The murderer of Rasputin is still being debated to this day, although more than a century has passed since the day of the massacre of him. Historians do not have enough documents to build a version that would suit everyone. The lack of information has led to the fact that this drama is shrouded in a veil of mystery. Although at first glance it seems that absolutely all of its details are known. Unfortunately, many details of the murder of this unusual person have become overgrown with myths and conjectures.
Who killed Rasputin is still not entirely clear. Our task is to understand this tangled story and separate the wheat from the chaff.
Initial explanation
The classic version considers the death of the favorite of the crowned couple as a conspiracy of Russian high-ranking monarchists. Their goal was to free the imperial family from a Siberian rogue who managed to ingratiate himself with them and influence the sovereign's policy.
Contemporaries considered it a shame. There were numerous attempts by the political elite to “open the eyes” of the crowned bearer and expose the “old man”. They didn't crownsuccess. Then the opinion began to be born that his physical elimination was required, which would unequivocally put an end to and save the authority of the monarch. Four people firmly decided, having gathered together, to put an end to the rogue who ruled the emperor and his wife. They were:
- Deputy of the State Duma V. Purishkevich, who later colorfully described everything that happened.
- F. Yusupov is a handsome aristocrat who was married to the niece of Nicholas II, Irina Alexandrovna.
- Prince Dmitry Pavlovich is the sovereign's cousin.
- S. Sukhotin - Lieutenant of the Preobrazhensky Regiment.
None of them wanted to become the direct killer of Rasputin and get their hands dirty. Therefore, it was decided to poison him. 1916 was the year of the assassination of Rasputin. The poison was obtained with the help of doctor S. Lazovert and added to almond cakes and Madeira. The semi-basement in the Yusupov Palace on the Moika was transformed into a mixture of a living room with a boudoir.
The pretext for the invitation was an acquaintance with Yusupov's wife, the beautiful Irina. By the way, she was not in St. Petersburg at that time, but the "seer" did not know about this and came to Yusupov.
What happened next?
Grigory Yefimovich initially refused treats and waited for the ladies to appear. From above, the music of a gramophone was heard, which was started, imitating a women's party, by the rest of the conspirators. Felix finally persuaded the "old man" to try the treat. He calmly ate several poisoned cakes and drank Madeira with poison. But the poison had no effect on him. Felix Yusupovconfused and panicked.
He went upstairs to ask what to do next. Dmitry Pavlovich offered to let him go. Purishkevich firmly demanded to shoot the tsar's favorite.
How painfully they killed Rasputin
Hiding the revolver behind his back, Felix went back downstairs. How did Rasputin's assassination take place? Yusupov, having led the victim to a luxurious ivory crucifix, asked him to cross himself. He hoped in this way to remove the forces of Satan from him. After that, a shot rang out. The body collapsed onto the carpet. Who is the killer of Rasputin? It turns out that Yusupov. The owner of the house and Purishkevich remained in the palace. Other conspirators went to burn clothes (evidence!) in the furnace of a sanitary steam locomotive, which was subordinate to Purishkevich, like the doctor who worked on it. Suddenly, the “corpse” jumped to its feet, kicked the closed door with screams and ran, bleeding. Purishkevich rushed after him, firing his revolver in the back as he walked. The fourth shot stopped the fugitive forever. So who is Rasputin's killer? Purishkevich? But there are photographs that clearly show the trace of a shot right in the forehead.
So there must have been someone else who was shooting in cold blood at almost point-blank range in Rasputin's face. To the question "Where was Grigory Rasputin killed?" the answer is unequivocal: in the courtyard of the palace on the Moika. The deceased was drowned near the Petrovsky bridge in Malaya Nevka to hide the traces of the crime.
Why didn't the poison work?
It became clear when the doctor Stanislav published his memoirs in exile in the 1930sLazovert. It turns out that he did not dare to use it, but planted a simple aspirin. Therefore, on the night of the murder, December 17, he behaved, as Purishkevich recalled, very strangely. He blushed, turned pale, almost fainted, ran out into the yard, refreshing himself with snow. And this was a fearless officer who had two awards for bravery. As a doctor, he understood that there would be no quiet death without poison, there would be terrible bloodshed.
Who did the king's favourite?
There is an international Masonic conspiracy theory. In 1912, Grigory Rasputin, kneeling for 2 hours with an icon in front of Nicholas II, prevented the entry of the empire into the Balkan War. He always believed that the war would lead to the death of not only the country, but also the royal family. The financial corporations needed a war in order to destroy all the monarchies in Europe and, above all, in vast Russia. Masonic lodges became their means, which in the Russian Empire denounced the connection of tsarism with the libertine and sectarian, as everyone considered him, Rasputin. Many are convinced that Yusupov, conspiring, went to the prominent politician and freemason V. Maklakov for advice. The Duma deputy himself refused to participate in this case, but allegedly presented him with a weight or a rubber truncheon. She finished off the dying "old man", who was 47 years old.
After the February Revolution, the freemason A. Kerensky quickly closed the "Rasputin case", obtained an amnesty for all those who participated in the conspiracy, urgently found the grave and insisted on the destruction of his body. The remains were excavated and burned.
Traces of Britain
This option looks quite convincing: a conspiracy of the Entente secret services. The allies feared that as a result of Rasputin's peacekeeping moods, his convictions would influence the monarch, and he would conclude a separate peace with Germany. For Britain, this meant defeat. Therefore, British agents Oswald Reiner, Yusupov's friend from Oxford, and Samuel Hoare, could easily join the society of conspirators to neutralize the guards of the "old man".
They, being on the street, could also intervene when the wounded Rasputin jumped out of the basement. This is where the head shot was fired. Rasputin's killer could be S. Khor or O. Reiner. They could act both on the orders of higher authorities, and take personal initiative. In any case, this version looks not unfounded. And who killed Rasputin, whose shot became decisive, is unclear. The investigation did not establish this.
Reasons for murder
We tried to comprehensively consider why Rasputin was killed. At the same time, it turned out that it could be the offended feelings of the monarchists, the Masonic conspiracy and the intrigues of Britain. Most likely, these circumstances overlapped each other and spilled over in the form of Rasputin's meeting with his fate in the mansion on the Moika.
The life of F. Yusupov after the scandal
Providence towards all the participants in the murder was surprisingly favorable. When the body of Grigory Rasputin was found in the hole, the Empress demanded the death of all participants. The emperor sent Dmitry's nephew to the Persian front. With this, he saved his life after the revolution.
No one remembered the doctor at all. He subsequently lived in Paris.
Purishkevich was sent to the front. He died in the 20th year, ill with typhus.
How was the fate of Yusupov, who killed Rasputin? At first, Felix went into exile to his estate near Kursk, Rakitnoye. After the revolution, having captured a certain amount of jewelry and two paintings by Rembrandt, he and Irina and her daughter left first for London and then for Paris. In Russia, their untold we alth remained in the form of real estate, art and jewelry. But money abroad was sorely lacking. Rescued numerous interviews that journalists took from the killer Rasputin. Then the couple opened a fashion house. It was very popular because its owners had impeccable taste, but did not bring any special income.
A Hollywood movie corrected the family budget. In it, Irina was portrayed as Rasputin's mistress. Yusupov filed a lawsuit for libel and won the process. The family received £25,000 and purchased a small apartment in the 16th arrondissement on Rue Pierre Guérin. There they lived until their death. The prince managed to write two books: The End of Rasputin (1927) and Memoirs. During World War II, the family did not support the Nazis, but did not return to the USSR either. Felix Yusupov died at an advanced age. He was 80 years old. Three years later, Irina was buried next to him. Their graves are in the Russian cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
