1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of I Heart Radio 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Minky listener, Discretion is advised. Yeah, 3 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:23,119 Speaker 1: we don't have sex in the U. S s R. 4 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: Those are the words that great visitors in bold block 5 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 1: lettering upon arriving at the Museum of Love and Erotica 6 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 1: in St. Petersburg. From the outside, the muse Arrows, as 7 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:43,160 Speaker 1: it's called, appears fairly innocuous. Muted reds and grays, long 8 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:47,520 Speaker 1: since faded by the sun paints the building's facade, blending 9 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: into the equally faded asphalt of the parking lot it 10 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: shares with the Shell gas station across the street. But 11 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: once inside, the palid hues of the city give way 12 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:07,120 Speaker 1: to midnight blacks and electric pinks. Decor unapologetically flaunting sex 13 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: and kink over every square inch of its curated studio space. 14 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: Past the throne of dildos and gift shop laden with 15 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: leather accessories, the museum offers exhibit after exhibit of artifacts 16 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: dedicated to the exploration of sex and sexuality through history. 17 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: Fertility statues stand proudly next to displays of vintage vibrators 18 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: of I'll Say Dubious historical accuracy. But perhaps the most 19 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: interesting piece in the entire space is sitting in a 20 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: jar behind a pane of glass. It isn't dressed in 21 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: the same jarring, neon or velvet allure in keeping with 22 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: the rest of the exhibit, but then again, it doesn't 23 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: need to. The pound of flesh bobbing inside the formal 24 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: toa i'd filled jar speaks for itself. This artifact, of course, 25 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: is the dismembered penis of one Gregory resputant. In the 26 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:18,640 Speaker 1: centuries since his death, the infamous Russian mystic has become 27 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: more myth than man, though the latter is hard to 28 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: ignore after catching a glimpse of the astonishing appendage on 29 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:31,519 Speaker 1: display at the museum. At least it would be astonishing 30 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 1: if it were real. False reports involving the aforementioned phallus 31 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: have been in circulation since the nineteen twenties, after a 32 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: group of women in France claimed to have kept it 33 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: in an ice box to take it out for use 34 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: in certain fertility rituals. Others say that was just a 35 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: sea cucumber, and the actual Genitalia resided with Maria, his daughter, 36 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: until she sold it sometime in the seven knees. It's 37 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: difficult to trace then what happened to the quote actual 38 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:09,959 Speaker 1: or quote false penis. But in the year two thousand 39 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 1: a man would pay eight thousand dollars for something that 40 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:19,400 Speaker 1: claimed to be a resputants penis, and the man proudly stated, 41 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: I am sure that it is real. Now there's a 42 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: lot to unpack there, After all, who pays eight thousand 43 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: dollars to only be sure they have the real deal? 44 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: Or maybe it's worth taking a step back and asking 45 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: the more glaring question of why would someone want to 46 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: buy the penis in the first place. Unfortunately, or maybe 47 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: fortunately actually, I do not have the answers to those questions. 48 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:52,800 Speaker 1: But here is one answer. If you were wondering whether 49 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: the organ is real, I can tell you that at 50 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: the time of resputants autopsy, his body was yes, riddled 51 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: with bullet wounds and blunt force trauma, but otherwise fully intact, 52 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: and the organ on display in the muse Arrows is, 53 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: at least in this writer's estimation, probably from a non 54 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 1: human animal with a size meant to shock audiences to 55 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: increase the mythology of its alleged source. Fascinating and deeply 56 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 1: compelling as the pickled mystery meat is. I think it's 57 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:32,479 Speaker 1: even more interesting to examine the actual human who is 58 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 1: allegedly once attached to it when he was still alive. 59 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 1: Resputant aroused distrust and scandal without having to say a word. 60 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 1: One look at a photo of him with his long, 61 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:48,640 Speaker 1: greasy black hair and his gaunt, deep set eyes provide 62 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: all the reason as to why, over a hundred years later, 63 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: his image is still deeply unsettling the story of his 64 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: life is infamously debaucherous. Even today, his name is synonymous 65 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:07,039 Speaker 1: with villain in our cultural psyche. Though perhaps it's all 66 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: too common for stories to be lost to be consolidated 67 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:17,479 Speaker 1: over time, the mad Monk's legend defies historical precedent. Instead 68 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: of being lost or diminished, histories are inexplicably being added, 69 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 1: like Jenga pieces stolen from the base of a teetering 70 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,840 Speaker 1: tower that refuses to fall. So why is it that 71 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,200 Speaker 1: museum's boast to have his most prized possession, even though 72 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: it is most certainly not real, And why has Risputant 73 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:42,479 Speaker 1: as a myth persisted as a cultural phenomenon while the 74 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:47,840 Speaker 1: man himself has really slipped into shadows. The answer is 75 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 1: a fact Resputin himself knew entirely too well. As long 76 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 1: as people want to believe something is real, the truth 77 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:02,320 Speaker 1: can afford to be subjective. I'm Danis Schwartz, and this 78 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: is noble blood. When Google searches of Resputant turn up 79 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: picture after picture of greasy beards, wild eyes, and political 80 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: cartoons illustrating sexual acts with Russian monarchs, it's sometimes hard 81 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,159 Speaker 1: to remember that long before any of that, he was 82 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: just Gregory Alfamovitch Rasputin, a young man from a small 83 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: village in Siberia, born in eighteen sixty nine. He married 84 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 1: young at eighteen and fathered seven children, though only three 85 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 1: made it to adulthood. But such was life in late 86 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: nineteenth century Siberia. Childhood mortality rates were high, access to 87 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 1: basic education was practically non existent, and the Russian idea 88 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: of Sogda or God's will, was the guiding force for 89 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:02,479 Speaker 1: the majority of the peas and population. There is very 90 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 1: little known about the exact details of our Sputent's early life, 91 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 1: most of which come to us via a biography written 92 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: by his daughter Maria long after he had passed. It's 93 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: safe to say that this biography might have some historical inaccuracies. 