10. Rasputin was contemporaneously blamed for the Russian Revolution and the destruction of the Romanov royal dynasty
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (1869-1916) was a Russian mystic, holy man, and a close friend of the Romanov royal family of Imperial Russia during its downfall. Although holding no official position in the Russian Orthodox Church Rasputin successfully rose to a popular standing within the religious community of St. Petersburg, first meeting Tsar Nicholas II on November 1, 1905, and from 1906 serving as a healer for the royal household, in particular to the Tsar’s only son and heir Alexei who suffered from hemophilia.
Developing a close relationship with Tsarina Alexandra through his ability to ease the pain of her beloved son, with historians concluding the Tsarina as having a “passionate attachment” to the nomadic monk, Rasputin exploited his standing with the royal family to extract bribes and sexual favors from those seeking his patronage; in so doing Rasputin quickly became a highly controversial figure in Russian society, with many accusing him of heresy, sedition, espionage, and a popular rumor begun that he was having an affair with the Tsarina.
Whilst this behavior was tolerated and protected as long as the Tsar was unchallenged in his authority, as the First World War proceeded poorly for Russia he increasingly became the figure held responsible for the nation’s misfortunes. Eventually, after an early assassination attempt by stabbing in 1914, a group of nobles murdered Rasputin on December 30, 1916; after first being given cakes and wine laced with cyanide to no effect, Rasputin was shot three times by Prince Felix Yusupov and right-wing politician Vladimir Purishkevich.
Throughout his association with the Romanovs, Rasputin was repeatedly employed as a scapegoat for the ill fortune of the Russian Empire, particularly after the advent of World War I; similarly, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917 Rasputin was commonly blamed for contributing to anti-Romanov propaganda and fueling dissent against the monarchy. However, although his behavior was highly questionable, it is unfair for Rasputin to be blamed for the downfall of the already widely disliked royal family he befriended, enjoying no control over the scandalous rumors and stories concerning his person and seemingly having far less influence over government policy than popularly depicted.