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Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm

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Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky listener, Discretion is advised.

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Speaker 2: We don't have sex in the USSR. Those are the

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Speaker 2: words that greet visitors in bold block lettering upon arriving

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Speaker 2: at the Museum of Love and Erotica in Saint Petersburg.

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Speaker 2: From the outside, the muse Arrows, as it's called, appears

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Speaker 2: fairly innocuous. Muted reds and grays, long since faded by

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Speaker 2: the sun paints the building's facade, blending into the equally

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Speaker 2: faded asphalt of the parking lot it shares with the

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Speaker 2: Shell gas station across the street. But once inside, the

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Speaker 2: pallid hues of the city give way to midnight blacks

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Speaker 2: and electric pinks. Decor unapologetically flaunting sex and kink over

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Speaker 2: every square inch of its curated studio space. Past the

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Speaker 2: throne of dildos and gift shop laden with leather accessories,

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Speaker 2: the museum offers exhibit after exhibit of artifacts dedicated to

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Speaker 2: the exploration of sex and sexuality through history. Fertility statues

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Speaker 2: stand proudly next to displays of vintage vibrators of I'll

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Speaker 2: Say Dubious historical accuracy. But perhaps the most interesting piece

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Speaker 2: in the entire space is sitting in a jar behind

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Speaker 2: a pane of glass. It isn't dressed in the same

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Speaker 2: jarring neon or velvet allure in keeping with the rest

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Speaker 2: of the exhibit, but then again, it doesn't need to.

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Speaker 2: The pound of flesh bobbing inside the formalda filled jar

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Speaker 2: speaks for itself. This artifact, of course, is the dismembered

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Speaker 2: penis of one Gregory Resputen. In the century since his death,

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Speaker 2: the infamous Russian mystic has become more myth than man,

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Speaker 2: though the latter is hard to ignore after catching a

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Speaker 2: glimpse of the astonishing appendage on display at the museum.

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Speaker 2: At least it would be astonishing if it were real.

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Speaker 2: False reports involving the aforementioned fallis have been in circulation

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Speaker 2: since the nineteen twenties, after a group of women in

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Speaker 2: France claimed to have kept it in an ice box

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Speaker 2: to take it out for use in certain fertility rituals.

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Speaker 2: Others say that was just a sea cucumber, and the

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Speaker 2: actual Genitalia resided with Maria, his daughter, until she sold

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Speaker 2: it sometime in the seventh these it's difficult to trace,

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Speaker 2: then what happened to the quote actual or quote false penis?

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Speaker 2: But in the year two thousand a man would pay

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Speaker 2: eight thousand dollars for something that claimed to be resputants penis,

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Speaker 2: and the man proudly stated, I am ninety nine percent

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Speaker 2: sure that it is real. Now there's a lot to

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Speaker 2: unpack there, After all, who pays eight thousand dollars to

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Speaker 2: only be ninety nine percent sure they have the real deal?

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Speaker 2: Or maybe it's worth taking a step back and asking

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Speaker 2: the more glaring question of why would someone want to

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Speaker 2: buy the penis in the first place. Unfortunately, or maybe

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Speaker 2: fortunately actually, I do not have the answers to those questions.

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Speaker 2: But here is one answer. If you were wondering whether

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Speaker 2: the organ is real, I can tell you that at

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Speaker 2: the time of resputant's autopsy, his body was yes, riddled

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Speaker 2: with bullet wounds and blunt force trauma, but otherwise fully intact,

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Speaker 2: and the organ on display in the muse erros is,

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Speaker 2: at least in this writer's estimation, probably from a non

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Speaker 2: human animal with a size meant to shock audiences to

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Speaker 2: increase the mythology of its alleged source. Fascinating and deeply

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Speaker 2: compelling as the pickled mystery meat is. I think it's

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Speaker 2: even more interesting to examine the actual human who is

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Speaker 2: allegedly once attached to it when he was still alive.

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Speaker 2: Resputant aroused distrust and scandal without having to say a word.

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Speaker 2: One look at a photo of him with his long,

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Speaker 2: greasy black hair and his gaunt, deep set eyes provide

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Speaker 2: all the reason as to why, over one hundred years later,

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Speaker 2: his image is still deeply unsettling the story of his

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Speaker 2: life is infamously debaucherous. Today, his name is synonymous with

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Speaker 2: villain in our cultural psyche. Though perhaps it's all too

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Speaker 2: common for stories to be lost to be consolidated over time,

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Speaker 2: the mad Monk's legend defies historical precedent. Instead of being

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Speaker 2: lost or diminished, histories are inexplicably being added, like Jenga

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Speaker 2: pieces stolen from the base of a teetering tower that

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Speaker 2: refuses to fall. So why is it that museum's boast

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Speaker 2: to have his most prized possession, even though it is

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Speaker 2: most certainly not real, And why has Resputant as a

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Speaker 2: myth persisted as a cultural phenomenon while the man himself

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Speaker 2: has really slipped into shadows. The answer is a fact

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Speaker 2: Resputin himself knew entirely too well. As long as people

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Speaker 2: want to believe something is real, the truth can afford

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Speaker 2: to be subjective. I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is noble blood.

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Speaker 2: When Google searches of Resputant turn up picture after picture

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Speaker 2: of greasy beards, wild eyes, and political cartoons illustrating sexual

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Speaker 2: acts with Russian monarchs, it's sometimes hard to remember that

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Speaker 2: long before any of that, he was just Gregory Alfamovich Resputant,

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Speaker 2: a young man from a small village in Siberia, born

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Speaker 2: in eighteen sixty nine. He married young at eighteen and

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Speaker 2: fathered seven children, though only three made it to adulthood.

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Speaker 2: But such was life in late nineteenth century Siberia. Childhood

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Speaker 2: mortality rates were high, access to basic education was practically

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Speaker 2: non existent, and the Russian idea of subda, or God's

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Speaker 2: will was the guiding force for the majority of the

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Speaker 2: peasant and population. There is very little known about the

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Speaker 2: exact details of Hersputen's early life, most of which come

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Speaker 2: to us via a biography written by his daughter Maria

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Speaker 2: long after he had passed. It's safe to say that

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Speaker 2: this biography might have some historical inaccuracies. Early on, she

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Speaker 2: claims that a comet tore through the sky on the

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Speaker 2: night of Resputen's birth, when in reality we know there

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Speaker 2: is no recorded comment passing in Earth's view that entire year.

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Speaker 2: But we do know the one aspect of his adulthood

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Speaker 2: that would shape the rest of his life. When Resputen

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Speaker 2: was twenty eight years old, he took a trip to

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Speaker 2: a Siberian monastery and returned as a strunk or a

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Speaker 2: religious pilgrim, ready to share all that he had learned

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Speaker 2: on his travels and spread the word of God. According

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Speaker 2: to accounts from his closest acquaintances, his intentions began honestly enough,

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Speaker 2: but that didn't mean that he practiced quiet, quite the opposite.

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Speaker 2: In fact, he immediately garnered attention from other villagers with

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Speaker 2: his peculiar ways. He stopped eating meat and drinking alcohol,

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Speaker 2: But his most unusual affectation was the way he performed

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Speaker 2: during his services. With crazy glances and grimaces, he became

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Speaker 2: impossible to ignore, and fairly quickly his strange confidence and

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Speaker 2: charisma led to followers. After that initial pilgrimage, Resputant didn't

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Speaker 2: stay home for long. He continued traveling across the continent,

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Speaker 2: going so far as Greece, but never failing to make

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Speaker 2: his way back to Russia. But the more that he traveled,

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Speaker 2: the less it seemed that Russia wanted him back. People

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Speaker 2: were becoming more skeptical of the uncom poly man roaming

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Speaker 2: their streets, especially since a large portion of his disciples

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Speaker 2: were women, which have been so bad if he didn't

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Speaker 2: openly kiss them in public. So that was troubling, as

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Speaker 2: were the vague allegations of sexual assaults that tended to

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Speaker 2: follow in the wake of his travels. Even before Gregory

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Speaker 2: had married, he had amassed quite the reputation as a

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Speaker 2: young ladies man. So you can imagine the type of

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Speaker 2: power dynamic at play when Resputin found himself in a

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Speaker 2: position where people not only listened to what he had

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Speaker 2: to say, but respected him praised him. Resputin found a

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Speaker 2: way to exploit his power for personal gain. In one instance,

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Speaker 2: when a woman came to him distraught after a sexual

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Speaker 2: encounter between the two of them that she had felt

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Speaker 2: coerced into, he simply replied that quote, there was no

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Speaker 2: sin in what they had done. They had simply been

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Speaker 2: celebrating the Holy Trinity. Another report accounts that two sisters

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Speaker 2: aged fifteen and twelve were manipulated into sexual acts with

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Speaker 2: the man after being lured into a bath house. When

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Speaker 2: their mother confronted Resputants, seething with anger, he merely looked

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Speaker 2: at her calmly and said, quote, now you may feel

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Speaker 2: at peace. The day of salvation has dawned for your daughters.

