And while it’s true we still don’t know a lot about Rasputin and his life, historical records have allowed us to distinguish between fact and fiction. Rasputin Fact or Fictionĭue to his closeness to the royal family, as well as the political situation at the time, public knowledge of Rasputin is the result of rumors, speculation, and propaganda. However, despite the falsity of many of the stories surrounding Rasputin, his story is still an interesting one, and it’s a great reminder of how just how malleable history can be. But this destabilization was already underway before Rasputin emerged onto the scene, and within a year of Rasputin’s death, Nicholas II and his family were murdered and Russia was changed forever. Different political leaders and members of the nobility were looking for ways to undermine the Tsar’s power, and Rasputin, an unknown, rather strange religious man who came out of nowhere to become close with the royal family proved to be the perfect scapegoat.Īs a result, all sorts of stories were thrown about meant to tarnish his name and destabilize the Russian government. Political tensions were high, and the country was very unstable. Why, then, are there so many legends about this exceptionally unimportant Russian mystic? Well, he rose to prominence in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution. Instead, the self-proclaimed holy man was merely in the right place at the right time in history.
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Yet his healing powers and political influence are gross exaggerations. But not everything we know about Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin is made up.įor example, he was known for having a strong sexual appetite, and he did manage to get exceptionally close to the imperial family for someone of such a humble background.
![rasputin boney m album cover rasputin boney m album cover](https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000643379998-fxk1nd-t500x500.jpg)
![rasputin boney m album cover rasputin boney m album cover](https://c.saavncdn.com/606/Ultimate-2-0-English-2011-20180331045141-500x500.jpg)
It’s fun to believe they are true, but the reality is that many of them are not. However, many of these stories are just that: stories. Other tales indicate he was a man who went from being a poor, nameless peasant to one of the Tsar’s most trusted advisors in a matter of just a few short years, perhaps more proof he possessed some special or even magical powers. The stories told about this so-called “Mad Monk” suggest he possessed some magical powers, or that he had a special connection to God.īut they also suggest he was a sex-crazed maniac who used his position of power to seduce women and engage in all sorts of sins that would be considered terrible now and unspeakable back then. When people hear the name Grigori Rasputin, their minds almost immediately begin to wander.