Killing Rasputin

The commonly accepted outlines of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin’s life are as follows. Of Siberian peasant stock, he became a religious mystic, after claiming to have had a vision of the Virgin Mary. His religious beliefs conveniently allowed him to indulge himself to the full as long as he later repented and despite his scandalous private life he became an influential figure at the court of Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II, because the Tsarina Alexandra believed that he alone possessed the power to staunch the bleeding of the haemophiliac heir to the throne, the Tsarevitch Alexei.

As this medical condition was a state secret the people could not understand the attention paid to this ‘mad monk’ and rumours deeply damaging to the imperial family, that Rasputin was sleeping with the Tsarina and the royal princesses, circulated after the Tsar left Alexandra and Rasputin in charge of Petrograd whilst he assumed nominal command at military headquarters in 1915. Rasputin’s political meddling, using his influence with the Tsarina to appoint and dismiss ministers, contributed to political instability and severely damaged Russia’s war effort. Thus it was that Prince Felix Yusupov hatched a plot to murder Rasputin in December 1916, to strengthen the Tsar’s damaged authority.

As befits a larger than life character, Rasputin’s death has attained a mythical status, with him allegedly ingesting fatal amounts of poison, being repeatedly shot and bludgeoned but only finally succumbing to drowning after his body was dumped in the River Neva.

In ‘Killing Rasputin’ (an expanded and updated version of her 2010 book ‘The Murder of Grigorii Rasputin’) Margarita Nelipa has sought to challenge the orthodox account, unravelling the many myths surrounding Rasputin’s life and death, as well as assessing the latter’s significance. Indeed, the revised book is subtitled ‘The Murder That Ended the Russian Empire’.

This last aim is explored in the last part of the book, whilst its first part chronicles Rasputin’s rise to influence, and the second investigates the events of his murder.

The story of Rasputin’s extraordinary life is very interesting but also already well documented, although Nelipa’s book can claim to be the first Western source to provide photographic evidence of Rasputin’s date of birth (on 9 January 1869), a fact which had been shrouded in mystery until 1992.

Nelipa states that her “disbelief that a British secret agent [Sir Samuel Hoare] was implicated in murdering Grigorii Rasputin” - a thesis first put forward in Oleg Shishkin’s ‘To Kill Rasputin’ (2000) but popularized in the UK by Andrew Cook’s 2004 BBC documentary and 2005 book - “gave me the determination to study all the original material related to this murder case”.

Nelipa’s trawl through the Russian primary material seems commendably exhaustive, which makes it rather surprising that she makes no mention of Keith Jeffery’s 2010 history of MI6, based upon unrestricted access to the surviving files of the Secret Intelligence Service, which supports her in rejecting any idea of agency involvement in the crime.

Most controversial is Nelipa’s analysis of the reasons for the February revolution, writing that “The constant barrage of insinuations and conjectures by Duma representatives destabilized the imperial government” and had “the field commanders remained loyal to the emperor and to their Oath of Allegiance and focused solely on military matters, the Duma would not have succeeded in its quest for change.” This is simply untenable given that Tsarism had manifestly failed in the primary duty of any state, namely, to defend its citizens from external attack.

Nelipa’s forensic examination of the evidence, much of it new, is praiseworthy and her book should alter our understanding of Rasputin and particularly of how he died. The trouble is that in the process she may have fatally drained Rasputin of colour. A Rasputin who is not sexually depraved is simply not as interesting as one who is.

In John Ford’s ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ the reporter Stoddard concludes “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend”. Nelipa has done much to expose the legend of Rasputin but not enough to deal it a mortal blow.

Excellent read about Rasputin-the myths and the real truth. I will admit it was a little bogged down in facts and figures and I was bored in some chapters. But I would recommend this as a read!

I really enjoyed the book. The only thing I struggled with was knowing about all the places the author assumed the reader would already know about but as a newbie to Russian history I didn't always know where these places were. Other than that an absolutely thrilling read that I couldn't put down as I was really interested and it almost became like a non fiction murder mystery

“Aristocrats viewed Rasputin as engaging and modest, traits that allowed him to mix amongst them. Despite his clothing and unusual appearance, it was his sincerity that appealed to them. His pragmatic thoughts became wisdom, which contrasted with the esoteric mysticism that pervaded high society. The problems stemmed from rumors that spoke of Rasputin’s divine gift of healing and prophesizing. Those supposed qualities made him immensely popular.”

Those very qualities later became questionable and it wasn’t long before he was seen as vulgar, beneath the very people who first were enthralled by Rasputin. That he was a character is partially due to myths, rumors and the mysteries surrounding his life, as well as his death. I’ve always had an interest in the doomed Romanov family and the man that they welcomed into their bosom. A wandering msytic, self-proclaimed holy man, healer, or was he a dirty, ignorant peasant not fit to lick the boots of high society? It depends on which books you read, whose stories you believe. Here, Margarita Nelipa skips speculation and studies sold evidence. From his humble beginnings to befriending Emperor Nicholas II and his family, the murder of Rasputin and the ever changing tumult history and revolution that followed, this book explores it all. Who wanted Rasputin dead? Who didn’t?

How fast his fall, media campaigns against him, exposing him as a charlatan, questioning his belief in natural remedies. Of course Rasputin was a part of a political storm, simply being a part of high society during a hot time in Russia’s history. With lies circling about Rasputin’s sexual ‘exploits’ as noted in this book, the Empress too was smeared. Gossip, however whispered, can be the downfall of many. The truth was that the young Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich was better when Rasputin was near, and what mother, desperate to keep her child healthy and of this earth wouldn’t have faith in his presence?

