Tears invisible to the world. Who was Grigory Rasputin really?

IN Russian history beginning of the 20th century there is no more interesting figure than Grigory Rasputin. A peasant who came from nowhere managed to achieve an incredible position, essentially subjugating the royal couple, which greatly contributed to the fall of the monarchy in Russia.

If for domestic historians of the Soviet period Rasputin was still a minor figure, then in the West entire volumes of research were willingly devoted to him.

But the charisma of the “holy elder” affected not only scientists - the image of a bearded man in a red Russian shirt turned out to be in demand in Western culture. Films, cartoons, performances, songs - Rasputin for the Western world has become the same symbol of Russia as the matryoshka doll, vodka and balalaika.

In our country, the figure of Rasputin did not cause a stir. Perhaps drinking Russian peasants in the 1990s were excited by the German vodka of the same name, where the old man was twice “depicted on the bottle.”

On the threshold of “rehabilitation”

However, recently there has been a tendency to revise the existing image of Rasputin as a dubious personality and a successful swindler. “Declassified documents” allegedly indicate that the “elder” led a very ascetic lifestyle, was not any “great machine of love” and was a righteous man.

In truth, this turn of events was to be expected. The current “historical rehabilitation” of Grigory Rasputin was seen as inevitable just a few years ago.

The miraculous transformation of Rasputin into a righteous man would have greatly amused his contemporaries. Russians of the 21st century would probably also be surprised if they learned that their descendants in the 22nd century praise “miracles” Grigory Grabovoi.

But who really was Grigory Efimovich Rasputin and what role did he actually play in Russian history?

Grigory Rasputin surrounded by women. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Coachman, don't drive...

His biography is quite confusing, and Grigory Efimovich himself had a hand in this. The difficulties begin with the date of birth, which “walks” from 1864 to 1872.

Some historians believe that Rasputin himself “added years to himself” in order to better fit the role of an “old man.”

In fact, Grigory Efimovich did not at all look like an “old man” - at the time of his tragic death in 1916, he was about 50 years old.

He was born into the family of a coachman in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tyumen district, Tobolsk province. Grisha did not study for a day at school and had no education whatsoever.

Ill since childhood, Gregory sought healing in religion, traveling to holy places. In 1890 he married Praskovya Fedorovna Dubrovina, who bore him three children.

In general, most of the information about Rasputin’s young years came from himself, and it is impossible to be sure that Grigory Efimovich was telling the truth.

“Miracle! Miracle!

Marriage did not stop Rasputin’s wanderings, and after one of his trips he suddenly announced that he had miraculous powers to heal people.

It should be noted here that the institution of healing in Russia did not arise at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. There was always an abundance of people who declared themselves shamans, sorcerers, magicians, “men of God” in Rus', so Rasputin was by no means unique here.

In 1903, Grigory Rasputin first appeared in St. Petersburg, already having behind him the glory of a “man of God” endowed with a “gift.” Among Rasputin's adherents there are also very influential people, including representatives of the church.

There is nothing surprising in this - “officials in the church,” of whom there were many at all times, needed people who performed miracles “in God’s name.” Of course, under strict and attentive control. Rasputin seemed a very suitable candidate.

For many years, historians have been arguing - did Rasputin have the ability to hypnosis? Quite possible. In any case, he knew how to influence people to achieve his goals perfectly.

So, during his first visit to St. Petersburg in 1903, Rasputin met Rector of the Theological Academy Bishop Sergius, and also Inspector of the St. Petersburg Academy Archimandrite Feofan.

They learn about the “holy elder” in the circles of high society society in St. Petersburg, and a stream of elite representatives suffering from health and spiritual grace begins to reach out to the righteous Gregory.

Why suddenly educated and smart people start to believe a peasant with a dubious biography? This phenomenon is more a part of psychology and psychiatry, rather than historical science.

It existed both before and after Rasputin. In the early 1980s scientist Abai Borubaev And psychic Mirza Kymbatbaev They put together a sect in the USSR, into which representatives of creative circles joined in rows and columns in search of grace. Huge amounts of donations flowed to the creators of the sect, made by smart, educated and successful people. This story ended tragically - by order of the head of the sect, its adherents beat to death one of the members of the “brotherhood”, the famous Soviet actor, star of “Pirates of the 20th Century” Talgat Nigmatulin.

"The Great Love Machine"

But let's return to Rasputin. Already in 1903, in the Tobolsk province, local priests signaled that the “elder” was “healing” the high society ladies who came to him in too strange a way. For some reason, getting rid of worldly passions takes place in a bathhouse, half-dressed, with actions that somehow do not look very much like pacifying the flesh.

Rasputin was accused of heresy, but the case was successfully hushed up. Supporters of Rasputin say that due to the lack of evidence of a crime, opponents claim that influential fans stood up for the “old man.”

The “bath days” will haunt Rasputin until his death, and they, in fact, will give rise to the legend of the “great Russian love machine.”

Here we must not forget that the “old man” by that time was less than 40 years old, his sexual health is evidenced by the presence of three children, the ladies who came to him were very good-looking and, unlike Siberian peasant women, very well-groomed.

Gradually the fame of the “holy elder” reaches the royal court and personally Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

At the Russian court, as it happened historically, there was a staff of hangers-on who posed as holy fools, soothsayers, healers and the like. During times Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna, this phenomenon blossomed in full bloom.

There were reasons for this - the queen could not give birth to an heir and was ready to believe in anything in order to achieve her desired goal. Her husband was a gentle man, he loved his wife sincerely, tried not to contradict her and, most importantly, also dreamed of a son.

Caricature of the Russian royal house. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Physician to the Tsarevich

And then a blow fell on the royal couple - the heir suffered from hemophilia, that is, inability to coagulate blood. This disease is transmitted through the female line, but only men suffer from it.

Let's digress from the royal status of the Romanovs. Ordinary parents learn that their son is doomed to suffer all his life from a terrible disease that will most likely lead him to a young grave. The mother knows that it was her genes that “gave” this disease to her son. Terrible pain, terrible guilt. And when a child begins to suffer from terrible pain, you will do anything and believe in anything just to save him from suffering.

And then Grigory Rasputin appears on the horizon, who, according to him, later stories, appeared in St. Petersburg at the behest of the Mother of God to heal the prince.

On November 1, 1905, at the height of the first Russian revolution, Nicholas II met Grigory Rasputin in person for the first time. In his diary, the emperor wrote: “We drove to Sergievka for 4 hours. We drank tea with Militsa and Stana. We met the man of God - Gregory from Tobolsk province."

We must pay tribute to the imperial couple - Rasputin was not allowed to see the prince right away. But in 1907, the best doctors began to throw up their hands and mentally prepare parents for the imminent death of their son. And in one of these moments of complete despair, Alexandra Feodorovna called on Rasputin. The “elder” came and... relieved the boy’s attack.

Let's be objective - apparently, Grigory Rasputin really alleviated the suffering of the prince. Whether it was hypnosis, extrasensory abilities, God's grace - this can be debated. But the fact that Rasputin really helped Tsarevich Alexei can hardly be denied.

From that moment on, both Alexandra Fedorovna and Nicholas II himself were ready to pray for Rasputin. And who can blame them for this?