94 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: Early on, she claims that a comment tore through the 95 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: sky on the night of Resputant's birth, when in reality 96 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: we know there's no recorded comment passing in Earth's view 97 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 1: that entire year. But we do know the one aspect 98 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: of his adulthood that would shape the rest of his life. 99 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: When Rasputin was twenty eight years old, he took a 100 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 1: trip to a Siberian monastery and returned as a strunk 101 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: or religious pilgrim, ready to share all that he had 102 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 1: learned on his travels and spread the word of God. 103 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: According to accounts from his closest acquaintances, his intentions began 104 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:00,080 Speaker 1: honestly enough, but that didn't mean that he practiced quiet 105 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:05,120 Speaker 1: lee quite the opposite. In fact, he immediately garnered attention 106 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: from other villagers with his peculiar ways. He stopped eating 107 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: meat and drinking alcohol, But his most unusual affectation was 108 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 1: the way he performed during his services. With crazy glances 109 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: and grimaces, he became impossible to ignore, and fairly quickly 110 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 1: his strange confidence and charisma led to followers. After that 111 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 1: initial pilgrimage, where Sputent didn't stay home for long, he 112 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: continued traveling across the continent, going so far as Greece, 113 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:42,719 Speaker 1: but never failing to make his way back to Russia. 114 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: But the more that he traveled, the less it seemed 115 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: that Russia wanted him back. People were becoming more skeptical 116 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: of the uncomp poly man roaming their streets, especially since 117 00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 1: a large portion of his disciples were women, which have 118 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 1: been so bad if he didn't openly kiss them in public. 119 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: So that was troubling, as were the vague allegations of 120 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 1: sexual assaults that tended to follow in the wake of 121 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: his travels. Even before Gregory had married, he had amassed 122 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: quite the reputation as a young ladies man, so you 123 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 1: can imagine the type of power dynamic at play when 124 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:26,440 Speaker 1: Respute and found himself in a position where people not 125 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:30,640 Speaker 1: only listen to what he had to say, but respected him, 126 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: praised him, reciput and found a way to exploit his 127 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 1: power for personal gain. In one instance, when a woman 128 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:43,560 Speaker 1: came to him distraught after a sexual encounter between the 129 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 1: two of them that she had felt coerced into, he 130 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:51,079 Speaker 1: simply replied that quote, there was no sin in what 131 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: they had done. They had simply been celebrating the Holy Trinity. 132 00:09:55,920 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 1: Another report accounts the two sisters, aged fifteen and tw empty, 133 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: were manipulated into sexual acts with the man after being 134 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: lured into a bath house. When their mother confronted Respute 135 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,320 Speaker 1: and seething with anger, he merely looked at her calmly 136 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,960 Speaker 1: and said, quote, now you may feel at peace. The 137 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:20,560 Speaker 1: day of salvation has dawned for your daughters. In Resputant's mind, 138 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: or at least the way he spun his religious teachings 139 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:28,679 Speaker 1: to his followers, opening oneself to the possibility of sexual encounters, 140 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:32,200 Speaker 1: i e. Stripping in bath houses was a way to 141 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:35,560 Speaker 1: prove to God that they were able to resist temptations 142 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 1: of the flesh, and sometimes those trips did end in abstinence. 143 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 1: Temptations resisted, but only sometimes. For his part, Resputent did 144 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: openly admit to being a sinner, explaining that while he 145 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:53,720 Speaker 1: did try to resist sin, he was ultimately exempt from 146 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 1: judgment because he was quote a man of God, succumbing 147 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: to these sins while in his serve us. Now, I 148 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: am of the belief that if something looks like a 149 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,319 Speaker 1: duck and quacks like a duck, then it's most likely 150 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:11,280 Speaker 1: a sexual predator, and that Rasputin was using the religious 151 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:18,360 Speaker 1: rhetoric of confronting temptations as a way to exploit vulnerable women. Unfortunately, 152 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:22,960 Speaker 1: at the time, his exploits were seen as merely salacious 153 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 1: Monks will be monks. But as gossip around his personal 154 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:31,280 Speaker 1: life spread, so did rumors of his abilities as a mystic. 155 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 1: One night, the Virgin Mary supposedly came to him crying, 156 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:40,160 Speaker 1: tears streaming down her face as she told him to quote, 157 00:11:40,440 --> 00:11:44,720 Speaker 1: go wander and cleanse the people of their sins. Resput 158 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:47,720 Speaker 1: and believed that he had been chosen by God, and 159 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:51,720 Speaker 1: he made it his job to let everyone know. For 160 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:56,199 Speaker 1: however creepy and manipulative this man was, he was also 161 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 1: smarter than most people gave him credit for. He was 162 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:04,200 Speaker 1: expert at the long con planting seeds of gossip that 163 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 1: would flower exactly when he needed them to. His actions 164 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: seemed erratic at times, but every move was calculated to 165 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:18,080 Speaker 1: cultivate this man of God persona which he was honestly 166 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:22,920 Speaker 1: probably narcissistic enough to believe was true. But at the time, 167 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:27,280 Speaker 1: especially in more elite social circles, people took him pretty 168 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:31,960 Speaker 1: plainly at face value. He was a peasant, most likely 169 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:36,360 Speaker 1: simple minded, and he therefore posed very little threat. So 170 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: what if he had a reputation as a philanderer. Surely 171 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: only the week fell for such ploys. Right before we 172 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:51,440 Speaker 1: go any further into respute and story, I'd like us 173 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:55,960 Speaker 1: to pivot for a moment towards St. Petersburg. Behind the 174 00:12:56,040 --> 00:13:01,080 Speaker 1: waves of civil unrest and political turmoil, the Romanov's sat 175 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:06,040 Speaker 1: comfortably inside the walls of Alexander Palace, confident in their 176 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: nearly three hundred year old dynasty, and they're obviously God 177 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 1: given authority to rule. At least if they told themselves 178 00:13:14,679 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: that enough times, maybe it would finally become reality. In truth, 179 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:24,520 Speaker 1: the royal family it was harboring a possibly dynasty ending secret. 