Basically, Rasputin's prophecies about the future of Russia are, if you make a dry extract from the facts: if Russia manages to avoid all temptations, then it will take a significant place in the world. If not, then only death, decay and ashes await her. As well as other powers of Europe, if they are tempted by the gifts of the Antichrist and lose their moral values.
There is no doubt that, being an extremely religious, deeply religious man, Rasputin was greatly influenced by biblical prophecies. In his speeches very often there were references to Christian motives - in particular, to the Apocalypse. For Rasputin, the decline of moral values, the rejection of Orthodox virtues, atheism, the impending triumph of science were harbingers of the onset of bad times for the church. He was right: after the overthrow of the tsarist government, the Bolsheviks oppressed the church for a long time, denying religion as a necessary component of people's lives.
Although his prophecies have many sinister messages, they promise fire from heaven, poison in the earth, water and air, the Third World War, devastation and death, they should not be taken very close to heart. Of course, Grigory Rasputin possessed a certain gift. He was an extremely charismatic, strong-willed person, had an extraordinary mind, otherwise he would not have risen so high. But, despite the prophecies that have come true, his predictions do not have a 100% guarantee. Therefore, they cannot serve as an indicator of the coming years. It is necessary to live with one's own mind, not forgetting about honor and conscience, about the main Christian virtues - this is what this elder of a very unusual and dramatic fate probably wanted to say with his predictions.
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Grigory Rasputin is one of the most amazing people born on Russian soil. Not a single tsar, commander, scientist, statesman in Rus' had such popularity, fame and influence as this semi-literate peasant from the Urals gained. His talent as a soothsayer and mysterious death are still the subject of controversy for historians. Some considered him vicious, others saw him as a saint. Who was Rasputin really?
Speaking surname
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin really fell to live at the crossroads of historical roads and was destined to become a witness and participant in the tragic choice that was made at that time.
Grigory Rasputin was born on January 9 (according to the new style - 21) January 1869 in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen district, Tobolsk province. The ancestors of Grigory Efimovich came to Siberia among the first pioneers. For a long time they bore the surname Izosimov by the name of the same Izosim who moved from the Vologda land beyond the Urals. The two sons of Nason Izosimov began to be called Rasputins - and, accordingly, their descendants.
Here is how researcher A. Varlamov writes about the family of Grigory Rasputin: “The children of Anna and Efim Rasputin died one after another. First, in 1863, after living for several months, daughter Evdokia died, a year later another girl, also named Evdokia.
The third daughter was named Glykeria, but she lived only a few months. On August 17, 1867, son Andrei was born, who, like his sisters, was not a tenant. Finally, in 1869, the fifth child, Gregory, was born. The name was given according to the calendar in honor of St. Gregory of Nyssa, known for his sermons against fornication.
With a dream of God
Rasputin is often depicted as almost a giant, a monster with iron health and the ability to eat glass and nails. In fact, Gregory grew up as a weak and sickly child.
Later, he wrote about his childhood in an autobiographical essay, which he called "The Life of an Experienced Wanderer": "My whole life was an illness. Medicine did not help me. Every spring I did not sleep for forty nights. Sleep, as if oblivion, spent all the time" .
At the same time, already in childhood, Grigory's thoughts differed from the train of thought of a simple layman. Grigory Efimovich himself writes about this as follows: “At the age of 15 in my village, when the sun warmed warmly, and the birds sang paradise songs, I walked along the path and did not dare to go in the middle of it ... I dreamed of God ... My soul torn into the distance ... More than once, dreaming like that, I cried and did not know where the tears came from and why they were. I believed in good, kind, and I often sat with the old people, listening to their stories about the lives of the saints, great deeds, great deeds. "
The Power of Prayer
Gregory early realized the power of his prayer, which manifested itself in relation to both animals and people. Here is how his daughter Matryona writes about this: “From my grandfather, I know about my father’s extraordinary ability to handle domestic animals. when he watched how they milked, the cow became completely calm.
Once at dinner, my grandfather said that the horse was lame. Hearing this, the father silently got up from the table and went to the stable. The grandfather followed and saw how the son stood near the horse for a few seconds in concentration, then went to the hind leg and put his hand on the hamstring. He stood with his head slightly thrown back, then, as if deciding that the healing had taken place, he stepped back, stroked the horse and said: "Now you are better."
After that incident, my father became like a miracle worker veterinarian. Then he began to treat people. "God helped."
Guilty without guilt
As for the dissolute and sinful youth of Gregory, accompanied by horse-stealing and orgies, these are nothing more than the later fabrications of newspapermen. Matryona Rasputina in her book claims that her father was so perspicacious from an early age that he “saw the sight” of other people’s theft several times and therefore personally excluded the very possibility of theft for himself: it seemed to him that others “see” it as well as he does. .
I looked through all the testimony about Rasputin that was given during the investigation at the Tobolsk Consistory. Not a single witness, even the most hostile to Rasputin (and there were many), accused him of theft or horse stealing.
Nevertheless, Gregory still experienced injustice and human cruelty. Once he was unfairly accused of stealing horses and severely beaten, but soon the investigation found the perpetrators, who were deported to Eastern Siberia. All charges against Gregory were dropped.
Family life
No matter how many amorous stories are attributed to Rasputin, nevertheless, as Varlamov rightly notes, he had a beloved wife: “Everyone who knew her spoke well of this woman. Rasputin married eighteen years. His wife was three years older than him, hardworking , patient. She gave birth to seven children, of which the first three died. "
Grigory Efimovich met his betrothed at the dances, which he loved so much. Here is how his daughter Matryona writes about it: “Mom was tall and stately, she loved to dance no less than he did. Her name was Praskovya Fedorovna Dubrovina, Parasha ...
Rasputin with children (from left to right): Matryona, Varya, Mitya.
Start them family life was happy. But then trouble came - the first-born lived only a few months. The boy's death affected his father even more than his mother. He took the loss of his son as a sign he was waiting for, but he could not even imagine that this sign would be so terrible.
He was haunted by one thought: the death of a child is a punishment for the fact that he thought so little about God. The father prayed. And prayers soothed the pain. A year later, the second son, Dmitry, was born, then - with an interval of two years - the daughters of Matryona and Varya. Father started the construction of a new house - a two-story, largest one in Pokrovsky ... "
Rasputin's house in Pokrovsky
The family laughed at him. He did not eat meat and sweets, heard different voices, walked from Siberia to St. Petersburg and back, ate alms. In the spring, he had exacerbations - he did not sleep for many days in a row, he sang songs, shook his fists at Satan and ran through the frost in one shirt.
His prophecies were calls to repentance "before trouble comes." Sometimes, by sheer coincidence, misfortune happened the very next day (huts burned, cattle got sick, people died) - and the peasants began to believe that the blessed peasant had the gift of foresight. He got followers... and followers.
This went on for about ten years. Rasputin learned about the whips (sectarians who beat themselves with whips and suppressed lust with the help of group sex), as well as eunuchs (castration preachers) who separated from them. It is assumed that he took over part of their teachings and more than once personally "delivered" the pilgrims from sin in the bath.
At the "divine" age of 33, Grigory begins to storm Petersburg. Enlisting the recommendations of provincial priests, he settled with the rector of the Theological Academy, Bishop Sergius, the future Stalinist patriarch. He, impressed by the exotic character, represents the "old man" (for many years, wandering on foot gave the young Rasputin the appearance of an old man) strong of the world this. Thus began the path of the "man of God" to glory.
