Grigori Rasputin

Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (Russian: Григо́рий Ефи́мович Распу́тин) (10 January 1869 – 29 December [O.S. 16 December 1916) was a Russian mystic with an influence in the later days of Russia's Romanov dynasty. Rasputin played an important role in the lives of the Tsar Nicholas II, his wife the Tsarina Alexandra, and their only son the Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia. He can be considered one of the more controversial characters in 20th century history, although Rasputin is viewed by most historians today as a scapegoat. He played a small but extremely pivotal role in the downfall of the Romanov dynasty that finally led to Bolshevik victory and the establishment of the Soviet Union.

Rasputin has often been called the Mad Monk, although he was never a monk and made no secret of being married. He became a starets (ста́рец), or religious pilgrim, following the death of his infant son, seeking to relieve his grief by travelling and seeing new sights, as tales of travel had always enchanted him as a child. He was believed to have been a psychic and faith healer, and to have some hypnotic control over the Tsar and his family. In truth they were simply grateful to Rasputin for saving the Tsarevich's life, but this fact was not publicly known because of the extreme secrecy concerning the boy's condition. Even his magnetic personality was due merely to his bluntly direct manner and the single-minded attention he paid to those who spoke with him, the result of a head injury which impaired hs powers of concentration. Finally, his supposed influence over the Tsarina consisted of nothing more than agreeing with her own decisions in order to strengthen her belief in herself.

When meeting Rasputin in St. Petersburg in 1916, the Doctor, Jo Grant, and Liz Shaw realized that the legends about him were just that, and he was not the evil manipulator history books had made him out to be. Liz herself reluctantly passed on Prince Felix Yusupov's invitation to dinner to Rasputin, knowing that he would be killed but also realizing that history must run its proper course. Jo posed as a maid in the kitchens at Yusupov's palace, where she disposed of poisoned cakes and wine intended for Rasputin and replaced them with untainted ones, unknowingly contributing to one of the last and most notorious chapters of his legend. When Rasputin devoured the cakes and remained unharmed, Yusupov became convinced Rasputin was possessed by the Devil and shot him in the back as he knelt in prayer. His accomplice Vladimir Purishkevich finished the job, shooting Rasputin repeatedly until he died and then beating his corpse in a fit of rage.