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Speaker 2: In Resputant's mind, or at least the way he spun

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Speaker 2: his religious teachings to his followers, opening oneself to the

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Speaker 2: possibility of sexual encounters, i e. Stripping in bathhouses was

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Speaker 2: a way to prove to God that they were able

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Speaker 2: to resist temptations of the flesh, and sometimes those trips

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Speaker 2: did end in abstinence. Temptations resisted, but only sometimes. For

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Speaker 2: his part, Resputant did openly admit to being a sinner,

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Speaker 2: explaining that while he did try to resist sin, he

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Speaker 2: was ultimately exempt from judgment because he was quote a

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Speaker 2: man of God, succumbing to these sins while in his service. Now,

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Speaker 2: I am of the belief that if something looks like

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Speaker 2: a duck and quacks like a duck, then it's most

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Speaker 2: likely a sexual predator, and that Resputant was using the

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Speaker 2: religious rhetoric of confronting temptations as a way to exploit

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Speaker 2: vulnerable women. Unfortunately, at the time, his exploits were seen

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Speaker 2: as merely salacious. Monks will be monks. But as gossip

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Speaker 2: around his personal life spread, so did rumors of his

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Speaker 2: abilities as a mystic. One night, the Virgin Mary supposedly

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Speaker 2: came to him crying, tears streaming down her face as

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Speaker 2: she told him to quote, go wander and cleanse the

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Speaker 2: people of their sins. Resputant believed that he had been

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Speaker 2: chosen by God, and he made it his job to

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Speaker 2: let everyone know. For however creepy and manipulative this man was,

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Speaker 2: he was also smarter than most people gave him credit for.

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Speaker 2: He was an expert at the long con planting seeds

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Speaker 2: of gossip that would flower exactly when he needed them to.

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Speaker 2: His actions seemed erratic at times, but every move was

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Speaker 2: calculated to cultivate this man of God, persona which he

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Speaker 2: was honestly probably narcissistic enough to believe was true. But

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Speaker 2: at the time, especially in more elite social circles, people

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Speaker 2: took him pretty plainly at face value. He was a peasant,

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Speaker 2: most likely simple minded, and he therefore posed very little threat,

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Speaker 2: So what if he had a reputation as a philanderer.

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Speaker 2: Surely only the weak fell for such ploys. Right, before

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Speaker 2: we go any further into resputant story, I'd like us

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Speaker 2: to pivot for a moment towards Saint Petersburg. Behind the

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Speaker 2: waves of civil unrest and political turmoil, Romanovs sat comfortably

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Speaker 2: inside the walls of Alexander Palace, confident in their nearly

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Speaker 2: three hundred year old dynasty and there obviously God given

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Speaker 2: authority to rule. At least if they told themselves that

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Speaker 2: enough times, maybe it would finally become reality. In truth,

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Speaker 2: the royal family was harboring a possibly dynasty ending secret.

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Speaker 2: The Tsarevich was sick. Alexei, the fifth child but only

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Speaker 2: son of Zar Nicholas and the Tsarina Alexandra Fedorovna, had

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Speaker 2: been diagnosed with hemophilia, a rare blood disorder that inhibits

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Speaker 2: blood from clotting, normally subjecting its victims to possibly fatal

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Speaker 2: internal bleeding at the drop of a hat. The tsar

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Speaker 2: and Zarina were understandably distraught concerning the health of their son,

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Speaker 2: though his illness posed a greater threat to the Russian monarchy,

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Speaker 2: as a whole. Alexei was their only son, and if

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Speaker 2: you remember our past episode on Paul the First of Russia,

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Speaker 2: his grudge match against his mother, Catherine the Great still

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Speaker 2: persisted into the twentieth century in the form of a

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Speaker 2: law that only sons could inherit the Russian throne. The

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Speaker 2: tsar and Tzarina had desperately waited for a son. With

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Speaker 2: each pregnancy, their hopes were renewed, and with each daughter,

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Speaker 2: their hopes were dashed. Four times in a row, girl, girl, Girl, Girl.

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Speaker 2: The Tsarina Alexandra had been so desperate for a son

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Speaker 2: that she had turned to the church and mysticism for help.

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Speaker 2: Though originally of German descent, Alexandra converted to Russian Orthodox

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Speaker 2: Christianity upon her engagement to Nicholas, and she adopted the

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Speaker 2: practice wholeheartedly into her life. It's easy to laugh at

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Speaker 2: the idea of mysticism now, but in the turn of

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Speaker 2: the twentieth century in Russia, it was not an un

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Speaker 2: common practice, especially amongst the aristocracy. People craved excitement, anything

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Speaker 2: to break up the monotony of their day to day lives.

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Speaker 2: I mean, think about the way wealthy people today talk

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Speaker 2: about moon juice and alkalized lemon water and healing crystals.

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Speaker 2: But at that time, for those inside the palace walls,

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Speaker 2: mysticism had genuine credence. One of the crown's closest religious

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Speaker 2: advisers would tell the Tsar, God sends consolation to his

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Speaker 2: people from time to time in the guise of righteous men,

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Speaker 2: and they are the mainstays of Holy Russia. Considering that

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Speaker 2: the Tsar and Tzarina truly believed that they had been

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Speaker 2: chosen by God to rule the people of Russia, their

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Speaker 2: belief in mysticism compounded. God had chosen them, so obviously

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Speaker 2: he had chosen these mystics to carry out his work

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Speaker 2: as well. So after one mystic claimed to be able

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Speaker 2: to influence the gender of a child during pregnancy, and

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Speaker 2: then the sarena gave birth to a son, the practice

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Speaker 2: of mysticism came to be consulted on all matters of

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Speaker 2: everyday life, and that man not Resputin yet just some

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Speaker 2: other random guy, became a mainstay at court. After the

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Speaker 2: diagnosis of her son, Alexandra sought the help of that mystic,

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Speaker 2: more desperate to alleviate her son's suffering. But over time

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Speaker 2: members of the court began to grow skeptical of that

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Speaker 2: religious adviser whispering in the queen's ear. After a considerable

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Speaker 2: amount of pressure from his staff, Zar Nicholas was forced

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Speaker 2: to send Alexandra's beloved mystic away. But before the mystic left,

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Speaker 2: he foretold one final prophecy quote, Someday you will have

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Speaker 2: another friend like me who will speak to you of God.

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Speaker 2: The dust had barely settled on that mystic being fired

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Speaker 2: before Resputen was suddenly knocking on the palace door, well

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Speaker 2: metaphorically knocking. Resputin knew that the road to power ended

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Speaker 2: on the Romanov doorstep, but he also recognized how nearly

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Speaker 2: impossible it was going to be for him to get there.

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Speaker 2: After all, he was a peasant with no connections to

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Speaker 2: the capitol and only a questionable reputation to his name,

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Speaker 2: But he wouldn't let that stop him by virtue of

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Speaker 2: his chosen profession. By nineteen oh five, Resputin had become

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Speaker 2: an expert in finding spaces for himself in social circles

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Speaker 2: where none had existed before. He was a social climbing assassin,

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Speaker 2: using people and then burning bridges like he needed the

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Speaker 2: tender to keep warm, and maybe he did, but that

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Speaker 2: didn't mean the flames would never catch up to him,

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Speaker 2: as it were. In nineteen oh five, Resputin found himself

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Speaker 2: in Saint Petersburg in the company of three of the

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Speaker 2: Tsar's closest acquaintances. Years of travel and power grabbing all

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Speaker 2: came down to one tea on an innocuous autumn afternoon.

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Speaker 2: So what did the Siberian peasant do to woo the

247
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Speaker 2: god divined rulers of Russia? Absolutely nothing, or rather, he

248
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Speaker 2: made the nobles feel as though they were nothing, certainly

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Speaker 2: no more important than any of the peasants that he

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Speaker 2: often met on the street. He used the informal Russian

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Speaker 2: you pronoun that used for friends and family instead of

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Speaker 2: the respectful you reserved for elders and people of higher birth,

253
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Speaker 2: And when Resputen met the Tsar and Tsarina, he addressed

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Speaker 2: them as Batushka and Matushka, or little father and little mother,

255
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Speaker 2: which was the common name the peasant class took to

256
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Speaker 2: calling the royal couple, and infuriatingly enough, they ate it up.