180 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:30,240 Speaker 1: The Tsarovitch was sick. Alexey, the fifth child but only 181 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:34,120 Speaker 1: son of Zar Nicholas and the Zarina Alexandra Fedorovna, had 182 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:38,719 Speaker 1: been diagnosed with hemophilia, a rare blood disorder that inhibits 183 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 1: blood from clotting, normally subjecting its victims to possibly fatal 184 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: internal bleeding at the drop of a hat. The Czar 185 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: and Zarina were understandably distraught concerning the health of their son, 186 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:55,520 Speaker 1: though his illness posed a greater threat to the Russian 187 00:13:55,559 --> 00:14:00,040 Speaker 1: monarchy as a whole. Alexei was their only son, and 188 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 1: if you remember our past episode on Paul the First 189 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: of Russia, his grudge match against his mother, Catherine the 190 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: Great still persisted into the twentieth century in the form 191 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 1: of a law that only sons could inherit the Russian throne. 192 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:18,840 Speaker 1: The Czar and Czarina had desperately waited for a son. 193 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:22,520 Speaker 1: With each pregnancy their hopes were a nude, and with 194 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:30,200 Speaker 1: each daughter, their hopes were dashed four times in a row, Girl, girl, girl, girl. 195 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: The Zarina Alexandra had been so desperate for a son 196 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: that she had turned to the church and mysticism for help. 197 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:44,600 Speaker 1: The originally of German descent, Alexandra converted to Russian Orthodox 198 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: Christianity upon her engagement to Nicholas, and she adopted the 199 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: practice wholeheartedly into her life. It's easy to laugh at 200 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:57,000 Speaker 1: the idea of mysticism now, but in the turn of 201 00:14:57,040 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 1: the twentieth century in Russia it was not an common practice, 202 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 1: especially amongst the aristocracy. People craved excitement, anything to break 203 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 1: up the monotony of their day to day lives. I mean, 204 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 1: think about the way wealthy people today talk about moon 205 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: juice and alkalies, lemon water and healing crystals. But at 206 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:22,560 Speaker 1: that time, for those inside the palace walls, mysticism had 207 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: genuine credence. One of the crown's closest religious advisors would 208 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: tell the Tsar, God sends consolation to his people from 209 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,360 Speaker 1: time to time in the guise of righteous men, and 210 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 1: they are the mainstays of Holy Russia. Considering that the 211 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:41,720 Speaker 1: Czar and Czarina truly believed that they had been chosen 212 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: by God to rule the people of Russia, their belief 213 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 1: in mysticism compounded. God had chosen them, so obviously he 214 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:53,800 Speaker 1: had chosen these mystics to carry out his work as well. 215 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: So after one mystic claimed to be able to influence 216 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 1: the gender of a child during pregnancy, and then the 217 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 1: Sarina gave birth to a son, the practice of mysticism 218 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 1: came to be consulted on all matters of everyday life, 219 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:14,280 Speaker 1: and that man, not resputing yet just some other random guy, 220 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:18,760 Speaker 1: became a mainstay at court. After the diagnosis of her son, 221 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 1: Alexandra sought the help of that mystic more desperate to 222 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: alleviate her son's suffering. But over time members of the 223 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 1: court began to grow skeptical of that religious advisor whispering 224 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 1: in the Queen's ear. After a considerable amount of pressure 225 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:41,760 Speaker 1: from his staff, Czar Nicholas was forced to send Alexandra's 226 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: beloved mystic away. But before the mystic left, he foretold 227 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 1: one final prophecy quote, Someday you will have another friend 228 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:55,600 Speaker 1: like me who will speak to you of God. The 229 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:59,920 Speaker 1: dust had barely settled on that mystic being fired before 230 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 1: Resputin was suddenly knocking on the palace door, well metaphorically knocking. 231 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: Resputin knew that the road to power ended on the 232 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: roman Off doorstep, but he also recognized how nearly impossible 233 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:16,680 Speaker 1: it was going to be for him to get there. 234 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:20,919 Speaker 1: After all, he was a peasant with no connections to 235 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:24,880 Speaker 1: the capital and only a questionable reputation to his name, 236 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,480 Speaker 1: But he wouldn't let that stop him by virtue of 237 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:33,080 Speaker 1: his chosen profession. By nineteen o five, Resputin had become 238 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: an expert in finding spaces for himself in social circles 239 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:43,440 Speaker 1: where none had existed before. He was a social climbing assassin, 240 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: using people and then burning bridges like he needed the 241 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:50,159 Speaker 1: tinder to keep warm, And maybe he did, but that 242 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:53,680 Speaker 1: didn't mean the flames would never catch up to him, 243 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,480 Speaker 1: as it were. In nineteen o five, Resputin found himself 244 00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:00,720 Speaker 1: in St. Petersburg in the company of three of the 245 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:06,600 Speaker 1: Czar's closest acquaintances. Years of travel and power grabbing all 246 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 1: came down to one t on an innocuous autumn afternoon. 247 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,679 Speaker 1: So what did the Siberian peasant do to woo the 248 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:21,399 Speaker 1: god divined rulers of Russia? Absolutely nothing, or rather, he 249 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:25,200 Speaker 1: made the nobles feel as though they were nothing, certainly 250 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:27,879 Speaker 1: no more important than any of the peasants that he 251 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:31,880 Speaker 1: often met on the street. He used the informal Russian 252 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:35,800 Speaker 1: you pronoun that used for friends and family instead of 253 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:40,560 Speaker 1: the respectful you reserved for elders and people of higher birth, 254 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 1: and when Rasputin met the Tsar and Szarina, he addressed 255 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:50,399 Speaker 1: them as Batushka and Matushka, or little father and little mother, 256 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:53,560 Speaker 1: which was the common name the peasant class took to 257 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:59,640 Speaker 1: calling the royal couple, and infuriatingly enough, they ate it up. 258 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 1: Nicholas and Alexandra hated all the pomp and circumstance that 259 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 1: typically followed them as Russian monarchs, so when Resputin who 260 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:13,160 Speaker 1: had been waiting years for this very encounter, showed them 261 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:18,040 Speaker 1: the same ambivalence he showed say soap. The royal couple 262 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:24,160 Speaker 1: was immediately smitten. After years without a quote unquote man 263 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:28,120 Speaker 1: of God at her side, the Czarena remembered the parting 264 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:32,119 Speaker 1: words of her last trusted religious adviser, some day you 265 00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: will have another friend like me who will speak to 266 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: you of God. And as she watched with wide eyes 267 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 1: and bated breath, while the mysterious holy Man stood over 268 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,919 Speaker 