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When people hear the name Grigori Rasputin, their minds almost immediately begin to wander. The stories told about this so-called "Mad Monk" advise he possessed some magical powers, or that he had a special connection to God.
But they likewise advise he was a sex-crazed bedlamite who used his position of ability to seduce women and engage in all sorts of sins that would exist considered terrible at present and unspeakable back and then.
Other tales indicate he was a man who went from being a poor, nameless peasant to one of the Tsar's about trusted advisors in a matter of just a few short years, perhaps more proof he possessed some special or even magical powers.
However, many of these stories are simply that: stories. It'southward fun to believe they are truthful, simply the reality is that many of them are not. But not everything we know near Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin is made upwards.
For case, he was known for having a strong sexual appetite, and he did manage to get exceptionally shut to the imperial family for someone of such a apprehensive background. Yet his healing powers and political influence are gross exaggerations.
Instead, the self-proclaimed holy man was merely in the right place at the right time in history.
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Why, then, are at that place so many legends nearly this exceptionally unimportant Russian mystic? Well, he rose to prominence in the years leading upwardly to the Russian Revolution.
Political tensions were high, and the land was very unstable. Different political leaders and members of the nobility were looking for ways to undermine the Tsar'southward ability, and Rasputin, an unknown, rather foreign religious man who came out of nowhere to go 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. Only this destabilization was already underway before Rasputin emerged onto the scene, and within a twelvemonth of Rasputin'due south death, Nicholas II and his family were murdered and Russia was changed forever.
However, despite the falsity of many of the stories surrounding Rasputin, his story is withal an interesting one, and it's a great reminder of how just how malleable history can be.
Rasputin Fact or Fiction
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Due to his closeness to the royal family unit, as well equally the political situation at the time, public knowledge of Rasputin is the event of rumors, speculation, and propaganda. And while information technology's truthful nosotros notwithstanding don't know a lot about 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 made a few suggestions to the Tsar and Tsarina of Russia about how to treat their son Alexei'due south hemophilia, and this caused many to believe he possessed special healing powers.
However, it'southward far more likely he simply got lucky. But the mysterious nature of his relationship with the majestic family led to lots of speculation, which has warped our image of him to this day.
Rasputin Ran Russian federation From Backside the Scenes
Verdict: Fiction
Soon afterwards arriving in St. Petersburg, Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin made some powerful friends and somewhen became very shut to the royal family. Yet, as far as nosotros can tell, he had picayune to no influence over the political decision-making process. His role in courtroom was limited to religious practice and also to assist with the children. Some rumors swirled nigh how he was helping Alexandra, the Tsarina, collaborate with her domicile country, Germany, to undermine the Russian Empire, merely at that place is also no truth to this merits whatsoever
Rasputin Could Non Be Killed
Verdict: Fiction
No one can escape death. However, an effort was fabricated on Rasputin's life before he was finally killed, and the story about his actual death helped propagate the idea that he could not be killed. Merely information technology'southward more likely these stories were told to assistance spread the idea that Rasputin was associated with the devil and had "unholy" powers.
Rasputin was a Crazy Monk
Verdict: Fiction
First, Rasputin was never ordained as a monk. And equally for his sanity, we don't actually know, although his rivals and those seeking to either undermine or back up Tsar Nicholas Ii certainly worked to position him as crazy. Some of the written records he has left behind suggest he had a scattered encephalon, but it'southward also just as probable 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 damage Rasputin'due south influence certainly wanted people to think this, so it's probable their stories are exaggerated at best and invented at worst. However, stories of Rasputin'due south promiscuity started surfacing equally presently as he left his hometown in 1892. Simply this idea that he was sex-crazed was probable the result of his enemies trying to utilise Rasputin as a symbol for everything that was wrong in Russia at the time.
The Story of Rasputin
Every bit yous can see, near of the things nosotros consider to exist true well-nigh Rasputin are actually imitation or at the very to the lowest degree exaggerated. And so, what do we know? Unfortunately, not much, but hither's a detailed summary of the facts that do exist virtually the famously mysterious life of Rasputin.
Who Was Rasputin?