Rasputin with his fans (mostly fans).
The first loud prophecy of Rasputin was the prediction of the death of our ships at Tsushima. Perhaps he took this from the newspaper news, which reported that a squadron of old ships went out to meet the modern Japanese fleet without respecting secrecy.
Hey Caesar!
The last ruler of the Romanov dynasty was distinguished by lack of will and superstition: he considered himself Job, doomed to trials, and kept meaningless diaries, where he shed virtual tears, looking at how his country was going downhill.
The queen also lived in isolation from the real world and believed in the supernatural power of the "people's elders." Knowing this, her friend, the Montenegrin princess Milica, took outright scoundrels to the palace. Monarchs listened to the ravings of crooks and schizophrenics with childish delight. The war with Japan, the revolution and the prince's illness finally unbalanced the pendulum of the weak royal psyche. Everything was ready for the appearance of Rasputin.
For a long time only daughters were born in the Romanov family. To conceive a son, the queen resorted to the help of the French magician Philip. It was he, and not Rasputin, who was the first to take advantage of the spiritual naivety of the royal family. The scale of the mess that reigned in the minds of the last Russian monarchs (one of the most educated people of that time) can be judged at least by the fact that the queen felt safe thanks to a magic icon with a bell that supposedly rang when evil people approached.
Nikki and Alix during their engagement (late 1890s)
The first meeting of the tsar and tsarina with Rasputin took place on November 1, 1905 in the palace for tea. He dissuaded weak-willed monarchs from escaping to England (they are said to have already packed their things), which, most likely, would have saved them from death and would have directed the history of Russia in a different direction.
The next time he presented the Romanovs with a miraculous icon (found from them after the execution), then he allegedly healed Tsarevich Alexei, who was ill with hemophilia, and eased the pain of Stolypin's daughter, who was wounded by terrorists. The shaggy man forever took possession of the hearts and minds of the august couple.
The emperor personally arranges for Gregory to change the dissonant surname to "New" (which, however, did not take root). Soon, Rasputin-Novykh acquires another lever of influence at court - the young lady-in-waiting Anna Vyrubova, who idolizes the "old man" (a close friend of the queen - rumored to be even too close, sleeping with her in the same bed). He becomes the confessor of the Romanovs and comes to the tsar at any time without making an appointment for an audience.
Please note that in all photographs Rasputin always holds one hand raised.
At court, Gregory was always "in character", but outside the political scene he was completely transformed. Having bought himself a new house in Pokrovsky, he took noble St. Petersburg admirers there. There, the "old man" put on expensive clothes, became smug, gossiped about the king and nobles. Every day he showed the queen (whom he called "mother") miracles: he predicted the weather or exact time return of the king. It was then that Rasputin made his most famous prediction: "As long as I live, the dynasty will live."
The growing power of Rasputin did not suit the court. Cases were initiated against him, but every time the “elder” very successfully left the capital, going either home to Pokrovskoye, or on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In 1911, the Synod spoke against Rasputin. Bishop Germogen (who expelled a certain Iosif Dzhugashvili from the seminary ten years ago) tried to drive the devil out of Gregory and publicly beat him on the head with a cross. Rasputin was put under police surveillance, which did not stop until his death.
Rasputin, Bishop Hermogenes and Hieromonk Iliodor
Secret agents watched through the windows the most piquant scenes from the life of a man who would soon be called the "holy devil." Once hushed up, rumors about Grishka's sexual adventures began to inflate with new force. The police recorded Rasputin's visits to the baths in the company of prostitutes and the wives of influential people.
Copies of the tsarina's tender letter to Rasputin circulated around Peter, from which it could be concluded that they were lovers. These stories were picked up by newspapers - and the word "Rasputin" became known throughout Europe.
public health
People who believed in the miracles of Rasputin believe that he himself, as well as his death, is mentioned in the Bible itself: “And if they drink something deadly, it will not harm them; lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16-18).
Today, no one doubts that Rasputin really had a beneficial effect on the physical condition of the prince and the mental stability of his mother. How did he do it?
The queen at the bedside of the sick heir
Contemporaries noted that Rasputin's speech was always distinguished by incoherence, it was very difficult to follow his thoughts. Huge, long-armed, with the hair of a tavern clerk and a spade beard, he often talked to himself and slapped his thighs.
Without exception, all Rasputin's interlocutors recognized his unusual look - deep-set gray eyes, as if glowing from within and fettering your will. Stolypin recalled that when he met Rasputin, he felt that they were trying to hypnotize him.
Rasputin and the queen drink tea
This, of course, influenced the king and queen. However, it is difficult to explain the repeated deliverance of the royal children from pain. Rasputin's main healing weapon was prayer - and he could pray all night long.
Once in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the heir began to have severe internal bleeding. Doctors told his parents that he would not survive. A telegram was sent to Rasputin asking him to heal Alexei from a distance. He quickly recovered, which surprised the court Aesculapius a lot.
kill the dragon
The man who called himself a "little fly" and appointed officials over the phone was illiterate. He learned to read and write only in St. Petersburg. He left behind only short notes filled with terrible scribbles.
Until the end of his life, Rasputin looked like a tramp, which repeatedly prevented him from “hiring” prostitutes for daily orgies. The wanderer quickly forgot about a healthy lifestyle - he drank, and drunk called the ministers with various "petitions", the failure of which was career suicide.
Rasputin did not save money, now starving, then throwing it to the right and left. He seriously influenced foreign policy countries, twice persuading Nicholas not to start a war in the Balkans (inspiring the tsar that the Germans are a dangerous force, and the "brothers", that is, the Slavs, are pigs).
A facsimile of Rasputin's letter with a request for some of his protégés
When the first World War nevertheless began, Rasputin expressed a desire to come to the front to bless the soldiers. The commander of the troops, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich, promised to hang him on the nearest tree. In response, Rasputin gave birth to another prophecy that Russia would not win the war until an autocrat (who had military education, but proved to be a mediocre strategist). The king, of course, led the army. With historical consequences.
Politicians actively criticized the queen - the "German spy", not forgetting about Rasputin. It was then that the image of the "grey eminence" was created, solving all state issues, although in fact Rasputin's power was far from absolute. German zeppelins scattered leaflets over the trenches, where the Kaiser relied on the people, and Nicholas II on Rasputin's genitals. The priests were not far behind either. It was announced that the murder of Grishka was a boon for which "forty sins would be removed."
On July 29, 1914, the mentally ill Khionia Guseva stabbed Rasputin in the stomach, shouting: "I killed the Antichrist!" Witnesses said that from the blow "Grishka's intestines crawled out." The wound was fatal, but Rasputin pulled himself out. According to his daughter's recollections, he has changed since then - he began to get tired quickly and took opium for pain.
Prince Felix Yusupov, murderer of Rasputin
Rasputin's death is even more mysterious than his life. The scenery of this drama is well known: on the night of December 17, 1916, Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitry Romanov (according to rumors - Yusupov's lover) and deputy Purishkevich invited Rasputin to the Yusupov Palace. There he was offered cakes and wine generously flavored with cyanide. This allegedly had no effect on Rasputin.
"Plan B" was used: Yusupov shot Rasputin in the back with a revolver. While the conspirators were preparing to dispose of the body, he suddenly came to life, tore off Yusupov's shoulder strap and ran out into the street. Purishkevich did not lose his head - with three shots he finally knocked down the "old man", after which he only clanged his teeth and wheezed.
