Grigori Rasputin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Portrait of Rasputin, c. 1910s
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| Native name | Григорий Ефимович Распутин |
| Church | Russian Orthodox Church |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 January [O.S. 9 January] 1869 Pokrovskoye, Tyumensky Uyezd, Tobolsk Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916 (aged 47) Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
| Buried | Tsarskoye Selo (later exhumed and cremated) |
| Denomination | Orthodox Christianity |
| Spouse |
Praskovya Fedorovna Dubrovina
(m. 1887) |
| Children | 3, including Maria |
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (/ræˈspjuːtɪn/; Russian: Григорий Ефимович Распутин [ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲɪj jɪˈfʲiməvʲɪɕ rɐˈsputʲɪn]; 21 January [O.S. 9 January] 1869 – 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man. He is best known for becoming friends with the royal family of Nicholas II. Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia. Through this friendship, Rasputin gained a lot of power in the final years of the Russian Empire.
Rasputin was born into a peasant family in Pokrovskoye, a village in Siberia. He had a religious experience after visiting a monastery in 1897. People described him as a wanderer or pilgrim, though he had no official role in the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1903 or 1904–1905, he traveled to Saint Petersburg. There, he impressed many religious and social leaders. He soon became an important person in Russian society. In November 1905, Rasputin met Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
In late 1906, he started acting as a faith healer for the royal couple's only son, Alexei Nikolaevich. Alexei suffered from hemophilia, a bleeding disorder. Rasputin was a controversial figure at court. Some Russians saw him as a prophet, while others thought he was a fake. His influence grew greatly in 1915 when Nicholas II left Saint Petersburg. The Emperor went to lead the Imperial Russian Army during World War I. With Nicholas away, Rasputin and Alexandra gained more power across the Russian Empire.
However, Russia faced many military defeats on the Eastern Front. Both Rasputin and Alexandra became very unpopular. In the early morning of 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916, Rasputin was killed. He was assassinated by a group of noblemen who did not like his influence over the royal family. Historians often believe that Rasputin's controversial reputation helped weaken the Tsarist government. This may have led to the overthrow of the House of Romanov shortly after his death. Stories about his life are often based on rumors, making him a mysterious figure.
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Grigori Rasputin's Early Life
Rasputin was born a peasant in the small village of Pokrovskoye. This village was located along the Tura River in the Russian Empire. Official records show he was born on 21 January [O.S. 9 January] 1869. He was named after St. Gregory of Nyssa.
Not much is known about Rasputin's parents. His father, Yefim, was a farmer and church elder. He also worked as a government messenger. Rasputin's parents had seven other children, but they all died very young. Historians say that Rasputin's childhood and early adult years are not well documented. Like most Siberian peasants, Rasputin did not go to school. He could not read or write until he was an adult. Records suggest he was a bit wild when he was young. However, there is no proof of serious crimes.
In 1886, Rasputin traveled to Abalak, Russia. There, he met a peasant girl named Praskovya Dubrovina. They married in February 1887. Praskovya stayed in Pokrovskoye while Rasputin traveled later in his life. They had seven children, but only three lived to adulthood: Dmitry (born 1895), Maria (born 1898), and Varvara (born 1900).
His Religious Journey
In 1897, Rasputin became very interested in religion again. He left Pokrovskoye to go on a pilgrimage, a religious journey. His reasons for leaving are not fully clear. Some say he left to avoid punishment for stealing horses. Others believe he had a vision of the Virgin Mary. Still others think a young theology student inspired him. Rasputin was 28, married for ten years, and had a child. His decision to leave his old life must have been due to a strong emotional or spiritual change.
Rasputin had taken shorter pilgrimages before. But his visit to the St. Nicholas Monastery in Verkhoturye in 1897 changed him. There, he met a wise elder known as Makary. Rasputin may have stayed at Verkhoturye for several months. It might have been there that he learned to read and write. He returned to Pokrovskoye a changed man. He looked messy and acted differently. He became a vegetarian, stopped drinking alcohol, and prayed more often.
