"Depraved whip" or a victim of rumor? January 21, 1869, Grigory Rasputin was born

The all-powerful "Brother Gregory"

Rasputin’s name was first mentioned on May 29, 1907 by the newspaper Tobol ² , and then on June 1, 1908 by the Tobolsk Diocesan Gazette ³ . In both publications, Rasputin was mentioned in connection with the large donation he made for the construction of a church in the village of Pokrovskoye.

However, from an article in the liberal "Tobol" it followed that Rasputin enjoyed the Emperor's favor: "At a church meeting on May 9, the parishioners of the Pokrovskaya Church settlement were offered 5 thousand rubles by a local peasant, Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, renamed "Novy" by decree of His Majesty ⁴ , for the construction of a new church in the village of Pokrovskoye… Meanwhile, the more conscious, developed part of the population is beginning to talk about how it would not be a bad idea to use this money for a godly, vital cause: for the construction of a new two-grade school, which is so needed… Gr. E. Novy is not alien to this idea, which was concluded from personal conversations with him…" ⁵

Having reported the fact of the Tsar's favor, "Tobol" immediately reported that "the more conscious, developed part of the population" was questioning the wisdom of the donation. From the very first mentions, Rasputin began to acquire an oppositional aura.

The Tobolsk Diocesan Gazette mentioned an investigation by the Tobolsk Spiritual Consistory into Rasputin's affiliation with the Khlysty sect ⁶ . And the appearance in the diocesan officialdom of information that "gratitude from the Diocesan authorities was announced with the issuance of a certificate of commendation to the peasant of the Pokrovskaya settlement of the Tyumen district, Grigory Novy (aka Rasputin), for a donation to the parish church" ⁷ , meant that in the confrontation with the rural priest Pyotr Ostroumov, who regularly wrote denunciations of Rasputin, and the Tobolsk bishop Antony (Karzhavin), Grigory and his high-ranking patrons from the capital had gained the upper hand.

Rasputin became the focus of attention of Russian journalists only at the end of 1909, after his political influence had become apparent ⁸ . On December 2, 1909, the liberal Tsaritsyn Herald published an article mentioning "a certain Grigory, a peasant from the Tobolsk province, Tyumen district, village of Pokrovsky." It then went on to describe Grigory's appearance: "He is a type of Russian peasant, older than middle age, blond, dressed in a jerkin, with a gold cross on his neck, given to priests from the Holy Synod as a reward." The newspaper explained its interest in the pious guest from the distant Tobolsk province as follows: "There are rumors among the Iliodorites about this Grigory, as a miracle worker, healing the most seriously ill and casting out demons" ⁹ . However, the real reason for the article was the rumors about the all-powerful "Brother Grigory" close to the royal family, who managed to avert the threat of synodal disgrace from the abbot of the Holy Spirit Monastery, the famous Black Hundred activist Hieromonk Iliodor, caused by his ultra-right agitation, directed not only against socialists, liberals and Jews, but also against governors and the prime minister ¹⁰ . Later, describing the events of December 1909, the "Tsaritsyn Herald" will tell about the reasons for the general interest in "Brother Grigory" in more detail: "Among the local truly Orthodox people, a view was established of Brother Grigory as a special person, living at Court and allegedly even enjoying some influence there. He has the gift of prophecy, heals the sick and casts out demons" ¹¹ . Rumors about Iliodor's protector were actively spreading throughout Tsaritsyn. Rasputin himself never missed an opportunity to boast about his closeness to the royal family. But rumors mentioned him not only as a patron-benefactor, but also as a "swindler" ¹² . Later, the "Tsaritsyn Herald" touched on the Rasputin theme regularly ¹³ .

"We'll get to this "tiligentsiya" soon…"

Gradually, from the pages of the regional press, the Rasputin story inevitably began to evolve in the direction of an all-Russian political sensation. On January 8, 1910, the largest newspaper in Russia, the liberal Russkoye Slovo, published an article on the second page entitled: "The Blessed Elder Gregory" with a subtitle in brackets – "From our Tsaritsyn correspondent" ¹⁴ . The article contained the first mention of Rasputin as a "blessed elder" and provided a detailed description of Rasputin's appearance and manner of speech. In this same report, Rasputin's voice was heard for the first time on the pages of Russian newspapers: "We will soon get to this "tiligentsiya"…" ¹⁵ .

