When people hear the name Grigori Rasputin, their minds almost immediately begin to wander. The stories told almost this then-chosen "Mad Monk" advise he possessed some magical powers, or that he had a special connection to God.
Just they also propose he was a sex-crazed maniac who used his position of power to seduce women and engage in all sorts of sins that would be considered terrible now and unspeakable back then.
Other tales betoken he was a homo who went from being a poor, nameless peasant to one of the Tsar'south most trusted advisors in a affair of merely a few short years, perhaps more proof he possessed some special or even magical powers.
However, many of these stories are just that: stories. It's fun to believe they are truthful, but the reality is that many of them are non. Merely not everything we know about Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin is made up.
For example, he was known for having a strong sexual ambition, and he did manage to get uncommonly shut to the imperial family unit for someone of such a humble background. Withal his healing powers and political influence are gross exaggerations.
Instead, the self-proclaimed holy man was simply in the correct identify at the right time in history.
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Why, so, are there so many legends about this uncommonly unimportant Russian mystic? Well, he rose to prominence in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution.
Political tensions were loftier, and the state was very unstable. Different political leaders and members of the nobility were looking for ways to undermine the Tsar's power, and Rasputin, an unknown, rather strange religious human who came out of nowhere to become close with the royal family proved to be the perfect scapegoat.
As a result, all sorts of stories were thrown about meant to tarnish his proper noun and destabilize the Russian government. Just this destabilization was already underway before Rasputin emerged onto the scene, and within a year of Rasputin's decease, Nicholas II and his family were murdered and Russia was changed forever.
Even so, despite the falsity of many of the stories surrounding Rasputin, his story is still an interesting ane, and information technology'south a great reminder of how just how malleable history tin can be.
Rasputin Fact or Fiction
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Due to his closeness to the majestic family, too every bit the political situation at the time, public knowledge of Rasputin is the result of rumors, speculation, and propaganda. And while information technology'southward truthful we notwithstanding don't know a lot virtually Rasputin and his life, historical records have allowed us to distinguish between fact and fiction. Here are some of the more famous tales about Rasputin:
Rasputin Had Magical Powers
Verdict: Fiction
Rasputin fabricated a few suggestions to the Tsar and Tsarina of Russia about how to care for their son Alexei'south hemophilia, and this acquired many to believe he possessed special healing powers.
However, it'south far more likely he simply got lucky. Simply the mysterious nature of his relationship with the regal family led to lots of speculation, which has warped our image of him to this day.
Rasputin Ran Russia From Behind the Scenes
Verdict: Fiction
Soon after arriving in Saint petersburg, Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin fabricated some powerful friends and eventually became very close to the royal family. However, as far as we can tell, he had little to no influence over the political conclusion-making process. His role in court was express to religious exercise and also to aid with the children. Some rumors swirled virtually how he was helping Alexandra, the Tsarina, collaborate with her abode country, Frg, to undermine the Russian Empire, but at that place is also no truth to this claim whatsoever
Rasputin Could Not Exist Killed
Verdict: Fiction
No ane can escape death. However, an try was made on Rasputin's life before he was finally killed, and the story well-nigh his bodily decease helped propagate the idea that he could non be killed. But it'due south more likely these stories were told to assistance spread the thought that Rasputin was associated with the devil and had "unholy" powers.
Rasputin was a Crazy Monk
Verdict: Fiction
Commencement, Rasputin was never ordained equally a monk. And equally for his sanity, we don't actually know, although his rivals and those seeking to either undermine or support Tsar Nicholas II certainly worked to position him as crazy. Some of the written records he has left backside suggest he had a scattered brain, but it's as well just equally likely that he was poorly educated and lacked the ability to clearly express his thoughts with written words.
Rasputin Was Sex-Crazed
Verdict: ?
Those who sought to harm Rasputin's influence certainly wanted people to retrieve this, so it'south likely their stories are exaggerated at best and invented at worst. However, stories of Rasputin's promiscuity started surfacing as presently every bit he left his hometown in 1892. Just this idea that he was sex-crazed was likely the result of his enemies trying to apply Rasputin equally a symbol for everything that was wrong in Russian federation at the time.