Rasputin addiction

Moreover, Rasputin himself declares: “The Tsarevich will be alive as long as I am alive.” He couldn’t think of a better safe conduct for himself.

And Rasputin enjoyed his newfound power. Gradually, he began to influence the solution of government issues, explaining his ideas with “visions.” After some time, people appointed to government positions in the empire were forced to go through the “Rasputin filter.”

Before the outbreak of the First World War, only revolutionaries openly criticized what was happening. Abroad they look at all this as Russian exotica.

But when Rasputin begins to get involved in personnel and even military decisions during the First World War, even to the point of replacing the Commander-in-Chief, this causes general rejection.

Members of the royal family are trying to influence the ruling couple, saying that all this is becoming dangerous for the prestige of the monarchy. Alexandra Fedorovna refuses to listen to critics.

Failures at the front fuel passions in society. The State Duma openly opposes Rasputin, people gossip that not only ladies-in-waiting sleep with “Grishka”, but he also cuckolded the sovereign-emperor himself.

Common sense demanded that the source of growing irritation be eliminated—Rasputin removed, at least temporarily. But the empress was not distinguished by her flexibility of character, and most importantly, the well-being of her son interested her most of all.

Colonel Dmitry Loman, Grigory Rasputin and Prince Mikhail Putyatin. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Conspiracy of the Higher Spheres

In 1914, the first attempt was made on Rasputin. He was stabbed in the stomach and seriously wounded Khionia Guseva, who came from Tsaritsyn. The “elder” was sure that he was the victim of a conspiracy, but in the end Khionia was declared mentally ill.

The real conspiracy matured at the end of 1916, and its participants were Prince Felix Yusupov, prominent monarchist Vladimir Purishkevich and even Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich. The participants in the conspiracy believed that it was necessary to rid the monarchy of Rasputin until he himself rid Russia of the monarchy.

The participants in the conspiracy subsequently changed their testimony many times, so it is difficult to absolutely reliably establish the picture of the incident. It is clear that on the evening of December 16, 1916, Prince Yusupov lured Rasputin to the Yusupov Palace on the Moika. There they first tried to poison Rasputin, but potassium cyanide had no effect on him. The conspirators opened fire with pistols, and the “old man” fell. While they were deciding what to do with the body, Rasputin came to his senses and tried to escape. They overtook him only at the high wall of the garden, where they seemed to have finished him off, after which they took the corpse by car to a pre-selected place not far from Kamenny Island and threw it from the bridge into the Neva polynya in such a way that the body ended up under the ice.

The conspirators were let down by amateurism - the body was found quite quickly, and even faster there were witnesses who said that they saw Rasputin entering the house of Prince Yusupov. During the search in the prince's house, so much evidence was found that there was no point in denying it.

Irreversibility

The investigation, however, did not proceed quickly - persons from the royal family participated in the conspiracy, and even the emperor found it difficult to decide to punish the culprits to the fullest extent.

While the process was going on, the February Revolution broke out. After the overthrow of tsarism, no one was interested in the perpetrators of Rasputin’s murder anymore.

His death in December 1916 could no longer affect anything - Rasputinism became the last nail in the coffin of the Russian monarchy.

It is possible to understand the motives that forced Alexandra Fedorovna to stick to Rasputin. But what is excusable for an ordinary mother, exhausted by her son’s illness, is unforgivable for the empress.

History judges monarchs much more harshly than ordinary people.

But a hundred years later, it seems to someone that history has a subjunctive mood and it can be changed by “drawing” an improved version of it instead of the image of the real Rasputin.

Grigory Rasputin is a famous and controversial personality in national history, which has been debated for a century. His life is filled with a mass of inexplicable events and facts related to his proximity to the emperor’s family and influence on the fate of the Russian Empire. Some historians consider him an immoral charlatan and a swindler, while others are confident that Rasputin was a real seer and healer, which allowed him to gain influence over the royal family.

Rasputin Grigory Efimovich was born on January 21, 1869 in the family of a simple peasant Efim Yakovlevich and Anna Vasilievna, who lived in the village of Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk province. The day after his birth, the boy was baptized in a church with the name Gregory, which means “awake.”

Grisha became the fourth and only surviving child of his parents - his older brothers and sisters died in infancy due to poor health. At the same time, he was also weak from birth, so he could not play enough with his peers, which became the reason for his isolation and craving for solitude. It was in early childhood that Rasputin felt an attachment to God and religion.

At the same time, he tried to help his father graze cattle, drive a cab, harvest crops and participate in any agricultural work. There was no school in the Pokrovsky village, so Grigory grew up illiterate, like all his fellow villagers, but he stood out among others because of his illness, for which he was considered defective.

At the age of 14, Rasputin became seriously ill and was almost dying, but suddenly his condition began to improve, which, according to him, happened thanks to the Mother of God, who healed him. From that moment, Gregory began to deeply understand the Gospel and, not even knowing how to read, was able to memorize the texts of the prayers. During that period, the gift of foresight awakened in the peasant son, which later prepared for him a dramatic fate.

Monk Grigory Rasputin

At the age of 18, Grigory Rasputin made his first pilgrimage to the Verkhoturye Monastery, but decided not to take a monastic vow, but to continue wandering through the holy places of the world, reaching the Greek Mount Athos and Jerusalem. Then he managed to establish contacts with many monks, wanderers and representatives of the clergy, which in the future historians associated with the political meaning of his activities.

Royal family

The biography of Grigory Rasputin changed its direction in 1903, when he arrived in St. Petersburg, and the palace doors opened before him. At the very beginning of his arrival in the capital Russian Empire The “experienced wanderer” did not even have a means of subsistence, so he turned to the rector of the theological academy, Bishop Sergius, for help. He introduced him to the confessor of the royal family, Archbishop Feofan, who by that time had already heard about Rasputin’s prophetic gift, legends about which were spread throughout the country.

Grigory Efimovich met Emperor Nicholas II during a difficult time for Russia. Then the country was gripped by political strikes and revolutionary movements aimed at overthrowing the tsarist government. It was during that period that a simple Siberian peasant managed to make a powerful impression on the tsar, which made Nicholas II want to talk for hours with the wanderer-seer.

Thus, the “elder” acquired enormous influence on the imperial family, especially on. Historians are confident that Rasputin’s rapprochement with the imperial family occurred thanks to Gregory’s help in treating his son and heir to the throne, Alexei, who had hemophilia, against which traditional medicine was powerless in those days.

There is a version that Grigory Rasputin was not only a healer for the tsar, but also a chief adviser, as he had the gift of clairvoyance. “The man of God,” as the peasant was called in the royal family, knew how to look into the souls of people and reveal to Emperor Nicholas all the thoughts of the closest tsar’s associates, who received high positions at the Court only after agreement with Rasputin.

In addition, Grigory Efimovich participated in all government affairs, trying to protect Russia from a world war, which, in his conviction, would bring untold suffering to the people, general discontent and revolution. This was not part of the plans of the instigators of world war, who plotted against the seer, aimed at eliminating Rasputin.

Conspiracy and murder

Before committing the murder of Grigory Rasputin, his opponents tried to destroy him spiritually. He was accused of whipping, witchcraft, drunkenness, and depraved behavior. But Nicholas II did not want to take into account any arguments, since he firmly believed in the elder and continued to discuss all state secrets with him.

