Rasputin, Grigori Efimovich << rah SPOO tihn, grih GAW rih yih FEE muh vihch >> (1871?-1916), was a Siberian peasant, healer, and holy man. He served as an adviser to the last Russian czar, Nicholas II, and may have contributed to the czar’s downfall.
Rasputin impressed Russia’s church and society leaders with his rural wisdom and religious teachings. In 1905, he met Nicholas and his wife, Czarina Alexandra. Rasputin was able to stop the bleedings of their son, Alexis, who had hemophilia (a disease in which blood does not clot normally). Rasputin’s standing with the royal couple gave him influence over appointments to church and state offices. Businessmen bribed Rasputin to gain government contracts and favors.
During World War I (1914-1918), the widespread resentment of Rasputin’s influence over government appointments deepened. Some opponents accused him of being a German spy. A group of the czar’s supporters feared that the resentment of Rasputin would lead to the czar’s overthrow. According to a confession, over the night of Dec. 29-30, 1916 (Dec. 16-17 on the Russian calendar then in use), the group poisoned and shot Rasputin and threw his body into the Neva River. There was no full investigation into his death, and rumors about its circumstances have persisted. The Russian Revolution broke out less than three months later, and Nicholas was deposed.
Rasputin was born in Pokrovskoye, near Tyumen. His date of birth is believed to be Jan. 22, 1871 (Jan. 10 on the old Russian calendar).