1: her son and her son's muscles finally unclenched after days 269 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:51,160 Speaker 1: of restlessness, there was no doubt in her mind her 270 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:57,280 Speaker 1: friend had arrived. News of resputants present in the palace 271 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: quickly made the rounds in Saint Petersburg. Unsurprisingly, people were 272 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:07,480 Speaker 1: skeptical of the unkempt, self proclaimed spiritual healer who spent 273 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:11,159 Speaker 1: so much of his time around the royal family. His 274 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:15,439 Speaker 1: infamous reputation as a sexual predator had followed him on 275 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:18,199 Speaker 1: his travels to the capital, and yet the Czar and 276 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:22,159 Speaker 1: Czarina kept him in their inner circle, unwilling to listen 277 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:26,399 Speaker 1: to anyone who disparaged their newfound friend. Worse yet, the 278 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 1: rumors were beginning to fester. After all, what exactly was 279 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:34,320 Speaker 1: he doing with the royal family? They had five children, 280 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:37,959 Speaker 1: four of them young girls. Someone with a past like 281 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 1: his shouldn't the Czar and Czarina be more concerned. For 282 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:47,119 Speaker 1: once peasants and nobles were in agreement, respute and needed 283 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 1: to go. He was not known for his reticence in 284 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 1: sharing political opinions, and the last thing that anyone wanted 285 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 1: was for resput and notorious sex fiend parading around as 286 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:02,680 Speaker 1: a religious holy man to have influence over the Russian government. 287 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,720 Speaker 1: Public outcry trickled its way into the palace, but would 288 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:10,360 Speaker 1: be destined to fall on deaf ears. For the Zarina, 289 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:15,560 Speaker 1: Resputant's place in the palace was indisputable. His prayers were 290 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:20,400 Speaker 1: keeping her son alive. Alexey's hemophilia was still a state secret, 291 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:23,760 Speaker 1: one that the Crown couldn't afford to get out for 292 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 1: fear that their god given right to rule would crumble 293 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:31,320 Speaker 1: under the ailment of the crown prince. After all, if 294 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:34,200 Speaker 1: God had chosen them, why wouldn't he have given them 295 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:38,680 Speaker 1: a healthy air. Their silence would ultimately only add more 296 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:42,159 Speaker 1: fuel to the fire of rumors swirling around the city 297 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 1: before long, speculation as to the nature of Resputen and 298 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:52,200 Speaker 1: the Zarina's relationship was being called into question, especially after 299 00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:57,400 Speaker 1: correspondence between the two was leaked to the press. Quote 300 00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: I know that much of what I do and think 301 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,200 Speaker 1: is not good. I want to be a good Christian, 302 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:06,919 Speaker 1: a good person, but it is so hard, Alexandra had 303 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: written in a private letter to the monk. Quote so 304 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:13,159 Speaker 1: often I have to fight bad habits. But help me, 305 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 1: don't abandon me. I am weak and not good. End quote. Suddenly, 306 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:21,320 Speaker 1: all of the bridges Resputant had burned to reach the 307 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:26,000 Speaker 1: Romanovs had their flames, threatening to burn down the entire palace. 308 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:32,240 Speaker 1: Even beyond the basic accusations of infidelity, other more disturbing 309 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,800 Speaker 1: allegations were coming to the forefront. People were beginning to 310 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:40,240 Speaker 1: question the paternity of the Tsarevich himself, with others accusing 311 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:44,440 Speaker 1: the mad monk of sexually assaulting the young Romanov daughters, 312 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: even possibly getting one pregnant. Before long, the entire country 313 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:54,160 Speaker 1: was alight with conspiracy, conspiracy that would carry on for 314 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:59,359 Speaker 1: far longer than one lifetime. Bony M's now iconic lyric 315 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 1: rah Rah Rasputine, lover of the Russian Queen is, no 316 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:08,159 Speaker 1: doubt a clever couplet, but it's evidence is placed on 317 00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:12,359 Speaker 1: faulty ground. The Zarina may have had her faults, but 318 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 1: if she was anything, it was a devout Christian and 319 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:18,960 Speaker 1: loyal wife. And in addition to keeping her son's illness 320 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:22,720 Speaker 1: out of the public eye, she also suffered from chronic pain. 321 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:27,879 Speaker 1: In secret. After five difficult pregnancies, her body had taken 322 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,159 Speaker 1: a fair amount of abuse, leaving her with sciatica that 323 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,919 Speaker 1: would sometimes keep her bedbound for days. She was not 324 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: in a condition to be carrying on an illicit love affair, 325 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:41,159 Speaker 1: even if she wanted to, which, based on her character, 326 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 1: I don't think she did. But of course, once again, 327 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,800 Speaker 1: the truth didn't matter. Before the rumors could have just 328 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:53,359 Speaker 1: been dismissed. But after personal letters surfaced and were proven 329 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:57,000 Speaker 1: legitimate by the star himself, the crown was looking as 330 00:23:57,119 --> 00:24:01,720 Speaker 1: unstable as ever. The people thought that the infidelity rumors 331 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:06,879 Speaker 1: were true, and the Zarina was furious. The question remained, 332 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:10,840 Speaker 1: who had leaked the letters? How did this happen? The 333 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:15,280 Speaker 1: obvious answer lies with the recipient, But Resputin was a 334 00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:19,040 Speaker 1: trusted friend, Surely he never would have done such a thing. 335 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: It should come as no surprise that no one was 336 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:26,960 Speaker 1: a bigger fan of Resputen than Resputen. So when the 337 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:32,160 Speaker 1: Czarina herself began sending him not just letters but personal confessions, 338 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:37,000 Speaker 1: he couldn't keep them to himself. Years earlier, an acquaintance 339 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: of Resputants had found himself inside the monks St. Petersburg 340 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:45,720 Speaker 1: apartment where Resputin was showing off his personal letters from 341 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:49,480 Speaker 1: the Czarina. He was boasting about his status as one 342 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:54,960 Speaker 1: of her closest spiritual advisors. The acquaintance smiled and nodded, 343 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:58,240 Speaker 1: acting impressed when he was called to do so, but 344 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:00,679 Speaker 1: in the back of his mind he was taking notes. 345 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:06,000 Speaker 1: Perhaps he asked to see the letters up close. Fast 346 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:09,720 Speaker 1: forward three years, and the Czarina's letters were being printed 347 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: and dissected by every major news outlet around the world. 348 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:18,560 Speaker 1: Rasputin attempted to do some damage control, but Alexandra would 349 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:23,120 Speaker 1: no longer permit him inside the palace walls. After years 350 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:27,159 Speaker 1: of begging, the Czarina was finally taking the advice of 351 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:32,440 Speaker 1: nearly every one of her advisors, and she sent Rasputin packing. 352 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:36,720 Speaker 1: After all, her son hadn't had a severe attack in years. 