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Speaker 2: Nicholas and Alexandra hated all the pomp and circumstance that

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Speaker 2: typically followed them as Russian monarchs, so when Resputen, who

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Speaker 2: had been waiting years for this very encounter, showed them

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00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:18,080
Speaker 2: the same ambivalence he showed say soap. The royal couple

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00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:24,240
Speaker 2: was immediately smitten. After years without a quote unquote man

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Speaker 2: of God at her side, the Czarina remembered the parting

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Speaker 2: words of her last trusted religious adviser, some day you

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Speaker 2: will have another friend like me who will speak to

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Speaker 2: you of God. And as she watched with wide eyes

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Speaker 2: and bated breath while the mysterious holy Man stood over

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Speaker 2: her son and her son's muscles finally unclenched after days

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00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:51,240
Speaker 2: of restlessness, there was no doubt in her mind her

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Speaker 2: friend had arrived. News of Resputant's present in the palace

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00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:02,320
Speaker 2: quickly made the rounds in Saint Petersburg. Unsurprisingly, people were

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Speaker 2: skeptical of the unkempt, self proclaimed spiritual healer who spent

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Speaker 2: so much of his time around the royal family. His

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Speaker 2: infamous reputation as a sexual predator had followed him on

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Speaker 2: his travels to the capital, and yet the Czar and

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00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:22,200
Speaker 2: Czarina kept him in their inner circle, unwilling to listen

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Speaker 2: to anyone who disparaged their new found friend. Worse yet,

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00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:30,600
Speaker 2: the rumors were beginning to fester. After all, what exactly

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Speaker 2: was he doing with the royal family? They had five children,

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Speaker 2: four of them young girls. Someone with a past like

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Speaker 2: his shouldn't the Tsar and Tzarina be more concerned. For

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Speaker 2: once peasants and nobles were in agreement, Resputin needed to go.

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Speaker 2: He was not known for his reticence in sharing political opinions,

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Speaker 2: and the last thing that anyone wanted was for Resputin,

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Speaker 2: notorious sex fiend parading around as a religious holy man,

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Speaker 2: to have influence over the Russian government. Public outcry trickled

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Speaker 2: its way into the palace, but would be destined to

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00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:11,879
Speaker 2: fall on deaf ears. For the Czarina, Resputant's place in

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Speaker 2: the palace was indisputable. His prayers were keeping her son alive.

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00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:21,480
Speaker 2: Alexei's hemophilia was still a state secret, one that the

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00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:24,760
Speaker 2: crown couldn't afford to get out for fear that their

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00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:28,800
Speaker 2: God given right to rule would crumble under the ailment

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Speaker 2: of the crown prince. After all, if God had chosen them,

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Speaker 2: why wouldn't he have given them a healthy air. Their

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00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:39,760
Speaker 2: silence would ultimately only add more fuel to the fire

295
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Speaker 2: of rumors swirling around the city. Before long, speculation as

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Speaker 2: to the nature of Resputant and the Czarina's relationship was

297
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:54,280
Speaker 2: being called into question, especially after correspondence between the two

298
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Speaker 2: was leaked to the press. Quote I know that much

299
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Speaker 2: of what I do and think is not good. I

300
00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,639
Speaker 2: want to be a good Christian, a good person, but

301
00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:08,000
Speaker 2: it is so hard, Alexandra had written in a private

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Speaker 2: letter to the monk. Quote so often I have to

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00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:14,679
Speaker 2: fight bad habits. But help me, don't abandon me. I

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00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:19,000
Speaker 2: am weak and not good end quote. Suddenly, all of

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00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:22,440
Speaker 2: the bridges where Sputant had burned to reach the Romanovs

306
00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:26,080
Speaker 2: had their flames, threatening to burn down the entire palace.

307
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Speaker 2: Even beyond the basic accusations of infidelity, other more disturbing

308
00:22:32,359 --> 00:22:35,840
Speaker 2: allegations were coming to the forefront. People were beginning to

309
00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:40,200
Speaker 2: question the paternity of the Tsarevich himself, with others accusing

310
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Speaker 2: the mad monk of sexually assaulting the young Romanov daughters,

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00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:49,640
Speaker 2: even possibly getting one pregnant. Before long, the entire country

312
00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:54,119
Speaker 2: was alight with conspiracy, conspiracy that would carry on for

313
00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:59,359
Speaker 2: far longer than one lifetime. Bony M's now iconic lyric

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00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:04,080
Speaker 2: rah rah Rasputine Lover of the Russian Queen is no

315
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:08,159
Speaker 2: doubt a clever couplet, but its evidence is placed on

316
00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:12,399
Speaker 2: faulty ground. The Czarina may have had her faults, but

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Speaker 2: if she was anything, it was a devout Christian and

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00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:19,040
Speaker 2: loyal wife. And in addition to keeping her son's illness

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Speaker 2: out of the public eye, she also suffered from chronic

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00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:27,560
Speaker 2: pain in secret. After five difficult pregnancies, her body had

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00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:31,080
Speaker 2: taken a fair amount of abuse, leaving her with sciatica

322
00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,760
Speaker 2: that would sometimes keep her bedbound for days. She was

323
00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,440
Speaker 2: not in a condition to be carrying on an illicit

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Speaker 2: love affair, even if she wanted to, which, based on

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Speaker 2: her character, I don't think she did. But of course,

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00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:48,600
Speaker 2: once again, the truth didn't matter. Before the rumors could

327
00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:52,760
Speaker 2: have just been dismissed. But after personal letters surfaced and

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00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:56,399
Speaker 2: were proven legitimate by the star himself, the crown was

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00:23:56,440 --> 00:24:00,600
Speaker 2: looking as unstable as ever. The people thought that the

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00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:05,760
Speaker 2: infidelity rumors were true, and the Czarina was furious. The

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00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:10,320
Speaker 2: question remained, who had leaked the letters? How did this happen?

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Speaker 2: The obvious answer lies with the recipient, But Resputen was

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Speaker 2: a trusted friend, surely he never would have done such

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00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:22,480
Speaker 2: a thing. It should come as no surprise that no

335
00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,639
Speaker 2: one was a bigger fan of Resputin than Resputen, so

336
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,520
Speaker 2: when the Czarina herself began sending him not just letters

337
00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:36,120
Speaker 2: but personal confessions, he couldn't keep them to himself. Years earlier,

338
00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:40,119
Speaker 2: an acquaintance of Resputants had found himself inside the Monk's

339
00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:45,040
Speaker 2: Saint Petersburg apartment, where Resputen was showing off his personal

340
00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:49,000
Speaker 2: letters from the Czarina. He was boasting about his status

341
00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:54,119
Speaker 2: as one of her closest spiritual advisers. The acquaintance smiled

342
00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,760
Speaker 2: and nodded, acting impressed when he was called to do so,

343
00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:00,800
Speaker 2: but in the back of his mind he was taking notes.

344
00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:06,040
Speaker 2: Perhaps he asked to see the letters up close. Fast

345
00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:09,760
Speaker 2: forward three years, and the Tsarina's letters were being printed

346
00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:13,640
Speaker 2: and dissected by every major news outlet around the world.

347
00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:18,560
Speaker 2: Resputin attempted to do some damage control, but Alexandra would

348
00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:23,240
Speaker 2: no longer permit him inside the palace walls. After years

349
00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:27,320
Speaker 2: of begging, the Tsarina was finally taking the advice of

350
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Speaker 2: nearly every one of her advisors, and she sent Resputin packing.

351
00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:36,760
Speaker 2: After all, her son hadn't had a severe attack. In years,

352
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:41,840
Speaker 2: there was no immediate need for resputant services, so that autumn,

353
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,320
Speaker 2: on a family vacation to their hunting launch, nobody thought

354
00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,760
Speaker 2: twice when their carriage took an unusually hard bump in

355
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Speaker 2: the road. That was until the young Tsarevich could no

356
00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:57,360
Speaker 2: longer contain his screams. After what seemed like no time

357
00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:00,800
Speaker 2: at all, Alexei went from playing on the ground to

358
00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:06,000
Speaker 2: crying helplessly in agony. On his deathbed, Nicholas and Alexandra

359
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:11,200
Speaker 2: were beside themselves. Their family vacation had turned into their

360
00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:16,280
Speaker 2: worst nightmare. Their son lay pale and incoherent, while his

361
00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:20,479
Speaker 2: leg and hip swelled with blood. He was in pain,

362
00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:24,639
Speaker 2: so agonizing that the staff took to putting cotton in

363
00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:29,520
Speaker 2: their ears to deafen his blood curdling screams. The doctors

364
00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:33,320
Speaker 2: worked on him tirelessly, but the crown Prince showed no

365
00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:38,159
Speaker 2: signs of improvement. When Alexei was finally read his last rites,

366
00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:42,160
Speaker 2: the Czarina could no longer sit and watch helplessly as

367
00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:46,320
Speaker 2: her one and only son slipped away painfully into the night.

