S4 – 9_ Let This Cup Pass - The Fall of Rasputin: Prophecy, Conspiracy, and Assassination
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The Supernatural Aura: An Attempted Assassination Reinterpreted
The Petitioner with a Revolver: On a typical day in the life of Grigori Rasputin, petitioners lined up for prayers and favors. One woman approached with a revolver hidden under her coat. As she drew the weapon, something caught the light, prompting Rasputin to ask her to show it to him.
The Moment of Hesitation: Despite having a clear shot and being unnoticed by the secret police guarding the door, the woman wavered. She eventually broke down, dropped the gun at Rasputin's feet, and handed it to him.
Rasputin's Interpretation: The woman claimed she could not go through with the act after seeing his eyes. To Rasputin, this was definitive proof that he was God’s chosen man. This followed a string of failed attempts, including Guseva's knife attack and various bureaucratic plots.
Rasputin’s Psychological Decline and the Letter to Maria
Paranoia and Public Blame: Despite surviving multiple attacks, Rasputin’s paranoia intensified. He recognized that all strata of Russian society—from peasants to nobles—blamed him for the nation's failures. He felt the "knife in the dark" was cutting through both him and Mother Russia.
The Prophetic Letter: In his final days, Rasputin wrote a letter to his daughter, Maria, as read by Douglas Smith. The text was as follows:
"My dear, a disaster is threatening us. A great misfortune is drawing near. The face of Our Lady has darkened, and the spirit is disturbed in the calm of the night. There will be cries and blood… My hour will soon strike. I am not afraid, but I know it will be bitter. I shall suffer, and it will be pardoned to men. I shall inherit the kingdom, but you will be saved. The road of your sufferings is known to God. Men without number will perish. Many martyrs will die. Brothers will be slain by their brothers. The earth will tremble. Famine and pestilence will reign. Signs will appear to men. Pray for your salvation… you will be consoled. Grigori."
The Weary Mystic: Autumn 1916
A Change in Demeanor: Empress Alexandra observed that the formerly zealous and triumphant holy man had become weary, cautious, and withdrawn. He was afraid to leave the palace and suffered from screaming fits when advisors attempted to comfort him.
Isolation and Alcoholism: Rasputin stopped visiting monasteries and churches, effectively closing himself off. He turned to Madeira wine for solace. One friend recounted Rasputin sobbing in despair, calling himself a "devil" and a "demon," stating: "I am sinful where before I was holy."
The Collapse of Imperial Russia in 1916
Economic Degradation: Rapid inflation plagued the empire. Prices for staples like milk, potatoes, bread, butter, and fish rose by to times their pre-war cost.
Infrastructure Failure: Rotten carcasses intended for meat markets were often diverted to soap factories or rubbish heaps because bad coordination and decrepit railroads prevented timely transport. Meat meant for the front lines sat in stinking mounds near cities while citizens starved.
Social and Political Breakdown: Dr. Joshua Sanborn notes a breakdown of social order led by deserting or off-duty soldiers. People began to view autocracy itself as the source of the rot, rather than just individual ministers.
Rasputin’s Awareness: Ironically, Rasputin had begged the Tsar for years to address the starvation issue and move troops/food properly, but his influence was increasingly ignored by the imperial government who viewed him as a drunk meddler.
Rebellion in Central Asia (Spring 1916)
Forced Labor Draft: The Tsar’s military planners attempted to draft men from the Central Asian steppes (modern-day Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan) to build roads and bridges.
The Outbreak of Violence: Wealthy Russian settlers and governors bribed their way out of the draft, sparking a massive rebellion. Kyrgyz fighters destroyed Russian towns and telegraph lines, placing garrisons under siege.
The Bloodbath: Instead of extracting workers, the Tsar had to send in the army. The commanding general reported seeing hundreds of innocent Kyrgyz slaughtered in a war of ethnic destruction.