353 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:41,760 Speaker 1: There was no immediate need for resputant services. So that autumn, 354 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:45,240 Speaker 1: on a family vacation to their hunting lunch, nobody thought 355 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:48,720 Speaker 1: twice when their carriage took an unusually hard bump in 356 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 1: the road. That was until the young Tsarevich could no 357 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:57,359 Speaker 1: longer contain his screams. After what seemed like no time 358 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:00,720 Speaker 1: at all, Alexei went from playing on the hounds to 359 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:06,000 Speaker 1: crying helplessly in agony. On his deathbed, Nicholas and Alexandra 360 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:11,160 Speaker 1: were beside themselves. Their family vacation had turned into their 361 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 1: worst nightmare. Their son lay pale and incoherent, while his 362 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:20,359 Speaker 1: leg and hip swelled with blood. He was in pain, 363 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:24,600 Speaker 1: so agonizing that the staff took to putting cotton in 364 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:29,440 Speaker 1: their ears to deafen his blood curdling screams. The doctors 365 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:33,199 Speaker 1: worked on him tirelessly, but the Crown Prince showed no 366 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 1: signs of improvement. When Alexey was finally read his last rites, 367 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:42,160 Speaker 1: the Czarina could no longer sit and watch helplessly as 368 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: her one and only son slipped away painfully into the night. 369 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:51,520 Speaker 1: Rising from her son's bedside, Alexandra used what little energy 370 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:57,120 Speaker 1: she had to compose a telegram to Gregory Rasputin asking him, 371 00:26:57,359 --> 00:27:02,359 Speaker 1: begging him to help save her son. When resput And 372 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 1: received word of the young boy's condition, he was remarkably unbothered. 373 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:10,800 Speaker 1: The doctors had told the royal couple their son would 374 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:14,800 Speaker 1: be dead by mourning, but the mystic simply scoffed. God 375 00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:18,120 Speaker 1: has seen your tears and heard your prayers, He assured 376 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:21,600 Speaker 1: the queen. The little one will not die. Do not 377 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:26,040 Speaker 1: allow the doctors to bother him too much. Upon receiving word, 378 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:31,720 Speaker 1: Alexandra immediately relaxed. She walked back to her son's bedside 379 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:35,640 Speaker 1: with renewed vigor, announcing to the others holding vigil that 380 00:27:36,119 --> 00:27:39,480 Speaker 1: during the night, I received a telegram from Father Gregory, 381 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:45,960 Speaker 1: and he has reassured me completely and miraculously, Despite quite 382 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:51,440 Speaker 1: literally being on the brink of death, Alexei recovered within days, 383 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:55,040 Speaker 1: His fever broke, the swelling began to receive, and his 384 00:27:55,080 --> 00:28:00,240 Speaker 1: appetite returned. It was a miracle, one that seemingly only 385 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: took place under resputants command. None of it made any sense, 386 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 1: and yet it didn't have to. All that mattered was 387 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:11,119 Speaker 1: that Theisarevich was alive and the monarchy was safe for 388 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:18,679 Speaker 1: another day. Over a century later, Alexei's recovery remains a 389 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:22,680 Speaker 1: mystery to historians, but of course there are several theories. 390 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:26,960 Speaker 1: The first and probably most likely has everything to do 391 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:31,159 Speaker 1: with the final words of resputants telegram to Alexandra, do 392 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:34,399 Speaker 1: not allow the doctors to bother him too much. To 393 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,960 Speaker 1: this day, there is still no cure for hemophilia, but 394 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 1: given the advancements in medical knowledge, we are now certainly 395 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:45,760 Speaker 1: aware of how not to treat the disease. Rule number one, 396 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 1: don't give the patient blood thinners. Unfortunately, for Alexei, aspirin 397 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:55,040 Speaker 1: seemed to be the royal doctor's drug of choice. The 398 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: new at the time miracle drug, now widely known as 399 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: a blood thinner, seemed to be a cure for so 400 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: many common ailments, so why not try it against the 401 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:11,720 Speaker 1: well rare blood disorder that prevents blood from plotting. But 402 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:16,320 Speaker 1: in any case, Resputent's intervention against the doctors could have 403 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:20,800 Speaker 1: possibly saved Alexei's life. Ironically, the best sort of treatment 404 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 1: the boy could have received at the time was time 405 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:28,600 Speaker 1: time without doctor's force feeding him blood thinners and poking 406 00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 1: and prodding at his already bleeding body. But others are 407 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:36,200 Speaker 1: more skeptical that Resputent was involved at all in the 408 00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 1: young boys treatment plan. The timeline of events that led 409 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:45,040 Speaker 1: to Alexei's recovery is sketchy at best. At what point 410 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 1: exactly did Alexandra send that telegram, how quickly did respute 411 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 1: and respond? It's widely understood that contacting Resputent had been 412 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 1: the Czarina's absolute final option, with the last rites having 413 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,480 Speaker 1: already been and to her son. After a certain point, 414 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 1: the doctors would have most likely stopped treating the boy 415 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:09,240 Speaker 1: to let him pass on in peace. Resputant's words could 416 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: have reached the hunting lodge while Alexei was already on 417 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:16,959 Speaker 1: the mend. But once again the truth didn't matter. The 418 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:20,960 Speaker 1: Czarina believed Resputin had been sent by God to save 419 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: her son, and any previous grudge she may have held 420 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:27,080 Speaker 1: against the man meant nothing so long as her son 421 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:30,480 Speaker 1: was safe. Without even being on the same side of 422 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:33,920 Speaker 1: the country, Resputin had once again managed to make his 423 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:38,760 Speaker 1: way back inside the Royal Palace. The start of the 424 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 1: new year brought with it the three hundred year anniversary 425 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: of Romanov rule in Russia, a legacy that great came 426 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:49,280 Speaker 1: with a mounting pressure. Nicholas was beginning to feel in 427 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 1: his bones. Ever since the nineteen oh five revolution, when 428 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 1: his power as Supreme Autocrat had been strict with the 429 00:30:57,360 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 1: founding of the Russian legislative body known as Duma, he 430 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:03,960 Speaker 1: had never been able to shake the shadow of revolution 431 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:07,440 Speaker 1: that he felt breathing down his neck. He was the 432 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:11,280 Speaker 1: Czar of Russia, wasn't he? Duma be damned? He was 433 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:14,560 Speaker 1: a Romanov and the Romanovs had been chosen by God 434 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:18,040 Speaker 1: to rule the mighty nation of Russia, come hell or 435 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:22,080 Speaker 1: high water. So how would he strive to prove himself 436 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:26,200 Speaker 1: as a competent ruler by going to war, of course, 437 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,920 Speaker 1: or rather by sending thousands of young men to go 438 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 1: off to war for him. Unlike the majority of Russian aristocrats, 439 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:39,360 Speaker 1: Resputin was actually staunchly against Russia going to war. He 440 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 1: didn't need to be able to see the future to 441 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:44,239 Speaker 1: know that war would mean the deaths of thousands of 442 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: young Russian men, primarily peasants like himself, not aristocrats. Resputin 443 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 1: was quoted as saying, quote, We're already the biggest country 444 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:56,760 Speaker 1: in the world. Why do we need more real estate? 