To be sure, he was beaten again, tied with a curtain and thrown into the hole in the Neva. The water that killed Rasputin's older brother and sister also took the life of the fatal peasant - but not immediately. An examination of the body, recovered three days later, showed the presence of water in the lungs (the autopsy protocol has not been preserved). This indicated that Grishka was alive and simply choked.
Corpse of Rasputin
The queen was furious, but at the insistence of Nicholas II, the murderers escaped punishment. The people praised them as deliverers from the "dark forces". Rasputin was called in every way: a demon, a German spy or a lover of the empress, but the Romanovs were faithful to him to the end: the most odious figure in Russia was buried in Tsarskoye Selo.
The February Revolution broke out two months later. Rasputin's prediction about the fall of the monarchy came true. On March 4, 1917, Kerensky ordered the body to be dug up and burned. The exhumation took place at night, and according to the testimonies of the exhumers, the burning corpse tried to rise. This was the final touch to the legend of Rasputin's superstrength (it is believed that the person being cremated can move due to the contraction of the tendons in the fire, and therefore the latter should be cut).
The act of burning the body of Rasputin
"Who are you, Mr. Rasputin?" - such a question could have been asked to him by British and German intelligence at the beginning of the 20th century. A clever werewolf or an ingenuous man? Rebellious saint or sexual psychopath? To cast a shadow on a person, it is enough just to correctly illuminate his life.
It is reasonable to assume that the true image of the royal favorite was distorted beyond recognition by "black PR". And minus compromising evidence, we are presented with an ordinary peasant - an illiterate, but very cunning schizophrenic who achieved fame only thanks to a fortunate combination of circumstances and the obsession of the heads of the Romanov dynasty with religious metaphysics.
Canonization attempts
Since the 1990s, radical-monarchist Orthodox circles have repeatedly proposed canonizing Rasputin as a holy martyr.
The ideas were rejected by the Synodal Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church and criticized by Patriarch Alexy II: "There is no reason to raise the question of the canonization of Grigory Rasputin, whose dubious morality and promiscuity cast a shadow on the august name of Tsar Nicholas II and his family."
Despite this, over the past ten years, religious admirers of Grigory Rasputin have issued at least two akathists to him, and about a dozen icons have also been painted.
Curious facts
Rasputin allegedly had an older brother Dmitry (he caught a cold while swimming and died of pneumonia) and a sister Maria (who suffered from epilepsy and drowned in the river). He named his children after them. Grishka named his third daughter Varvara.
Rasputin knew Bonch-Bruevich well.
The Yusupov family originates from the nephew of the prophet Mohammed. Irony of fate: a distant relative of the founder of Islam killed a man who was called an Orthodox saint.
After the overthrow of the Romanovs, Rasputin's activities were investigated by a special commission, of which the poet Blok was a member. The investigation was never completed.
Rasputin's daughter Matryona managed to emigrate to France, and then to the USA. There she worked as a dancer and tiger trainer. She died in 1977.
The rest of the family members were dispossessed and exiled to camps, where their trace was lost.
Today the church does not recognize the sanctity of Rasputin, pointing to his dubious morality.
Yusupov successfully sued MGM over a film about Rasputin. After this incident, the movie began to put a warning about fiction "all coincidences are accidental."
Rasputinian:Petrenko, Depardieu, Mashkov, DiCaprio
Since 1917, more than 30 films have been made about the Tobolsk elder! The most famous Russian tapes are "Agony" (1974, Rasputin - Alexei Petrenko) and "Conspiracy" (2007, Rasputin - Ivan Okhlobystin).
Now the Franco-Russian film "Rasputin" has been released, in which Gerard Depardieu plays the old man. Criticism accepted the picture unimportantly, however, they say that it was this film work that helped the French actor obtain Russian citizenship.
Finally, in 2013, work was completed on the new Russian TV series Rasputin (directed by Andrei Malyukov, script by Eduard Volodarsky and Ilya Tilkin), in which Vladimir Mashkov played the Tobolsk elder...
And the other day in St. Petersburg, the shooting of a Hollywood film about Rasputin begins; on leading role film company Warner Bros. invited Leonardo DiCaprio. Why is the life story of Grigory Rasputin so attractive to directors and screenwriters?
Russian version
“We do not know whether Cagliostro, Count Dracula, existed or not. But Rasputin is a real historical figure, - says the director of the series "Rasputin" Andrey Malyukov. - At the same time, everything seems to be known about him: where he was born, and how he lived, and how he was killed. But at the same time... nothing is known! Do you know how much has been written about Rasputin? Tons! Don't read everything! And everyone writes about some other person. He is a mystery, and therefore there is such interest in him. Ask someone outside of Russia: "Who is Rasputin?" - "Yes, of course! Out the restaurant! Out the store!" A very popular figure.
- With what heart did you take on the shooting of the series?
- I wanted to look at this person from the point of view of truth. After all, during his lifetime, nothing was written about him! If you peel off and leave in a clean residue what he really did, it turns out that this was a person who sincerely rooted for Russian empire, for the king, for the queen, who categorically opposed the war, believing that everything is enough in Russia, that it is a great and powerful country. Here is his message. And for those who wanted war, for those who hated Russia, he seemed like a fiend. And in the bottom line, he was a man with a big plus sign. And with such a tragic fate...
- So, in your picture you want to debunk all the myths that exist about Rasputin?
There were an insane amount of myths. To debunk everything, our eight episodes are not enough. Our story splits into two parallel lines: Rasputin and investigator Svitten, who Kerensky instructs to investigate the murder of the old man and find evidence of all his "sins". But during the investigation of this criminal offense, Svitten, out of ardent hatred for Grigory Efimovich, comes to the point that he demands from Kerensky to bring the murderers to justice ...
Vladimir Mashkov about his hero
In the Russian-French film "Rasputin", where Depardieu played Rasputin, Vladimir Mashkov starred as Nicholas II. Then he entered the image so thoroughly that he even learned to sign like an emperor.
- In the new Russian film "Rasputin" my reincarnation is even deeper. A settler lives in me, - the actor admits. The role is amazing! After all, Grigory Yefimitch healed with prayer. He loved at that moment a person, took upon himself all his pain. He almost died when he treated people, and this process is incredible, divine ...
To say that Rasputin is a saint or a devil seems to me the most terrible, disgusting mistake. This is a very sincere person who loved Russia, loved the tsar, loved his people.
History of the beard
The creators of the picture say that no one was considered for the main role, except for Mashkov, who specially flew from America for filming. He got into the image so much that sometimes he shocked the film crew: even his gait changed, Rasputin's stoop appeared ...
Vladimir Mashkov and his hero have by no means a portrait-photographic resemblance. The make-up artists even copied the beard to the last hair using historical photographs! Make-up artists tried several beards, hair extensions, but as a result, Mashkov had to grow his hair and implant a natural beard one hair at a time. Every day, his makeup took about two hours.
“We implanted Mashkov’s side cheeks literally by the hair, so that even the camera would never see the pasted beard,” said make-up artist Evgenia Malinkovskaya.
In a mirror trap
Filming of the film "Rasputin" began in April 2013. Part of the episodes were filmed in St. Petersburg, near St. Petersburg, and also in Novgorod. At the same time, the film crew faced many difficulties.
When the priests found out who the film would be about, they closed the doors of churches and forbade filming. (By the way, the team of Gerard Depardieu faced the same problem: Patriarch Kirill did not give them his blessing, and they also could not shoot in churches.)
