This was a kind of prophecy: “as long as I live will live and the dynasty”. This implies the Romanovs, who ruled the country for more than 300 years. But the author of these lines — not one of them, a Siberian peasant and a petty criminal who became a wandering Holy — Grigory Rasputin. From 1907 to end of 1916 he was a priest, a doctor, a psychiatrist and spiritual teacher of the last Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. And he was right. Two months after his murder on 30 December 1916 revolution put an end to the tsarist regime.
As uncouth peasant got into the circle of Russian aristocracy — one of the Central issues, which explores British historian and best-selling author Simon Sebag Montefiore (Simon Sebag Montefiore) in his new book, “the Romanovs. Sparkle and sunset Royal dynasty”. Montefiore for his books about Stalin and Catherine the great established himself as a connoisseur of human souls and of the fall of the Russian rulers. He failed, and fragments that are dedicated to the disaster of the Romanovs, in which the key role played by Rasputin.
The son of peasants, was born in 1869 in the village of Pokrovsky, located 400 kilometers East of the Ural mountains, was taught to read and somehow lived. In 1895 he married and went on a pilgrimage, after which his life changed dramatically. Being a stranger, in 1903 he appeared in St. Petersburg and quickly became famous.
In the capital of the tsarist Empire was full of mystics, healers and tricksters who earned a growing denial of the Orthodox hierarchy. The official Church was the spiritual arm of the state, which turned it — depending on perspective — the traitor honourable traditions. The humble origins was considered, and a positive counterweight to the decadent reality, to demonstrate her rejection was considered good form. The fact that Rasputin soon made a name for themselves in the best circles, is due primarily with a different facet of his personality — animalistic charisma and sexuality.
He was without pretensions, witty, joking, gave everyone nicknames, teasing rude with stories about prodigal horses and with simple openness was questioned about sex life. Montefiore quotes a senior person who told that Rasputin had given her such an orgasm that she fainted. His penis was the size of a horse. “In reality, the frequency of change of sexual partners has been exaggerated,” writes the author. “A prostitute, whom he later hosted almost daily, told me that he often only examined and talked to them. Temptation and rejection formed the nucleus of his faith… it is possible that the sex-beast stories were incapable of an act of love.”
After the Royal family through his supporters learned of the existence of Rasputin, in October 1907, he asks the audience to give her “an icon of righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, the Wonderworker”. When the monk entered the Palace, he is faced with the mystery, which was kept more strictly in Russia. Three-year-old heir to the throne, Alexei was sick with hemophilia, a blood disease. What for autocratic regime was existential problem that caused the hysteria of the Empress. Rasputin managed to stop the bleeding touch of his hands. From that moment he became Nicholas and his wife a “man of God”.
From this point Rasputin was well received in the palaces of the Romanovs and was considered the most influential person for his protection fought and even paid. “Better Rasputin than the daily hysterical seizures (his wife),” — said Nikolai about his attachment to the stranger. “I survived only thanks to his prayers,” he admitted. His wife convinced him to. When you travel, Gregory praying about this trip, and all is well. She wrote to Rasputin: “I want only one. To join your shoulder in the dream… You are everything.”
Exposed intimacy, which, after the publication of the letters with the delicate details of the Empress, encouraged by critics and envious. Besides, Rasputin made himself his vanity, the desire to win and his capricious and vindictive nature, many enemies. But above all, his practical advice was contrary to the purposes of the Emperor and the calculations of many politicians and leaders of public opinion. These thoughts broke loose in 1914, when the world was hit by the great war. Rasputin warned against the triumph of madness. Perhaps we will defeat Germany, but what about Russia? Russia will drown in your own blood, followed by endless anguish and sorrow, he wrote from Siberia to the Emperor.
The Emperor, as we know, have taken a different decision and got involved in the war, but left Rasputin in his surroundings, first of all, because wanted the Empress, which because of its German origin in the court were treated unkindly, seeing it as a supporter of Central European countries. This position is strengthened with every defeat of Imperial armies against the German armies, which was soon occupied large parts of Poland and the Baltic. As out of control began to emerge and political conflicts, particularly the protests against Nicholas, Rasputin soon began to be seen as the personification of hell — from both opponents and defenders of the regime.
At the end of 1916, Prince Felix Yusupov, together with the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich decided to end it. Educated in the West, bisexual Yusupov hated Rasputin because, because he wanted to seduce him. Vladimir Purishkevich and his friend, medical doctor Stanislaw Lazovert, joined the operation, which, according to British historian, waited around Petersburg.
Although he was warned that Rasputin accepted the offer of the Yusupov dinner on December 30. Was waiting for him there was poisoned with cyanide cake and poisoned wine. “I have a headache, and my stomach still burns,” said he after a meal. “Give me another glass of wine,” he said Yusupov. Then the eyes fell on the crucifix on the chest of black wood. The answer became history: “You, Gregory Yefimitch, better view and crucifixion God pray.” Then the owner pulled out a Browning and shot the monk in the chest.
When the conspirators wanted to take the lifeless body, Rasputin opened a “green like a snake” eyes, and stepped into the yard. There he was overtaken by the Grand Duke who casually was already drunk, and repeatedly shot him. Deadly was shot right in the forehead, which allows Montefiore, could be a British agent Oswald Rayner. Pavlovich said, “I killed Grigori Rasputin, the enemy of Russia and the king”. The body was thrown into the Malaya Neva river.
The murder was an Amateur operation, “executed in the form of a scenario for people with a bad taste,” — taunted then Trotsky. Because after the autopsy found no traces of cyanide or a shot to the forehead, probably was a conspiracy. However, Montefiore believes that “the British in some form was involved”.
Pressured by his family, Nicholas II refused from criminal prosecution. In any case, it would not have brought. “The murder did not save the monarchy, and only accelerated her fall,” writes Montefiore. As predicted Rasputin: “If I die or if you leave me, you will lose the son, and the crown within six months.” 23 February 1917 according to the Julian calendar (March 8 in the Gregorian calendar) in Russia, the revolution began.