Therefore, in 1914, an “anti-Rasputin” conspiracy arose, initiated by the prince, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr., who later became the commander-in-chief of all military forces of the Russian Empire during the First World War, and Vladimir Purishkevich, who was an actual state councilor at that time.

It was not possible to kill Grigory Rasputin the first time - he was seriously wounded in the village of Pokrovskoye by Khionia Guseva. During that period, while he was on the verge between life and death, Nicholas II decided to participate in the war and announced mobilization. At the same time, he continued to consult with the recovering seer about the correctness of his military actions, which again was not part of the plans of the royal ill-wishers.

Therefore, it was decided to bring the conspiracy against Rasputin to the end. On December 29 (new style), 1916, the elder was invited to the Palace of Prince Yusupov to meet with the famous beauty, the prince’s wife Irina, who needed the healing help of Grigory Efimovich. There they began to treat him to food and drinks poisoned by poison, but potassium cyanide did not kill Rasputin, which forced the conspirators to shoot him.

After several shots in the back, the elder continued to fight for life and was even able to run out into the street, trying to hide from the killers. After a short chase, accompanied by gunfire, the healer fell to the ground and was severely beaten by his pursuers. Then the exhausted and beaten old man was tied up and thrown from the Petrovsky Bridge into the Neva. According to historians, once in ice water, Rasputin died only a few hours later.

Nicholas II entrusted the investigation into the murder of Grigory Rasputin to the director of the Police Department, Alexei Vasiliev, who got on the “trail” of the killers of the healer. 2.5 months after the death of the elder, Emperor Nicholas II was overthrown from the throne, and the head of the new Provisional Government ordered a hasty end to the investigation into the Rasputin case.

Personal life

The personal life of Grigory Rasputin is as mysterious as his fate. It is known that back in 1900, during a pilgrimage to the holy places of the world, he married a peasant pilgrim like himself, Praskovya Dubrovina, who became his only life partner. Three children were born into the Rasputin family - Matryona, Varvara and Dmitry.

After the murder of Grigory Rasputin, the elder’s wife and children were subjected to repression by the Soviet authorities. They were considered “evil elements” in the country, so in the 1930s everyone peasant farm and the house of Rasputin’s son were nationalized, and the healer’s relatives were arrested by the NKVD and sent to special settlements in the North, after which their trace was completely lost. Only her daughter managed to escape from the hands of Soviet power, who emigrated to France after the revolution and then moved to the USA.

Predictions of Grigory Rasputin

Despite the fact that the Soviet authorities considered the elder a charlatan, the predictions of Grigory Rasputin, which he left on 11 pages, were carefully hidden from the public after his death. In his “testament” to Nicholas II, the seer pointed to the completion of several revolutionary coups in the country and warned the tsar about the murder of the entire imperial family “ordered” by the new authorities.

Rasputin also predicted the creation of the USSR and its inevitable collapse. The elder predicted that Russia would defeat Germany in World War II and become a great power. At the same time, he foresaw terrorism in beginning of XXI century, which will begin to flourish in the West.

In his predictions, Grigory Efimovich did not ignore the problems of Islam, clearly indicating that in a number of countries Islamic fundamentalism is emerging, which modern world called Wahhabism. Rasputin argued that at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, power in the East, namely in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, will be captured by Islamic fundamentalists who will declare “jihad” on the United States.

After this, according to Rasputin’s predictions, a serious military conflict will arise, which will last 7 years and will be the last in human history. True, Rasputin predicted one big battle during this conflict, during which at least a million people would die on both sides.

There is a year left until the centenary of the Great Russian Revolution. And 1917, from which we count modern history of our state, remains largely a mystery. Especially February - the rapid collapse of the empire that took place in just a few days. Strange as it may sound, the underlying causes, springs and the entire course of the rapid February Revolution, which crushed the monarchy and the empire, remain unexplored.

For a long time we were satisfied with simple explanations of Soviet historiography: a revolutionary situation has matured, autocracy has exhausted itself, the upper classes cannot, the lower classes do not want... Then we began to see conspiracies in everything, the influence of dark forces and other people’s money. The time has come for calm, serious and deep analysis. Although it is difficult to remain impartial when it comes to such dramas and tragedies of this magnitude.

Wouldn't it be correct to say that the revolution began in December 1916, when Grigory Efimovich Rasputin was killed in the capital?

If only he himself had not talked so enthusiastically about how he secretly rules Russia, how he manipulates the empress and the autocrat himself. If only they didn't believe him so unconditionally. If only society were not literally spellbound by the exotically wild madness of this gloomy wizard. If only he had not been credited with supernatural abilities and incredible masculine virtues. He himself would definitely have avoided a terrible and painful death during a night dinner in one of the St. Petersburg palaces. And perhaps the lives of many other people would have been saved too.

The Tobolsk peasant Rasputin is credited with a special role in the fate of the last emperor and his family, in the history of the Romanov dynasty, and throughout Russia. Rasputin was killed, the monarchy collapsed.

How did this happen?

The Empress gave birth to four daughters. And they demanded an heir from her, as if giving birth to a boy depended only on her desire. On July 30, 1904, at the height of the Russo-Japanese War, the Empress gave birth to the long-awaited boy. But parental happiness was short-lived. The heir to the Russian throne was terminally ill. Hemophilia is a hereditary disease. The gene defect prevents blood from clotting. Any injury led to bleeding that could not be stopped. In one night, the emperor aged ten years. The illness of Tsarevich Alexei changed the fate of Russia in the twentieth century. The imperial family closed in on itself. All thoughts are about the sick boy.

The Empress did not want to submit to fate. Deeply pious, she was a mystic, which allowed her to hope for a miracle. And it appeared in the guise of the peasant Grigory Rasputin. He was brought to the palace by the confessor of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna, the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Bishop Feofan. He admired Rasputin:

There are still God's people in the world. It is with them that Holy Rus' still holds together.

Several times Tsarevich Alexei felt better at the moment of Rasputin's appearance. Grigory Efimovich was unlikely to be able to stop the bleeding. Rather, his appearance conveniently coincided with the end of another attack. But he could definitely calm down and relieve the boy’s tension and fear.

The appearance of Rasputin near the throne brought some relief to the imperial family and restored hope. But society seemed offended by the proximity of the Tobolsk peasant to the throne. In Petrograd salons they started talking about love triangle- Nikolai, Alexandra and Grigory. In the popular imagination, the Tsar is married to Russia, that is, he should not have a personal life. And therefore society hated his wife, whom he really loved and for whom he did not want to hide his love.

The Empress was accused of all sorts of things! The fact is that she is having an affair with Rasputin. That she let the elder into the grand duchesses’ bedroom. That she tried to poison her own son, that’s why Tsarevich Alexei is so sick. That Alexandra Fedorovna intended to overthrow her husband, take the throne and rule Russia herself. And all these fables were repeated day after day by the most different people! There was a humiliation of power.

And in 1914 the war began. Failures at the front gave rise to rumors of a German conspiracy. There was talk that the Empress's German blood was more valuable than Russian blood! The Empress is a German agent! Insanity? Stupidity? A deliberate attack on the government with the long-term goal of taking power into your own hands? It's time to talk about information war. The German Empress turned into the most convenient target. Rumors of a German conspiracy in palace circles undermined not only the emperor's reputation, but also the morale of the armed forces.

