Grigori Rasputin

Grigori Rasputin was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed Holy man who befriended Tsar Nicholas II, the last monarch of Russia and his family. He gained considerable influence in late imperial Russia, and was brutally murdered by the Tsar's extended family and other noblemen because of it.

Behind the scenes

 * Born, Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin in 22 January 1869.
 * Described as a monk or as a "strannik", though he held no official position in the Russian Orthodox Church.
 * In late 1906, Rasputin began acting as a healer for Alexei, the Tsar Yyoungest, and only son, who suffered from hemophilia.
 * At court, he was a divisive figure, seen by some as a mystic, visionary, and prophet, and by others as a religious charlatan.
 * Most accounts about him have often been based on hearsay, rumor, and legend.