Rasputin

Rasputin

Throughout history there have been many odd characters. Russian history was not excluded. Grigory Rasputin, who was an assistant to the Royal Russian family, was an unusual man.

Grigory Yefimovich Novykh was born on January 23, 1871, in Tobolsk, Russia (DISCovering). "He earned the name Rasputin which is Russian for ‘debauched one'" (Rasputin). "Grigory Rasputin was born in western Siberia, in the town of Pokrovskoe,"says another source (Fuhrmann 1). The name "Grigory" indicates Rasputin may have been born on January 10, the day dedicated to St. Grigory of Nicea (Fuhrmann 1). Although the actual date and place of birth cannot be determined, one fact is known for certain: Rasputin had an influence over the health of the young Aleksey Nickolayovich, "hemophiliac heir to the Russian throne" (Rasputin). Grigory had been against war, but was recognized for his drunkeness (Radzinsky 271). Before Rasputin got his job with the Russian family, he lived off donations from peasants because of his claim of being a "self- proclaimed holy man" (Rasputin).

"[Grigory] underwent a religious conversion at 18, where he was introduced to the Khlysty sect" (Rasputin). Rasputin's ideas were heretical from the chruch's viewpoint, however he was charged with using religion to impress people and "advance himself" (Fuhrmann 44). A doctrine of the Khlysty sect states that "one was nearest God

when feeling holy passionlessness and that the best way to reach such a state was through the sexual exhaustion that came after prolonged debauchery" (Rasputin). After marrying Proskovia Fyodorovna and bearing four children, Rasputin left home and wandered through Greece and Jerusalem. (Rasputin). He was a strict father. His daughters weren't allowed to go outside alone and Sundays were "devoted" to home worship (Fuhrmann 33).

Rasputin's loyalty to the czar and his family made him "immune" to the attempts of exile from Russia (DISCovering). Aleksey Nickolayevich was a hemophiliac (Rasputin). On one certain occasion, doctors were called in to check on the young heir. After nothing seemed to help, "Grigory Rasputin, who was reported to have miraculous powers of faith healing, was brought to Alexandra" (Massie 259). Rasputin didn't cure Aleksey of hemophilia, but his ability to control the symptoms was "indisputable" (Fuhrmann