Grigori Rasputin (1869-1916)

1. Grigori Rasputin (1869-1916)

2. 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

3. 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

5. Alexei

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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

10. 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

11. 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