The Story of Rasputin
As you tin can run across, almost of the things we consider to exist true nigh Rasputin are actually false or at the very least exaggerated. Then, what exercise nosotros know? Unfortunately, non much, only here's a detailed summary of the facts that do be virtually the famously mysterious life of Rasputin.
Who Was Rasputin?
Rasputin was a Russian mystic who lived during the final years of the Russian Empire. He rose to prominence in Russian society starting effectually 1905 because the majestic family at the fourth dimension, led by Tsar Nicholas II and his married woman, Alexandra Feodorovna, believed he possessed the ability to heal their son, Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. Somewhen, he brutal out of favor amongst the Russian aristocracy as the land experienced considerable political turmoil leading upwards to the Russian Revolution. This led to his assassination, the gory details of which have helped make Rasputin i of the well-nigh well-known figures in history.
Childhood
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was built-in in Pokrovskoye, Russia, a small boondocks in the northern province of Siberia, in 1869. Like many of the people in the area at the time, he was born to a family of Siberian peasants, but beyond that, Rasputin's early life remains mostly a mystery.
Accounts exist that claim he was a troublesome male child, someone who was prone to fighting and had spent a few days in jail due to his violent behavior. But there is little validity to these accounts as they were written later on the fact by people who likely did non know Rasputin as a child, or by people whose opinion had been swayed by their opinion of him equally an adult.
Office of the reason we know and so piffling about the early year of Rasputin's life is that he and those around him were virtually probable illiterate. Few people living in rural Russia at the time had access to formal instruction, which led to low literacy rates and poor historical accounts.
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However, we do know that at some point in his twenties, Rasputin had a wife and several children. But something happened that acquired him to all of a sudden need to leave Pokrovskoye. It'southward possible he was running from the law. In that location are some accounts that he left to escape punishment for stealing a horse, but this has never been verified. Others claim he had a vision from God, nonetheless this has also not been proven.
As a result, it'southward equally possible he just had an identity crisis, or that he left for some reason that remains entirely unknown. Just despite the fact we don't know why he left, we practise know that he prepare out on a pilgrimage in 1897 (when he was 28), and this determination would dramatically alter the course of the rest of his life.
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Early Days every bit a Monk
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It's believed that Rasputin first left dwelling for religious and or spiritual purposes around 1892, but he returned frequently to his hometown to attend to his familial obligations. However, after his visit to the St. Nicholas Monastery in Verkhoturye in 1897, Rasputin became a changed man, co-ordinate to accounts. He began to go on longer and longer pilgrimages, possibly reaching as far south equally Greece. Even so, information technology's of import to point out that the 'holy man' never took vows to go a monk, making his name, "The Mad Monk," a misnomer.
During these years of pilgrimage towards the end of the 19th century, Rasputin began to develop a minor following. He would travel to other towns to preach and teach, and when he returned to Pokrovskoye he allegedly had a small group of people with whom he would pray and perform ceremonies. Yet, elsewhere in the state, especially in the majuscule, Saint petersburg, Rasputin remained an unknown entity. But a series of fortunate events would modify that and propel Rasputin to the forefront of Russian politics and religion.
The self proclaimed 'holy man' was a mystic and had a powerful personality, 1 that hands allowed him to affect those around him, usually making them feel quite at ease and prophylactic around him. Whether or not he was truly a human gifted with magical talents is a matter for the theologians and philosophers to argue about, but it can exist said that he allowable a certain aureola of respect when he walked the world.
Russian federation at the Time of Rasputin
To sympathise the story of Rasputin and why he has become such an important effigy in Russian and world history, it's all-time to sympathise the context in which he lived. Specifically, Rasputin arrived in Saint petersburg at a time of tremendous social upheaval in the Russian Empire. The Tsarist government, which ruled every bit an autocracy and upheld a system of bullwork that dated back centuries, was get-go to crumble. The urban eye classes, which were developing as a result of the slow process of industrialization that had taken place throughout the 19th century, as well as the rural poor, were beginning to organize and seek out alternative forms of government.