Taking fabrications and using common sense and logic to find truth, much of what was said to damage Rasputin were impossibilities, simply for his station in life. Unfortunately Rasputin wasn’t one to challenge the falsities written about him, being a holy man. Maybe he wasn’t all the amazing, colorful, wild things he has been accused or praised (depending who you ask) of being, but he has held our fascination for over a century.

Which version is to be believed of his murder? Who masterminded the crime? What brought these conspirators together? Was Rasputin lured to his death, believing he was meeting with Nikolai II’s niece? With accounts, eye witnesses, Nelipa finds the holes and shares them with the reader. What did the British have to do with anything? Did they really believe Rasputin was an ‘evil influence’ on Russia and it’s people? As stated in the book, “Once the Russians eliminated Rasputin, they allegedly steered back onto the correct (British) course and continued fighting the war.” Who murdered him is known, but what were the triggers?

The people were turning on the emperor, as were the aristocrats, feeling the rupture between the dynasty and the Russian people could be laid at Rasputin’s peasant feet. They believed it was Rasputin that was guiding them, and he had to go. All of this is well known, but not everyone is aware of why Alexandra Fyodorovna was vastly different from other aristocrats. Already there were criticisms aimed at her, for enjoying her motherly duties, more consumed by love for her children than the social scene, surely her bond with Rasputin fed the fire. The sad diary entries shared throughout this book are nothing short of heartbreaking.

Rasputin was an outsider, many felt he weaseled his way in, bending the ear of the family in ways others of higher station never could. That in itself is enough to feed hate. It’s a fantastic gathering of material that sheds light on the life and death of Rasputin, and the influence he had on history. Sorting through the murky depths of lies and truth, it is an eye opening read. Certainly the fiction of Rasputin was far more interesting than the reality, but you cannot dispute facts. I always believed him to be a monk, a mystic, a psychic- I have heard everything, but this book lays much of it to rest. He wasn’t the depraved sex craved monster some have painted him, he was despised by the wealthy, the prominent and who can fight the powers that be when they so chose to turn on you? No one then and likely no one now. Time is a funny thing, truth has a way of crawling out of the dark tunnels of the past but not without the attention, blood, sweat and tears of writers like Margarita Nelipa. I am not an expert on Russian history but this book has changed the things I thought I knew about Rasputin.

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Margarita Nelipa presents a very thorough and meticulously researched study of Rasputin's murder and subsequent investigation. Ms. Nelipa packed every chapter with her own translations of primary source material. At times, the narrative was weighed down by cited material (there were over 1800 endnotes).
Ultimately, this is a thoughtful study of Rasputin including his relationship with the imperial family, the political chaos that centered around him, his murder, and the subsequent investigation. I particularly enjoyed Ms. Nelipa's analysis of the autopsy.
Killing Rasputin requires a bit of work to get through, but it is a worthwhile endeavor

Enthralling. This is a really interesting and very well researched book. It discusses the theories of how Rasputin was killed. It looks at the theories of why he was killed. Every detail has been well documented. Rasputin has become a mythical larger than life character. This book breaks those images down and tries to describe what he was like and his role and why he had enemies. There is a lot to this book. It is a really interesting read and I would definitely recommend it.

Wonderfully immersive, well-researched and well-written account of Rasputin’s murder and the events leading up to it.

This is not a light read. It's no War & Peace but you will need time to finish this book. To understand and appreciate the sheer amount of work that author Margarita Nelipa had to sift through to form this book. With over 500 pages and over 3 times as many footnotes, this is an informative read. Though at times, it was difficult to find the story line through all additional facts. This is not her first book and yet she seems to fall into a rather common trait shared by first time nonfiction writers. She took all that time to find and fact check all of her information and has crammed all of it into one book.
That is not to say that it wasn't an enjoyable read. I was able to walk away with more of an understanding of the man and the times. The mythos of Rasputin is one that the world has taken great joy in painting as a villain and I feel as though Nelipa has taken a different stance from the usual to explain him and at times to defend what we know of him. Well written and well worth the time it will take you to read through it. I would recommend this to those who enjoy reading about Russian history and I think True Crime readers will also get a kick out of this book.

*This eBook is provided by NetGalley and WildBlue Press in exchange for honest feedback*

It is apparent that the author thoroughly researched this book and has a passion for Rasputin's history. That being said, it could use more of a narrative so as to be more interesting and not read quite so thesis-like. Overall, informative read for those interested in Russian history.

I've been interested in the last tzar for years and have read a great deal about the tzar his family and the circle surrounding him I could never understand why Rasputin managed to integrate so much into a family that was so isolated the book Showed how charismatic Rasputin actually Was and how much they relied on hjm it is fascinating reading and would i highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in that part of Russian history
I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review from netgallery

I've always been told those at the very top and those at the very bottom have a lot in common; The Russian royal family, their friends and Rasputin were a perfect, if deadly, fit. Rasputin's death always leaves me awed, but laughing- I mean, his murderers did everything they could to kill him and the guy just would not die! Ineptitude on their part or immortal on his, amazing. Nicholas always struck me as an ineffectual leader. Wasn't very smart on his part to leave Alexandra and Rasputin in charge for even an hour. Seems to me he would have listened a bit harder to his subjects.... Anyway, the book covers a lot of territory and has more detail than anyone but the most die hard fans of the story will care about. It's a shame the kids were executed along with the parents. seems someone could have stepped in and just forced them into exile as the royals everywhere were about to be washed up anyway. I know WW1 wasn't brought on by their death, but revolution seems to have been in the air everywhere- sick of royals, I suppose, and everyone wanting more freedom fro their sort. Interesting read, but mainly for folks really into it.