The only temple that opened the doors for the filming of the Russian series about Rasputin was St. Sampson Cathedral. In Novgorod, they decided to shoot in the Anthony Monastery - and in just two days, the production designers erected a scaffolding around the monastery wall.
Palace chambers had to be built as well. At Lenfilm, the famous mirror trap of the Yusupov Palace was recreated, where Felix Yusupov and the conspirators lured Rasputin. This is an octagonal room of mirrors, once you get into it, you don’t know where to go. Special mirrors were ordered for her, which are usually produced for special forces guarding consulates, so that the operator could shoot through the glass and not be reflected.
Stunts, effects, costumes
Vladimir Mashkov's partner in the film was Ingeborga Dapkunaite (Empress Alexandra Feodorovna). All dresses for her and Ekaterina Klimova, who played the Empress' maid of honor Anna Vyrubova, were designed from scratch and sewn in strict accordance with the fashion of the early 20th century. French lace was made according to historical samples. In England, they ordered hard collars, bought top hats, boaters. For Mashkov, they found an antique jacket and coat, sewed a collection of blouses.
There are many complicated tricks in the picture, most of which Vladimir Mashkov performed himself. For example, in one of the scenes, when fellow villagers thought that Rasputin embezzled money from the sale of someone else's horse, the actor was beaten with clubs and trampled on by horses. The actor worked so honestly and let the horses get so close to him that at one moment he got carried away, and the horse touched his hand.
The second no less difficult scene is the murder of an old man. Mashkov was beaten again, and kicked. Of course, the actor was put on special protection that covered his back, arms, chest, legs, but the bruises remained.
Mashkov was always eager to fight, but in some episodes the stunt director was categorical: "Volodya, don't, it's an extra risk!" And therefore, sometimes the actor was still replaced by an understudy Sergei Trepesov, who worked with Vladimir Mashkov in the film "The Edge".
compilationmaterial - Fox http://www.softmixer.com/2014/10/blog-post_59.html#more
Grigory Rasputin is one of the most mysterious and mystical personalities in Russian. Some consider him a prophet who was able to save from the revolution, while others accuse him of quackery and immorality.
He was born in a remote peasant village, and spent the last years of his life surrounded by the royal family, who idolized him and considered him a holy man.
Brief biography of Rasputin
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin was born on January 21, 1869 in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province. He grew up in a simple family and saw with his own eyes all the hardships and sorrows of peasant life.
His mother's name was Anna Vasilievna, and his father's name was Efim Yakovlevich, he worked as a coachman.
Childhood and youth
Rasputin's biography was noted from birth, because little Grisha was the only child of his parents who managed to survive. Before him, three children were born in the Rasputin family, but they all died in infancy.
Gregory led a rather secluded life and had little contact with his peers. The reason for this was poor health, because of which he was teased and avoided communicating with him.
Even as a child, Rasputin began to show a keen interest in religion, which would accompany him throughout his biography.
WITH early childhood he liked being close to his father and helping him around the house.
Since there was no school in the village in which Rasputin grew up, Grisha did not receive any education, however, like other children.
Once, at the age of 14, he became so ill that he was close to death. But suddenly, miraculously, his health improved and he made a full recovery.
It seemed to the boy that he owed his healing to the Mother of God. It was from this moment of his biography that the young man began different ways study the Holy Scriptures and memorize prayers.
Pilgrimage
Soon, the teenager discovered a prophetic gift in himself, which in the future will make him famous and drastically affect both his own life, and in many ways on the life of the Russian Empire.
At the age of 18, Grigory Rasputin decides to make a pilgrimage to the Verkhoturye Monastery. Then, without stopping, he continues his wanderings, as a result of which he visits Athos in Greece, and.
During this period of his biography, Rasputin met various monks and representatives of the clergy.
The royal family and Rasputin
The life of Grigory Rasputin changed radically when, at the age of 35, he visited.
Initially, he experienced serious financial difficulties. But since during his travels he managed to get acquainted with various spiritual figures, Gregory was given support through the church.
So, Bishop Sergius not only helped him financially, but also introduced him to Archbishop Feofan, who was the confessor of the royal family. At that point in time, many had already heard about the clairvoyant gift of an unusual wanderer named Gregory.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia experienced not the most better times. In the state, in one place after another, strikes of peasants took place, accompanied by attempts to overthrow the current government.
Added to all this Russo-Japanese War, ended , which became possible due to the special diplomatic qualities .
It was during this period that Rasputin met and made a strong impression on him. This event becomes a turning point in the biography of Grigory Rasputin.
Soon the emperor himself is looking for an opportunity to talk with the wanderer on various topics. When Grigory Efimovich met Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, he won her over even more than her royal husband.
It is worth noting that such close relations with the royal family were also explained by the fact that Rasputin participated in the treatment of their son Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia.
The doctors could do nothing to help the unfortunate boy, but the old man somehow miraculously managed to treat him and have a beneficial effect on him. Because of this, the empress idolized and defended her "savior" in every possible way, considering him a man sent down from above.
This is not surprising, because how else can a mother react to a situation when her only son is severely tormented by bouts of illness, and doctors cannot do anything. As soon as the marvelous old man took the sick Alexei in his arms, he immediately calmed down.
The royal family and Rasputin According to historians and biographers of the tsar, Nicholas 2 repeatedly consulted with Rasputin on various political issues. Many representatives of the authorities knew about this, in connection with which Rasputin was simply hated.
After all, not a single minister or adviser could influence the opinion of the emperor in the way that an illiterate peasant who came from the outback managed to do.
Thus, Grigory Rasputin took part in all state affairs. It is also worth noting that during this period of his biography, he did everything possible so that Russia would not be drawn into the First World War.
As a result, he made himself many powerful enemies from among the officials and the nobility.
Conspiracy and assassination of Rasputin
So, a conspiracy was drawn up against Rasputin. Initially, they wanted to destroy him politically through various accusations.
He was accused of endless drunkenness, dissolute behavior, magic and other sins. However, the imperial couple did not take this information seriously and continued to trust him completely.
When this idea was not crowned with success, they decided to destroy it literally. The conspiracy against Rasputin involved Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr. and Vladimir Purishkevich, who held the post of State Councilor.
First unsuccessful attempt the murder was undertaken by Khionia Guseva. The woman pierced Rasputin's stomach with a knife, but he still survived, although the wound was really serious.
At that moment, when he was in the hospital, the emperor decided to participate in a military conflict. However, Nicholas 2 still fully trusted "his friend" and consulted with him on the correctness of certain actions. This even more aroused hatred among the opponents of the king.
Every day the situation escalated, and a group of conspirators decided to kill Grigory Rasputin at all costs. On December 29, 1916, they invited him to the palace of Prince Yusupov, under the pretext of meeting a certain beauty who was looking for a meeting with him.
The elder was taken to the basement, assuring that the lady herself would now join them. Rasputin, not suspecting anything, calmly went downstairs. There he saw a set table with gourmet treats and his favorite wine - Madeira.
While waiting, he was offered to taste cakes, which were previously poisoned with potassium cyanide. However, after he ate them, for some unknown reason, the poison had no effect.
This brought supernatural terror to the conspirators. Time was extremely limited, therefore, as a result of a short discussion, they decided to shoot Rasputin with a pistol.
He was shot several times in the back, but this time he did not die, and even managed to run out into the street. There, he was shot several more times, after which the killers began beating and kicking him.
Then the dead body was wrapped in a carpet and thrown into the river. Below you can see Rasputin's body recovered from the river.