This, plus a combination of other factors, meant that the Russian economic system was in steady turn down by the beginning of the 20th century. Tsar Nicholas 2, who was in power from 1894-1917, was insecure almost his ability to rule what was plain a crumbling land, and he had made many enemies amid the nobility who saw the state of the empire every bit an opportunity to expand their ability, influence, and status. All of this led to the germination of a constitutional monarchy in 1907, which meant that the Tsar, for the first fourth dimension ever, would need to share his power with a parliament, also as a prime number government minister.
This development seriously weakened the power of Tsar Nicholas 2, although he retained his position as head of the Russian state. Yet this temporary truce did petty to resolve the instability going on in Russia, and when World War I broke out in 1914 and the Russians entered the fight, revolution was imminent. Only one year subsequently, in 1915, 9the state of war had taken its toll on the weak Russian economy. Nutrient and other crucial resources became scarce, and the working classes grew weak. Tsar Nicholas 2 took control of the Russian regular army, but this probably made the state of affairs worse. And then, in 1917, a series of revolutions, known as the Bolshevik Revolution, took place, which ended the Tsarist autocracy and paved the way for the formation of the United Soviet Socialist States (USSR). While all this was taking place, Rasputin managed to become close to the Tsar, and he eventually became a scapegoat for his political rivals as they sought to weaken Nicholas II and improve their own position in gild.
Rasputin and the Majestic Family unit
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Rasputin first arrived in the Russian capital, Leningrad, in 1904, after receiving an invitation to visit the Saint petersburg Theological Seminary at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery thanks to a alphabetic character of recommendation written by well-respected members of the church elsewhere in Russia. However, when Rasputin arrived to Petrograd, he would accept found a urban center in disrepair, which was a reflection of the state of the Russian Empire at the time. Interestingly, Rasputin's influence and reputation preceded him in St. Petersburg. He was known to be a heavy drinker and somewhat of a sexual deviant. In fact, before arriving at St. Petersberg, at that place were rumors that he had been sleeping with many of his female followers, although at that place is no definitive proof this was happening.
These rumors later led to accusations that Rasputin was a fellow member of the Kyhlyst religious sect, which believed in using sin as the primary ways of reaching God. Historians still debate whether this is true or non, although there is considerable bear witness that Rasputin enjoyed engaging in activities that i could classify as depraved. It's quite possible Rasputin spent time with the Kyhlyst sect so as to endeavour out their method of religious practice, just at that place is no evidnece he was an actual fellow member. Notwithstanding, it'southward too just as likely that political enemies of the Tsar, and Rasputin, exaggerated behavior typical of the time and then as to damage Rasputin'south reputation and diminish his influence.
After his initial visit to St. Petersberg, Rasputin returned home to Pokrovskoye only began to brand more frequent trips to the capital. During this time, he began making more strategic friendships and congenital a network within the aristocracy. Thanks to these connections, Rasputin met the Nicholas Ii and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, for the offset time in 1905. He managed to meet the Tsar several more times, and at one bespeak, Rasputin met the Tsar and Tsarina'due south children, and from that signal on, Rasputin became much closer to the imperial family largely because the family was convinced Rasputin possessed the magical powers needed to cure their son Alexei's hemophilia.
Rasputin and the Imperial Children
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Alexei, the heir to the Russian throne and a young boy, was rather sick due to the fact that he had incurred an unfortunate injury to his foot. Furthermore, Alexei suffered from hemophilia, a disease characterized by anemia and excessive bleeding. After several interactions between Rasputin and Alexei, the imperial family, especially the Tsarina, Alexandra Feodorovna, became convinced that Rasputin alone possessed the powers needed to keep Alexei live.
He had been asked on several occasions to pray for Alexei, and this coincided with an improvement in the boy's status. Many believe this is why the regal family became so convinced Rasputin had the power to heal their sick kid. Whether or non they thought he had magical powers is unclear, only this conventionalities that Rasputin had some special quality that made him uniquely capable of healing Alexei helped boost his reputation and made him both friends and enemies in the Russian court.
Rasputin as a Healer
One of the theories as to what Rasputin did was that he simply had a calming presence effectually the boy that acquired him to relax and stop thrashing about, something that would have helped stop the bleeding brought on by his hemophilia.
