Often in History, famous people seem destined for greatness from a young age. By the very nature of their birth, any less than a notable life would be quite exceptional. Think about Churchill who was essentially nobility. However, every now and again, the past throws up a character who seems to come from no-where. Like Cromwell, de Gaulle and Napoleon, Rasputin had a humble beginning but in an odd type of Cinderella story he ended up in the company of the nobility of the Russian Empire.He was born the son of Russian peasants, as many millions were in the course of that country's history. His early life appears to have been reasonably unexceptional if you discount the decision not to become a monk and the scandal of fathering illegitimate children (I'm not sure which decision came first!).
The exceptional thing about Rasputin was his claim to have mystical healing powers. It is at this point that the story begins to feel unreal. It's sometimes like teaching a fairy tale.
(Once upon a time...) Rasputin caught the attention of the Tsar and Tsarina (Russian royal family) and they showed particular interest in his ability to heal their son, Alexis who had haemophilia, a disease where blood does not clot. This mystical ability ensured Rasputin's place at court and he continued to have influence over the affairs of government. This increased when the Tsar took charge of the Russian war effort.
On one level, this is an incredible journey for a man to go on. Imagine being born a Russian peasant and wind up in palaces exchanging polite conversation with the Russian aristocracy. Indeed, he was often accused of more than just polite conversation with a number of the ladies of court; even the Tsarina. On another level, Rasputin was seen as a leader of drunkenness, debauchery and scandal. Some accused him of working for the Germans or even having the Tsarina under some kind of spell. Again, I have to stop and pinch myself to check that I'm teaching reality not Disney.
Even his eventual death sounds like the ending to a low budget thriller. Given the scandal which Rasputin attracted, it seemed clear that he had to be got rid of. Some have even accused MI6 of carrying out this murder (James Bond?).
Some attribute the murder to some Russian aristocrats who plotted to initially poison Rasputin and when this didn't work shoot him with a revolver in the chest. The plotters left him to work out how to remove his body when according to Lazovert (who admitted to being a part of the conspiracy):
"The door was slowly pushed open, and there was Rasputin on his hands and knees, the bloody froth gushing from his mouth, his terrible eyes bulging from their sockets. With an amazing strength he sprang toward the door that led into the gardens"
Eventually, two more bullets, a bunch of heavy chains and a hole in the ice ensured that Rasputin was both dead and at the bottom of the nearest river. His frozen body was eventually found by a policeman but the mystery of these events continues until today.
For the Tsar and Tsarina, the assassination did little to help their awful reputation and Russia was overthrown in Revolution in February 1917. Indeed, the entire royal family were (or weren't they?) killed in equally mysterious circumstances in 1918. Whatever the truth, don't let anyone tell you that History is boring (Hollywood and Walt Disney would struggle to do better) and don't study Russian history unless you have a strong stomach for violence and tragedy.