Why did the emperor not respond to the attacks of the opposition? First, he was busy with something he considered more important: the war. Secondly, he considered it beneath his dignity to respond to personal insults. He shouldn’t fight them in a duel...

On December 16, 1916, Rasputin was killed. This was done by Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich - cousin of Nicholas II, Prince Felix Yusupov, married to the Tsar's niece, and monarchist Purishkevich. This was a terrible blow for the unfortunate mother - the empress believed that only Rasputin was able to reduce the suffering of her sick son.

If we think sensibly: what bad did Grigory Efimovich Rasputin do to Russia? And isn’t it funny to say that he destroyed the empire? Well, did the Tobolsk peasant come to St. Petersburg and the empire collapsed?

It has now been documented: none of what he said about himself and what others said about him happened! There were simply people who were jealous of Rasputin's position on the throne, there were those who used him for their own political purposes, and those who hated him. They killed Rasputin. This story received a huge response! Thus they shook the throne. The monarchy collapsed, the Bolsheviks came to power, the Civil War began, and Russia washed itself in blood.

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RASPUTIN'S PERSONALITY

In appearance, Rasputin was a real Russian peasant. He was a strong man, of average height. His light gray, sharp eyes were set deep. His gaze was piercing. Only a few could stand it. It contained a suggestive force, against which only rare people could resist. He wore long hair that flowed over his shoulders, which made him look like a monk or priest. His brown hair was heavy and thick.

Rasputin did not rank clergy highly. He was a believer, but did not pretend to be, he prayed little and reluctantly, he loved, however, to talk about God, to have long conversations on religious topics and, despite his lack of education, he loved to philosophize. He was greatly interested in the spiritual life of man. He was an expert on the human psyche, which was of great help to him. He did not like regular work, as he was lazy, but could, if necessary, work hard physically. At times physical work was necessary for him.

Countless legends have gathered around Rasputin. I do not intend to compete with the authors of all sorts of scandalous stories and want only to convey my observations of the real Rasputin.

Rasputin had a bump on his forehead, which he carefully covered with his long hair. He always carried a comb with him, with which he combed his long, shiny and always oiled hair. His beard was almost always in disarray. Rasputin only occasionally brushed her with a brush. In general, he was quite clean and often bathed, but at the table he behaved with little culture. He used a knife and fork only on rare occasions and preferred to take food from plates with his bony and dry fingers. He tore large pieces like an animal. Only a few could look at him without disgust. His mouth was very large, but instead of teeth, some black roots were visible in it. While eating, food remnants often got stuck in his beard. He never ate meat, sweets or cakes. His favorite dishes were potatoes and vegetables, which were brought to him by his admirers. Rasputin was not anti-alcoholic, but he did not hold vodka in high regard either. Of other drinks, he preferred Madeira and port. He was accustomed to sweet wines in monasteries and could tolerate them in very large quantities. In his clothing, Rasputin always remained faithful to his peasant attire. He wore a Russian shirt, belted with a silk cord, wide trousers, high boots and a hoodie over his shoulders. In St. Petersburg, he willingly put on silk shirts, which were embroidered for him and presented to him by the queen and his admirers. With them, he also wore high patent leather boots.

Rasputin loved to teach people. But he spoke little and limited himself to short, abrupt and often even incomprehensible phrases. Everyone had to listen carefully to him, since he had a very high opinion of his words.

Rasputin's admirers can be divided into two categories. Some believed in his supernatural powers and his holiness, in his divine purpose, while others simply considered it fashionable to look after him or tried to achieve some advantages for themselves or their loved ones through him. When Rasputin was reproached for his weakness for the female sex, he usually replied that his guilt was not so great, since many high-ranking officials directly hang their mistresses and even wives around his neck in order to achieve some benefits from him for themselves. . And most of these women entered into intimate relationship with him with the consent of their husbands or relatives. Rasputin had admirers who visited him on holidays to congratulate him, and at the same time hugged his tar-soaked boots. Rasputin, laughing, said that on such days he especially generously smears his boots with tar so that the elegant ladies lying at his feet would get more dirty on their silk dresses.

His fabulous success with the royal couple made him some kind of deity. All St. Petersburg officials were in a state of excitement. One word from Rasputin was enough for officials to receive high orders or other distinctions. Therefore, everyone sought his support. Rasputin had more power than any high official.

You didn’t need any special knowledge or talent to make the most brilliant career with his help. Rasputin's whim was enough for this.

Assignments that required long-term service were carried out by Rasputin in a few hours. He brought people positions that they had never dared to dream of before. He was an all-powerful miracle worker, but at the same time more accessible and reliable than some high-ranking person or general.

No tsar's favorite has ever achieved such power in Russia as he did.

Rasputin did not try to adopt the manners and habits of well-bred St. Petersburg society. He behaved in aristocratic salons with impossible rudeness.

Apparently, he deliberately showed his peasant rudeness and bad manners.

It was an amazing picture when Russian princesses, countesses, famous artists, all-powerful ministers and high-ranking officials courted a drunken man. He treated them worse than footmen and maids. At the slightest provocation, he scolded these aristocratic ladies in the most obscene manner and in words that would make the grooms blush. His impudence was indescribable.

He treated ladies and girls from society in the most unceremonious manner, and the presence of their husbands and fathers did not bother him at all. His behavior would have outraged the most notorious prostitute, but despite this, there were almost no cases when anyone showed their indignation. Everyone was afraid of him and flattered him. The ladies kissed his food-stained hands and did not disdain his black nails. Without using cutlery, at the table he distributed pieces of food among his fans with his hands, and they tried to assure him that they considered this some kind of bliss. It was disgusting to watch such scenes. But Rasputin’s guests got used to this and accepted it all with unprecedented patience.

I have no doubt that Rasputin often behaved outrageously and disgracefully in order to show his hatred of the nobility. With special love, he cursed and mocked the nobility, called them dogs and claimed that not a drop of Russian blood flowed in the veins of any nobleman. When talking with peasants or his daughters, he did not use a single swear word. His daughters had a special room and never entered rooms where guests were. The room of Rasputin's daughters was well furnished, and from it a door led to the kitchen, in which Rasputin's nieces Nyura and Katya lived, who watched his daughters. Rasputin's own rooms were almost completely empty and contained very little of the cheapest furniture. The table in the dining room was never covered with a tablecloth. Only in the work room there were several leather armchairs, and this was the only more or less decent room in the entire apartment. This room served as a place for intimate meetings between Rasputin and representatives of high St. Petersburg society. These scenes usually proceeded with impossible simplicity, and Rasputin in such cases escorted the corresponding lady out of his work room with the words: “Well, well, mother, everything is all right!”

After such a lady's visit, Rasputin usually went to the bathhouse located opposite his house. But the promises made in such cases were always fulfilled.

During Rasputin's love affairs, it was striking that he could not stand intrusive persons. But, on the other hand, he annoyingly pursued ladies who did not give in to his lusts. In this regard, he even became an extortionist and refused all assistance in the affairs of such persons. There were also cases when ladies who came to him with requests directly offered themselves, considering this a necessary prerequisite for the fulfillment of their request. In such cases, Rasputin played the role of the indignant and read the most severe moral teaching to the petitioner. Their requests were still fulfilled.