Rasputin was a Russian mystic who lived during the last years of the Russian Empire. He rose to prominence in Russian lodge starting around 1905 because the royal family at the time, led by Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, believed he possessed the ability to heal their son, Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. Eventually, he fell out of favor amongst the Russian elite as the state experienced considerable political turmoil leading up to the Russian Revolution. This led to his assassination, the gory details of which have helped make Rasputin i of the nigh well-known figures in history.
Childhood
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was born in Pokrovskoye, Russian federation, a pocket-size town in the northern province of Siberia, in 1869. Like many of the people in the area at the time, he was built-in to a family unit of Siberian peasants, but beyond that, Rasputin's early on life remains more often than not a mystery.
Accounts be that claim he was a troublesome boy, someone who was prone to fighting and had spent a few days in jail due to his violent behavior. But in that location is little validity to these accounts equally they were written after the fact by people who probable did not know Rasputin every bit a child, or past people whose opinion had been swayed by their opinion of him every bit an adult.
Role of the reason we know and so little about the early twelvemonth of Rasputin's life is that he and those around him were nearly probable illiterate. Few people living in rural Russian federation at the fourth dimension had access to formal education, which led to low literacy rates and poor historical accounts.
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However, we do know that at some betoken in his twenties, Rasputin had a wife and several children. But something happened that caused him to of a sudden need to exit Pokrovskoye. It's possible he was running from the police. There are some accounts that he left to escape punishment for stealing a horse, simply this has never been verified. Others claim he had a vision from God, withal this has also non been proven.
Every bit a result, it'due south equally possible he only had an identity crunch, or that he left for some reason that remains entirely unknown. But despite the fact we don't know why he left, we practice know that he set out on a pilgrimage in 1897 (when he was 28), and this decision would dramatically alter the grade of the residue of his life.
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Early Days as a Monk
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It's believed that Rasputin first left habitation for religious and or spiritual purposes around 1892, but he returned often to his hometown to attend to his familial obligations. Nonetheless, after his visit to the St. Nicholas Monastery in Verkhoturye in 1897, Rasputin became a inverse man, co-ordinate to accounts. He began to go on longer and longer pilgrimages, possibly reaching as far south equally Greece. However, it's important to signal out that the 'holy man' never took vows to become 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 small 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. However, elsewhere in the country, especially in the capital, Leningrad, Rasputin remained an unknown entity. Simply a series of fortunate events would change that and propel Rasputin to the forefront of Russian politics and faith.
The self proclaimed 'holy man' was a mystic and had a powerful personality, ane that easily immune him to impact those around him, commonly making them feel quite at ease and safe effectually him. Whether or not he was truly a homo gifted with magical talents is a matter for the theologians and philosophers to argue about, simply it can be said that he commanded a sure aura of respect when he walked the earth.
Russia at the Time of Rasputin
To understand the story of Rasputin and why he has go such an important effigy in Russian and world history, it's best to empathize the context in which he lived. Specifically, Rasputin arrived in Leningrad at a time of tremendous social upheaval in the Russian Empire. The Tsarist authorities, which ruled every bit an autocracy and upheld a organization of feudalism that dated back centuries, was first to crumble. The urban middle classes, which were developing as a consequence of the boring 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 decline by the beginning of the 20th century. Tsar Nicholas Two, who was in power from 1894-1917, was insecure about his power to dominion what was obviously a crumbling country, and he had made many enemies amongst the nobility who saw the state of the empire every bit an opportunity to expand their power, influence, and status. All of this led to the formation of a ramble monarchy in 1907, which meant that the Tsar, for the first time ever, would demand to share his power with a parliament, as well equally a prime minister.
This development seriously weakened the power of Tsar Nicholas II, although he retained his position as head of the Russian country. Nonetheless this temporary truce did lilliputian to resolve the instability going on in Russian federation, and when Earth War I bankrupt out in 1914 and the Russians entered the fight, revolution was imminent. Just ane year later on, in 1915, 9the war had taken its toll on the weak Russian economy. Food and other crucial resources became deficient, and the working classes grew weak. Tsar Nicholas Two took control of the Russian army, simply this probably made the state of affairs worse. 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 get shut 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 guild.
Rasputin and the Purple Family
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Rasputin first arrived in the Russian capital letter, Leningrad, in 1904, later receiving an invitation to visit the St. petersburg Theological Seminary at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery cheers to a letter of recommendation written by well-respected members of the church building elsewhere in Russia. Nonetheless, when Rasputin arrived to St. Petersburg, he would accept found a city 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 Petrograd. He was known to be a heavy drinker and somewhat of a sexual deviant. In fact, before arriving at St. Petersberg, there were rumors that he had been sleeping with many of his female person followers, although there is no definitive proof this was happening.
