Gregory Rasputin (1871-1916) Profile: Russian peasant mystic monk who was an influential figure at the Tsar’s court from 1905 until his death. Rasputin, who led a debauched private life, owed his position to his hypnotic healing power over the heir to the throne, the Tsarevitch Alexei (1904-18), a haemophiliac. From 1911 Rasputin, confidant in the protection of the Tsarina interfered in politics securing for his nominees the highest appointments in the Church and State. At the …showed first 75 words of 621 total…

…showed last 75 words of 621 total…This time no mistake was made. Rasputin’s body was retrieved from the icy waters of the River Neva some days later. The murder of ‘Our Friend’ (as the Tsar and Tsarina regularly referred to him in their correspondence) did nothing to avert the Revolution. It came too late to have any effect upon the course of events, and in any case Rasputin was much more a symptom than a cause of Russia’s ills.