RASPUTIN'S HOUSE

A very diverse group usually gathered in Rasputin's dining room. Each visitor considered it his duty to bring something edible. Meat dishes were not revered. They brought a lot of caviar, expensive fish, fruits and fresh bread. In addition, there were always potatoes, sauerkraut and black bread on the table. A huge boiling samovar always stood on the table. Rasputin's pantry was always filled with all kinds of supplies. Everyone who came could treat themselves as they wished. Sometimes one could watch a scene when Rasputin threw pieces of black bread into a bowl with fish soup, pulled these pieces out of the fish soup with his own hands and distributed them among his guests. The latter accepted these pieces with enthusiasm and ate them with pleasure. There was always a pile of black bread crackers and salt on the table. Rasputin loved these crackers, and also offered them to his guests, among whom were constantly candidates for ministerial posts and other high positions. Rasputin's crackers were very popular in St. Petersburg. His household was run by his nieces Nyura and Katya. He did not keep servants.

I delivered food supplies to Rasputin’s home. I made sure that Rasputin and his family received everything they needed; He and I had a tacit agreement on this matter. Nicholas II knew that as long as his favorite was in my care, he would not need anything. Rasputin accepted my services, but never asked about their motives. He wasn't even interested in where I got the money from. In case of any need, he always simply turned to me.

Rasputin's life required enormous sums, and I always got them. Recently, by order of the Tsar, five thousand rubles were released monthly from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but given Rasputin’s expansive lifestyle and carousing, this amount was never enough. My personal funds were also not enough to cover all expenses. Therefore, I obtained money from special sources for Rasputin, which, so as not to harm my coreligionists, I would never give out.

If Rasputin had thought only about his own benefits, he would have accumulated large amounts of capital. It would not have cost him much effort to receive monetary rewards from the persons for whom he arranged positions and all sorts of other benefits. But he never demanded money. He received gifts, but they were not of high value. For example, they gave him clothes or paid his bills for carousing. He accepted money only in cases where he could help someone with it. There were times when, at the same time as some rich man, he had a poor man asking for help. In such cases, he suggested that the rich man give the poor a few hundred rubles. With particular pleasure, he helped the peasants who turned to him for help. It happened that he sent his petitioners to the Jewish millionaires Gunzburg, Soloveichik, Manus, Kaminka and others with notes about giving them one or another amount. These requests were always granted. When M. Gunzburg visited Rasputin, he usually took away all the cash he had on him and distributed it among the poor people who always crowded his house. In such cases, he liked to express himself: there is a rich man in the house who wants to distribute his money among the poor. But he did not demand anything for himself. I tried to interest him in my affairs, but he always refused. If they wanted to thank him, then they had to look for special ways. By nature he had a good heart. It only happened very rarely that he refused to fulfill any request. In serious cases, he always showed himself to be very delicate and always ready to help. He questioned his petitioners in great detail, and it was very unpleasant for him if he could not help them. He willingly spoke out for the offended and humiliated and accepted complaints against those in power.

Between ten and eleven he always had a reception that any minister could envy. The number of petitioners sometimes reached up to two hundred people, and among them were representatives of a wide variety of professions. Among these persons one could meet a general who was personally beaten by Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, or a government official who was dismissed due to abuse of power. Many came to Rasputin to get a promotion or other benefits, others again with complaints or denunciations. Jews looked to Rasputin for protection against the police or military authorities. But the men were lost in the mass of women who came to Rasputin with all kinds of requests and for a wide variety of reasons.

If he did not sleep after a night of revelry, he usually went out to this motley crowd of petitioners who filled all the corners of his apartment. He bowed low, looked around the crowd and said:

You all came to me to ask for help. I will help everyone.

Rasputin almost never refused his help. He never wondered whether the applicant was worth his help and whether he was suitable for the requested position. About those convicted by the court, he said: “Condemnation and the fear experienced are already sufficient punishment.”

For Rasputin, it was decisive that the petitioner needed his help. He always helped whenever possible, and he loved to humiliate the rich and powerful if he could thereby show his sympathy for the poor and peasants. If there were generals among the petitioners, he mockingly told them: “Dear generals, you are accustomed to always being accepted first. But here are Jews without rights, and I must first let them go. Jews, come. I want to do everything for you.”

After the Jews, Rasputin addressed other visitors and only at the very end did he accept the requests of the generals. He loved to repeat during his receptions: “Everyone who comes to me is dear to me. People should live hand in hand and help each other.”

Rasputin's wife came to St. Petersburg to visit her husband and children only once a year and stayed for the most short time. During her visits, Rasputin did not embarrass himself, but treated her very kindly and loved her in his own way. She did not pay much attention to her husband's love affairs and in such cases said: “He can do what he wants. He has enough for everyone.”

He kissed his aristocratic admirers in the presence of his wife, and she was even flattered by it. Usually very stubborn, easily angered, intolerant of contradictions and always ready to fight with his opponent, Rasputin was very pliable towards his wife. They lived in cordial friendship and never argued with each other.

Once Rasputin’s father also came to St. Petersburg to take a close look at his son’s successes. He stayed in St. Petersburg for a very short time, went back home and soon died there. Rasputin's son Dimitri was a very quiet and good-natured boy. He had little talent and studied poorly. After attending theological school for two years, he returned to the village of Pokrovskoye, became a peasant there and now still lives there with his wife and mother. During the war, he became liable for military service, but his father did not let him go to the front, but gave him a job as an assistant orderly on the imperial ambulance train.

RASPUTIN IS PARTYING

The passionate reveler Rasputin was on the best terms with all the playwrights of the capital. The mistresses of grand dukes, ministers and financiers were close to him. Therefore, he knew all the scandalous stories, connections of high-ranking officials, the nightly secrets of the big world and knew how to use all this to expand his importance in government circles. St. Petersburg high society ladies, cocottes, famous artists and cheerful aristocrats - all were proud of their relationship with the favorite of the royal couple. They were all blinded by his success. Friendship with Rasputin gave them the opportunity to know many different secrets, do their own dark deeds and make their own careers or those of people close to them. Various playgirls had a special influence in St. Petersburg at that time and occupied some special position in pre-revolutionary times.

It often happened that Rasputin called one of his friends from this circle and invited her to a famous restaurant. Invitations were always accepted, and the revelry began. These ladies took advantage of the opportunity to petition Rasputin for their friends, lovers and relatives. Many of these ladies enriched themselves in this way, since Rasputin was very pliable in such cases.

The owner of the country restaurant "Villa Rode" built Rasputin for his nightly debauchery special house. There you could often meet people with very big names and titles; at the same time, ladies from society tried to interrupt the chorus girls and chansonettes with their antics. Usually a gypsy choir was called in, since Rasputin was very fond of gypsy singing. He was also a passionate dancer and excelled in Russian dances. In this regard, it was difficult even for professional dancers to compete with him.

When going on revelries, Rasputin always filled his pockets with various gifts: sweets, silk scarves and ribbons, powder compacts, perfumes and the like. Rasputin was very happy if after his arrival at the restaurant all these things were stolen from his pockets, and shouted cheerfully: “The gypsies robbed me!”