Apparently, the reporter’s question threw Rasputin off balance and allowed the journalist to add a “Black Hundred” touch to the elder’s portrait.

The report was becoming sensational. The reporter noticed a massive gold cross on the elder – an expensive gift. In the conversation that followed, the elder mentioned his dad and mom, who could do anything: "Just tell dad – everything will be…" ¹⁶ . Behind the all-powerful "daddy and mommy", behind the expensive gift, the emperor and empress were easily discernible.

Public interest in Rasputin, especially in the capitals, had already been formed by that time. Rumors about the mysterious "elder" had been circulating since 1907 in the Petersburg and Moscow high society environment ¹⁷ . Despite the attempts of Prime Minister P.A. Stolypin to remove Rasputin, who had compromised the royal family, from Petersburg, in mid-1909 Grigory once again appeared in the capital and was effectively legalized: the empress publicly kissed his hand at one of the church services ¹⁸ . All this, of course, only increased the intensity of the rumors.

Comforter of Suppliants

The following story seemed even more scandalous – about the sexually charged behavior of the "blessed elder": "I asked some random female visitors of the "blessed elder" Gregory, who talked with him alone. They complain. They say that the elder has a habit of stroking his interlocutors, hugging them around the waist, testing their muscles… At the same time, he invariably repeats:

– Oh, temptation! Oh, temptation…

The elder directly told one high school girl who came to him that he loved her more than anyone else.

"Come with me," the old man suggested to the schoolgirl. "I'll take you if you want…"

The schoolgirl didn’t want to” ¹⁹ .

The text ended with news that acquired a special piquancy in light of the above: “The “blessed elder” Gregory intends to found a women’s monastery in Tsaritsyn. According to him, he will find the money for this” ²⁰ .

At that time the press did not risk picking up the Rasputin theme, which probably seemed too risky. The only newspaper that accepted the informational "pass" from "Russkoe Slovo" was the same "Tsaritsynsky Vestnik", for which the theme was already "its own". On January 13, 1910, it published an abridged reprint from "Russkoe Slovo" ²¹ .

The next day the newspaper published its own exclusive material dedicated to the "elder". The newspaper returned to the previously described ceremonial farewell of Rasputin to St. Petersburg on Christmas Day 1909. ²² Having received an "impulse of courage" from its colleagues in the capital, the "Tsaritsyn Herald" decided this time to make public what it had left behind the scenes in its publications at the end of December: firstly, the fact of rumors about Grigory's closeness to the Court, and, secondly, the moral dubiousness of the "elder's" spiritual practice. For this purpose, the following episode was told: "One of the local inhabitants, a relatively young, single man, seeking and not finding moral satisfaction in life, outraged by all the lawlessness and vices reigning in the environment, and so to speak a seeker of God, Mr. E. turned to Brother Grigory with the question: "Tell me, Brother Grigory, how should one live?" Brother Grigory answered him: "Love yourself more than yourself." Understood?

Mr. E. stood there for a long time, perplexed as to what to say, whether he understood or not. "I understood." – Well, if you understood, then go with God" ²³ . From the point of view of psychology, the advice was sound, but not from the position of church norms, which was picked up by the opposition newspaper.

Autocracy under the gun

The first publications about Rasputin began to appear in liberal newspapers in December 1909 – January 1910. In these articles, the hero of the story was mentioned only by the name "Grigory", his last name remained unnamed during this period. The "discoverer" of the Rasputin theme was the same "Tsaritsyn Herald", since it was the Tsaritsyn journalists who had a convenient opportunity to touch on the risky topic associated with the name of the tsar's favorite, in the context of a "purely provincial chronicle", formally far removed from the imperial palace.

The fact that the "Tsaritsyn Herald" had touched on a far from provincial topic was confirmed very soon, when the "Russkoye Slovo" published information about the stay of "Brother Grigory" in Tsaritsyn. True, the capital's journalists also decided to play it safe by placing the report about Rasputin in the provincial chronicle section. At the same time, "Russkoye Slovo" introduced this information into the capital's context, transparently hinting that "Elder Grigory" enjoyed the patronage of the imperial couple. What had been actively gossiped about in capital society until then became the subject of open discussion.