368
00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:51,560
Speaker 2: Rising from her son's bedside, Alexandra used what little energy

369
00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:57,080
Speaker 2: she had to compose a telegram to Gregory Resputen, asking him,

370
00:26:57,359 --> 00:27:02,920
Speaker 2: begging him to help save her son. When Resputant received

371
00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:07,320
Speaker 2: word of the young boy's condition, he was remarkably unbothered.

372
00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:10,840
Speaker 2: The doctors had told the royal couple their son would

373
00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:14,879
Speaker 2: be dead by mourning, but the mystic simply scoffed. God

374
00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:18,160
Speaker 2: has seen your tears and heard your prayers, he assured

375
00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:21,639
Speaker 2: the queen. The little one will not die. Do not

376
00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:26,040
Speaker 2: allow the doctors to bother him too much. Upon receiving word,

377
00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:31,760
Speaker 2: Alexandra immediately relaxed. She walked back to her son's bedside

378
00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:35,680
Speaker 2: with renewed vigor, announcing to the others holding vigil that

379
00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:39,280
Speaker 2: during the night, I received a telegram from Father Gregory,

380
00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:45,920
Speaker 2: and he has reassured me completely and miraculously, Despite quite

381
00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:51,439
Speaker 2: literally being on the brink of death, Alexei recovered within days.

382
00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:55,040
Speaker 2: His fever broke, the swelling began to receive, and his

383
00:27:55,119 --> 00:28:00,280
Speaker 2: appetite returned. It was a miracle, one that seemingly only

384
00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:04,639
Speaker 2: took place under Resputant's command. None of it made any sense,

385
00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:07,840
Speaker 2: and yet it didn't have to. All that mattered was

386
00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:10,919
Speaker 2: that the Tsarevich was alive and the monarchy was safe

387
00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:18,600
Speaker 2: for another day. Over a century later, Alexei's recovery remains

388
00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:22,680
Speaker 2: a mystery to historians, but of course there are several theories.

389
00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:27,040
Speaker 2: The first and probably most likely has everything to do

390
00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:31,280
Speaker 2: with the final words of Resputant's telegram to Alexandra, do

391
00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:34,479
Speaker 2: not allow the doctors to bother him too much. To

392
00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:38,000
Speaker 2: this day, there is still no cure for hemophilia, but

393
00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:42,000
Speaker 2: given the advancements in medical knowledge, we are now certainly

394
00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,800
Speaker 2: aware of how not to treat the disease. Rule number one,

395
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:51,360
Speaker 2: don't give the patient blood thinners. Unfortunately, for Alexei, aspirin

396
00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:55,080
Speaker 2: seemed to be the royal doctor's drug of choice. The

397
00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:59,560
Speaker 2: new at the time miracle drug, now widely known as

398
00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:03,040
Speaker 2: a blood thinner, seemed to be a cure for so

399
00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:06,520
Speaker 2: many common ailments, so why not try it against the

400
00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:11,760
Speaker 2: well rare blood disorder that prevents blood from clotting. But

401
00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:16,360
Speaker 2: in any case, Resputant's intervention against the doctors could have

402
00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:20,840
Speaker 2: possibly saved Alexi's life. Ironically, the best sort of treatment

403
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:24,280
Speaker 2: the boy could have received at the time was time

404
00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:28,640
Speaker 2: time without doctors force feeding him blood thinners and poking

405
00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:32,920
Speaker 2: and prodding at his already bleeding body. But others are

406
00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:36,240
Speaker 2: more skeptical that Resputant was involved at all in the

407
00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:40,840
Speaker 2: young boy's treatment plan. The timeline of events that led

408
00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:45,040
Speaker 2: to Alexi's recovery is sketchy at best. At what point

409
00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:50,080
Speaker 2: exactly did Alexandra send that telegram, how quickly did Resputant respond.

410
00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:55,040
Speaker 2: It's widely understood that contacting Resputant had been the Tsarina's

411
00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:59,760
Speaker 2: absolute final option, with the last rites having already been

412
00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:03,320
Speaker 2: read to her son. After a certain point, the doctors

413
00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,160
Speaker 2: would have most likely stopped treating the boy to let

414
00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:09,880
Speaker 2: him pass on in peace. Resputant's words could have reached

415
00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:13,120
Speaker 2: the hunting lodge while Alexei was already on the mend.

416
00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:18,200
Speaker 2: But once again, the truth didn't matter. The Czarina believed

417
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,440
Speaker 2: Resputen had been sent by God to save her son,

418
00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:24,680
Speaker 2: and any previous grudge she may have held against the

419
00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:28,320
Speaker 2: man meant nothing so long as her son was safe.

420
00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,200
Speaker 2: Without even being on the same side of the country,

421
00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:34,600
Speaker 2: Resputin had once again managed to make his way back

422
00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:39,360
Speaker 2: inside the royal Palace. The start of the new year

423
00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:42,880
Speaker 2: brought with it the three hundred year anniversary of Romanov

424
00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:46,160
Speaker 2: rule in Russia, a legacy that great came with a

425
00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:50,040
Speaker 2: mounting pressure, Nicholas was beginning to feel in his bones.

426
00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:54,320
Speaker 2: Ever since the nineteen o five Revolution, when his power

427
00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:58,000
Speaker 2: as Supreme autocrat had been stripped with the founding of

428
00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:01,360
Speaker 2: the Russian legislative body known as Duma, he had never

429
00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:04,600
Speaker 2: been able to shake the shadow of revolution that he

430
00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:08,719
Speaker 2: felt breathing down his neck. He was the Czar of Russia,

431
00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:12,480
Speaker 2: wasn't he? Duma? Be damned? He was a Romanov and

432
00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:15,440
Speaker 2: the Romanovs had been chosen by God to rule the

433
00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:19,880
Speaker 2: mighty nation of Russia, come hell or high water. So

434
00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:23,000
Speaker 2: how would he strive to prove himself as a competent

435
00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:27,520
Speaker 2: ruler by going to war, of course, or rather by

436
00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:30,680
Speaker 2: sending thousands of young men to go off to war

437
00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:35,760
Speaker 2: for him. Unlike the majority of Russian aristocrats, Resputin was

438
00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:39,840
Speaker 2: actually staunchly against Russia going to war. He didn't need

439
00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:41,920
Speaker 2: to be able to see the future to know that

440
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,320
Speaker 2: war would mean the deaths of thousands of young Russian men,

441
00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:52,280
Speaker 2: primarily peasants like himself, not aristocrats. Resputin was quoted as saying, quote,

442
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,360
Speaker 2: we are already the biggest country in the world. Why

443
00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:58,760
Speaker 2: do we need more real estate? But try as he might,

444
00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:04,040
Speaker 2: Resputin's effort went unheard. Luckily for him, vodka proved to

445
00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:08,400
Speaker 2: be a great listener. With war on the horizon and

446
00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:12,960
Speaker 2: feeling his influence waning, he wasted no time in drowning

447
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:18,120
Speaker 2: his sorrows and drowning his decade plus of sobriety. After

448
00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:21,600
Speaker 2: an assassination attempt in his hometown left him bedbound as

449
00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:25,320
Speaker 2: he healed, Waking up one morning to the newspaper reporting

450
00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:29,240
Speaker 2: Germany's declaration of war against Russia was enough to make

451
00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:31,640
Speaker 2: him want to curl up at the bottom of a bottle.

452
00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:36,680
Speaker 2: Resputant's dependence on alcohol would follow him for the rest

453
00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:39,760
Speaker 2: of his life. From this point on, he rarely ever

454
00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:43,640
Speaker 2: attended events sober, only pulling himself together enough for the

455
00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:47,320
Speaker 2: royal couple not to suspect that something was seriously wrong.

456
00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:51,000
Speaker 2: So when Alexandra ordered the monk to embark on a

457
00:32:51,040 --> 00:32:54,280
Speaker 2: trip to Moscow in a desperate attempt to bolster his

458
00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:58,480
Speaker 2: reputation into something salvagible, she couldn't have known that this

459
00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:02,040
Speaker 2: trip would lead to one of the most infamous nights

460
00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:08,600
Speaker 2: of Resputant's life. On the evening of March twenty sixth,

461
00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:13,320
Speaker 2: nineteen fifteen, Resputen went to an establishment called the Yar

462
00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:18,400
Speaker 2: in Moscow to partake in their typical nighttime festivities. Never

463
00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:22,680
Speaker 2: one to be unprepared, Resputant arrived having already downed half

464
00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:26,000
Speaker 2: of his body weight in vodka, and he promptly ordered more.