It happened very rarely that at such revelries some minister or candidate for minister was not present.

Once, during such a revelry, an attempt was made to kill Rasputin.

Several young people and officers managed to gain access to the place of revelry. At first everything was quiet; but when Rasputin walked into the middle of the room, inviting his partner to dance, the officers jumped up and drew their swords. The civilians began holding revolvers in their hands. Rasputin jumped to the side, looked at the conspirators with a terrible look and cried out: “You want to put an end to me!”

The conspirators stood petrified, as if paralyzed. They could not turn away from Rasputin's gaze. Everyone fell silent. The incident made a strong impression on everyone present.

Rasputin explained: “You were my enemies, but now you are no longer enemies. You saw that my power was whitewashed. Do not regret that you came here, but do not be happy that you can leave. There is no longer such a power that could would turn you against me. Go home. I want to stay here with my family and rest."

The young people knelt before Rasputin and begged him to forgive them.

“I won’t forgive you,” Rasputin replied, “since I didn’t invite you here.” I was not happy when you came, and I am not sad when you leave. Now leave. You are cured. Your disastrous intentions are gone.

The conspirators left the premises.

RASPUTIN AND THE ROYAL FAMILY

In St. Petersburg, rumors were actively spreading that Rasputin was in an intimate relationship with the queen and was also behaving indecently towards the royal daughters. These rumors had not the slightest basis.

Rasputin never came to the palace when the Tsar was not there. I don’t know whether he did this on his own initiative or on the royal instructions. Rasputin occasionally met with the Tsarina in her infirmary, but always in the presence of his retinue.

Also, there is not a word of truth in the rumors about the royal daughters. Rasputin was always attentive and benevolent towards the royal children. He was against the marriage of one of the royal daughters to Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich, warning her and even advising her not to shake hands with him, since he suffered from a disease that could be contracted by shaking hands. If a handshake is inevitable, then Rasputin advised immediately afterwards to wash with Siberian herbs.

Rasputin's advice and instructions always turned out to be useful, and he enjoyed the full confidence of the royal family. The royal children had in him a faithful friend and adviser. If they displeased him, he disgraced them. His attitude towards them was purely paternal. The entire royal family believed in Rasputin's divine appointment.

He often reproached the queen for her stinginess. He was very dissatisfied that, due to frugality, the royal daughters went poorly dressed. The queen's stinginess at court became a proverb. She tried to save even in small things. It was so hard for her to part with money that she even bought dresses in installments.

Dirty gossip gave me a reason for frequent conversations with Rasputin about his relationship with the Tsarina and her daughters. These malicious gossip worried me greatly, and I considered it unconscionable to spread ugly rumors about the impeccably behaved queen and her daughters. Pure and impeccable girls did not deserve these accusations spread by unscrupulous sensationalists.

Despite their high position, they were defenseless against this kind of rumors.

It was a shame that even the king’s relatives and high dignitaries also spread these rumors. Their behavior can be called all the more base because they knew for certain the absurdity of these rumors. Rasputin was outraged by these rumors, but due to his innocence, he did not take them particularly warmly to heart. I considered the situation in this regard differently and considered it necessary to speak out against these rumors and often reproached Rasputin for his indifference to this issue.

“What do you want from me,” Rasputin shouted at me during such conversations. - What can I do? Is it my fault that they slander me in this way?

“But it’s unacceptable that because of you, ridiculous gossip about the Grand Duchesses is being spread,” I objected. “You must understand that everyone feels sorry for the poor girls and that even the queen is mixed up in this dirt.”

“Get to hell,” Rasputin shouted. - I didn't do anything. People must understand that no one pollutes the place where he eats. I serve the king and will never dare to do anything like that. I am incapable of such ingratitude. And what do you think the king would do in such a case?..

Everything happens because you are constantly chasing skirts. Leave these women. You can't let a single woman pass you by.

Am I to blame? - Rasputin objected. - I don't rape them. They themselves come to me so that I can work for them with the king. What should I do? I healthy man and I can’t resist when a beautiful woman comes to me. Why shouldn't I take them? It is not I who seek them, but they who come to me."

But by doing this you are harming the entire royal family. With this you have outraged all of Russia, the nobility and even abroad. It's time to finish. You are not harming me, but in your own interests, you must end this before it is too late. Otherwise you will be lost.

Rasputin paid little attention to my warnings. When, tormented by particularly bad premonitions, I insisted strenuously, he usually answered:

Just wait. First I must make peace with Wilhelm, and then I will go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

This kind of conversation once also took place in the presence of Vyrubova, the Voskoboinikov sisters, Mrs. von Dehn, Nikitina and others. I saw that they all agreed with me, but not one of them had the courage to openly express their opinion.

NICHOLAS II

Rasputin royal family personality

In essence, I always felt sorry for Nicholas II. Without a doubt, he was a deeply unhappy man. He could not impress anyone, and his personality evoked neither fear nor respect. He was an ordinary person. But justice still requires confirmation that at the first meeting he left a deeply charming impression.

He was simple and easily accessible, and in his presence the king was completely forgotten. In his personal life he was extremely undemanding. But his character was contradictory. He suffered from two shortcomings that ultimately destroyed him: too weak a will and inconstancy. He didn't trust anyone and suspected everyone. Rasputin once conveyed to me the following expression of the Tsar: “For me, there are honest people only up to the age of two. As soon as they reach the age of three, their parents are already happy that they know how to lie. All people are liars.”

Rasputin objected to this, but to no avail.

As a result, no one believed the king. Nicholas II seemed very attentive and helpful during the conversation, but no one could be sure that he would keep his word. It happened very often that the king’s associates had to take care of him fulfilling his given word, since he himself did not care about it. Nikolai lived in the belief that everyone was deceiving him, trying to outwit him, and no one was coming to him with the truth. This was the tragedy of his life. Therefore, it was very difficult to conduct anything with him. In the consciousness that he was hated by his own mother and relatives, he lived in constant fear of the court of the Empress Mother, that is, the so-called old court, whose relationship with the king is still to be discussed. He even considered his life to be in danger. The ghost of a palace coup constantly flashed before his eyes. He often expressed fear that the fate of the Serbian King Alexander, who was killed along with his wife and the corpses were thrown through the window into the street, awaited him. It was clear that the murder of the Serbian king made a special impression on him and filled his soul with trembling for his fate.

The king showed a special interest in spiritualism and everything supernatural. There was a great danger in this. When he heard about some fortune teller, spiritualist or hypnotist, a desire immediately arose in him to get to know him.

This explains that so many swindlers and dubious personalities, who under other conditions would not have dared to dream of a royal court, gained access to the palace with relative ease.

It is enough just to name the name of Philip, who had a very great influence on Nicholas.

Also, Rasputin primarily owed his unparalleled success to the Tsar’s penchant for the supernatural. Many people were looking for dark personalities to present to the king as people with supernatural powers. There were hundreds of such individuals and only a few became known to the public.

Among the people who knew how to interest Nicholas II in the supernatural even before Rasputin appeared, special place occupied by Countess Nina Sarnekau, the illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Oldenburg.