Another theory is that when Rasputin was consulted during a particularly serious moment when Alexei had suffered a hemorrhage, he told the regal family unit to keep all doctors abroad from him. Somewhat miraculously, this worked, and the imperial family attributed this to Rasputin's special powers. Still, mod historians now believe this worked considering the most common medicine used at the time was aspirin, and using aspirin to terminate haemorrhage doesn't work considering information technology thins the blood. Therefore, by telling Alexandra and Nicholas Two to avoid doctors, Rasputin helped Alexei avoid taking medicine that probably would take killed him. Some other theory is that Rasputin was a trained hypnotist who knew how to calm the boy enough then that he would stop haemorrhage.
Over again, though, the truth remains a mystery. But what nosotros practice know is that afterward this betoken, the royal family welcomed Rasputin into their inner circumvolve. Alexandra seemed to trust Rasputin unconditionally, and this immune him to get a trusted advisor of the family unit. He was fifty-fifty appointed as the lampadnik (lamplighter), which allowed Rasputin to light the candles in the purple cathedral, a position that would have given him daily access to Tsar Nicholas and his family.
The Mad Monk?
Equally Rasputin got closer and closer to the center of Russian power, the public grew more and more suspicious. The nobles and elite within the courts began to view Rasputin with green-eyed due to the fact that he had such easy access to the Tsar, and, seeking to undermine the Tsar, they tried to position Rasputin equally a mad human being who was controlling the Russian government from backside the scenes.
To do this, they began to exaggerate some aspects of Rasputin's reputation which he had carried with him since he first left Pokrovskoye, mainly that he was a drinker and a sexual deviant. Their propaganda campaigns even went then far as to convince people that the name "Rasputin" meant "debauched one," despite the fact that it actually meant "where two rivers bring together," a reference to his hometown. Furthermore, it was effectually this time that accusations of his associations with the Khylists began to intensify.
It should exist noted, though, that some of these accusations were grounded in truth. Rasputin was known for taking many sexual partners, and he was also known for parading effectually the Russian capital showing off the silks and other textiles that had been embroidered for him by the regal family unit.
Criticisms of Rasputin intensified afterwards 1905/1906 when the enactment of the Constitution granted the press considerable more freedom. They targeted Rasputin more perhaps because they all the same feared to assault the Tsar directly, choosing instead to attack one of his advisors.
However, the attacks did not merely come from the enemies of the Tsar. Those who wanted to maintain the power structures at the time also turned confronting Rasputin, largely because they felt the Tsar's loyalty to him hurt his relationship with the public; most people bought into the stories nigh Rasputin, and it would have looked bad if the Tsar was keeping a relationship with such a man, even if almost every aspect of the stories were exaggerations. Equally a result, they wanted to take out Rasputin so that the public would cease worrying about this supposed crazy monk who was secretly controlling the Russian Empire.
Rasputin and Alexandra
Rasputin'southward relationship with Alexandra Feodorovna is another source of mystery. The evidence we have seems to suggest that she trusted Rasputin profoundly and cared for him. At that place were rumors that they were lovers, merely this has never been proven to exist truthful. Nevertheless, as public stance turned against Rasputin and members of the Russian court began to see him as a problem, Alexandra made sure he was permitted to stay. This caused more tension as many people's imaginations continued to run wild with the idea of Rasputin was the real controller of the royal family. The Tsar and Tsarina made things worse by keeping their son's health a secret from the public. This meant no one knew the real reason why Rasputin had get then close to the Tsar and his family, creating more than specualtion and rumors.
This close connection shared between Rasputin and Empress Alexandra further degraded Rasputin's reputation, as well every bit that of the regal family. For instance, past the outbreak of World War I, most people in the Russian empire assumed Rasputin and Alexandra were sleeping together. Soldiers spoke nigh it at the front end as if it were common knowledge. These stories got fifty-fifty more grandiose when people began speaking well-nigh how Rasputin was really working for the Germans (Alexandra was originally from a German royal family) to undermine Russian ability and cause Russia to lose the war.