These rumors later led to accusations that Rasputin was a member of the Kyhlyst religious sect, which believed in using sin as the main means of reaching God. Historians still debate whether this is true or not, although there is considerable prove that Rasputin enjoyed engaging in activities that ane could classify as depraved. It's quite possible Rasputin spent fourth dimension with the Kyhlyst sect and then as to try out their method of religious practice, but there is no evidnece he was an actual member. However, it's also simply every bit probable that political enemies of the Tsar, and Rasputin, exaggerated behavior typical of the time so every bit to damage Rasputin's reputation and diminish his influence.
Afterward his initial visit to St. Petersberg, Rasputin returned habitation to Pokrovskoye but began to brand more frequent trips to the capital. During this time, he began making more strategic friendships and built a network inside the aristocracy. Thanks to these connections, Rasputin met the Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, for the first time in 1905. He managed to run into the Tsar several more times, and at i point, Rasputin met the Tsar and Tsarina's children, and from that betoken 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 Royal Children
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Alexei, the heir to the Russian throne and a young male child, was rather ill due to the fact that he had incurred an unfortunate injury to his pes. Furthermore, Alexei suffered from hemophilia, a disease characterized past anemia and excessive haemorrhage. After several interactions between Rasputin and Alexei, the imperial family, especially the Tsarina, Alexandra Feodorovna, became convinced that Rasputin lonely possessed the powers needed to proceed Alexei live.
He had been asked on several occasions to pray for Alexei, and this coincided with an improvement in the male child's condition. Many believe this is why the purple family became and so convinced Rasputin had the ability to heal their sick child. Whether or not they thought he had magical powers is unclear, merely this belief that Rasputin had some special quality that fabricated 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
Ane of the theories as to what Rasputin did was that he simply had a calming presence around the boy that caused him to relax and stop thrashing nigh, something that would have helped finish the bleeding brought on by his hemophilia.
Some other theory is that when Rasputin was consulted during a peculiarly serious moment when Alexei had suffered a hemorrhage, he told the imperial family to keep all doctors abroad from him. Somewhat miraculously, this worked, and the imperial family attributed this to Rasputin's special powers. Nevertheless, modern historians at present believe this worked considering the well-nigh common medicine used at the fourth dimension was aspirin, and using aspirin to terminate haemorrhage doesn't work because it thins the blood. Therefore, past telling Alexandra and Nicholas II to avoid doctors, Rasputin helped Alexei avert taking medicine that probably would accept killed him. Another theory is that Rasputin was a trained hypnotist who knew how to calm the male child plenty so that he would terminate bleeding.
Once again, though, the truth remains a mystery. But what we practice know is that after this betoken, the royal family unit welcomed Rasputin into their inner circle. Alexandra seemed to trust Rasputin unconditionally, and this allowed him to become a trusted advisor of the family unit. He was even appointed as the lampadnik (lamplighter), which allowed Rasputin to lite the candles in the royal cathedral, a position that would have given him daily access to Tsar Nicholas and his family.
The Mad Monk?
As Rasputin got closer and closer to the middle of Russian ability, the public grew more and more suspicious. The nobles and elite inside the courts began to view Rasputin with envy due to the fact that he had such piece of cake access to the Tsar, and, seeking to undermine the Tsar, they tried to position Rasputin as a mad man who was controlling the Russian government from backside the scenes.
To exercise 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 so far as to convince people that the name "Rasputin" meant "debauched i," despite the fact that it really meant "where 2 rivers join," a reference to his hometown. Furthermore, it was effectually this time that accusations of his associations with the Khylists began to intensify.
It should be 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 around the Russian uppercase showing off the silks and other textiles that had been embroidered for him by the regal family.
Criticisms of Rasputin intensified after 1905/1906 when the enactment of the Constitution granted the printing considerable more freedom. They targeted Rasputin more perhaps because they however feared to attack the Tsar directly, choosing instead to attack ane of his advisors.