Nicholas II constantly arranged spiritualistic seances with her and asked the spirits through her about his fate. I tried once, but without success, to use this tendency for my purposes under the following circumstances. My good friend, the Romanian violinist Gulesko, a favorite of St. Petersburg society, was throwing an evening for some occasion. He invited his friends over for a plate of “Romanian soup.” Among the guests were: Caucasian Prince Nikolai Nisheradze, the Tsar's chamberlain Ivan Nakashidze, a member of the main board of the Red Cross, Prince Ucha-Dadiani, the Tsar's aide-de-camp, Prince Alexander Eristov, the Kutaisi Governor-General and the father of a famous court lady, Prince Orbeliani, and others. After a hefty drink we felt the need to continue elsewhere. We called Countess Sarnekau and were invited by her to her apartment. This is where the real revelry began. We all, including our hostess, were already heavily drunk when suddenly the royal favorite, Prince Alek-Amilakhvari, drove up to the countess’s house in a palace car with His Majesty’s offer to the countess to immediately go to Tsarskoye Selo. Although very reluctant, the countess still did not consider it possible to refuse the royal invitation. At this time we were joking about the countess’s spiritualistic abilities. Suddenly it occurred to me to ask her to plead with the spirits in favor of Russian Jews.

The spirits were supposed to influence the tsar in the sense of abolishing restrictive laws for Jews in Russia.

My idea was supported by Georgian officers. However, unfortunately, the Countess did not dare to engage in political summoning of the spirits. Perhaps she did not want my idea to be implemented at all, since she belonged to the highest society in St. Petersburg, which was always hostile to Jews.

Anti-Semitism among high society in St. Petersburg was generally not as difficult to eradicate as is commonly thought. Nicholas II’s hostile attitude towards Jews is explained by his upbringing...

Rasputin repeatedly said that the Tsar was being incited against the Jews by his relatives and ministers. The Tsar himself told him that during their reports his ministers constantly spoke out against the Jews and thus he was being turned against them. He is constantly bombarded with stories about the so-called “Jewish dominance.” It is not surprising that this persecution had its consequences. The Empress had no idea about the Jewish question at all and only later learned what anti-Semitism was. Jews were always busy at the royal court, and no one saw anything reprehensible in this. It is known that the tsar, immediately after taking command of the army, abolished the inhuman oppression of Jews practiced by Nikolai Nikolaevich.

Rasputin told me that the Tsar did this on his own initiative, and admitted the possibility that the Tsar was quite willing to listen to the requests of the Jews when approached.

The young ladies of the court were generally alien to anti-Semitism, in any case, it was not noticeable among them. Even Vyrubova was unfamiliar with this question, and when talking about it, she only shrugged her shoulders.

Nicholas II was a supporter of strict absolutism, but he was greatly constrained by the court etiquette obligatory for him as a monarch.

He willingly avoided it. It was a great pleasure for him to talk with regulars of St. Petersburg entertainment houses, who did not always behave appropriately with him. I don’t want to give details here, but I can only note that the Tsar really liked the Romanian Gulesko.

The main reason for this was that he composed a song in which he sang about the officers of the royal convoy who forgot to pay the bill in a brothel. The song ended with the refrain: “Give me my three rubles,” and the king laughed a lot about this song.

The Tsar's younger brother, George, who before the birth of Alexei was considered the heir to the throne, died of tuberculosis in Abastumane. The immediate cause of death was overwork that followed a bicycle race, in which his companion Gellstrem, who rose to the rank of captain of the second rank in the Russian navy, persuaded him to participate. He was considered the illegitimate son of Alexander III and one court lady. He looked remarkably like him. The Empress Dowager could never see him without worry. He received a pension from the imperial court and, in addition, repeated financial benefits from the Dowager Empress and Grand Duke Michael. Due to his guilt in the death of Grand Duke George, Empress Maria was very embittered against him, but still received him quite often. He constantly complained about his illegal birth, which took away his rights to the royal throne, and led a very frivolous lifestyle.

TWO YARDS

There was an acute, irreconcilable enmity between the court of Tsar Nicholas II and the court of his mother, the consequences of which were fatal. Almost all of the king's relatives were on the side of the old court.

This enmity did not date back to the time of Rasputin, but was much older. Knowing circumstances explained the beginning of this enmity by the reluctance of the old empress to see her eldest son on the throne. It was said that a conspiracy was even hatched in Crimea to elevate the second son of Alexander III, George, his mother’s favorite, to the throne. Some guards regiments were also supposed to participate in this conspiracy. But for some reason the plan of this conspiracy went wrong.

It was no secret that all of Nicholas’s relatives were against granting the people the right to participate in government. When Nicholas II finally signed the constitution in 1905, everyone was terribly indignant against him. This attitude of his relatives greatly contributed to Nicholas’s wavering policy in subsequent years. This was confirmed to me more than once by Count Witte, the creator of the 1905 constitution, who himself feared the revenge of the old court. Everyone in Tsarskoe Selo knew that, as a result of the promise given to his father, the mother and relatives of Nicholas II demanded unconditional respect for autocracy. They even hinted to him quite openly that otherwise the consequences for him could be very undesirable. These circumstances forced some friends to suggest that the king require a second oath from his relatives.

All the king's supporters, who supported him in the fight against the old court, condemned him for connivance towards his obvious enemies. Rasputin also disagreed with the tsar in this regard. He knew that his close relationship with Nicholas was a dangerous weapon in the hands of his enemies, and he was sure that the Tsar's relatives hated him no less than the Tsar himself. This made Rasputin the worst enemy of the old court and all the royal relatives. At every opportunity he set the tsar against the great dukes, but Nicholas did not dare to take serious measures against his relatives. He was afraid of them and tried to resolve all misunderstandings and quarrels peacefully. Rasputin did not hide his dissatisfaction and often reproached the Tsar for this.

Why don't you act as a king should act? You are the king. If I were a king, I would show how a king should act and how it is done. Nobody thinks about you, nobody needs you. Everyone is only trying to intimidate you. Your relatives will kill you. You don’t know how to attract people to you. Everyone is at enmity with you, but you just remain silent...

This is roughly what Rasputin said to the Tsar. He wanted to force him to resist. But the king could not decide to fight his enemies. If someone from the royal family was too guilty, he imposed penalties, but they were so insignificant that everyone was amazed at his gentleness. His weakness is best characterized by his behavior after the murder of Rasputin: he did not even dare to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Nikolai also did not have confidence in his personal convoy. He was always afraid of a conspiracy in favor of the old court. Therefore, he attracted Tatars and Georgians to the convoy. He was always personally guarded by the Caucasian princes. He loved them and was calmer since they were at court.

The idea of involving Caucasians in the palace service came from the Empress-Mother, who assumed that Caucasians would help elevate her son George to the throne. However, Nikolai was ahead of her and attracted the Caucasians to his side.

The king knew the weaknesses of his faithful. He saw that they were not particularly cultured and were prone to revelry and excess. But he was sure that each of them was ready to die for him and would kill anyone on his orders. He was proud of this, and Caucasians stood high in his eyes. They led a wonderful life with him, but often abused his good nature. He often paid off their gambling debts, and their performances even amused him. The Tsar's favorite, Prince Dadiani, surprised the Tsar after some drinking party with the statement that he had pawned his epaulettes, which meant that he had pledged his word of honor to pay the gambling debt.