An Attempt On Rasputin's Life
The more fourth dimension Rasputin spent around the royal family unit, the more it seemed people tried to tarnish his name and reputation. Every bit mentioned, he was labeled as a drunk and a sexual deviant, and this eventually led to people calling him a wicked homo, a crazy monk, and a devil worshipper, although we now know these to be not much more than than attempts to make Rasputin a political scapegoat. However, opposition to Rasputin grew plenty that an effort was fabricated to take his life.
In 1914, equally Rasputin was in transit to the mail office, he was accosted by a woman disguised as a ragamuffin and stabbed. But he managed to escape. The wound was astringent and he spent several weeks in recovery subsequently surgery, but he somewhen returned to full health, something that would be used to continue to shape public stance about him even later his death.
The woman who stabbed Rasputin was said to be a follower of a man named Iliodor, who had been the leader of a powerful religious sect in St. Petersburg. Iliodor had denounced Rasputin as an antichrist, and he had previously made attempts to try and separate Rasputin from the Tsar. He was never formally accused of the law-breaking, but he did flee Leningrad shortly afterward the stabbing and before the police had the chance to question him. The adult female who actually stabbed Rasputin was deemed insane and was not held responsible for her actions.
Rasputin's Real Role in the Regime
Despite the fact that and then much was made of Rasputin'southward behavior and his relationship to the imperial family, very little if any evidence exists that proves Rasputin had whatsoever real influence over the affairs of Russian politics. Historians agree he did the royal family a neat service by praying with them and assisting with the sick children and giving advice, but well-nigh as well agree that he had no existent say in what the Tsar did or did non do with his power. Instead, he proved to be a proverbial thorn in the side of the Tsar and Tsarina equally they tried to deal with an increasingly unstable political situation that was speedily descending into upheaval and overthrow. Peradventure, for this reason, Rasputin's life was still in danger immediately post-obit the starting time try made against his life.
Rasputin'due south Death
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The actual murder of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin is a widely disputed and heavily fictionalized story involving all sorts of crazy antics and stories about the human's ability to evade death. As a result, it has been very difficult for historians to discover the bodily facts surrounding Rasputin's death. Furthermore, he was killed behind closed doors, which has fabricated it even more than difficult to decide exactly what happened. Some accounts are embellishments, exaggerations, or but complete fabrications, but nosotros tin can never actually know for sure. Nevertheless, the virtually common version of Rasputin'south death goes like this:
Rasputin was invited to dine and enjoy some vino at the Moika Palace by a grouping of nobles led past Prince Felix Yusupov. Other members of the plot included Grand Knuckles Dmitri Pavlovich Romanov, Dr. Stanislaus de Lazovert and Lieutenant Sergei Mikhailovich Sukhotin, an officer in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. During the political party, Rasputin allegedly consumed a copious amount of wine and food, both of which had been heavily poisoned. Withal, Rasputin continued to swallow and drink as if naught had happened. After it became articulate that the poison was not going to kill Rasputin, Prince Felix Yusupov borrowed the revolver of the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, the czar'south cousin, and shot Rasputin multiple times.
At this point, Rasputin is said to have fallen to the ground, and the people in the room thought he was dead. But he miraculously stood upwards once more after merely a few minutes of beingness on the floor and immediately made for the door so every bit to effort and escape the men who wanted to kill him. The rest of the people in the room reacted, finally, and several others drew their weapons. Rasputin was shot again and he cruel, but when his attackers approached him, they saw he was still moving, which forced them to shoot him again. Finally convinced he was expressionless, they bundled up his corpse into the chiliad duke's car and drove to the Neva river and dumped Rasputin's corpse in the common cold waters of the river. His body was recovered 3 days later.
This whole operation was hurriedly conducted in the wee hours of the morning as the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich feared repercussions if he was found out by the regime. Co-ordinate Vladimir Purishkevich, a politician at the time, "It was very tardily and the Grand Duke drove quite slow every bit he manifestly feared that great speed would concenter the suspicion of the police."