465
00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:30,120
Speaker 2: Upon his arrival, other patrons of the ar began to

466
00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:34,240
Speaker 2: take notice of the oddily dressed, ooisterous man in the corner.

467
00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:37,720
Speaker 2: The patrons held their hands up to their mouths in

468
00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:41,239
Speaker 2: shock when the man started to grab at more than

469
00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:45,680
Speaker 2: a few of the performers, and then Resputant stood and

470
00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:49,560
Speaker 2: started off on an alcohol fueled tirade for the benefit

471
00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:55,320
Speaker 2: of the entire establishment. According to witnesses, the unhinged monk

472
00:33:55,480 --> 00:34:01,920
Speaker 2: became quote sexually psychopathic, alluding to his legendary fallas and

473
00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:05,960
Speaker 2: rumored indecent relationship with the Czarina. He referred to her

474
00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:09,759
Speaker 2: as quote the old girl, and proceeded to detail his

475
00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:15,480
Speaker 2: control over her, eliciting even more disgust from the crowd. Finally,

476
00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,160
Speaker 2: when one patron dared him to prove that he was

477
00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:22,160
Speaker 2: the real Resputant, he did the only thing a man

478
00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:25,600
Speaker 2: like Resputin would think to do. He dropped his pants

479
00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:30,840
Speaker 2: and waived his member at the crowd. Its legendary size

480
00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:35,439
Speaker 2: apparently all the identification needed. After that, the police were

481
00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:41,920
Speaker 2: called and Resputin was led away quote snarling and vowing vengeance. Today,

482
00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:46,759
Speaker 2: Resputin's night at the Yar is debated wildly amongst historians.

483
00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,920
Speaker 2: Some say there are no police reports from that night

484
00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,640
Speaker 2: that would suggest Resputin was even at the Yar in

485
00:34:52,680 --> 00:34:55,879
Speaker 2: the first place. Meanwhile, others say that there were too

486
00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:59,680
Speaker 2: many reputable witnesses to have the story be anything but true.

487
00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:04,080
Speaker 2: In my opinion, the truth behind the actual events of

488
00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:08,440
Speaker 2: that night are of little importance. What mattered, what still

489
00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:12,360
Speaker 2: matters in resputant story is that people believed it was true,

490
00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:16,200
Speaker 2: and so it was, which leads us to one of

491
00:35:16,239 --> 00:35:20,560
Speaker 2: the most notorious myths in the Resputant canon, the prophecy.

492
00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:24,560
Speaker 2: In the months leading up to his death, Resputant had

493
00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:29,440
Speaker 2: rightly so begun to grow increasingly paranoid about his demise.

494
00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:34,160
Speaker 2: He took on an extremely fatalistic view on life, often

495
00:35:34,239 --> 00:35:37,279
Speaker 2: recounting his knowledge that the end for him was near.

496
00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:41,760
Speaker 2: But according to legend, in the weeks before his death,

497
00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:46,239
Speaker 2: Resputen wrote a letter to the royals describing what would

498
00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:51,920
Speaker 2: be known as his quote final prophecy Russians are, he began,

499
00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:55,880
Speaker 2: I have a presentiment that I shall leave this world

500
00:35:56,000 --> 00:36:00,040
Speaker 2: before the first of January, if I am killed and

501
00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:04,120
Speaker 2: not one member of your family will survive more than

502
00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:08,759
Speaker 2: two years. The tragic demise of the Romanovs and the

503
00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:13,000
Speaker 2: Russian monarchy has been the subject of fascination and speculation

504
00:36:13,239 --> 00:36:16,640
Speaker 2: for over one hundred years, and this letter remains one

505
00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:20,439
Speaker 2: of the most infamous relics of the past. And while

506
00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:24,279
Speaker 2: this letter does seem like exactly the type of manipulation

507
00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:28,200
Speaker 2: Resputin would pull to try to solidify his place within

508
00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:32,160
Speaker 2: the royal fold, it really is just another tallly on

509
00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:36,719
Speaker 2: the ever growing list of false rumors associated with the

510
00:36:36,719 --> 00:36:41,920
Speaker 2: infamous mad Monk. The letter itself is really the prophecies undoing.

511
00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:46,680
Speaker 2: It's the diction that really disproves the letter's authenticity. It

512
00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:50,719
Speaker 2: begins by addressing Nicholas as Russian Czar, which, as we

513
00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:55,520
Speaker 2: stated earlier, was just not how Resputin spoke. He rarely,

514
00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:59,640
Speaker 2: if ever, used terms of authority with royals. He continued

515
00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:02,680
Speaker 2: to call the Czarina and Tzar little mother and little

516
00:37:02,719 --> 00:37:06,960
Speaker 2: father until his death. The prophecy, like so many other

517
00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:10,480
Speaker 2: parts of the Resputant myth is something that people love

518
00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:13,480
Speaker 2: to hold on to, in this case, maybe because it's

519
00:37:13,520 --> 00:37:16,880
Speaker 2: a detail that makes the Romanov killings next all the

520
00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:25,000
Speaker 2: more tragic and romantic. On the night of December sixteenth,

521
00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:28,799
Speaker 2: nineteen sixteen, Resputin was invited to the home of a

522
00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:33,360
Speaker 2: man named Felix Usupov for an evening of dinner and drinks.

523
00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:38,040
Speaker 2: When Resputant arrived, Yusupov and his two compatriots greeted their

524
00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:43,480
Speaker 2: new companion with warm smiles and casual conversation. But beneath

525
00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:47,680
Speaker 2: the thin veneer of pleasantries, a more sinister plot was

526
00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:52,920
Speaker 2: already brewing. The young Russian prince Felix Yusupov had been

527
00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:58,960
Speaker 2: orchestrating a plan for weeks, carefully crafting timetables and alibis

528
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:03,080
Speaker 2: in preparation for what was sure to be his crowning achievement,

529
00:38:03,719 --> 00:38:09,200
Speaker 2: ridding Russia of the religious fraud Gregory Rasputin. Usupav was

530
00:38:09,239 --> 00:38:13,160
Speaker 2: not necessarily how one would imagine a murderer, for one

531
00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:17,239
Speaker 2: he had never before committed a serious crime, let alone homicide.

532
00:38:17,719 --> 00:38:18,560
Speaker 1: But ever, the.

533
00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:23,319
Speaker 2: Idealist Usupav had watched from afar as Resputin whispered into

534
00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:27,480
Speaker 2: the ear of the Czarina, and he became increasingly infuriated

535
00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:30,719
Speaker 2: with his position in court. Why should this peasant have

536
00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:34,320
Speaker 2: such sway over the most important political decisions in Russia.

537
00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:38,120
Speaker 2: In his mind, Resputin needed to be taken out of

538
00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:40,759
Speaker 2: the equation, and he wanted to be the one to

539
00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:44,600
Speaker 2: do it. Originally, Usupov went to the President of the

540
00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:49,480
Speaker 2: Duma to collaborate on the assassination attempt, pleading quote, if

541
00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:52,560
Speaker 2: the Emperor were freed of the influence of Resputen and

542
00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:56,080
Speaker 2: his wife, everything would change. He would be a good

543
00:38:56,320 --> 00:39:01,880
Speaker 2: constitutional monarch. Unfortunately for him, the President would hear nothing

544
00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:05,680
Speaker 2: of it. Quote do you think I keep office for assassins?

545
00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:10,160
Speaker 2: He blustered in truth. As much as the Duma hated Resputen,

546
00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:13,800
Speaker 2: killing him would not have been beneficial to their cause.

547
00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:17,359
Speaker 2: It was obvious that the end of the monarchy was near,

548
00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:20,640
Speaker 2: and when it finally fell, the Duma was trying to

549
00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:24,080
Speaker 2: establish a democratic government that would rise in its place,

550
00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:29,520
Speaker 2: Wheresputen's influence over the Romanovs was making them tremendously unpopular

551
00:39:29,560 --> 00:39:32,719
Speaker 2: and only helping bring down the monarchy quicker. Why would

552
00:39:32,719 --> 00:39:34,880
Speaker 2: the Duma want to help kill a man who was

553
00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:39,600
Speaker 2: making their job easier, and so Prince Felix Yusupov, a

554
00:39:39,680 --> 00:39:42,680
Speaker 2: man with the criminal rap sheet of a pacifier, was

555
00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:46,520
Speaker 2: left to orchestrate the assassination of the most notorious villain

556
00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:50,480
Speaker 2: in all of Russia alone. I think it's important to

557
00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:53,640
Speaker 2: note that the events that occurred next will always remain

558
00:39:53,760 --> 00:39:56,680
Speaker 2: something of a mystery. After all, we only hear the

559
00:39:56,760 --> 00:39:59,400
Speaker 2: version told from the point of view of the murderer.