The emperor often turned a blind eye to the tricks of his favorites.

It happened that the convoy officers behaved outrageously in various public places, but they were devoted body and soul to their king. Fortunately for General Ruzsky and deputies Shulgin and Guchkov, they were absent when demanding the abdication of the throne. Without a doubt, not one of these gentlemen would have survived. They say that General Ruzsky even threatened the Tsar with a revolver. This could only be allowed by the always drunk palace commandant Voeikov.

I maintained the best friendly relations with all the officers of the royal convoy.

One day I received an invitation from the convoy officers on duty to appear in their duty room, where a card game was to take place. I followed the invitation and we played Macau. Suddenly the king unexpectedly appeared in a night suit. At first he was dissatisfied and criticized us for card game, but then he gave us each ten rubles in new two-kopeck pieces and sat down at the card table himself.

THE MYSTERY OF THE BIRTH OF THE HEIR TO THE THRONE

The story told to me about the birth of the heir is so fantastic that it is really difficult to believe it. But I heard it from people who deserve absolute trust.

It is known that in the first years of marriage, only daughters were born to the queen. This was the reason for much ridicule. In the end, the royal couple themselves almost ceased to believe in the possibility of having a son. The tsar attributed the blame to himself for the fact that only girls were born to his wife, and this idea was probably inspired to the tsar by some soothsayer. Therefore, he allegedly came to the incredible decision to temporarily renounce the rights of a husband and leave his wife to another man. The hope that the birth of an heir would interfere with the plans of his relatives to overthrow him from the throne could be decisive in this matter.

The queen's choice fell on the commander of the Uhlan regiment named after her, General Orlov, a very handsome man and, moreover, a widower. As they claimed, the queen, with the consent of her husband, entered into an intimate relationship with Orlov. The goal of this relationship was achieved, and the queen gave birth to a son, who received the name Alexei at baptism.

But during this time, as it was reported, the queen developed a strong love for her forced lover. The father of her son, to whom she became attached with all the strength of her maternal heart, also won her heart as a woman.

But Nicholas II was not prepared for such an outcome of this strange method of obtaining an heir.

The birth was very difficult and surgery was required as the baby was in an abnormal position. Since the queen was very dissatisfied with her obstetrician, Professor Ott, the queen’s physician, Timofeev, who was not a women’s doctor, was also invited to a consultation. He informed the king about the danger of the situation and asked for his instructions on who to save in case of emergency, the mother or the child.

The king replied: “If it is a boy, then save the child and sacrifice the mother.” But thanks to the operation, both mother and child were saved. However, the operation was not performed successfully and therefore the queen ceased to be a woman. That in extreme cases they would have sacrificed her during childbirth became known to the queen and made a depressing impression on her. Her relationship with Orlov continued. An open scandal was brewing, and the tsar decided to send Orlov to Egypt. Before leaving, he invited him to dinner. What happened at this dinner between the Tsar and Orlov, I could not find out. But they told me that after dinner Orlov was carried out of the palace in an unconscious state. After this, he was hastily sent to North Africa, but before reaching it he died on the way. His body was taken back to Tsarskoye Selo and buried there with great pomp. The queen was sure of the tsar’s guilt in Orlov’s death and could never forget it.

The queen's suffering was too much for her, and for a long time after this she remained alien to her husband. Then, although again gradually restored between them good relationship, but still from time to time the queen did not speak to her husband.

On such days, they sent letters to each other through their close associates. Adjutant Sablin, the commandant of the royal yacht "Standard", was a conciliator in such cases, and the Tsar and Tsarina after that left the impression of internally connected people. She had a very strong influence on him. But who hasn't?

After Orlov’s tragic death, the queen visited his grave for a whole year, decorating it with magnificent flowers. At the grave she cried and prayed a lot. The king did not interfere with her.

Since then, she often suffered from severe hysterical attacks.

ATTEMPT ON THE HEIR.

One cannot pass over in silence the terrible incident that occurred in Tsarskoe Selo, which served as the starting point for further complications. In this regard, one cannot help but recall the illness of the heir, the oddities of the queen and other painful phenomena, which must include the story of Rasputin, a fascination with various spiritualistic personalities and interest in persons with supernatural abilities. It is possible that the painful tension that reigned at court had other reasons, but, in any case, the incident, which will be discussed later, played a large role. I know the details of the terrible event from primary sources. The Russian public, as far as I know, knew nothing about this. I don't want to blame anyone and therefore I won't give all the details. But the correctness of my information was also confirmed to me by Rasputin, before whom there were no secrets at the royal court.

Many of the readers have probably seen a photograph of the heir, in which he is depicted in the arms of his uncle, a tall sailor. At one time they said that the heir fell on the imperial yacht "Standart" and injured his leg in the fall. Soon after this, newspapers reported that the captain of the Shtandart, Rear Admiral Chagin (Sablin's predecessor), committed suicide with a rifle shot. Chagin's suicide was associated with an accident that happened to the heir. They said that Admiral Chagin was forced to commit suicide because an accident happened to the heir on the ship he commanded.

Still, this reason is not sufficient for suicide. According to my information, there was no accident at all with the heir, and the boy became the victim of an assassination attempt on him in Tsarskoe Selo. I was told that the Tsar's relatives turned to Admiral Chagin with a request to recommend two sailors for service in Tsarskoe Selo. They were supposed to go there as laborers. At court, an order was established according to which, for the execution of the most simple work only people who had previously worked in one of the palaces or famous houses were accepted... This was good method for the selection of reliable personnel.

Both sailors recommended by Chagin were first used for gardening work in the Anichkov Palace. In Tsarskoe Selo they were also appointed garden workers. No one could even think that both sailors had the task of killing the prince.

One day the boy was playing in the presence of a valet in the palace garden, where both sailors were busy trimming bushes. One of them rushed with a large knife at little Alexei and wounded him in the leg. The prince screamed. The sailor ran. A nearby valet caught up with the sailor and strangled him right there.

The second sailor was also caught and, by order of the tsar, hanged without trial.

It was established that both sailors ended up in Tsarskoye Selo on the recommendation of Chagin. This incident shocked Chagin so much that he committed suicide, since the thought of being suspected of participating in the assassination attempt on the heir was unbearable for him. He filled the rifle barrel with water and shot himself in the mouth. His head was literally blown to pieces. Chagin left a letter to the emperor, in which he outlined the entire history of this case.

After the assassination attempt, the royal couple experienced a terrible time. Alexei's situation was very dangerous, and he recovered very slowly. After this, the parents feared for the life of their son. They were afraid of new assassination attempts by their relatives and did not dare trust him to anyone. His mother almost never left him alone. Her maternal love was becoming painful. The king was also greatly shocked and could not find a way out. This explains much of his strange actions.

The entire reign of Nicholas II was filled with events suitable for a sensational novel. In this respect he surpassed all his predecessors. In many ways he himself is to blame, and much lies on his conscience.

A huge tangle of bloody events and crimes was woven with his participation, and much of it awaits explanation. I must leave this task to the future historian, and I only want to limit myself to conveying my impressions and observations of the last decade before the revolution. It is very difficult to separate facts from the legends surrounding them. This is also the case with the history of the birth of an heir.

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