An interesting fact is that the medical examination proved that even being in ice water, after poisoned cakes and many shots at close range, Rasputin was still alive for several hours.
Rasputin's personal life
The personal life of Grigory Rasputin, as, in fact, his entire biography, is shrouded in many secrets. It is only known for certain that his wife was a certain Praskovya Dubrovina, who gave birth to his daughters Matryona and Varvara, as well as his son Dmitry.
Rasputin with his children In the 30s of the 20th century Soviet authority arrested them and sent them to special settlements in the North. Their further fate unknown, except for Matryona, who in the future managed to escape to.
Predictions of Grigory Rasputin
At the end of his life, Rasputin made several predictions about the fate of Emperor Nicholas II and the future of Russia. In them, he prophesied that several revolutions awaited Russia and that the emperor and his entire family would be killed.
In addition to this, the elder foresaw the creation Soviet Union and its subsequent collapse. Rasputin also predicted Russia's victory over Germany in the great war and its transformation into a powerful state.
He also talked about our days. For example, Rasputin argued that the beginning of the 21st century will be accompanied by terrorism, which will begin to flourish in the West.
He also prophesied that Islamic fundamentalism, known today as Wahhabism, would be formed in the future.
Rasputin's photo
The widow of Grigory Rasputin Paraskeva Feodorovna with her son Dmitry and his wife. Behind is a housekeeper. 
Accurate recreation of the scene of the murder of Grigory Rasputin 
Rasputin's assassins (left to right): Dmitry Romanov, Felix Yusupov, Vladimir Purishkevich
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The modern writer-historian Yuri Rassulin, discussing the personality of the elder Grigory, says: “It is not possible to explain the paradoxical combination in one person, / Grigory Rasputin / of holiness and vice - one of the witnesses lied. Who: the Jew Aron Simanovich with Sergei Trufanov, who renounced God and His Holy Church, or the Holy Royal Martyrs and Passion-Bearers; the pervert Felix Yusupov with the satanist Zhukovskaya or the nun Maria - she is the faithful maid of honor of the Empress Anna Alexandrovna Taneeva (Vyrubova)? The whole question again rests on who to believe? Everyone is free to make their own choice...
Grigory Rasputin is the cause of all troubles from the point of view of many. Too many believed the dirty rumor. Through the nasty, nasty thoughts that swarm in the heads of representatives of the Russian intelligent society, and from there spread into the souls ordinary people, the sacred image of the Sovereign was defiled in the thoughts and feelings of the sons of the Russian People. The shadow of the betrayal of the God-anointed Tsar lay on the relationship of the Russian People with God. Not only the Family of the Holy Crowns was insulted, but also the entire Russian People, one of whose representatives, close to the Tsar, was and is Grigory the New (Rasputin). The Name of God is also blasphemed, because at prayer, Grigory Efimovich healed Tsarevich Alexei in the Name of God, helped other people, and there is plenty of evidence of this.
And as long as the deepest misconception about his personality and his role in Russian history is not eliminated, there is still a reason to make claims to the Russian Autocrats and to introduce bewilderment into the minds of Russian people in connection with the events of that fatal historical period for Russia. In the accusations again sounding today against the Russian peasant, it is not difficult to see the old desire to present an account to Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Through slander about Grigory Rasputin-New, the dignity of their royal service and the height of their Christian feat are called into question. Thus, the memory of the holy crowned bearers is again insulted. Is this the kind of repentance the Lord expects of us? The truth must prevail. Otherwise, the vainly inflicted insult and the innocently shed royal blood will cry out to Heaven for vengeance. And this will continue until sin is subjected to spiritual healing, i.e., repentance.
Who was really Grigory Rasputin, Olga Vladimirovna Lokhtina answered briefly and clearly during interrogation at the Extraordinary Investigative Commission. To the question of the investigator: - What kind of person do you consider Rasputin to be? She answered directly:
I consider him an old man.
- What does it mean?
“An old man who has gone through all his life experience and achieved all the Christian virtues.”
For many, both then and today, Lokhtina's testimony will not seem convincing. Well, from the fact that the eccentric woman said something there. No one wanted and does not want to believe her. Indeed, General Olga Vladimirovna Lokhtina, abandoned by everyone and expelled from home for her devotion to Grigory Rasputin, was not taken seriously. Most considered her crazy, less often treated her as a holy fool. Yes, of course, you can not believe Lokhtina, and she was wrong. But the whole point is that this is exactly how the Holy Royal Martyrs treated Gregory. Can't we believe the Holy Royal Martyrs too? And God? After all, Grigory the New (Rasputin) testified about God and directed people to God, worked miracles, prophesied, healed. Yes, he healed, and was it by demonic power? And the repeated healings of Tsesarevich Alexy by Grigory the New, witnessed by contemporaries, also by demonic power? Does this mean that the Heir to the Russian Throne was healed of an incurable, deadly disease by the devil? This is how it turns out in accordance with the testimony of the liar Yusupov, the Jew Simanovich, the sexually horny Zhukovskaya, the banished Trufanov, the leader of the revolutionary Duma Rodzianko, the social revolutionary Prugavin and those who, uncontrollably and madly striving to get into their company today, continue to believe precisely them, and not Holy Royal Martyrs.
It is no coincidence that the word "believe" is used in the previous paragraph. Indeed, the question of Rasputin is a matter of faith, faith in God, faith in the sanctity of the Royal Martyrs and Passion-Bearers, faith in Their Friend and prayer book, and only then in words and testimony. If we believe that the Lord has glorified the Russian Crown-bearers, we believe in Their holiness, then we love Them, and trust Them, trust Their opinion, especially in matters of decisive importance for the fate of the Orthodox Power of the Russian and the Russian People, in matters of fundamental character. And it turns out that the question of the historical role of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-New in the fate of Russia and the attitude towards his personality is just a question not of secondary importance, but of principle. Why?
Let's answer frankly. Because if we consider Grigory Rasputin to be a scoundrel, then the conclusion is inevitable: the Tsar and the Tsarina are criminals, because they showed criminal blindness, unacceptable for Their position, they brought a person led by the devil closer to themselves, which turned into a grave tragedy for God entrusted to them people and the death of the Orthodox State of Russia. It is this interpretation historical events they are still trying to impose on us the forces that destroyed both the Russian Tsar and the Russian Autocracy. What could be worse than this accusation? If Rasputin is a scoundrel, it must inevitably be admitted that all those who betrayed the Sovereign are not traitors at all, but guardians of the good of the Fatherland, rescuers. Their protest against the unsatisfactory, moreover, criminal, from their point of view, reign of the last Emperor is legitimate and just, and the oppression they suffered from the supreme royal authority elevates them to the rank of persecuted in the name of the people's good. Everything is turned upside down, complete nonsense arises in the interpretation of the events of the reign of Nicholas II, and the basis for canonizing the Tsar and Tsarina disappears.
A third option is also possible, which, along with the recognition of holiness Royal Family, implies the justification of those who were forced to be in opposition to the Russian Crown-bearers, including some members of the imperial family. This point of view is based on the somewhat strange assumption that the Russian Autocrats are, of course, saints, but, having found themselves in the spiritual captivity of a “political adventurer”, “charlatan” and “hypnotist”, they turned out to be incapable of governing the Russian State and were completely disoriented in political questions. This statement contains an inexplicable contradiction. How can holiness be combined with obedience to the flattering spirit of sectarianism, alien to Orthodoxy and hostile to God? And what is the reason - in their spiritual blindness, the captivity of their will, and by whom? A rogue, a lecher, a whip, an opponent of the Orthodox faith!? But it follows from this that the faith of the Tsar and Tsaritsa was vain if it brought such bitter fruits for the whole Russian land. This assumption is terrible for every Orthodox who loves a tortured Royal Family and unshakably believes in their holiness.