Until he murdered Rasputin, Prince Felix Yusupov lived a comparatively aimless life of privilege. I of Nicholas 2's daughters, besides named Grand Duchess Olga, worked as a nurse during the war and criticized Felix Yusupov's refusal to enlist, writing to her father, "Felix is a 'downright civilian,' dressed all in dark-brown…virtually doing aught; an utterly unpleasant impression he makes – a man idling in such times." Plotting Rasputin'south murder gave Felix Yusupov the opportunity to reinvent himself as a patriot and man of action, adamant to protect the throne from a malign influence.
For Prince Felix Yusupov and his co-conspirators, the removal of Rasputin could give Nicholas Two one last take a chance of restoring the reputation and prestige of the monarchy. With Rasputin gone, the czar would be more open to the advice of his extended family, the nobility and the Duma.
None of the men who were involved in this incident faced criminal charges, either considering at this point Rasputin had been deemed an enemy of the state, or because it only didn't happen. It's possible this story was created equally propaganda to further tarnish the name "Rasputin," for such an unnatural resistance to death would have been perceived equally the piece of work of the devil. Simply when Rasputin's body was found, it was evident that he had been shot 3 times. Beyond this, though, nosotros know virtually goose egg for certain about Rasputin'south expiry.
Rasputin's Penis
The rumors that were started and spread about Rasputin's love life and relationship to women have led to many more tall tales about his genitals. One of the stories surrounding his death is that he was castrated and dismembered afterward being murdered, nigh probable as a punishment for his debauchery and excessive sin. This myth has led many people to claim they at present "posses" Rasputin'south penis, and they have even gone and so far every bit to claim that looking at it will assistance cure impotency problems. This is non only absurd simply wrong. When Rasputin'south body was found, his genitals were intact, and every bit far equally we know, they remained that fashion. Any merits to the contrary is most likely an endeavor to use the mystery surrounding Rasputin's life and death as a mode to make money.
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Determination
While Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin'southward life was a strange and filled with many odd stories, controversies, and lies, it is equally as important to note that his influence was never really as great as the earth around him made it out to be. Yep, he had sway with the Tsar and his family, and aye, at that place was something to be said about the style his personality could put people at ease, but the reality is that the human being was null more than than a symbol to the Russian people. A few months later on, matching a prediction that he had fabricated, the Russian Revolution occurred and the unabridged Romanov family was brutally massacred in an uprising. The tides of political alter tin be very powerful, and few people in this earth tin can truly stop them.
Rasputin'southward daughter Maria, who fled Russia after the Revolution and became a circus lion tamer billed as "the girl of the famous mad monk whose feats in Russian federation astonished the world," wrote her own volume in 1929 that condemned Yussupov's deportment and questioned the veracity of his account. She wrote that her father did not like sweets and never would accept eaten a platter of cakes. The autopsy reports do non mention poison or drowning only instead conclude that he was shot in the head at close range. Yussupov transformed the murder into an epic struggle of proficient versus evil to sell books and bolster his ain reputation.
Yussupov's account of Rasputin's murder entered popular civilization. The lurid scene was dramatized in numerous films virtually Rasputin and the Romanovs and even made information technology into a 1970s disco hit by Boney M., which included the lyrics "They put some poison into his wine…He drank it all and said, 'I experience fine.'"
Rasputin will forever live on in history every bit a controversial figure, to some a holy man, to some a political entity, and to others a charlatan. Simply who really was Rasputin? That is probably the biggest mystery of them all, and information technology'south 1 nosotros may never be able to solve.
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Sources
5 Myths and Truths About Rasputin: https://time.com/4606775/5-myths-rasputin/
The Murder of Rasputin: http://history1900s.about.com/od/famouscrimesscandals/a/rasputin.htm
Famous Russians: http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/history-and-mythology/grigory-rasputin/
First World State of war Biography: http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/rasputin.htm
Rasputin'southward Murder: https://world wide web.theguardian.com/world/from-the-archive-blog/2016/dec/30/rasputin-murder-russia-dec-1916
Rasputin: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/rasputin
Fuhrmann, Joseph T. Rasputin: the untold story. John Wiley & Sons, 2013.
Smith, Douglas. Rasputin: Faith, power, and the twilight of the Romanovs. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016.
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