The first mentions of Rasputin were purely newsworthy, lacking any evaluative characteristics. The facts were limited to those that the authors themselves had obtained. There were no rumors or even facts about Rasputin's biography in these articles. While talking to the "elder", the "Russkoye Slovo" correspondent did not ask him a single truly pointed question, concerning, for example, rumors about his Khlysty or relationships with women. The journalist also did not specify which of his patrons Grigory familiarly called "daddy and mommy".

At this stage of the development of the Rasputin theme, the press was cautious and adhered to the truth. However, the very fact of transferring this theme from a marginal and behind-the-scenes format to a public information format became an ideological breakthrough, potentially creating a springboard for the opposition to launch a subsequent propaganda attack on the government.

• ^{1. About Grigory Rasputin, Hieromonk Iliodor and others // Moskovskie Vedomosti. 1910. April 30}
• ^{2. A. Unaccepted gift // Tobolsk. 1907. May 29.}
• ^{3. Varlamov A.N. Grigory Rasputin-New. M., 2007. P. 54.}
• ^{4. On December 15, 1906, Grigory addressed the Emperor with a request: "Living in the village of Pokrovskoye, I bear the surname Rasputin, while many fellow villagers bear the same surname, which may cause all sorts of misunderstandings … I ask that it be ordered that I and my descendants be called by the surname "Rasputin Novy" (Chernyshov A.V. On the age of Grigory Rasputin and other biographical details // Otechestvennye arkhivy. 1992. N 1. P. 114). In the press and literature, the new surname of G.E. Rasputin was also incorrectly spelled "Novykh".}
• ^{5. A.S. Unaccepted gift // Tobolsk. 1907. May 29.}
• ^{6. The Tobolsk Spiritual Consistory's secret case of the peasant Grigory Rasputin-Novy. http://www.nashaepoha.ru/?page=obj22263&lang=1&id=585}
• ^{7. Tobolsk diocesan news. 1908. June 1.}
• ^{8. The culmination of this was the story of the cancellation, thanks to Rasputin’s intercession with the tsar, of the decision of the Holy Synod to exile Iliodor from Tsaritsyn to Minsk (Kotsyubinsky A.P., Kotsyubinsky D.A. Grigory Rasputin: secret and obvious. St. Petersburg; Moscow, 2003. P. 129).}
• ^{9. Distribution of gifts at the monastery courtyard // Tsaritsyn Bulletin. 1909. December 2.}
• ^{10. Kurlov P.G. The Death of Imperial Russia. Moscow, 1992. P. 163-164.}
• ^{11. Brother Gregory // Tsaritsyn Bulletin. 1910. January 14.}
• ^{12. Iliodor (Sergey Trufanov). Holy Cho][rt (Notes on Rasputin). Moscow, 1917. Pp. 19-21.}
• ^{13. Farewell to Hieromonk Iliodor // Tsaritsyn Bulletin. 1909. December 3; At the monastery courtyard // Tsaritsyn Bulletin. 1909. December 18; Meeting Hieromonk Iliodor // Tsaritsyn Bulletin. 1909. December 23; At Hieromonk Iliodor’s // Tsaritsyn Bulletin. 1909. December 27.}
• ^{14. NN Blessed Elder Gregory // Russian Word. 1910. January 8.}
• ^{15. Ibid.}
• ^{16. Ibid.}
• ^{17. Kotsyubinsky A.P., Kotsyubinsky D.A. Grigory Rasputin. P. 120.}
• ^{18. Gerasimov A.V. On the Edge with Terrorists // "Okhrana". Memories of the Leaders of Political Investigation. Moscow, 2004. P. 172.}
• ^{19. NN Blessed Elder Gregory // Russian Word. 1910. January 8.}
• ^{20. Ibid.}
• ^{21. Elder Gregory // Tsaritsyn Bulletin. 1910. January 13.}
• ^{22. The newspaper reported on this event, which took place on Saturday, December 26, in the issue of December 27, 1909. In the article of January 14, 1910, the date of departure was mistakenly indicated as December 31.23. Brother Grigory // Tsaritsyn Bulletin. 1910. January 14.}