All the same, the attacks did not but come from the enemies of the Tsar. Those who wanted to maintain the power structures at the time likewise turned against Rasputin, largely considering they felt the Tsar'southward loyalty to him hurt his relationship with the public; most people bought into the stories about Rasputin, and it would take looked bad if the Tsar was keeping a relationship with such a homo, fifty-fifty if nearly every aspect of the stories were exaggerations. As a result, they wanted to have out Rasputin and then that the public would finish worrying virtually this supposed crazy monk who was secretly controlling the Russian Empire.
Rasputin and Alexandra
Rasputin's relationship with Alexandra Feodorovna is some other source of mystery. The prove we have seems to suggest that she trusted Rasputin greatly and cared for him. There were rumors that they were lovers, only this has never been proven to be true. Even so, as public opinion turned against Rasputin and members of the Russian court began to run across him every bit a problem, Alexandra made certain he was permitted to stay. This caused more tension as many people's imaginations connected to run wild with the idea of Rasputin was the existent controller of the regal family. The Tsar and Tsarina made things worse by keeping their son'due south wellness a secret from the public. This meant no one knew the real reason why Rasputin had become and then close to the Tsar and his family unit, creating more than specualtion and rumors.
This shut connexion shared betwixt Rasputin and Empress Alexandra further degraded Rasputin'southward reputation, as well as that of the imperial family unit. For example, by the outbreak of World State of war I, almost people in the Russian empire causeless Rasputin and Alexandra were sleeping together. Soldiers spoke nigh it at the front as if it were common knowledge. These stories got fifty-fifty more than grandiose when people began speaking about how Rasputin was really working for the Germans (Alexandra was originally from a German language royal family) to undermine Russian power and crusade Russian federation to lose the war.
An Attempt On Rasputin'south Life
The more than time Rasputin spent around the royal family unit, the more it seemed people tried to tarnish his name and reputation. Equally mentioned, he was labeled as a drunk and a sexual deviant, and this somewhen led to people calling him a wicked man, a crazy monk, and a devil worshipper, although we now know these to be not much more than attempts to make Rasputin a political scapegoat. However, opposition to Rasputin grew enough that an endeavor was fabricated to take his life.
In 1914, as Rasputin was in transit to the post office, he was accosted past a adult female disguised as a beggar and stabbed. But he managed to escape. The wound was severe and he spent several weeks in recovery afterwards surgery, merely he somewhen returned to full health, something that would be used to continue to shape public stance about him even after his expiry.
The woman who stabbed Rasputin was said to be a follower of a human being named Iliodor, who had been the leader of a powerful religious sect in St. Petersburg. Iliodor had denounced Rasputin equally an antichrist, and he had previously made attempts to try and separate Rasputin from the Tsar. He was never formally accused of the crime, merely he did abscond St. Petersburg shortly after the stabbing and before the police had the adventure to question him. The woman who actually stabbed Rasputin was accounted 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's beliefs and his relationship to the royal family, very little if any prove exists that proves Rasputin had any existent influence over the affairs of Russian politics. Historians agree he did the royal family a great service by praying with them and assisting with the ill children and giving advice, but virtually too concord that he had no real say in what the Tsar did or did not do with his power. Instead, he proved to exist a proverbial thorn in the side of the Tsar and Tsarina as they tried to deal with an increasingly unstable political situation that was rapidly descending into upheaval and overthrow. Peradventure, for this reason, Rasputin'due south life was still in danger immediately following the beginning effort 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 being'southward power to evade death. Every bit a result, it has been very difficult for historians to find the actual facts surrounding Rasputin'south death. Furthermore, he was killed behind airtight doors, which has fabricated it even more difficult to determine exactly what happened. Some accounts are embellishments, exaggerations, or but complete fabrications, just nosotros tin can never really know for sure. However, the most common version of Rasputin's death goes like this:
Rasputin was invited to dine and enjoy some vino at the Moika Palace past a group 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 officeholder in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. During the political party, Rasputin allegedly consumed a copious amount of wine and nutrient, both of which had been heavily poisoned. However, Rasputin continued to swallow and drinkable equally if zip had happened. Subsequently it became clear that the poison was not going to kill Rasputin, Prince Felix Yusupov borrowed the revolver of the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, the czar's cousin, and shot Rasputin multiple times.