560
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:03,160
Speaker 2: As I've sat on this podcast many times before, history

561
00:40:03,239 --> 00:40:06,839
Speaker 2: is told by the victors, and the night of December sixteenth,

562
00:40:07,080 --> 00:40:12,680
Speaker 2: nineteen sixteen is no exception. Around eleven p m. Resputen

563
00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:16,319
Speaker 2: arrived at Yusupov's home, where he was promptly led down

564
00:40:16,440 --> 00:40:20,200
Speaker 2: into the basement to wait for Usopov's wife to join them.

565
00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:25,080
Speaker 2: While they waited, Felix offered resputant refreshment. Small cakes and

566
00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:28,800
Speaker 2: glasses of wine were pushed in Gregory's face, which, after

567
00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:34,080
Speaker 2: an initial hesitation, he indulged in thoroughly. Usopov watched him

568
00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:37,600
Speaker 2: with a mixture of horror and fascination, the memory of

569
00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:42,160
Speaker 2: having crushed cyanide capsules between his finger tips still fresh

570
00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:44,600
Speaker 2: in his mind. As he waited for the man to

571
00:40:44,640 --> 00:40:49,440
Speaker 2: succumb to the poison. Slowly, Resputant's eyes began to droop.

572
00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:53,960
Speaker 2: He brought his hand to his throat, almost distractedly, like

573
00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:57,239
Speaker 2: he was fighting off an itch he couldn't scratch. But

574
00:40:57,520 --> 00:41:01,760
Speaker 2: after an hour he still sat drinking his poisoned wine,

575
00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:06,400
Speaker 2: completely awake and very much alive. By one in the morning,

576
00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:09,840
Speaker 2: Yusupov was livid, having had to entertain the man he

577
00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:14,040
Speaker 2: was trying to kill for over two hours. Excusing himself,

578
00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:19,040
Speaker 2: Usupov ascended from the basement to reconvene with his co conspirators.

579
00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:22,640
Speaker 2: This wasn't how the night was supposed to go. The

580
00:41:22,719 --> 00:41:26,000
Speaker 2: poison was supposed to allow them time to dispose of

581
00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:29,560
Speaker 2: the body cleanly to cover their tracks with minimal risk.

582
00:41:30,200 --> 00:41:32,880
Speaker 2: Now it was obvious they would have to use a

583
00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:37,400
Speaker 2: more sure fire method. When Usupov returned, it was with

584
00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:41,400
Speaker 2: a revolver behind his back. Taking a deep breath, he

585
00:41:41,520 --> 00:41:45,640
Speaker 2: told the monk, Gregory Alfmovich, you'd best come look at

586
00:41:45,640 --> 00:41:49,000
Speaker 2: that crucifix and say a prayer before it. He brought

587
00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:52,160
Speaker 2: the gun out from behind him and pointed the barrel

588
00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:55,920
Speaker 2: at the other man, and after a moment's hesitation, he

589
00:41:56,040 --> 00:42:01,400
Speaker 2: fired a bullet into Resputant's chest. Mediately, Resputant fell to

590
00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:06,080
Speaker 2: the floor, and upon hearing the shot, Usopov's compatriots came

591
00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:09,800
Speaker 2: down to inspect the body. As the blood began to spread,

592
00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:14,080
Speaker 2: the men dragged Rasputin's body across the floor to avoid

593
00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:17,960
Speaker 2: God forbid, staining the bear skin rug, and then they

594
00:42:17,960 --> 00:42:21,240
Speaker 2: took the jacket off of his back. Although the first

595
00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:23,960
Speaker 2: part of their plan had gone slightly off the rails,

596
00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:27,480
Speaker 2: the second phase was being put into play. Another of

597
00:42:27,520 --> 00:42:30,719
Speaker 2: the men dressed in Resputan's coat and drove away from

598
00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:33,520
Speaker 2: the palace to make it look like Gregory left of

599
00:42:33,560 --> 00:42:38,040
Speaker 2: his own volition, while the man opposing as Resputen made

600
00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:41,080
Speaker 2: his swift getaway. The rest of the men left the

601
00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:44,720
Speaker 2: basement and hung about the house waiting for their next move,

602
00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:49,759
Speaker 2: but Usupov couldn't sit still. For some inexplicable reason, he

603
00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:52,720
Speaker 2: felt the need to check the body. When his feet

604
00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:54,840
Speaker 2: found their way back to the scene of the crime,

605
00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:58,120
Speaker 2: he took a small breath of relief. The body was

606
00:42:58,280 --> 00:43:01,520
Speaker 2: just as they had left it, But then the figure

607
00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:05,879
Speaker 2: on the ground began to move with blood leaking from

608
00:43:05,880 --> 00:43:11,080
Speaker 2: his mouth. Resputant opened his eyes, greenish and snakelike, according

609
00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:14,640
Speaker 2: to the Prince, and stared him down with an expression

610
00:43:14,760 --> 00:43:20,640
Speaker 2: of satanic hatred. Felix Resputant croaked, blood flying from his

611
00:43:20,760 --> 00:43:25,200
Speaker 2: mouth with every forced syllable. Yusupov ran to warn the others,

612
00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:28,960
Speaker 2: but when he came back down, Resputant was gone. He'd

613
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:32,279
Speaker 2: walked out the door and into the snow, heading toward

614
00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:36,759
Speaker 2: the side courtyard. The Prince followed after him, his accomplices

615
00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:40,000
Speaker 2: in toe. As they followed the bleeding peasant past the

616
00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:44,239
Speaker 2: iron gates, one of the men shot once twice, but

617
00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:47,719
Speaker 2: they both missed until the third finally found a home

618
00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:52,319
Speaker 2: in Resputant's back, causing the man to once again collapse

619
00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:56,279
Speaker 2: to the ground. Upon approaching the body, a fourth and

620
00:43:56,440 --> 00:44:01,399
Speaker 2: final bullet was fired, this time between his eyes. The

621
00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:04,479
Speaker 2: sound of the last bullet cut through the night air

622
00:44:04,719 --> 00:44:08,440
Speaker 2: like a knife, making the silence that followed feel almost

623
00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:11,680
Speaker 2: like a dream, or maybe a nightmare. As the blood

624
00:44:11,960 --> 00:44:16,600
Speaker 2: slowly dyed the snow beneath their feet, Crimson red at last,

625
00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:20,799
Speaker 2: the mad mystic, the most universally hated man in all

626
00:44:20,840 --> 00:44:29,040
Speaker 2: of Russia, Gregory Alfmovitrosputin, was dead this morning at six o'clock.

627
00:44:29,280 --> 00:44:33,080
Speaker 2: Gregory Resputin suddenly passed away after a party at one

628
00:44:33,080 --> 00:44:36,680
Speaker 2: of the most aristocratic houses in the center of Petrograd.

