Discussions about Russian History > Rasputin

Rasputin's Murder

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BobAtchison:
I think there are other reasons for the murder of Rasputin.  I'll try and take the time this weekend to write up my own theory.

James Hogland:
I read in some account of the murder that Rasputin's daughter, Maria, scoffed at the attempt to poison her father. She said he did not like sweet wine and rarely ever drank wine lie maderia, not did he like pastry cakes and did not eat them either. This is all from memory and I can't verify the facts. One must remember that the only account of what went on in that basement room comes from Yusupov, and he changed his story several times. There is some indication that other members of the imperial family were present and took part besides GD Dimiti, namely several of the Konstanovich princes, John (Ioann) and Igor, and that other family members supported the conspiracy.

BeenaBobba:
I personally don't think the British secret service was involved.  Frankly, the murder was too "sloppy" and inefficient to have been an offical execution - but maybe they wanted it to look like that.  Can you say conspiracy?  I'm only joking.  I haven't seen any evidence to back up that claim.  But perhaps it's possible.

I think the accounts of his murder (by poisoning, etc.) were exaggerated to some degree or another by Yussupov.    Rasputin had this larger-than-life persona that had people gossiping left and right even before he died.  I think this persona (while probably exaggerated) was not wholly unfounded.  I think it's possible that Felix Yussupov more or less told the people what they wanted to hear; I think he might have made Rasputin's death seem much eerier than it probably was so that it's accounts confirmed everyone's deep suspicions.  So, in a way, his playing up to that would have justified his murderous actions in the eyes of the public.  And indeed it did.

But, of course, Rasputin truly was an evil man.  I just don't know if killing him was the only option.  I think there could have been non-violent means of keeping him away from the Imperial Family.  

I've actually heard speculations that Rasputin was possessed by the devil.  That certainly would explain his superhuman strength and "hypnotic powers" if that were true.  As a believing Roman Catholic Christian, I don't think this can be rejected outright, especially if one believes Rasputin was directly related to the fall of the Romanov dynasty who, while I dislike their methods of ruling, did protect the Orthodox Church and its believers to some degree or another - only to be replaced by atheistic and oppressive Commies.  I don't agree with the Russian Tsarist regime, but Communism was far worse.

I certainly love speculating and hearing theories on this.  They're all interesting.

Take care,

Jennifer Benjamin

Greg_King:

--- Quote ---I read in some account of the murder that Rasputin's daughter, Maria, scoffed at the attempt to poison her father. She said he did not like sweet wine and rarely ever drank wine lie maderia, not did he like pastry cakes and did not eat them either. This is all from memory and I can't verify the facts. One must remember that the only account of what went on in that basement room comes from Yusupov, and he changed his story several times. There is some indication that other members of the imperial family were present and took part besides GD Dimiti, namely several of the Konstanovich princes, John (Ioann) and Igor, and that other family members supported the conspiracy.
--- End quote ---


Through my research it seems (and this from a number of official documents including the original Petrograd police report) that those present were not the Konstantinovichii but rather at least two of the sons of Xenia and Sandro-Feodor and another.  The actress Vera Karelli was also, I believe, present, as were several other woman.  This would have given the affair more the appearance of the "party" Felix says he suggested to Rasputin.  But then in this murder-as with many things in his life and in his memoirs-Felix lied-he is notoriously unreliable on a number of things, and I don't for a minute believe his version of the murder itself.

Greg King

Greg_King:
Hi Jennifer-

Your points about Felix being unreliable are well-founded, but I have to say I strongly disagree with the characterization of Rasputin as "an evil man."  This probably isn't a popular position to take, but of anyone involved in the last years of the Dynasty and even the murder of the Romanovs, I think Rasputin's got the worst of it, for nearly a hundred years now.  There's nothing supernatural about his murder, nor about his having studied and learned hypnosis, which he did in Petersburg around 1912.  But his study of hypnosis had, I don't think, anything to do with his ability to alleviate Alexei's symptoms-it happened too many times, and a distance, when there was no interaction.  And while the idea that Bob Massie proposed in his book of Rasputin's assurances having a calming effect on Alix that she then transmitted to Alexei might have some support, in many cases Alexei wasn't conscious and would not have been subject to this kind of influence.

There have been far too many myths built up round Rasputin and while there is a lot of information and evidence that helps correct them and put things into proper perspective no one has yet done so-Radzinsky's book was worthless in that respect.  I have no problem believing that which was most obvious-that he had certain powers-certainly what Nicholas and Alix themselves believed.  It always amazes me that so many of those who later wrote memoirs and were Russian-and thus raised in a Church that recognized the supernatural and miracles-should deny this basic tenet of the faith when it came to Rasputin-from resentment, jealousy, and belief in rumor and innuendo.  Rasputin was, no doubt, a complex but simple man who found himself in over his head, and nothing in his life indicates any intentional evil.  He-like the rest of humanity-succumbed to temptations-which in his case-being surrounded by power-seeking sycophants-often took the form of reprehensible behavior.  His drinking (often exaggerated) was responsible for much of this-but it helps explain how he acted-he was, after all, a peasant, uneducated, moving through this strange world and being offered things at every turn.  While not innocent, he certainly wasn't evil in the sense that I think you mean.

Greg King

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