But, perhaps, the horror of the tragic events of the revolution experienced made Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra, in the face of death, realize their mistake and repent of it, pay a terrible price for their blindness, and the Lord cleansed them with a painful death after undoubted repentance? But there is no such evidence. There is evidence to the contrary that all members of the holy Royal Family continued to believe in their Friend until the end of their days, sacredly kept the memory of him.
Just as two heterogeneous media that cannot mix will always have a visible boundary separating, say, water from oil, so the information about Grigory Rasputin is clearly divided among themselves by the nature of the statement into two groups. Based on the first group of testimonies, Grigory Rasputin is a saint, a righteous life, a man, an ascetic. The second group of evidence leads to the conclusion that the same person is a rogue, a swindler, a libertine, etc. But this does not happen with God. One does not match with the other. An evil tree cannot bear good fruit. If a person is a prayer book, and his prayer has miraculous power, and this is nothing but a gift of God, a manifestation of grace, the action of the Holy Spirit in a person, is it possible for such a person to be a fornicator or an adulterer?
If you believe the opponents of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-New, the Lord allowed terrible, cynical lawlessness to triumph, seduction and fornication to be committed, covered up by talk about faith and the Name of God for many years. And this happened on such an incredible scale that, apparently, one takes aback from just one list of seduced victims, if one could be presented to the human court. Of course, one could cite a long philosophical discussion on the topic of ambiguity, confusion and inconsistency of human nature, that "truth with falsehood from time immemorial in one wheel rolls across the wide world." But, as Grigory Efimovich once exclaimed: “And God, what about God!?” After all, to assert that Divine grace was contained in a dirty, vicious, foul-smelling vessel defiled by fornication, is this not a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
December 30 (17) marks the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Grigory Rasputin. His very identity and the circumstances of this event are still the subject of controversy and discussion.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, but disputes still continue about his personality. For some, he is “a holy devil, a libertine, a whip, an evil genius of a weak king, a sign of a lost kingdom.” For others, he is an innocently slandered, holy elder, martyr, close friend of the Royal Family. Apparently, the time has come to digress from disputes and sine ira et cura - "without anger and predilection" - to investigate the phenomenon of Rasputin, relying on reliable sources. But at the same time, one should remember the words of the famous historian A.S. Lappo-Danilevsky about the source as a product of psychological activity, a mirror of someone else's animation. And above all, one must not forget the famous Cartesian "Question Everything", in particular the numerous myths about Rasputin and the Royal Family.
The first myth is about a weak, weak-willed Tsar, henpecked by the German Tsaritsa, who tolerated a depraved peasant in his house at the suggestion of an exalted wife. There is no need to elaborate on how this gossip worked in the fateful days of February 1917. And note that it was developed and carried by the inhabitants of high-society salons, those who hit the Tsar in the back, and then, when he left the throne, became confused, chickened out and either fled, or dutifully went to the Bolshevik slaughter, or intrigued in the rear of the white armies, as once in St. Petersburg salons, so that later in exile to engage in “wit on the stairs”, or rather, in Parisian attics.
Let's also not forget that the Germans used this gossip with might and main during the war, scattering disgusting caricatures of Rasputin and the Royal Family over our troops from the "Zeppelins".
So the source of information is dubious and biased. And now - in essence.
Was the holy Emperor Nicholas a man of weak will, who for 23 years walked at the gunpoint of terrorists? Was this the Tsar, who by his will moved the center of economic and political development from the West of the country to the East, the builder of Port Arthur, Vladivostok and the Trans-Siberian Railway? Was this the Emperor who overcame the most difficult revolution of 1905, during which the country rapidly modernized and progressed, despite powerful revolutionary and centrifugal currents? Was this the Tsar who took responsibility for the army in the most difficult devastating days of 1915 and stopped the collapse, did not allow a large-scale military defeat and a German breakthrough to Kyiv, Moscow and Petrograd? Finally, what we know about February 1917 also gives us no reason to consider him a man of weak will. The sovereign did everything to crush the rebellion, another thing is that all his orders were sabotaged.
And the second is the myth that the Tsar knew everything about Rasputin, but tolerated him for the sake of the life of his heir, Tsarevich Alexei. Then it turns out that for the sake of the life of his son, the Emperor sacrificed principles. But how to reconcile with this the fact that in 1915-1916 the Tsar took the Tsarevich to the front, despite his severe hemophilic disease? So, was he able to risk even the health of his son for the sake of his upbringing and defense of the Fatherland? The level of moral cleanliness and spiritual purity of the Sovereign would not allow him to tolerate such a person as the newspaper Rasputin, if he considered the accusations against him justified. So, I didn't count. And he had his reasons.
And they were rooted in the fact that the accusations against Rasputin to a large extent proceeded from very dubious and dark springs and from dark faces. Here is one of the main accusers of Rasputin - Hieromonk Iliodor (Trufanov), an inveterate religious adventurer, dismissed for actions of a sectarian nature, who abroad published an openly slanderous book "The Holy Devil", where, for the amusement of American and other readers, he mixed not only Rasputin, but and the Royal Family. Characteristically, before its publication, he offered the Empress the book ... to buy it, but in such a way that everyone knew about it. According to the reasoned opinion of Oleg Platonov, the well-known informational cynic A. Amfiteatrov, the author of the play Lord Obmanov, had a hand in compiling this book. It is Iliodor and Amphitheatrov who are at the origins of the "Hollywood" version of Rasputin: a depraved man who fooled everyone, including the Tsar and Tsaritsa, - unfortunately, the most famous and most in demand by society.
An interesting story is the reports on the observation of Rasputin by the external guards, analyzed by Platonov. When the Ministry of the Interior was headed by Stolypin, the reports were calm, impartial, and no compromising evidence could be extracted from them. The extracts are supported by authentic reports. On the contrary, when Khvostov and Beletsky, well-known adventurers, were in charge of the ministry, the authentic reports of agents disappear somewhere, they are replaced by rather general and irresponsible extracts without names, without checking compromising “facts”.
By the way, the opinion about Rasputin of General P.G. Kurlov, director of the police department, Deputy Minister of the Interior: “This time I was struck only by Rasputin's serious acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures and theological issues. He behaved with restraint and not only did not show a hint of boasting, but he did not say a single word about his relationship with the Royal Family. In the same way, I did not notice any signs of hypnotic power in him, and, leaving after this conversation, I could not help saying that most of the rumors circulating about his influence on those around him belonged to the area of gossip, which Petersburg is always so greedy for.
Needless to say, the attempt to convict Rasputin of the scandal in the Moscow restaurant "Yar" failed miserably? As a result of this provocation, the freemason Dzhunkovsky was dismissed in disgrace, who made up a fake that fell apart after a thorough check.
