Grigori Rasputin (1869-1916)

Who Was Rasputin? Was a Russian peasant Became known as the “Mad Monk” However, never was a monk Became very close to Nicholas II and his family around 1908 Believed to have magical powers

Connection with Tsar Alexei was Nicholas II’s son Alexei suffered from hemophilia Hemophilia is when it is difficult to stop bleeding (scabs do not form easily) Bleeding can also be internal Every time Alexei got hurt, Rasputin was always able to give him some relief

Alexei

Problems with Rasputin Accused of being a German spy Helped pick friends for political positions Disliked by the Russian Orthodox Church Said Russian army would fail if Nicholas II did not take it over Believed to be a negative influence on the royal family

Rasputin’s Assassination There is a lot of mystery surrounding Rasputin’s murder A group of nobles were convinced that Rasputin was only hurting the royal family They invite Rasputin to a midnight tea December 16th, 1916 They give him cake and wine laced with potassium cyanide (heating it)

The cyanide does not work However, Rasputin’s daughter said he avoided anything with sugar The nobles shot him and continued partying He was still alive, tried to escape, so they shot him and clubbed him (British) He was then wrapped up and thrown into a hole in the frozen Neva River

Autopsy Results Alcohol, no poison was found in body when it was discovered two days later Hands were found in a frozen and raised position This means he may have been alive when thrown in river

Choice Activities Select one of the following activities: Create an interview with a key individual of the Russian Revolution (10 quality questions and answers) Create a cartoon about events of the Russian Revolution (5 scenes, color and a sentence explaining each scene) 10 multiple choice questions with an A,B,C,D and circle the answer