629
00:44:38,640 --> 00:44:41,600
Speaker 2: Days before they would find the body, news outlets were

630
00:44:41,640 --> 00:44:45,360
Speaker 2: already reporting the murder, and the citizens of the capital

631
00:44:45,400 --> 00:44:50,360
Speaker 2: city were celebrating in the streets. Felix Yusupov, however, was

632
00:44:50,400 --> 00:44:54,600
Speaker 2: not one of those people celebrating. The morning after the assassination,

633
00:44:55,239 --> 00:44:57,759
Speaker 2: Yusupov woke at his father in law's house to a

634
00:44:57,800 --> 00:45:01,320
Speaker 2: phone call from his residence the police had arrived to

635
00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:04,279
Speaker 2: question him. When he did meet with the police, he

636
00:45:04,360 --> 00:45:08,480
Speaker 2: immediately took offense at being accused of anything. Quote, if

637
00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:11,480
Speaker 2: people murdered we resputen, they planned to connect the crime

638
00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:14,520
Speaker 2: with me and my party, he refuted helplessly as the

639
00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:19,000
Speaker 2: police raided his home. When questioned about the multiple gunshots

640
00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:23,240
Speaker 2: heard by multiple witnesses the night before, Usupov claimed certain

641
00:45:23,280 --> 00:45:26,520
Speaker 2: members of the party over indulged and shot a stray

642
00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:29,400
Speaker 2: dog for fun. He took them back to his home

643
00:45:29,640 --> 00:45:32,479
Speaker 2: and showed them the carcass of said dog, still lying

644
00:45:32,520 --> 00:45:37,959
Speaker 2: in the snow. As the police drove away their questions. Unsatisfactorily,

645
00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:42,680
Speaker 2: answered Usupov couldn't help but stare at the snow covered courtyard,

646
00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:47,040
Speaker 2: where just twelve hours before, an entirely different body had

647
00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:50,680
Speaker 2: been lying beneath his feet. That body had still yet

648
00:45:50,719 --> 00:45:54,120
Speaker 2: to be found, but everyone in Russia seemed to agree

649
00:45:54,160 --> 00:45:58,920
Speaker 2: that all signs pointed towards Felix Usupov. Meanwhile, inside the

650
00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:05,480
Speaker 2: Alexander Palace, the Romanovs, specifically the Tsarina, were inconsolable by

651
00:46:05,560 --> 00:46:10,680
Speaker 2: her orders. Yusupov was illegally placed under house arrest, no

652
00:46:10,719 --> 00:46:13,520
Speaker 2: longer able to flee the city like so many of

653
00:46:13,520 --> 00:46:18,600
Speaker 2: his accomplices already had. Her friend was gone, and somebody

654
00:46:18,719 --> 00:46:24,840
Speaker 2: was going to pay. It would be two more days

655
00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:28,279
Speaker 2: until Resputen's body would be pulled out of the icy

656
00:46:28,520 --> 00:46:32,040
Speaker 2: Nevo River, nearly two hundred and fifty feet away from

657
00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:34,680
Speaker 2: where the party had dumped his body from the top

658
00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:39,160
Speaker 2: of the Great Petrovsky Bridge. When the police finally excavated

659
00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:42,840
Speaker 2: the body from the ice, Resputen's torso was still bound

660
00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:47,120
Speaker 2: by rope, but his arms extended out from his body,

661
00:46:47,160 --> 00:46:50,520
Speaker 2: situated in such a way that it was rumored Resputen

662
00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:53,319
Speaker 2: was still alive when he hit the water, and his

663
00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:56,399
Speaker 2: final act was making the sign of the cross as

664
00:46:56,440 --> 00:47:00,960
Speaker 2: he died. For years Russian officials kept the autopsy of

665
00:47:01,000 --> 00:47:04,440
Speaker 2: Gregory Resputen out of the public eye, leaving the real

666
00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:08,919
Speaker 2: cause of death up for speculation. All the while newspapers

667
00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:11,359
Speaker 2: at the time, with nothing else to go on, were

668
00:47:11,400 --> 00:47:17,319
Speaker 2: also reporting off hearsay. Combined, these circumstances almost encouraged the

669
00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:20,960
Speaker 2: story to grow into the mythic proportions we've come to

670
00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:24,960
Speaker 2: know them today. However, since then, the autopsy has been

671
00:47:24,960 --> 00:47:28,359
Speaker 2: made available, and here's what we know. At the time

672
00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:32,280
Speaker 2: of his death, Resputin had been very drunk. The report

673
00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:36,000
Speaker 2: notes the thick stench of alcohol on his corpse, even

674
00:47:36,040 --> 00:47:39,320
Speaker 2: after spending two nights in the icy depths of the river.

675
00:47:39,840 --> 00:47:42,880
Speaker 2: He had suffered a large blunt force trauma to the

676
00:47:42,880 --> 00:47:46,480
Speaker 2: head in addition to the three bullet wounds found on

677
00:47:46,560 --> 00:47:50,400
Speaker 2: his body. His lungs, however, did not contain any water,

678
00:47:50,840 --> 00:47:54,000
Speaker 2: suggesting he was actually dead by the time he was

679
00:47:54,040 --> 00:47:57,920
Speaker 2: thrown from the bridge that night. The autopsy concluded the

680
00:47:57,960 --> 00:48:01,239
Speaker 2: third bullet wound to the forehead, not the drowning, was

681
00:48:01,280 --> 00:48:05,840
Speaker 2: Resputant's real cause of death. However, what's more interesting is

682
00:48:05,920 --> 00:48:09,680
Speaker 2: the lack of any trace of poison other than copious

683
00:48:09,680 --> 00:48:13,960
Speaker 2: amounts of alcohol in the bloodstream. The very distinct scent

684
00:48:14,040 --> 00:48:17,799
Speaker 2: of cyanide was found nowhere on the body, leading the

685
00:48:17,840 --> 00:48:21,360
Speaker 2: doctors to believe that the goods Resputin ingested earlier that

686
00:48:21,440 --> 00:48:25,640
Speaker 2: evening were never poisoned in the first place. Historians have

687
00:48:25,719 --> 00:48:28,600
Speaker 2: a couple of working theories as to how this happened.

688
00:48:29,600 --> 00:48:32,560
Speaker 2: The first is that one of you Suppo's co conspirators

689
00:48:32,600 --> 00:48:35,760
Speaker 2: had a sudden change of heart before Sputin was scheduled

690
00:48:35,760 --> 00:48:39,240
Speaker 2: to arrive at the palace, and he switched the actual

691
00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:43,920
Speaker 2: cyanide with a harmless alternative. Another theory is that the

692
00:48:43,920 --> 00:48:47,840
Speaker 2: poison they sourced might not have actually been lethal in

693
00:48:47,880 --> 00:48:52,000
Speaker 2: the first place. Usupov was not exactly the world's greatest

694
00:48:52,080 --> 00:48:54,440
Speaker 2: hit man. It would have been easy for him to

695
00:48:54,560 --> 00:48:57,839
Speaker 2: have been duped into thinking he had purchased the real thing.

696
00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:02,000
Speaker 2: The final theory is one that changes what we know

697
00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:06,160
Speaker 2: about the night of Resputant's murder altogether. This theory is

698
00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:10,799
Speaker 2: that Usopov jazzed up the story for dramatic purposes. After

699
00:49:10,840 --> 00:49:14,560
Speaker 2: Oursputant's body was found and Yusopov was understood to have

700
00:49:14,600 --> 00:49:18,239
Speaker 2: been the culprit behind his demise, the Czarina wanted to

701
00:49:18,280 --> 00:49:22,080
Speaker 2: put him and his accomplices on trial. However, it was

702
00:49:22,239 --> 00:49:26,000
Speaker 2: painfully obvious from the celebrations in the street that a

703
00:49:26,080 --> 00:49:30,160
Speaker 2: jury of his peers would find Yusupov not guilty, and

704
00:49:30,280 --> 00:49:33,600
Speaker 2: while the Sarina wanted justice to be served, she also

705
00:49:33,680 --> 00:49:36,680
Speaker 2: knew that a not guilty verdict would be viewed as

706
00:49:36,719 --> 00:49:40,200
Speaker 2: a slight on the monarchy, an institution that was growing

707
00:49:40,360 --> 00:49:44,040
Speaker 2: less and less stable by the day. The solution to

708
00:49:44,120 --> 00:49:48,200
Speaker 2: this was Yusopov's ordered exile from the capital to his

709
00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:53,360
Speaker 2: family's estates in central Russia without a trial. Years later,

710
00:49:53,560 --> 00:49:57,280
Speaker 2: after the monarchy fell, Usopope and his family fled Russia,

711
00:49:57,440 --> 00:50:00,520
Speaker 2: and he took with him, among priceless Jews, rules, and

712
00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:03,839
Speaker 2: a couple of Rembrandts, his story about the night he

713
00:50:03,960 --> 00:50:08,880
Speaker 2: killed Gregory Resputen. Yusupov often boasted of this accomplishment to

714
00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:12,080
Speaker 2: people he would meet on his travels, and it makes

715
00:50:12,080 --> 00:50:15,200
Speaker 2: sense he would aggrandize some of his claims to bolster

716
00:50:15,360 --> 00:50:18,880
Speaker 2: his reputation, especially if he could stand to make money

717
00:50:18,880 --> 00:50:20,719
Speaker 2: off of it. In the memoir, he would go on

718
00:50:20,800 --> 00:50:26,239
Speaker 2: to write, so what actually happened that night, Well, it's

719
00:50:26,239 --> 00:50:30,200
Speaker 2: impossible to say, after all, As Joseph Furman notes, in

720
00:50:30,239 --> 00:50:35,399
Speaker 2: his biography, Resputant the untold story. The autopsy surgeon could