For years, Rasputin lived as a strannik, a holy wanderer. He would leave Pokrovskoye for months or even years. He traveled the country and visited many holy places. He might have even traveled as far as Mount Athos in 1900. Mount Athos is a major center for Eastern Orthodox monks.
By the early 1900s, Rasputin had a small group of followers. They were mostly family members and other local peasants. They prayed with him on Sundays when he was in Pokrovskoye. They held secret prayer meetings in his father's root cellar. These meetings made the village priest and other villagers suspicious. However, investigations never found that Rasputin belonged to any strange religious group.
How Rasputin Became Famous
News of Rasputin's spiritual gifts spread in Siberia. Around 1904 or 1905, he traveled to the city of Kazan. There, he became known as a wise starets, or holy man. He was said to help people with their spiritual problems. Rasputin impressed the head of the Seven Lakes Monastery near Kazan. He also impressed local church officials. They gave him a letter of recommendation to Bishop Sergei in St. Petersburg.
In St. Petersburg, Rasputin met important church leaders. These included Archimandrite Theofan, who was close to the tsar. Theofan was so impressed that he invited Rasputin to stay in his home. Theofan became one of Rasputin's most important friends. He helped Rasputin meet many influential people in St. Petersburg society. These were often gatherings where rich people discussed religion. Through these meetings, Rasputin gained early followers. Many of these followers later turned against him.
Before Rasputin arrived, other spiritual movements were popular among the rich in St. Petersburg. Many wealthy people were curious about the supernatural. Rasputin's ideas and "strange manners" made him very interesting to the city's elite. They were often "bored, cynical, and seeking new experiences." His appeal might have been stronger because he was Russian. Other "holy men" popular at the time were not from Russia.
Historians disagree on how long Rasputin stayed in St. Petersburg on his first visit. However, by 1905, Rasputin had made friends with several members of the aristocracy. These included the "Black Princesses," Militsa and Anastasia of Montenegro. They were married to the tsar's cousins. They helped introduce Rasputin to the tsar and his family.
Rasputin first met the tsar on November 1, 1905, at the Peterhof Palace. The tsar wrote in his diary that he and Alexandra met "a man of God – Grigory, from Tobolsk province." Rasputin returned to Pokrovskoye soon after. He did not come back to St. Petersburg until July 1906. When he returned, Rasputin sent Nicholas a telegram. He asked to give the tsar an icon, a religious image. He met with Nicholas and Alexandra again in July and October. In October, he first met their children. The royal family became convinced that Rasputin could miraculously heal their son Alexei.
Healer for Alexei Nikolaevich
Much of Rasputin's power with the royal family came from Alexandra's belief. She thought he had often eased the pain and stopped the bleeding of Tsarevich Alexei. Alexei suffered from hemophilia, a condition where blood does not clot normally. Empress Alexandra had a strong belief in Rasputin. She thought he could heal her son's illness. Rasputin became a very important person in the royal family's inner circle.
It is not clear when Rasputin first learned about Alexei's hemophilia. He might have known about it as early as October 1906. Alexandra called him to pray for Alexei when he had internal bleeding in the spring of 1907. Alexei recovered the next morning. Rasputin was rumored to be a faith-healer since he arrived in St. Petersburg. The empress's friend, Anna Vyrubova, became convinced of Rasputin's powers. Vyrubova became one of Rasputin's strongest supporters.
In the summer of 1912, Alexei developed bleeding in his thigh. This happened after a bumpy carriage ride. It caused a large bruise and severe pain. Alexei was delirious with fever and seemed close to death. In desperation, Alexandra asked Vyrubova to send Rasputin a telegram. He was in Siberia at the time. She asked him to pray for Alexei. Rasputin quickly wrote back. He told Alexandra, "God has seen your tears and heard your prayers. Do not grieve. The Little One will not die. Do not allow the doctors to bother him too much."
