Rasputin
Katie Prock
Who was Rasputin?
Rasputin was born into a peasant family in Siberia, Russia. After he failed to become a monk, Rasputin became a wanderer and entered the court of Czar Nicholas II because of his so-called healing abilities. Rasputin was well liked by Nicholas' wife, Alexandra because of his healing powers. He had a minor role in politics. The picture at the right shows a photo of Rasputin.
Rasputin's Early Life
Since Rasputin was born to a peasant family, he got little schooling and never learned to read or write. In his early years, some of the people in his village said that he possessed supernatural healing powers. Rasputin entered the Verkhoture Monastery at the age of 19 to try to become a monk, but he left shortly after arriving, to get married. He married Proskovia Fyodorovna and they later had three children, two of which died shortly after birth. He later left his family and traveled to Greece and the Middle East, and ha also made several trips to the Holy Land.
Rasputin's Connection to the Royal Family and His Effects on Russia
In 1903, Rasputin arrived in St. Petersburg with a reputation as a mystic and faith healer. Two years later, Rasputin was introduced to the Russian Czar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. They were seeking help for their sickly son, Alexis. Rasputin quickly gained their respect by 'curing" their son. After this, Alexandra gave Rasputin her passionate support. Between 1906 and 1914, many politicians and journalists used Rasputin's connection to the royal family as a way to undermine the dynasty and push for reform. When Russia entered World War I, Nicholas II took control of the Russian army and his wife took over the government. Many ministers said that they were suspicious of Rasputin, but Alexandra always dismissed them. Other government officials also tried to warn her about Rasputin but she always defended him, giving people the impression that he was her closest advisor. The photo above is a picture of the royal family.
The Death of Rasputin
In December of 1916, Rasputin was invited to Prince Felix Yusupov's palace by a group of conspirators. They gave him wine and cakes with poison in them, in an attempt to kill him. When the poison had no effect on him, they shot him multiple times and threw his body in the Neva River, where it was discovered three days later. Before his death, Rasputin wrote a letter to Nicholas and predicted that if he were killed by government officials, that the royal family would be killed by the Russian people. This happened 15 months later.
My Reaction
I think Rasputin's story is really cool and unique, I really enjoyed learning about him and how different he was, and how he didn't care if people hated him or didn't trust him. I think that it was wrong for there to be a conspiracy against Rasputin. Honestly, the only reason for the conspiracy was because people were afraid of him because he was different. He didn't make hardly any of the political decisions, so there was really no reason for people to be against him. I would really like to learn more about Rasputin and the reason for the conspiracy against him.
Works Cited
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
Firstworldwar.com." First World War.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
"Prominent Russians: Grigory Rasputin." Grigory Rasputin – Russiapedia History and Mythology Prominent Russians. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.
Rasputin Is Murdered." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.