721
00:50:35,440 --> 00:50:38,440
Speaker 2: have not been looking for the poison and failed to

722
00:50:38,480 --> 00:50:42,120
Speaker 2: see it. An autopsy from nineteen sixteen is hardly as

723
00:50:42,160 --> 00:50:45,920
Speaker 2: reliable as one would be today, so in reality, Resputin

724
00:50:46,120 --> 00:50:48,880
Speaker 2: very well could have been poisoned, but just not given

725
00:50:48,960 --> 00:50:52,600
Speaker 2: a lethal dose. Some like to speculate that Resputant had

726
00:50:52,600 --> 00:50:55,719
Speaker 2: built up an immunity to poison, but that's actually not

727
00:50:55,840 --> 00:51:00,520
Speaker 2: possible with cyanide personally. For no real reason, In just

728
00:51:00,680 --> 00:51:03,279
Speaker 2: a hunch, I think that the Prince was sold fake

729
00:51:03,360 --> 00:51:06,400
Speaker 2: pills and he didn't use a lethal dose. But in

730
00:51:06,440 --> 00:51:10,720
Speaker 2: the larger sense, the truth about Resputant's murder stopped mattering

731
00:51:10,760 --> 00:51:13,960
Speaker 2: a long time ago. The lack of details released to

732
00:51:14,000 --> 00:51:17,560
Speaker 2: the public in the immediate aftermath, mixed with the already

733
00:51:17,680 --> 00:51:21,120
Speaker 2: larger than life mythos of the man in question, created

734
00:51:21,200 --> 00:51:25,239
Speaker 2: a perfect storm of mystery and intrigue that has flourished

735
00:51:25,239 --> 00:51:28,440
Speaker 2: into a story that is most likely far superior to

736
00:51:28,480 --> 00:51:32,120
Speaker 2: the actual source material, Which brings us back to the

737
00:51:32,840 --> 00:51:36,480
Speaker 2: excuse me? Pickled penis sitting in the Museum of Sex

738
00:51:36,520 --> 00:51:40,799
Speaker 2: and Erotica in Saint Petersburg. Although its origins are now

739
00:51:40,920 --> 00:51:44,800
Speaker 2: widely understood to be of the bovine variety. The legend

740
00:51:44,800 --> 00:51:48,240
Speaker 2: associated with it remains, and if we are to believe

741
00:51:48,320 --> 00:51:50,920
Speaker 2: the events of that night at the r actually occurred,

742
00:51:51,280 --> 00:51:55,520
Speaker 2: then Resputin obviously wanted his, let's say, larger than life

743
00:51:55,680 --> 00:52:00,399
Speaker 2: legacy to have carried on. The question does remain, why

744
00:52:00,400 --> 00:52:03,319
Speaker 2: do we continue to give the spotlight to someone as

745
00:52:03,800 --> 00:52:09,480
Speaker 2: deeply controversial and problematic as Resputant. On a purely esthetic level,

746
00:52:09,560 --> 00:52:12,400
Speaker 2: the idea that someone with the hygiene practices of a

747
00:52:12,480 --> 00:52:16,640
Speaker 2: cockroache had access to Russia's most powerful royals is a

748
00:52:16,680 --> 00:52:20,920
Speaker 2: confounding mystery in and of itself. But mix in the sex,

749
00:52:21,080 --> 00:52:25,680
Speaker 2: the scandal, and the mysticism, and it's a recipe for intrigue.

750
00:52:25,800 --> 00:52:30,279
Speaker 2: The legendary assassination is just icing on the cake. But

751
00:52:30,480 --> 00:52:34,600
Speaker 2: underneath the chaotic Jenga tower that has become Resputant's legacy,

752
00:52:35,040 --> 00:52:37,600
Speaker 2: I think it's important to remember that the man beneath

753
00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:41,200
Speaker 2: it all was just a man, one whose all too

754
00:52:41,280 --> 00:52:45,560
Speaker 2: real body was exhumed shortly after the Tsar's abdication, taken

755
00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:48,920
Speaker 2: to the outskirts of the city, and hastily cremated by

756
00:52:48,920 --> 00:52:53,080
Speaker 2: the hands of inexperienced soldiers, and after the flames had

757
00:52:53,120 --> 00:52:56,200
Speaker 2: died out, the men dumped what charred remains there were

758
00:52:56,280 --> 00:52:59,920
Speaker 2: into a nearby stream, where he calmly washed back into

759
00:53:00,160 --> 00:53:08,440
Speaker 2: the earth from whence he came. That's the strange and

760
00:53:08,600 --> 00:53:12,560
Speaker 2: possibly even true story of Gregory Resputin, But stick around

761
00:53:12,680 --> 00:53:15,520
Speaker 2: after a brief sponsor break to hear the all too

762
00:53:15,600 --> 00:53:24,279
Speaker 2: real story of one of the few people he left behind.

763
00:53:27,360 --> 00:53:30,719
Speaker 2: Perhaps the only person to rival the larger than life

764
00:53:30,719 --> 00:53:35,440
Speaker 2: persona of Gregory Resputen is his daughter Maria. After fleeing

765
00:53:35,480 --> 00:53:39,759
Speaker 2: the country following the Bolshevik Revolution, Maria lived a nomadic

766
00:53:39,800 --> 00:53:42,960
Speaker 2: lifestyle with her first husband until his death in nineteen

767
00:53:43,040 --> 00:53:46,600
Speaker 2: twenty six. As the mother to two daughters. By this point,

768
00:53:46,920 --> 00:53:49,080
Speaker 2: she knew she had to find a way to provide

769
00:53:49,160 --> 00:53:54,160
Speaker 2: for her and her family. Cut to Maria Resputin taming

770
00:53:54,400 --> 00:53:58,800
Speaker 2: lions in the Traveling Circus. In nineteen twenty nine, Maria

771
00:53:58,920 --> 00:54:02,520
Speaker 2: joined the Bush Circus as a dancer, eventually making her

772
00:54:02,560 --> 00:54:06,520
Speaker 2: way to America with the Ringling Brothers as their animal tamer.

773
00:54:07,280 --> 00:54:10,200
Speaker 2: She was often billed as the daughter of the mad

774
00:54:10,280 --> 00:54:14,200
Speaker 2: monk whose feets in Russia astonished the world. When asked

775
00:54:14,239 --> 00:54:16,680
Speaker 2: if she minded being in a cage with the animals,

776
00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:20,080
Speaker 2: she famously replied, why not, I've been in a cage

777
00:54:20,080 --> 00:54:24,359
Speaker 2: with Bolsheviks. Her career with the circus only ended after

778
00:54:24,440 --> 00:54:28,719
Speaker 2: she was brutally mulled by a polar bear. Miraculously she

779
00:54:28,920 --> 00:54:32,760
Speaker 2: survived the attack, of course she did. I think it's

780
00:54:32,920 --> 00:54:36,880
Speaker 2: actually a little ironic. Polar bear attack is the only

781
00:54:37,120 --> 00:54:39,279
Speaker 2: method of death that has never been rumored to be

782
00:54:39,320 --> 00:54:43,440
Speaker 2: ascribed to Resputant himself. Maria spent the rest of her

783
00:54:43,440 --> 00:54:47,399
Speaker 2: life supporting her family by becoming a factory worker. It's

784
00:54:47,440 --> 00:54:50,560
Speaker 2: funny how history can feel so distant from our lives

785
00:54:50,600 --> 00:54:55,280
Speaker 2: when in reality, Resputant's daughter died in nineteen seventy seven,

786
00:54:55,960 --> 00:54:58,680
Speaker 2: the same year Star Wars would play in theaters for

787
00:54:58,719 --> 00:54:59,440
Speaker 2: the first time.

788
00:55:09,640 --> 00:55:12,600
Speaker 1: Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm and

789
00:55:12,680 --> 00:55:15,960
Speaker 1: Mild from Aaronmanky. The show is written and hosted by

790
00:55:16,040 --> 00:55:21,359
Speaker 1: Danas Schwartz. Executive producers include Aaron Manke, Alex Williams, and

791
00:55:21,520 --> 00:55:25,200
Speaker 1: Matt Frederick. The show is produced by rima Il Kali

792
00:55:25,360 --> 00:55:28,759
Speaker 1: and Trevor Young. Noble Blood is on social media at

793
00:55:28,760 --> 00:55:31,200
Speaker 1: Noble Blood Tales, and you can learn more about the

794
00:55:31,239 --> 00:55:35,600
Speaker 1: show over at Noblebloodtales dot com. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,

795
00:55:36,000 --> 00:55:39,759
Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen

796
00:55:39,800 --> 00:55:49,520
Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.