The next morning, Alexei's condition was still serious. But Alexandra felt hopeful because of the message. Alexei's bleeding stopped the next day. One of Alexei's doctors, Dr. S. P. Fedorov, said the recovery was "wholly inexplicable from a medical point of view." He later admitted that Alexandra could not be blamed for seeing Rasputin as a miracle worker. "Rasputin would come in, walk up to the patient, look at him, and spit. The bleeding would stop in no time.... How could the empress not trust Rasputin after that?"
Historian Robert K. Massie called Alexei's recovery "one of the most mysterious episodes of the whole Rasputin legend." The reason for his recovery is still unclear. Massie thought that Rasputin's advice to let Alexei rest might have helped. Or, his message might have calmed Alexandra, reducing stress on Alexei. Alexandra believed that Rasputin had performed a miracle. She concluded that he was vital for Alexei's survival. Some historians suggest Rasputin controlled Alexei's bleeding by telling doctors not to give him aspirin. Aspirin was used for pain then, but its blood-thinning effect was not known until the 1950s.
Rasputin's Friendship with the Royal Children
Alexei and his sisters were taught to see Rasputin as "Our Friend." They were encouraged to share their thoughts with him. In the autumn of 1907, their aunt, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, met Rasputin. She recalled, "All the children seemed to like him. They were completely at ease with him."
Rasputin's friendship with the imperial children was clear in his messages. In 1908, he wrote to nine-year-old Maria: "My Dear Pearl M! Tell me how you talked with the sea, with nature! I miss your simple soul. We will see each other soon! A big kiss." In another message, he told her: "My Dear M! My Little Friend! May the Lord help you to carry your cross with wisdom and joy in Christ. This world is like the day, look it's already evening. So it is with the cares of the world." In February 1909, Rasputin sent all the royal children a telegram. He advised them to "Love the whole of God's nature, the whole of His creation in particular this earth. The Mother of God was always occupied with flowers and needlework."
Nicholas's sister, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia, was shocked by stories about Rasputin. She wrote in 1910 that she could not understand "the attitude of Alix and the children to that sinister Grigory (whom they consider to be almost a saint)..."
Despite various rumors, the royal family's connection with Rasputin continued. This lasted until he was killed on December 17, 1916. Alexandra wrote to Nicholas on December 6, 1916: "Our Friend is so contented with our girlies, says they have gone through heavy 'courses' for their age and their souls have much developed." In his memoirs, A. A. Mordvinov reported that the four grand duchesses were very upset by Rasputin's death. They sat "huddled up closely together" on a sofa. Mordvinov said the young women were gloomy. They seemed to sense the political changes that were coming. Rasputin was buried with a religious icon. The grand duchesses and their mother had signed it on the back.
Rasputin's Assassination
A group of nobles decided that Rasputin's influence over the empress was a threat to the empire. This group was led by Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and politician Vladimir Purishkevich. They planned to kill him in December 1916. They lured him to the Yusupovs' Moika Palace.
Rasputin was murdered in the early morning of 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916. This happened at Felix Yusupov's home. He died from three gunshot wounds. Attempts to poison him before the shooting were not successful.
Death and Aftermath
News of Rasputin's murder spread quickly. An investigation started the next morning. The Stock Exchange Gazette reported his death "after a party in one of the most aristocratic homes in the center of the city." This report came out on the afternoon of 30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1916.
Rasputin was buried on January 2 (Old Style: December 21). The burial took place at a small church that Anna Vyrubova had been building. Only the imperial family and a few close friends attended the funeral. Rasputin's wife, mistress, and children were not invited. However, his daughters met with the imperial family later that day. The imperial family planned to build a church over his grave. But his body was later dug up and burned. This happened after the tsar gave up his throne in March 1917. This was done so his grave would not become a place for supporters of the old government to gather.
Prominent Children
Maria Rasputin
Rasputin's daughter, Maria Rasputin (born Matryona Rasputina; 1898–1977), moved to France after the October Revolution. She then moved to the United States. There, she worked as a dancer and later as a lion tamer in a circus.
See also
In Spanish: Grigori Rasputín para niños
- Archimandrite Photius, influential and reactionary Russian priest and mystic
- Faith healing
- Rasputin (song)