At this point, Rasputin is said to have fallen to the basis, and the people in the room idea he was dead. Only he miraculously stood upward once more after only a few minutes of being on the floor and immediately fabricated for the door so as to endeavour 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 over again and he fell, merely when his attackers approached him, they saw he was nonetheless moving, which forced them to shoot him again. Finally convinced he was dead, they bundled up his corpse into the thou duke's car and drove to the Neva river and dumped Rasputin's corpse in the cold waters of the river. His trunk was recovered iii days later on.
This whole operation was hurriedly conducted in the wee hours of the morn equally the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich feared repercussions if he was found out past the authorities. According Vladimir Purishkevich, a politician at the time, "It was very late and the One thousand Knuckles drove quite ho-hum as he patently feared that great speed would concenter the suspicion of the police."
Until he murdered Rasputin, Prince Felix Yusupov lived a insufficiently bumming life of privilege. Ane of Nicholas Two's daughters, also named Grand Duchess Olga, worked equally 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 brown…virtually doing cypher; an utterly unpleasant impression he makes – a man idling in such times." Plotting Rasputin'due south murder gave Felix Yusupov the opportunity to reinvent himself as a patriot and human of activeness, adamant to protect the throne from a malign influence.
For Prince Felix Yusupov and his co-conspirators, the removal of Rasputin could give Nicholas II one last hazard of restoring the reputation and prestige of the monarchy. With Rasputin gone, the czar would be more open to the communication of his extended family unit, the nobility and the Duma.
None of the men who were involved in this incident faced criminal charges, either because at this point Rasputin had been deemed an enemy of the state, or because it simply didn't happen. It's possible this story was created every bit propaganda to further tarnish the proper name "Rasputin," for such an unnatural resistance to expiry would accept been perceived equally the work of the devil. But when Rasputin's body was found, it was evident that he had been shot iii times. Across this, though, we know almost nothing for sure about Rasputin's death.
Rasputin's Penis
The rumors that were started and spread about Rasputin'southward beloved life and relationship to women have led to many more than tall tales about his genitals. Ane of the stories surrounding his expiry is that he was castrated and dismembered later on being murdered, near likely every bit a punishment for his debauchery and excessive sin. This myth has led many people to merits they at present "posses" Rasputin's penis, and they have fifty-fifty gone so far as to claim that looking at information technology will help cure impotency problems. This is not just cool but incorrect. When Rasputin'due south body was institute, his genitals were intact, and equally far as we know, they remained that way. Whatsoever merits to the reverse is well-nigh likely an endeavour to use the mystery surrounding Rasputin'south life and death as a manner to brand money.
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Conclusion
While Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin's 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 swell every bit the earth around him fabricated it out to exist. Yes, he had sway with the Tsar and his family, and yep, there was something to be said about the mode his personality could put people at ease, only the reality is that the homo was zip more than than a symbol to the Russian people. A few months later, matching a prediction that he had made, the Russian Revolution occurred and the entire Romanov family was brutally massacred in an uprising. The tides of political change tin can be very powerful, and few people in this world can truly cease them.
Rasputin'due south daughter Maria, who fled Russia after the Revolution and became a circus lion tamer billed as "the daughter of the famous mad monk whose feats in Russia astonished the world," wrote her own book in 1929 that condemned Yussupov'south actions 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 not mention poisonous substance or drowning but instead conclude that he was shot in the caput at close range. Yussupov transformed the murder into an epic struggle of expert versus evil to sell books and eternalize his ain reputation.
Yussupov'southward account of Rasputin'due south murder entered popular culture. The lurid scene was dramatized in numerous films about Rasputin and the Romanovs and even made it into a 1970s disco hit by Boney M., which included the lyrics "They put some toxicant into his wine…He drank it all and said, 'I feel fine.'"
Rasputin will forever live on in history as a controversial figure, to some a holy man, to some a political entity, and to others a charlatan. But who really was Rasputin? That is probably the biggest mystery of them all, and it'due south 1 we may never be able to solve.
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Sources
Five 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 Globe State of war Biography: http://world wide web.firstworldwar.com/bio/rasputin.htm
Rasputin's Murder: https://world wide web.theguardian.com/earth/from-the-archive-blog/2016/dec/30/rasputin-murder-russia-december-1916
Rasputin: https://world wide web.biography.com/political-effigy/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.
Source: https://historycooperative.org/mad-monk-grigori-rasputin-story/
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