And finally last fact: The Extraordinary Investigative Commission, charged with searching for the crimes of the tsarist regime, found NOTHING in Rasputin's activities that could be presented to the revolutionary public. Cases about Khlystism, and about bribes, and about carousing and depraved activities, and about German money fell apart under the net. In general, a paradoxical situation arises in Rasputiniad: dozens of anti-Rasputin testimonies, the authors of which have not seen Rasputin in the eyes (for example, Sukhomlinov, an ardent enemy of Rasputin, writes: “I saw Rasputin once, walking around the station.” Nevertheless, he was unshakably convinced that it was Rasputin who caused his resignation from the War Ministry, and not the decision of the Tsar and not his own mediocrity); dozens of anti-Rasputin articles, where the lack of measure of details shocking the public is only exceeded by lack of conscience in relation to the facts. Huge incriminating evidence, but at the heart of it - nothing. Much ado about nothing.
Ask: but something was? After all, it cannot be that all accusations of immorality are unfounded, and from different sides. Let's, dear readers, get on the legal ground, which for some reason is not always loved and respected in our country. There is a presumption of innocence, and a person can be recognized as a criminal or guilty of something only by a court decision - secular or ecclesiastical. With regard to G.E. Rasputin initiated two whole investigations. And both ended with his perfect excuse.
However, it may be objected that Rasputin was also condemned by very authoritative bishops, known for their spiritual life, such as Bishops Feofan (Bystrov), Germogen (Golubev). This is true, but even holiness does not mean sinlessness and infallibility. For example, even such holy bishops as St. Epiphanius of Cyprus allowed themselves to be drawn into the work of St. John Chrysostom. Naturally, we do not compare G.E. Rasputin with the universal teacher John Chrysostom, we only strive to show that the flow of slander and public condemnation can also affect the most deserving. The very fact that in 1912 Vladyka Hermogenes came to G.E. Rasputin, together with the aforementioned Iliodor (Trufanov), and he, in front of Vladyka Hermogenes, beat Rasputin with a cross. It is also significant that most of the bishops did not support the Sovereign and the empire in the fateful days of February and March 1917, and none of the episcopate visited the Royal Family in their captivity - neither in St. Petersburg, nor in Tobolsk, nor in Yekaterinburg.
However, I feel that the meticulous reader does not let up: there is no smoke without fire. Was there something? Was. Gossip and the hunt for Rasputin. The first large-scale action of "black PR" in the history of Russia. Is it coincidental that in the distant Siberian village of Pokrovskoye, in the homeland of Rasputin, on June 29, 1914, on the day of the assassination attempt on him by an ardent admirer of Hieromonk Iliodor Khioniya Guseva, the metropolitan correspondent Duvidzon turns up at the crime scene, accurately reproducing slanderous articles in his publications testimonies of the accused, with whom, by the way, he was deprived of the opportunity to communicate?
And it is clear that Rasputin himself was not interested in everyone. His closeness to the Royal Family was important. They aimed at him, shot at the Emperor and the Empress. And successfully.
The third myth: Rasputin ruled Russia. On his recommendation, ministers, chief prosecutors, and ruling bishops were allegedly appointed and replaced. Meanwhile, the famous historian A.N. Bokhanov cites a very revealing fact: Rasputin tried to save his son from mobilization during the war, but met with a polite refusal from Emperor Nicholas. To his request, the Tsar replied that now every man must defend his Fatherland. The maximum that Grigory Efimovich managed to achieve was to send his son to an ambulance train.
And if we wash Rasputin of Hollywood make-up, then a very interesting face will appear.
Not very literate, but very well-read, smart Siberian peasant, standing up for the people with a mountain, taking to heart the needs of his fellow villagers, and, in general, ordinary Russian people. His original notes give the impression of a balanced, circumstantial, sober, pious person. The image of a man faithful to Orthodoxy, faithful to Russia and the Tsar emerges. The peasant "pacifism" of Rasputin is characteristic, a sober understanding that war brings death and destruction, immeasurable suffering to the people. According to Count Witte, in 1912 during Balkan War When serious tension arose between Russia and Austria-Hungary and the Sovereign was about to announce mobilization, Rasputin begged him on his knees during a personal meeting not to do this, and thereby contributed to the fact that Russia was granted two more years of peace.
The telegram that he sent to the Tsar in July 1914, before the start of the First World War, is very indicative: “Dear friend, I’ll say it again, a terrible cloud on Russia’s grief, a lot of darkness and no clearance. The words are the sea and there is no measure, but blood? What will I say. There are no words, indescribable horror. I know that everyone wants war from You, even the faithful, not knowing that for the sake of death. God's punishment is hard, when the mind takes away, then the beginning of the end. You are the King, the father of the people, do not let the insane triumph and destroy themselves and the people. Here they will defeat Germany, and Russia? To think so truly was not more bitter than the sufferer, all drowning in blood, death, endless sorrow. Gregory".
If we leave aside spelling errors and folk poetic style, then this is a text that would do honor to the most profound analyst. It accurately reflects the state of a society obsessed with jingoism and hatred (remember the famous Kadet-Milyukov "Give Dardanelles!"), - "a sea of words", for which you will have to pay with seas of blood, the insanity of the elite, going to the end. This is the foreknowledge that Germany will be defeated, but without Russia, which will drown in blood, apparently in its own. This is the providence of the revolution - "the beginning of the end."
For this, he was hated by "cheers-patriotic circles", primarily by the Cadets, largely permeated with Masonic influence. The war for them was the prologue of the revolution. Rasputin clearly interfered with them. In many ways. Therefore, they decided to remove it.
In the second half of 1916, provocative rumors began to spread that the Tsar, under the influence of the German Empress, was preparing to conclude a separate peace, and that Rasputin was inciting Alexandra Feodorovna to do so. It's hard to think of anything more absurd. Firstly, for almost two years Emperor Nicholas worked on the reconstruction, reorganization and rearmament of the army, in order to abandon everything and surrender. By the beginning of 1917, everything was ready for a large-scale spring-summer offensive in agreement with the Allies. The army had everything - from the latest airplanes and submarines to warm uniforms in the taste of the 17th century: the famous "Budyonnovka" was originally called "heroes" and was made just in time for the onset of 1917. As for ammunition, all of Russia fought on them for another four years civil war. Secondly, it was not in the nature of Emperor Nicholas ΙΙ to change his word and betray, all the more pointless. If the 1917 campaign was successful, Russia would have received all the fruits of victory, including the east of Asia Minor, the Dardanelles, Galicia, and so on. And would become the first power in the world. In the case of a separate peace - in best case its war-ravaged lands and after the defeat of the allies in the west would have faced the same Germany. Thirdly, during the war, Rasputin did not engage in anti-war agitation: he did not approve of entering the war, but he believed: having entered, we must bring the matter to the end and win.
However, for some reason, they decided to accuse Rasputin of Germanophilism, receiving money from the Germans, seeking a separate peace, and kill him. An amazing tandem was formed for the murder: the Black Hundred activist Germanophile Purishkevich and the effeminate Anglophile of the "non-traditional orientation" Prince F.F. Yusupov, who, after the murder of Rasputin, suffered a purely symbolic punishment. Purishkevich left behind a diary, Yusupov - memoirs. But there is still an investigation. And here we get an amazing picture: the evidence of Purishkevich and Yusupov coincides in detail with each other, but sharply diverges from the materials of the investigation.
First, in the description of clothes. In one voice, Purishkevich and Yusupov say that Rasputin was dressed in boots, velvet trousers, a cream-colored silk shirt embroidered with silks. The prosecutor of the judicial chamber S.V. Zavadsky testifies: the victim was dressed in a blue silk shirt embroidered with golden ears of corn. On his hand he had a gold bracelet with the royal monogram, on his neck - a golden cross, and although the bracelet and the cross are bright and memorable details, the killers did not say a word about this. Although they unanimously say that Rasputin sat with them for two whole hours, drinking poisoned sweet wine, eating cakes stuffed with potassium cyanide. One would like to ask: what idiot instructed these unfortunate killers? An 8th grade student knows from a chemistry course that potassium cyanide is neutralized by glucose. But that's not even the point: in two hours, only a blind man could not notice what color shirt their victim was wearing. Or there was no two-hour sitting in the basement. At least the one that Yusupov and Purishkevich write about.
