Rasputin's Interest in Olga Nicholaevna

The reports were made by both Tyutcheva and Vishnyakova about Rasputin coming into their rooms and trying to molest them.

 Tyutcheva was the first at person Im aware of within the Court to attempt to slander Rasputin , the governess of the Grand-Duchesses.   Along with the other charges you guys brought up, there was the allegation that Rasputin had raped and stolen her virginity . When the Tzar looked in to the matter, she was found in bed with a cossack officer.
"At the time of her residence in the palace at Tsarskoe Selo Rasputin's influence had scarcely been felt at all by the Emperor or Empress, although he was an intimate friend of other members of the Romanov family. But Mlle. Tutcheva spread abroad a series of the most amazing falsehoods in which Rasputin figured as a constant visitor and virtually the spiritual guardian of the Imperial Family. I do not wish to repeat these stories, but merely to give an idea of their preposterous nature I will say that she represented Rasputin as having the freedom of the nurseries and even the bedchambers of the young Grand Duchesses. According to tales purported to have their origin with her, Rasputin was in the habit of bathing the children and afterward talking with them, sitting on their beds"  -Anna Vyrubova
The Tsar then intervened, and Alexandra tried to let the matter go, not because her faith was shaken., but because she knew that theTzar was reluctant to dismiss anyone connected to the court.
".  .For a short time after this Mlle. Tutcheva remained at Court, but being a rather stupid and very obstinate woman, she continued her campaign of intrigue. She managed to influence Princess Oblenskaya, long a favorite lady in waiting, until she entirely estranged her from the Empress. She even began to speak to the children against their own mother, until the Empress, who felt herself powerless against the woman, actually refused to visit the nurseries, and when she wanted her children near her sent for them to come to her private apartments...Then Mlle. Tutcheva was summarily dismissed and sent back to her home in Moscow. ..that this incident was magnified beyond all proper proportions, and the former over-governess of the Imperial children was represented as a poor victim of Rasputin, a man whom she had never seen and who probably never knew of her existence. The last I ever heard of Mlle. Tutcheva, who, by the way, was a niece of the esteemed poet Tutcheva, she was living in Moscow, under the special protection of the Bolshevik Government. Her cousin, the former Bishop Vladimir Putiata, I understand has for several years been a great favorite of those Communists who have prosecuted such brave and fearless opponents of church despoilment as the unhappy Patriarch Tikhon and others. "    -Anna Vyrubova

Thanks Brendan. Now I remember where I read the story. The only thing I was wrong about was that I thought Tutchyeva left on her own decision. But according to this story she was ultimately dismissed.

From what I recall reading, it was Vishnyakova and not Tyutcheva who said she had been a virgin until raped by Rasputin. Please let me know if I have this wrong!

From what I recall reading, it was Vishnyakova and not Tyutcheva who said she had been a virgin until raped by Rasputin. Please let me know if I have this wrong!

I'm not too sure on this, but I still know that Alix was appalled at anyone who "slandered" against Rasputin because after all, he was a Holy man(at least to Alix )

I have just finish a book about Mr. Gibbs, the tutor of OTMAA.

In this book it´s said that Tyutcheva alerted the Tzar, about the visits of Rasputin to the Grand Duchesses rooms. It coincided with the roumour wich in those days was in Palace ,about Vishnyakova, who it was said had lost her virginity presumable by Rasputin.

The Tzar prohibited Rasputin to visit her daugthers. When Alexandra knew this, dimissed both woman, Tyutcheva and Vishnyakova.

I know this question may seem a bit stupid, but I was raised to believe that getting drunk is un-holy.  Did Alexandra ever question Rasputin’s habits? Did the fact that he drank until he was out of it bother her in any way? Because you never know what people can be capable of in that state. Again, sorry for the silliness of it all

I think that Rasputin had two faces, two or more ....

Really an strange personage Rasputin¡.

He was very intelligent, i belive, and he knew very well what the Empress wanted, and he gived her. He played perfectly the rol of saint when he was with her. So perfectly, that Alexandra couldn´t imagine how kind of man he was.

When roumours about him arrived to AP, she never belived them...she always thought that it was a plot against him because of jealousys.

The nexus between him and the Empress, was Anna Vourynova, the best friend of Alexandra. He played the same rol with her, than with Alexandra.

Alexandra was a woman with an enourmous faith, because of circunstances (basicly Alexei´s illness), she deposites her faith in Rasputin.

Nicholas, i think, was more critical towards him, but he was so influenced by his wife that finally her oppinion was the opinion of all the family (her family).

that remark about the history channel never getting facts right is so true i remember once in a documentry them saying that the empress alexandra was king edward VII cousin whens she actually his neice

There's probably little doubt he was attracted to the girls, lol. But assuming anything came from that is a jump. If it had it would have been hushed up anyway.

Didn't Grand Duchess Xenia write a letter where she remarked on Rasputin visiting Olga and Tatiana's bedroom and sitting on their beds and stroking their hair while they were in their nighties? That's not very far from 'while they were undressing', and I would have thought that was highly improper for any man other than their father.

Ann

Didn't Grand Duchess Xenia write a letter where she remarked on Rasputin visiting Olga and Tatiana's bedroom and sitting on their beds and stroking their hair while they were in their nighties? That's not very far from 'while they were undressing', and I would have thought that was highly improper for any man other than their father.

Ann

That sounds familiar, but I'm not absolutely certain about it. I do know that Ksenia was supposedly embarrassed by the murder of Rasputin, and she did write to Maria Fyodorovna, "Sleep little, there is a rumour Rasputin has been murdered!" So while we know that she likely didn't see Rasputin fairly often, she supposedly held no ill will toward him. If she did indeed write a letter as such, she likely would've been reporting that she found it odd or something of the sort, as it doesn't seem that she would write it in a scandalous manner based on what we know of her in regards to Rasputin. It's also possible that she heard the rumours about him visiting the girls in states of undress, and mentioned the rumours in a letter - not necessarily that she knew it happened, but that she had heard it happened. I did search though, and could not find any mention of such a letter elsewhere, so I'm not certain that it existed - it's possible it may have been someone else, or just something wrongly written somewhere. Either way, the rumours have been there, and as far as we know, they weren't true. Rumours exist often for one reason - shock or general interest toward a person(s) or story.


In response to the thread's topic, I'm certain he was likely attracted to all of the girls - while we have no proof of that, we know that Rasputin was a sexual being, and by the time he was murdered, all of the girls would have been developed enough to spark sexual attraction. I don't believe Alix would have believed it if she had heard, since she was very much against the slandering of Rasputin, though I'm not certain if Nikolai would have believed it - if he had even known about it. If he did, it's also possible Alix would've convinced him otherwise. From what we know, it's not as if Rasputin was banished from seeing the girls, so if he was attracted to them, it didn't seem like much of an issue.

I thought that that story line came from The Last Grand Duchess by Vorres.  I think that Massie picked it up and included it in N&A.

I didn't think it was Ksenia who made the observation but Olga Alexandrovna.

I could be wrong (and I probably am) but that nags at the back of my mind.

I didn't think it was Ksenia who made the observation but Olga Alexandrovna.

I could be wrong (and I probably am) but that nags at the back of my mind.

Maybe i'm wrong with you, Alixz, but OA sounds a better guess to me, too. It seems easier to me because OA visited the girls at TS much more than X did and, most of all, she "lived their lives" in a certain sense. But who knows?