Well, it can be discussed whether he had any political effect in Russia but I do consider him having effect through the Tsarina. As well I´m not totally sure all the things mentioned below are all facts. Anyway, quite an interesting person who could be discussed further on.... http://homepage.eircom.net/~pbarry/ras2/ Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin was born in Tobolsk, far away from the Imperial Capital of St. Petersburg, in 1871. This randy mystic from Siberia arrived in St. Petersburg in 1911 and within a few years had become one of the most influential men in government circles. His ability to remain in such a high position despite widely publicized bouts of drinking and womanizing is no doubt the source of tremendous envy among political figures. Rasputin's rise to preeminence was due to his close relationship with Nicholas II's wife, Alexandra. The heir to the throne, Alexis, suffered from hemophaelia, and only Rasputin could do what the top medical professors could not: he could stop the boy's bleeding. Because of this, Alexandra believed he was a holy man sent to protect Alexis . In the spring of 1915, at the urging of Alexandra (and Rasputin), the Tsar took total command of the Russian army fighting in World War I, from his relative, the Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaievich. Nicholas did this despite protests from within the Imperial government. This, while it boosted morale at first, eventually helped lead to the downfall of the Romanovs. Rasputin is as famous for his death as he is for his life. At the end of 1916, a group of aristocrats in cahoots with the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich (a cousin of Nicholas II) decided that Rasputin's influence had grown too great and that he had to be killed in order to save Russia. They lured him to the Yusupovsky Palace on the pretext that Prince Felix Yusupovsky would introduce Rasputin to his beautiful wife. Rasputin was led to the cellar and fed poisoned cakes and wine, but these did affect him. Yusupovsky then shot the monk at point blank range and Rasputin collapsed on the floor. When Yusupov went to tell his fellow conspirators the good news, they sent him back to make sure he had done the job. On returning to inspect the body, Rasputin suddenly regained consciousness and started to throttle poor Yusupov, who needless to say was completely scared out of his wits. The Prince fled the cellar, screaming for help; when they returned Rasputin was gone. They found him in the yard crawling towards the gate and proceeded to shoot and bludgeon him. They then bound him and tossed him into the river. When Rasputin's body was found, his bonds were broken and his lungs were filled with water, showing that he didn't actually die until he was submerged in the frozen waters. http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/r/Rasputin.html
That crazy man obviously had a very deep impact in History since the Czharina had a lot of influence on her husband and her husband was Russia's autocrat and supreme military commander. Rasputin's 'advices' only speeded up the crisis that brought German 'victory' in the eastern front and the collapse of the Romanov Empire.
The one question that has never been answer was what caused the bleeding to stop? I am sure it was nothing that he did. What he did do was manipulate the Czarina to get those who were a threat to him removed from the court or at least limited their access to the Czar. He was a con man and I cannot figure what would cause beautiful aristocratic women to go for this guy.
Well, this is totally guessing but as Rasputin had nothing real medicine to use-as the only spesific method is to give the missing clotting factor intravenously- it is propable that he used hypnosis, through which the patient became calmer and the bleeding thus might stop more easily. Often these patients have bleeding into the knee or other joints which are quite painful, and through hypnosis rasputin might have relieved the pain caused by the bleeding as well.
To be honest I am still amazed if he had any special means to to stop the bleeding. So, anyone else read about him or his secrets? Just pure luck?
