Grigori Rasputin
The 'Mad Monk' of the Romanov court — a Siberian peasant mystic who held alleged healing powers over the Tsar's hemophiliac son and survived multiple assassination attempts.
Overview
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (1869–1916) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Tsar Nicholas II and gained considerable influence in late imperial Russia. He claimed to be able to ease the suffering of the Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. He was murdered on the night of December 29–30, 1916, by a group of conservative noblemen led by Prince Felix Yusupov.
Timeline
- 1869-01-21Born in Pokrovskoye, Siberia.
- 1905First summoned to the Romanov palace to treat Tsarevich Alexei.
- 1914-06-29Survives stabbing attack by Khionia Guseva.
- 1916-12-30Murdered: poisoned, shot multiple times, and drowned in the Neva.
Evidence on Record
- 01Yusupov's memoir 'Lost Splendor' (1928)
- 02Autopsy report by Professor Dmitri Kosorotov, 1916
- 03British Secret Intelligence Service correspondence (Oswald Rayner involvement)
Theories & Disputes
British SIS officer Oswald Rayner may have fired the fatal shot — argued in 2004 BBC documentary 'Who Killed Rasputin?'
Some autopsy details (e.g., water in lungs) remain disputed by modern forensic historians.