The Yusupov Family and Felix’s Motivation
Immeasurable Wealth: The Yusupov family was the richest in Russia, possibly the world. Their assets included:
palaces in Moscow.
estates across the empire.
Iron mines, coal fields, oil deposits, and a string of factories.
Legend says their hunting lodge (built in the ) was connected to the Kremlin by tunnels containing medieval treasure and skeletons chained to walls.
Prince Felix Yusupov: Described by Douglas Smith as the "worst example of the debauched aristocracy." He was doted on, spoiled, and obsessed with spiritualism and the occult. Felix had a profound sense of entitlement, having dressed in his mother's jewels as a child to be treated like a monarch.
Disdain for Rasputin: Felix loathed Rasputin’s "low common face," untidy hair, and shaggy beard. He was particularly incensed by Rasputin's self-assurance, feeling a peasant should "bow and scrape." He became convinced Rasputin was a German spy or a puppet for secret masterminds intended to destroy Russia.
The Assassination Plot: The "Idee Fixe"
The Ingratiation: Felix spent months winning Rasputin's trust, visiting his house daily and acting as a favorite disciple. He even became friends with Rasputin's daughters.
The Team:
Felix Yusupov: The mastermind.
Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich: The Tsar's cousin (immune from prosecution).
Vladimir Purushkevich: A monarchist politician with a history of organizing fighters.
A Wounded Army Officer.
A Decorated Military Doctor.
The Lure: Felix invited Rasputin to his palace under the guise of meeting his wife, Princess Irina (the Tsar's niece).
The Night of the Murder (December 1916)
The Setting: A renovated cellar in the Yusupov Palace, decorated with carpets, curtains, porcelain vases, and an ebony cabinet to look like a room for entertaining guests.
The Poisoning: The doctor, wearing gloves, crushed cyanide crystals into a powder and dusted pink cakes. A cyanide solution was also poured into wine glasses. Each cake reportedly held enough poison to kill several men.
The Murder Attempt (Approximately 01:00 AM – 02:30 AM):
Rasputin arrived at the palace, dismissing his Okhrana detail.
The conspirators played "Yankee Doodle" on a gramophone upstairs to simulate a party.
Rasputin ate several poisoned cakes and drank poisoned Madeira wine, yet showed no ill effects for hours.
Panic-stricken, Felix took a revolver and shot Rasputin once in the chest at AM.
The Resurrection and Struggle:
The doctor pronounced Rasputin dead. However, as Felix leaned over the body, Rasputin’s left eyelid quivered, his eyes flew open, and he moaned.
Rasputin lunged at Felix, clawing at him, before standing up and running out of the cellar and into the courtyard toward the palace gate.
The Execution: Purushkevich chased him into the snowy courtyard. He fired four shots; the third hit Rasputin in the back, and the fourth hit him in the head. Felix then attacked the fallen body with a rubber club in a "frenzy."
Disposal and Cover-Up Failures
Disposal of the Body: The body was wrapped in blue cloth and bound with cord. The killers drove to the Bolshoi Petrovsky Bridge and threw the body into a hole in the ice in the Nevka River.
Blunders: They forgot to attach the weights and chains to the body before throwing it in; they threw the chains in afterward. One of Rasputin’s boots (galoshes) was accidentally left in the car and thrown over the side later. They attempted to burn some of his clothes in a train stove at the Warsaw Station, but the plan was sloppy.
Questions & Discussion
The Aftermath: Petitioners continued to show up at Rasputin's apartment the following day. Maria Rasputin, worried about her missing father, contacted friends of the Empress and eventually spoke to Felix on the phone. Felix lied, claiming he had not seen Grigori the night before. Maria could see through the lie, confirming the suspicion that something had gone terribly wrong.
Source Veracity: Douglas Smith warns that Felix Yusupov's memoirs are a "tissue of half-truths" and an attempt to bathe himself in glory, making the exact details of the night suspect.