Grigori rasputin biography summary format

(1869-1916)

Who Was Rasputin?

After failing to become a monk, Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin became a wanderer and eventually entered the court of Czar Nicholas II because of his alleged healing abilities.

Known for his prophetic powers, he became a favorite of the Nicholas's wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, but his political influence was minor. Rasputin became swept up in the events of the Russian Revolution and met a brutal death at the hands of assassins in 1916.

Early Life

Born to a Siberian peasant family around 1869, Rasputin received little schooling and probably never learned to read or write.

In his early years, some people of his village said he possessed supernatural powers, while others cite examples of extreme cruelty. For a time, it was believed his name "Rasputin" meant "licentious" in Russian.

Historians now believe that "Rasputin" meant "where two rivers meet," a phrase that describes an area near where he was born