The Holy Fool of Saint Petersburg

A photo of Grigori Rasputin.

Peasant, mystic, psychic, advisor, healer, holy man, thief, fraud. All of these words have been used to describe Grigori Rasputin, one of the most polarizing figures in history. To some, he was a vessel God spoke through; to others, he was a termite viciously eroding the Romanov dynasty. Despite these conflicting views, Rasputin’s influence cannot be denied. Afterall, he was born a Siberian peasant and died the most powerful man in Russia. Rasputin’s hold over the Tsar’s family poisoned the monarchy’s reputation and ultimately led to the Russian Revolution.

Grigori Rasputin was born in 1869 in the humble village of Pokrovskoye, Siberia. As formal education did not exist in the village, Rasputin grew up illiterate, as most Russian youth did. Instead of participating in intellectual pursuits, he engaged in less than savory acts, gaining notoriety for rebellion, heavy drinking, and alleged horse thievery, which is a grave offense in the survivalist culture of Siberia.

However, Rasputin would receive a spiritual awakening in his early adulthood, putting an end to his delinquency. According to biographical accounts, Rasputin claimed that the Virgin Mary appeared before him, prompting him to become a priest. He abruptly abandoned his life as a farmer and set out to wander the countryside in the manner of the stranniki (pilgrims). Thus, his journey as a starets (holy man) began. Monks from the Saint Nicholas Monastery in Verkhoturye taught Rasputin to read and write, and here, he became enthralled with religion, cultivating a brand of intense devotion. Rasputin began traveling Russia, becoming known as the man who could heal sick people and animals with a simple touch. His healing abilities would lead him to Saint Petersburg, the capital of Russia, where the Tsar and Tsarina were desperate to find a cure for their son Alexei’s hemophilia.  

Hemophilia, “the royal disease”, is a disorder where blood doesn’t clot properly, leading to prolonged bleeding after injury. Before the advancement of modern medicine, it was a death sentence, prematurely ending the lives of several royal descendants.

Around 1907, Empress Alexandra of Russia requested the help of Rasputin to help heal her son from a particularly concerning bout of bleeding. And heal he did, supposedly, temporarily. However, accounts of the exact details differ, with sources citing hypnosis, prayer, stopping the administering of medical treatments, and sheer confidence as the reasons for Rasputin’s success. Alexei’s condition was kept a guarded secret to prevent him from being regarded as weak, but this silence backfired. Rasputin treated Alexei for years and the public and high ranking officials couldn’t understand how a semi-illiterate peasant had constant access to the Imperial family. They assumed Rasputin was using “black magic” to control the empress and that the Tsar’s command had been subverted by a charlatan.

Just like the public theorized, Rasputin’s relationship with the Tsar and Tsarina would become far more intertwined than they initially let on. The peak of his political influence occurred during World War I. In September 1915, Tsar Nicholas II took personal command of the Russian army, leaving domestic affairs in the hands of Empress Alexandra, who was a fervent supporter of absolute monarchy. Her beliefs caused her to distrust Russia’s elected parliament (the Duma) and instead rely on Rasputin to vet top government officials. This resulted in “Ministerial Leapfrog,” a period of rapid administrative turnover where competent ministers were replaced by those who showed loyalty to Rasputin. Notable appointments by Nicholas II include:

• Boris Sturmer: Appointed as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. He was severely incompetent, as his administration was marked by poor wartime strategy and allegations of being a German sympathizer.

• Alexander Protopopov: Named Minister of the Interior. He failed to resolve food and fuel shortages and ordered the police to take severe measures against citizens protesting the abdication of the Tsar and the end of the war.

• Ivan Shcheglovitov: Served as the Minister of Justice. He was a conservative who helped reverse the democratic reforms promised by Nicholas II in the 1905 October Manifesto. He prosecuted political opponents and enforced a strict police-state, leading to mass arrests of citizens.

A drawing symbolizing Rasputin’s control over the Tsar and Tsarina.

The constant appointment of new ministers diminished Russia’s ability to manage the war and stabilize the economy and citizens took on most of the burden. While government officials obsessed over their own power, the country’s infrastructure declined quickly. Under Protopopov’s management, the railway system was unable to move grain from the countryside to the cities, leading to extremely long bread lines in the dead of winter. The price of essential goods increased by over 200%. The Duma was convinced the Tsar had abandoned his people, and soldiers blamed the “German Empress” and her rumored lover, Grigori Rasputin.

Rasputin’s influence also extended into military affairs. Empress Alexandra wrote frequent letters to the Tsar, pressuring her husband to delay major offensives or shift troop concentrations based solely on Rasputin’s premonitions. In these letters, she refers to Rasputin as “our Friend” and informs Nicholas that their friend thinks the Emperor is wise for listening to him. In addition, Rasputin used his influence over Alexandra to purge the military of his detractors. Alexandra’s writings included pleas to dismiss commanders who were dissatisfied with Rasputin’s military advice. To her, Rasputin was truly a vessel of God, and Nicholas did not want to betray his faith.

By late 1916, even the most loyal monarchists believed Rasputin was the primary obstacle to Russia’s survival. As a result, Prince Felix Yusupov and Vladimir Purishkevich organized an assassination plot to “purify” the monarchy. On December 30, 1916, Rasputin was killed at the Yusupov Palace, though there is no concrete evidence of how he was assassinated. While his death removed the influence he had over the Imperial couple, the irreversible damage was already done.