445 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:02,120 Speaker 1: But try as he might, Resputent's effort went unheard. Luckily 446 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:06,600 Speaker 1: for him, vodka proved to be a great listener. With 447 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:10,800 Speaker 1: war on the horizon and feeling his influence waning, he 448 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:15,200 Speaker 1: wasted no time in drowning his sorrows and drowning his 449 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:19,800 Speaker 1: decade plus of sobriety. After an assassination attempt in his 450 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 1: hometown left him bedbound as he healed, Waking up one 451 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:27,560 Speaker 1: morning to the newspaper reporting Germany's declaration of war against 452 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 1: Russia was enough to make him want to curl up 453 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:34,720 Speaker 1: at the bottom of a bottle. Resputants dependence on alcohol 454 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:37,840 Speaker 1: would follow him for the rest of his life. From 455 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:41,720 Speaker 1: this point on, he rarely ever attended events sober, only 456 00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:44,760 Speaker 1: pulling himself together enough for the royal couple not to 457 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:49,760 Speaker 1: suspect that something was seriously wrong. So when Alexandra ordered 458 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:52,120 Speaker 1: the monk to embark on a trip to Moscow in 459 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:56,640 Speaker 1: a desperate attempt to bolster his reputation into something salvageable, 460 00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:59,520 Speaker 1: she couldn't have known that this trip would lead to 461 00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:06,280 Speaker 1: one of the most infamous nights of Resputant's life. On 462 00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:11,200 Speaker 1: the evening of March twenty six, nineteen fifteen, Resputin went 463 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:15,000 Speaker 1: to an establishment called the Yard in Moscow to partake 464 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:19,680 Speaker 1: in their typical nighttime festivities. Never one to be unprepared, 465 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:23,440 Speaker 1: Resputin arrived having already down half of his body weight 466 00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:27,040 Speaker 1: in vodka, and he promptly ordered more. Upon his arrival, 467 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:31,000 Speaker 1: other patrons of the r began to take notice of 468 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:35,560 Speaker 1: the oddily dressed, boisterous man in the corner. The patrons 469 00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:38,720 Speaker 1: held their hands up to their mouths in shock when 470 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:41,520 Speaker 1: the man started to grab at more than a few 471 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:46,400 Speaker 1: of the performers, and then Resputant stood and started off 472 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:49,720 Speaker 1: on an alcohol fuel tirade for the benefit of the 473 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:56,440 Speaker 1: entire establishment. According to witnesses, the unhinged monk became quote 474 00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:02,640 Speaker 1: sexually psychopathic, alluding to his legendary fallis, and rumored in 475 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:06,200 Speaker 1: decent relationship with a zarina. He referred to her as 476 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:10,360 Speaker 1: quote the old girl, and proceeded to detail his control 477 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:15,400 Speaker 1: over her, eliciting even more disgusted from the crowd. Finally, 478 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:18,080 Speaker 1: when one patron dared him to prove that he was 479 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:22,040 Speaker 1: the real resputent, he did the only thing a man 480 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:25,480 Speaker 1: like Resputent would think to do. He dropped his pants 481 00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:30,720 Speaker 1: and waived his member at the crowd. It's legendary size 482 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:35,319 Speaker 1: apparently all the identification needed. After that, the police were 483 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:41,840 Speaker 1: called and Resputent was led away quote snarling and vowing vengeance. Today, 484 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:46,680 Speaker 1: Resputent's night at the yard is debated wildly amongst historians. 485 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:49,879 Speaker 1: Some say there are no police reports from that night 486 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,520 Speaker 1: that would suggest Resputent was even at the r in 487 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:55,879 Speaker 1: the first place. Meanwhile, others say that there were too 488 00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:59,600 Speaker 1: many reputable witnesses to have the story be anything but true. 489 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:04,000 Speaker 1: In my opinion, the truth behind the actual events of 490 00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:08,319 Speaker 1: that night are of little importance. What mattered, what still 491 00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:12,280 Speaker 1: matters in resputen story is that people believed it was true, 492 00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:16,120 Speaker 1: and so it was, which leads us to one of 493 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:20,480 Speaker 1: the most notorious myths in the Resputent canon, the prophecy. 494 00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:24,480 Speaker 1: In the months leading up to his death, Resputen had 495 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:29,400 Speaker 1: rightly so begun to grow increasingly paranoid about his demise. 496 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:34,040 Speaker 1: He took on an extremely fatalistic view on life, often 497 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:37,239 Speaker 1: recounting his knowledge that the end for him was near. 498 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:41,640 Speaker 1: But according to legend, in the weeks before his death, 499 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:46,200 Speaker 1: Resputen wrote a letter to the royals describing what would 500 00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:51,880 Speaker 1: be known as his quote final prophecy. Russians are, he began, 501 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,760 Speaker 1: I have a presentiment that I shall leave this world 502 00:35:55,960 --> 00:36:00,160 Speaker 1: before the first of January. If I am killed, not 503 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:04,800 Speaker 1: one member of your family will survive more than two years. 504 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:09,640 Speaker 1: The tragic demise of the Romanovs and the Russian monarchy 505 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:13,680 Speaker 1: has been the subject of fascination and speculation for over 506 00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:16,759 Speaker 1: a hundred years, and this letter remains one of the 507 00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:20,959 Speaker 1: most infamous relics of the past. And while this letter 508 00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:25,319 Speaker 1: does seem like exactly the type of manipulation Resputent would 509 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:29,120 Speaker 1: pull to try to solidify his place within the royal fold, 510 00:36:29,719 --> 00:36:33,560 Speaker 1: it really is just another tally on the ever growing 511 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:37,879 Speaker 1: list of false rumors associated with the infamous mad Monk. 512 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:42,640 Speaker 1: The letter itself is really the prophecies undoing. It's the 513 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:47,319 Speaker 1: diction that really disproves the letters authenticity. It begins by 514 00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:51,600 Speaker 1: addressing Nicholas as Russians are, which, as we stated earlier, 515 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:56,080 Speaker 1: was just not how Resputent spoke. He rarely, if ever, 516 00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:59,680 Speaker 1: used terms of authority with royals, and he continued to 517 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:02,960 Speaker 1: call the Czarina and Czar little mother and little father 518 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:07,320 Speaker 1: until his death. The prophecy, like so many other parts 519 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:10,440 Speaker 1: of the resput and myth, is something that people love 520 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:13,520 Speaker 1: to hold onto In this case, maybe because