An even more significant discrepancy between the memoirs and the materials of the investigation file is how Grigory Efimovich was killed. Purishkevich saw that Rasputin received three gunshot wounds: Yusupov shot him in the chest, in the region of the heart, after which more than half an hour passed, and the dead man seemed to come to life, rushed into the yard, where Purishkevich shot him in the back and, as he “felt” struck the victim's head. According to him, Yusupov did not see how Purishkevich shot in the yard, he only confirms that he killed Rasputin in the dining room with a shot in the chest, in the region of the heart.
But the original documents of the investigation completely exclude a shot in the heart, they say that Grigory Efimovich was killed by three fatal shots - in the liver (in the stomach), in the kidneys (in the back) and in the brain (in the head). Yulia Den also mentions the fatal wounds of Father Gregory, who knew about them from conversations with the Empress and A.A. Vyrubova in Tsarskoye Selo: "Grigory Efimovich was wounded in the face and side, he had a bullet hole on his back." Forensic medical experts argued that with the first wound - in the liver - a person can live no more than 20 minutes, therefore, there could not be a time period from half an hour to an hour, after which the murdered man "resurrected" and rushed to run, as there was no a shot to the heart in the dining room, which both participants in the murder unanimously claimed.
Here is the conclusion of the forensic expert Professor D.N. Kosorotova: “During the autopsy, very numerous injuries were found, many of which were already inflicted posthumously. The entire right side of the head was shattered, flattened due to bruising of the corpse during the fall from the bridge. Death followed from profuse bleeding due to a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The shot was fired, in my opinion, almost point-blank, from left to right, through the stomach and liver, with crushing of the latter in the right half. The bleeding was very profuse. The corpse also had a gunshot wound in the back, in the region of the spine, with crushing of the right kidney, and another wound at point-blank range, in the forehead, probably already dying or dead. The chest organs were intact and were examined superficially, but there were no signs of death from drowning. The lungs were not swollen and there was no water or foamy fluid in the airways. Rasputin was thrown into the water already dead.
The testimony of Professor Kosorotov shows that Grigory Efimovich bled for a long time and painfully, but Yusupov and Purishkevich did not say a word about this colossal blood loss. There were few traces of blood, according to their memoirs.
So the ends don't add up. Moreover, we see an obvious conspiracy between Purishkevich and Yusupov, the conspiracy is obviously false. Why did they take the blame, so eager to become zits-killers? Do you want loops? Obviously, they were promised (and fulfilled) that nothing serious would happen to them. Who are the real killers?
They were agents of the British intelligence officer Oswald Reiner, a friend of Yusupov, and Dr. Lazovert. This is convincingly evidenced by the materials collected in the book by British intelligence officer Richard Cullen “Rasputin. Torture and his murder". Numerous injuries on the body, including lacerations, prove that Rasputin was tortured for a long time before his death, apparently trying to extract a confession in failed separate negotiations, and not having achieved this, they shot him. Yusupov and Purishkevich were to play the role of cover. Cullen was forced to admit the groundlessness of the accusations against Rasputin. Yes, it is unlikely that the British themselves believed in them ... It is no coincidence that Reiner received an order in 1919 as an award - it is not known for what merits, and before his death in 1961 he destroyed all his papers.
Did the Emperor know the names of the real killers? Apparently, yes. The British ambassador, Sir George Buchanan, recalled that shortly after the murder of Rasputin, Nicholas II told him during an audience: a young Englishman, a friend of Yusupov at the university, was involved in this. True, the King did not call him by name. This explains why Yusupov and Purishkevich were not punished seriously: the Tsar understood their camouflage role, although, perhaps, they should have been punished much more severely for complicity. But it probably seemed unfair to the Tsar to punish accomplices without punishing the real killers. And he could not punish them: the investigation of them and the corresponding sentence would mean, in the final analysis, the collapse of the anti-German coalition. Because all connections with the British embassy, with Sir George Buchanan, who almost openly worked against the ally of his country - the Russian Tsar, would be revealed. Therefore, the Emperor had to bite the bullet and endure this atrocity against the person closest to his family. All for the sake of victory.
But it was no longer possible. Purishkevich proudly declared: "We fired the first shot of the Revolution." Indeed, the murder of Rasputin had a number of meanings. For the King: “We can do everything. Even slander and kill the person closest to you. Get out yourself before they are overthrown and killed.” For the aristocracy and educated society":" Dog death to a dog. It is no coincidence that Yusupov told the policeman that he ... just shot the dog. And later, over the grave of Rasputin, they wrote in German: “Wo ist Hund begraben” - “This is where the dog is buried.” But "tell me who your friend is, and I'll tell you who you are." It is no coincidence that Iliodor, back in 1912, allowed himself statements like "The dog lay down on the throne." He was arrested, put under house arrest, but he ... fled abroad to write lampoons against the Tsar and his family.
For a part of the people loyal to the Tsar: “We saw you under the bridge…” For those who hesitated: “Look, the Tsar did not protect a man from the people. And he didn’t even really punish him.” In other words: "There is no power - and our time, our will." And from here - a few steps to February 1917. It all started Bloody Sunday when, thanks to Gapon, the people's faith in the Tsar was shot. It ended with a shot at the peasant Rasputin. In both cases, they shot at the living moral bond between the Tsar and the people.
But the question is: why did all this matter to the British? The answer is simple: precisely because Russia was on the verge of victory. Allies too. By the end of 1916, the issue of America's entry into the war was resolved. And Russia was not needed. An undesirable competitor with whom it is necessary to share prey. Including the straits. And the British Empire - the mistress of the seas - could not allow this. So, it is necessary to withdraw Russia from the war. It is desirable not immediately, gradually, so that it works out its function completely. But she was not admitted to the victorious feast. As a result of the revolution, the first shot of which was, in the words of the near-minded Purishkevich, "a shot at Rasputin."
It turned out ... Kafkaesque paradox succeeded - to defeat both Germany and Russia. At the Versailles Conference there were flags of all the victorious countries. Even Uruguayan. There was no Russian.
As Pushkin wisely wrote:
Everyone in the world has enemies
But save us from friends, O God.
The purpose of this publication is by no means the preparation of the canonization of Rasputin. There is no need to go from one extreme to another. Serious and painstaking work is needed to find out the truth and wash Rasputin off Hollywood makeup. And the restoration of historical justice. vital in this case for it is about the honor of the holy Royal Passion-bearers. Again, tell me who your friend is and I will tell you who you are. The murder of Rasputin, at first moral, and then physical, served as a prologue to the collapse of the empire and the villainous killing of the Royal Family. This should be especially remembered now, when some gentlemen, neglecting the lessons of history, through gossip and "black PR" want to destroy Orthodox Church and the Russian state.
This was recognized even by his enemies. See the preface by Mikhail Koltsov to the collection "Repudiation" (L., 1927).
Den Yu.A. The real Queen. M., 1998. S. 74-79.Platonov O.A. Death of Rasputin. pp. 307–308.
Richard Callen. Rasputin. His torture and murder. London, 2009.
