Rasputin

On the centenary of the death of Rasputin comes a definitive biography that will dramatically change our understanding of this fascinating figure A hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil. Numerous biographies, novels, and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and the guardian of the sickly heir to the Russian throne. His debauchery and sinister political influence are the stuff of legend, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty was laid at his feet. But as the prizewinning historian Douglas Smith shows, the true story of Rasputin's life and death has remained shrouded in myth. A major new work that combines probing scholarship and powerful storytelling, Rasputin separates fact from fiction to reveal the real life of one of history's most alluring figures. Drawing on a wealth of forgotten documents from archives in seven countries, Smith presents Rasputin in all his complexity--man of God, voice of peace, loyal subject, adulterer, drunkard. Rasputin is not just a definitive biography of an extraordinary and legendary man but a fascinating portrait of the twilight of imperial Russia as it lurched toward catastrophe.

Douglas Smith is an award-winning historian and translator and the author of Former People and other books on Russia. Before becoming a historian, he worked for the U.S. State Department in the Soviet Union and as a Russian affairs analyst for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Munich. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two children.

CONTENTS List of Illustrations xiii Maps xxi Note on Dates and Spelling xxvi Introduction: The Holy Devil? 1 PART ONE: HOLY PILGRIM: 1869-1904 1. Origins 11 2. The Pilgrim 20 3. Nicholas and Alexandra 30 4. Monsieur Philippe 33 5. Alexei 46 6. The Burning Torch 50 7. The Mad Monk 60 PART TWO: OUR FRIEND: 1905-1909 8. To the Throne 65 9. Rasputin- Novy 71 10. Sects and Whips 82 11. Demons of the Silver Age 89 12. Anna Vyrubova 98 13. The Eyes 103 14. ". . . prayers that purify and protect us." 107 15. The Investigation: Part I 115 16. The First Test 130 17. "better ten Rasputins . . ." 141 PART THREE: SCANDALS: 1910-1911 18. Trouble in the Nursery 155 19. The Press Discovers Rasputin 168 20. In Search of Rasputin 177 21. Prince Yusupov 184 22. Holy Land 198 23. Rasputin in His Own Words 207 24. Iliodor's Triumph 216 25. Two Murders 223 26. Confronting the "Antichrist" 228 PART FOUR: A TIME OF MIRACLES: 1912-July 1914 27. Germogen's Fall 235 28. Iliodor, Apostate 243 29. Quousque tandem abutere patientia nostra? 253 30. The Blow to the Alcove 264 31. The Investigation II: Was Rasputin a Khlyst? 279 32. The Miracle at Spala 289 33. War and Celebration 301 34. Gutter Talk, Name-Glorifiers, and Murder Plots 308 35. On the Edge of a Precipice 323 36. The Attack 330 37. "This time it didn't work . . ." 341 38. Iliodor's Flight 351 PART FIVE: WAR: JULY 1914-1915 39. A Menacing Cloud 359 40. The Incident at the Yar 370 41. Rasputin's Women 381 42. Dinner with Rasputin 393 43. The Religious Faces of Rasputin 402 44. A Summer of Troubles 409 45. The Tovarpar 422 46. Nicholas Takes Command 428 47. Rasputin, Favorite 436 48. Fresh Scandal 444 49. The Troika 452 50. Gorokhovaya, 64 464 51. Dark Forces and Mad Chauffeurs 475 52. Another Miracle 486 PART SIX: THE FINAL YEAR: 1916 53. Revolution in the Air 491 54. The Minister Plots Murder 495 55. Iliodor in America 509 56. With Us or With Them 514 57. Rasputin the Spy? 526 58. Rasputin and the Jews 535 59. "The sun will shine . . ." 547 60. Apotheosis 553 61. Stupidity or Treason 561 62. "Vanya has arrived." 569 63. "My hour will soon strike." 578 64. The Last Day 586 65. A Cowardly Crime 590 66. The Investigation 597 67. The Body in the Water 602 68. The Romanov Family Drama 615 69. Orgies, Gay Love, and the Secret Hand of the British 624 70. The End of the Tobolsk Yoke 635 PART SEVEN: THE AFTERMATH: 1917-1918 71. A Time for Dominoes 643 72. Here Lies the Dog 650 73. The Myth 655 74. Unsettled Business 660 Epilogue 671 Acknowledgments 681 Bibliography 683 Notes 716 Index 789