it's a 521 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:17,080 Speaker 1: detail that makes the Romanov killings next all the more 522 00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:26,360 Speaker 1: tragic and romantic. On the night of December six, nineteen sixteen, 523 00:37:26,680 --> 00:37:29,319 Speaker 1: Resputin was invited to the home of a man named 524 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:33,719 Speaker 1: Felix Yusupo for an evening of dinner and drinks. When 525 00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:38,000 Speaker 1: Resputin arrived, you suppose and his two compatriots greeted their 526 00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:43,400 Speaker 1: new companion with warm smiles and casual conversation. But beneath 527 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:47,600 Speaker 1: the thin veneer of pleasantries, a more sinister plot was 528 00:37:47,719 --> 00:37:52,839 Speaker 1: already brewing. The young Russian prince Felix Yusupov had been 529 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:58,560 Speaker 1: orchestrating a plan for weeks, carefully crafting timetables and alibis 530 00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:03,000 Speaker 1: in preparation for what was sure to be his crowning achievement, 531 00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:09,120 Speaker 1: ridding Russia of the religious fraud Gregory Rasputin. Yusupov was 532 00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:13,040 Speaker 1: not necessarily how one would imagine a murderer, for one, 533 00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:17,239 Speaker 1: he had never before committed a serious crime, let alone homicide. 534 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:21,759 Speaker 1: But ever, the idealist Yusupov had watched from afar as 535 00:38:21,840 --> 00:38:25,040 Speaker 1: respute and whispered into the ear of the Czarina, and 536 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 1: he became increasingly infuriated with his position in court. Why 537 00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:32,600 Speaker 1: should this peasant have such sway over the most important 538 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:37,160 Speaker 1: political decisions in Russia. In his mind, Rasputin needed to 539 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:40,080 Speaker 1: be taken out of the equation, and he wanted to 540 00:38:40,160 --> 00:38:43,600 Speaker 1: be the one to do it. Originally, Yusupov went to 541 00:38:43,719 --> 00:38:47,480 Speaker 1: the President of the Duma to collaborate on the assassination attempt, 542 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:51,640 Speaker 1: pleading quote, if the Emperor were freed of the influence 543 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:55,439 Speaker 1: of Resputin and his wife, everything would change. He would 544 00:38:55,440 --> 00:39:00,960 Speaker 1: be a good constitutional monarch. Unfortunately for him, the President 545 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:03,920 Speaker 1: would hear nothing of it. Quote do you think I 546 00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:08,399 Speaker 1: keep office for assassins? He blustered in truth. As much 547 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:11,640 Speaker 1: as the Duma hated Respute and killing him would not 548 00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:15,360 Speaker 1: have been beneficial to their cause. It was obvious that 549 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:18,120 Speaker 1: the end of the monarchy was near, and when it 550 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:22,040 Speaker 1: finally fell, the Duma was trying to establish a democratic 551 00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:26,120 Speaker 1: government that would rise in its place, where Sputent's influence 552 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:29,919 Speaker 1: over the Romanovs was making them tremendously unpopular and only 553 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:33,080 Speaker 1: helping bring down the monarchy quicker. Why would the Duma 554 00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:35,399 Speaker 1: want to help kill a man who was making their 555 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:39,960 Speaker 1: job easier and so Prince Felix Yusupov, a man with 556 00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:43,040 Speaker 1: the criminal rap sheet of a pacifier, was left to 557 00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:46,839 Speaker 1: orchestrate the assassination of the most notorious villain in all 558 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:50,880 Speaker 1: of Russia alone. I think it's important to note that 559 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:54,080 Speaker 1: the events that occurred next will always remain something of 560 00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:57,359 Speaker 1: a mystery. After all, we only hear the version told 561 00:39:57,440 --> 00:40:00,200 Speaker 1: from the point of view of the murderer. A I've 562 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:03,600 Speaker 1: said on this podcast many times before. History is told 563 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:07,480 Speaker 1: by the victors, and the night of December sixteenth, nineteen 564 00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:12,640 Speaker 1: sixteen is no exception. Around eleven p m. Respute and 565 00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:16,279 Speaker 1: arrived at Yusopope's home, where he was promptly led down 566 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:19,759 Speaker 1: into the basement to wait for Yusopope's wife to join them. 567 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:24,800 Speaker 1: While they waited, Felix offered respute and refreshment. Small cakes 568 00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:28,239 Speaker 1: and glasses of wine were pushed in Gregory's face, which, 569 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:33,800 Speaker 1: after an initial hesitation, he indulged in thoroughly. Yusupov watched 570 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:37,400 Speaker 1: him with a mixture of horror and fascination, the memory 571 00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:42,120 Speaker 1: of having crushed cyanide capsules between his fingertips still fresh 572 00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:44,480 Speaker 1: in his mind as he waited for the man to 573 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:49,320 Speaker 1: succumb to the poison. Slowly resputant's eyes began to droop. 574 00:40:49,920 --> 00:40:53,880 Speaker 1: He brought his hand to his throat, almost distractedly, like 575 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:57,160 Speaker 1: he was fighting off an itch. He couldn't scratch. But 576 00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:01,560 Speaker 1: after an hour he still sat drinking his poisoned wine, 577 00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:06,320 Speaker 1: completely awake and very much alive. By one in the morning, 578 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:09,600 Speaker 1: you Suppov was livid, having had to entertain the man 579 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:13,880 Speaker 1: he was trying to kill for over two hours. Excusing himself, 580 00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:17,719 Speaker 1: You Suppov ascended from the basement to reconvene with his 581 00:41:17,880 --> 00:41:21,800 Speaker 1: co conspirators. This wasn't how the night was supposed to go. 582 00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:25,800 Speaker 1: The poison was supposed to allow them time to dispose 583 00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:29,520 Speaker 1: of the body cleanly, to cover their tracks with minimal risk. 584 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:32,719 Speaker 1: Now it was obvious they would have to use a 585 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:37,200 Speaker 1: more sure fire method. When you Suppose returned, it was 586 00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:41,080 Speaker 1: with a revolver behind his back. Taking a deep breath, 587 00:41:41,280 --> 00:41:45,239 Speaker 1: he told the monk, Gregory Alfmovich, you'd best come look 588 00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:48,520 Speaker 1: at that crucifix and say a prayer before it. He 589 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:51,640 Speaker 1: brought the gun out from behind him and pointed the 590 00:41:51,719 --> 00:41:55,279 Speaker 1: barrel at the other man, and after a moment's hesitation, 591 00:41:55,760 --> 00:42:00,319 Speaker 1: he fired a bullet into Resputeen's chest, a meat itly 592 00:42:00,400 --> 00:42:03,720 Speaker 1: Resputent fell to the floor, and upon hearing the shot, 593 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:08,320 Speaker 1: Usupov's compatriots came down to inspect the body. As the 594 00:42:08,400 --> 00:42:12,520 Speaker 1: blood began to spread, the men dragged Resputent's body across 595 00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:17,040 Speaker 1: the floor to avoid God forbid, staining the bear skin rug, 596 00:42:17,440 --> 00:42:19,759 Speaker 1: and then they took the jacket off of his back. 597 00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:23,040 Speaker 1: Although the first part of their plan had gone slightly 598 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:26,360 Speaker 1: off the rails, the second phase was being put into play. 599 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:30,120 Speaker 1: Another of the men dressed in Resputent's coat and drove 600 00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:33,040 Speaker 1: away from the palace to make it look like Gregory 601 00:42:33,160 --> 00:42:36,960 Speaker 1: left of his own volition, while the man imposing as 602 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:40,359 Speaker 1: Resputen made his swift getaway. The rest of the men 603 00:42:40,680 --> 00:42:43,719 Speaker 1: left the basement and hung about the house waiting for 604 00:42:43,800 --> 00:42:47,800 Speaker 1: their next move, But Yusopov couldn't sit still. For some 605 00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:51,480 Speaker 1: inexplicable reason, he felt the need to check the body. 606 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:54,160 Speaker 1: When his feet found their way back to the scene 607 00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:56,760 Speaker 1: of the crime, he took a small breath of relief. 608 00:42:57,320 --> 00:43:00,120 Speaker 1: The body was just as they had left it. But 609 00:43:00,239 --> 00:43:04,279 Speaker 1: then the figure on the ground began to move with 610 00:43:04,520 --> 00:43:09,360 Speaker 1: blood leaking from his mouth. Resputant opened his eyes, greenish 611 00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:13,160 Speaker 1: and snakelike. According to the Prince, and stared him down 612 00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:19,680 Speaker 1: with an expression of satanic hatred. Felix Resputant croaked, blood 613 00:43:19,800 --> 00:43:24,160 Speaker 1: flying from his mouth with every forced syllable. Yusupov ran 614 00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:26,600 Speaker 1: to warn the others, but when he came back down, 615 00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:30,279 Speaker 1: Resputin was gone. He had walked out the door and 616 00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:34,440 Speaker 1: into the snow, heading towards the side courtyard. The Prince 617 00:43:34,560 --> 00:43:38,320 Speaker 1: followed after him, his accomplices and tow As they followed 618 00:43:38,360 --> 00:43:41,759 Speaker 1: the bleeding peasant past the iron gates, one of the 619 00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:46,000 Speaker 1: men shot once twice, but they both missed, until the 620 00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:49,920 Speaker 1: third finally found a home in Resputant's back, causing the 621 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:54,839 Speaker 1: man to once again collapse to the ground. Upon approaching 622 00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:58,440 Speaker 1: the body, a fourth and final bullet was fired, this 623 00:43:58,640 --> 00:44:02,480 Speaker 1: time between his eye ways. The sound of the last 624 00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:05,919 Speaker 1: bullet cut through the night air like a knife, making 625 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:09,560 Speaker 1: the silence that followed feel almost like a dream, or 626 00:44:09,640 --> 00:44:13,279 Speaker 1: maybe a nightmare. As the blood slowly dyed the snow 627 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:17,680 Speaker 1: beneath their feet, Crimson red at last, the mad mystic, 628 00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:22,240 Speaker 1: the most universally hated man in all of Russia, Gregory 629 00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:29,680 Speaker 1: alfmo Vitrusputin, was dead This morning. At six o'clock, Gregory 630 00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:33,080 Speaker 1: Resputin suddenly passed away after a party at one of 631 00:44:33,160 --> 00:44:38,879 Speaker 1: the most aristocratic houses in the center of Petrograd. Days 632 00:44:38,960 --> 00:44:42,160 Speaker 1: before they would find the body, news outlets were already 633 00:44:42,239 --> 00:44:45,640 Speaker 1: reporting the murder, and the citizens of the capital city 634 00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:50,400 Speaker 1: were celebrating in the streets. Felix Yusopov, however, was not 635 00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:54,600 Speaker 1: one of those people celebrating. The morning after the assassination, 636 00:44:55,160 --> 00:44:57,640 Speaker 1: Yusupov woke at his father in law's house to a 637 00:44:57,719 --> 00:45:01,279 Speaker 1: phone call from his residence the police had arrived to 638 00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:04,200 Speaker 1: question him. When he did meet with the police, he 639 00:45:04,280 --> 00:45:08,399 Speaker 1: immediately took offense at being accused of anything. Quote, if 640 00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:11,520 Speaker 1: people murder Resputin, they planned to connect the crime with 641 00:45:11,640 --> 00:45:14,840 Speaker 1: me and my party, he refuted helplessly as the police 642 00:45:14,960 --> 00:45:19,160 Speaker 1: raided his home. When questioned about the multiple gunshots heard 643 00:45:19,239 --> 00:45:23,600 Speaker 1: by multiple witnesses the night before, Yusupov claimed certain members 644 00:45:23,680 --> 00:45:27,359 Speaker 1: of the party overindulged and shot a stray dog for fun. 645 00:45:27,840 --> 00:45:30,200 Speaker 1: He took them back to his home and showed them 646 00:45:30,280 --> 00:45:33,000 Speaker 1: the carcass of said dog, still lying in the snow. 647 00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:38,880 Speaker 1: As the police drove away their questions. Unsatisfactorily answered, you 648 00:45:39,040 --> 00:45:42,600 Speaker 1: suppose couldn't help but stare at the snow covered courtyard 649 00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:47,000 Speaker 1: where just twelve hours before, an entirely different body had 650 00:45:47,040 --> 00:45:50,600 Speaker 1: been lying beneath his feet. That body had still yet 651 00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:54,040 Speaker 1: to be found, but everyone in Russia seemed to agree 652 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:58,760 Speaker 1: that all signs pointed towards Felix you Suppove. Meanwhile, inside 653 00:45:58,840 --> 00:46:04,680 Speaker 1: the Alexander Palace, the Romanovs, specifically the Czarina, were inconsolable 654 00:46:05,239 --> 00:46:09,920 Speaker 1: by her orders. You Supov was illegally placed under house arrest, 655 00:46:10,440 --> 00:46:13,279 Speaker 1: no longer able to flee the city like so many 656 00:46:13,400 --> 00:46:17,840 Speaker 1: of his accomplices already had. Her friend was gone, and 657 00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:24,319 Speaker 1: somebody was going to pay. It would be two more 658 00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:27,680 Speaker 1: days until Resputant's body would be pulled out of the 659 00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:31,720 Speaker 1: icy Nivo River, nearly two d and fifty feet away 660 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:34,279 Speaker 1: from where the party had dumped his body from the 661 00:46:34,360 --> 00:46:38,240 Speaker 1: top of the Great Petrofsky Bridge. When the police finally 662 00:46:38,400 --> 00:46:42,319 Speaker 1: excavated the body from the ice, Resputant's torso was still 663 00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:46,440 Speaker 1: bound by rope, but his arms extended out from his body, 664 00:46:47,120 --> 00:46:50,520 Speaker 1: situated in such a way that it was rumored Resputant 665 00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:53,279 Speaker 1: was still alive when he hit the water, and his 666 00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:56,319 Speaker 1: final act was making the sign of the cross as 667 00:46:56,400 --> 00:47:00,880 Speaker 1: he died. For years, Russian officials kept the autopsy of 668 00:47:00,960 --> 00:47:04,319 Speaker 1: Gregory Resiputin out of the public eye, leaving the real 669 00:47:04,440 --> 00:47:08,839 Speaker 1: cause of death up for speculation. All the while newspapers 670 00:47:08,880 --> 00:47:11,279 Speaker 1: at the time, with nothing else to go on, we're 671 00:47:11,360 --> 00:47:17,239 Speaker 1: also reporting off hearsay. Combined, these circumstances almost encouraged the 672 00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:20,880 Speaker 1: story to grow into the mythic proportions we've come to 673 00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:24,880 Speaker 1: know them today. However, since then, the autopsy has been 674 00:47:24,960 --> 00:47:28,279 Speaker 1: made available, and here's what we know. At the time 675 00:47:28,360 --> 00:47:32,240 Speaker 1: of his death, Resputin had been very drunk. The report 676 00:47:32,320 --> 00:47:35,919 Speaker 1: notes the thick stench of alcohol on his corpse, even 677 00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:39,200 Speaker 1: after spending two nights in the icy depths of the river. 678 00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:42,759 Speaker 1: He had suffered a large blunt force trauma to the 679 00:47:42,840 --> 00:47:46,400 Speaker 1: head in addition to the three bullet wounds found on 680 00:47:46,560 --> 00:47:50,319 Speaker 1: his body. His lungs, however, did not contain any water, 681 00:47:50,800 --> 00:47:53,920 Speaker 1: suggesting he was actually dead by the time he was 682 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:57,759 Speaker 1: thrown from the bridge that night. The autopsy concluded the 683 00:47:57,960 --> 00:48:01,120 Speaker 1: third bullet wound to the forehead, not the drowning, was 684 00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:05,800 Speaker 1: Resputant's real cause of death. However, what's more interesting is 685 00:48:05,880 --> 00:48:09,640 Speaker 1: the lack of any trace of poison other than copious 686 00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:13,879 Speaker 1: amounts of alcohol in the bloodstream. The very distinct scent 687 00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:17,680 Speaker 1: of cyanide was found nowhere on the body, leading the 688 00:48:17,800 --> 00:48:21,160 Speaker 1: doctors to believe that the goods were sputan ingested earlier 689 00:48:21,239 --> 00:48:25,359 Speaker 1: that evening were never poisoned in the first place. Historians 690 00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:28,520 Speaker 1: have a couple of working theories as to how this happened. 691 00:48:29,560 --> 00:48:32,480 Speaker 1: The first is that one of you supposed co conspirators 692 00:48:32,560 --> 00:48:35,200 Speaker 1: had a sudden change of heart before a Sputin was 693 00:48:35,239 --> 00:48:38,600 Speaker 1: scheduled to arrive at the palace, and he switched the 694 00:48:38,719 --> 00:48:43,680 Speaker 1: actual cyanide with a harmless alternative. Another theory is that 695 00:48:43,800 --> 00:48:47,560 Speaker 1: the poison they sourced might not have actually been lethal 696 00:48:47,719 --> 00:48:50,960 Speaker 1: in the first place. You Supope was not exactly the 697 00:48:51,040 --> 00:48:53,960 Speaker 1: world's greatest hit man. It would have been easy for 698 00:48:54,120 --> 00:48:57,040 Speaker 1: him to have been duped into thinking he had purchased 699 00:48:57,120 --> 00:49:01,400 Speaker 1: the real thing. The final theory is one that changes 700 00:49:01,520 --> 00:49:04,400 Speaker 1: what we know about the Night of resputants murder altogether. 701 00:49:05,120 --> 00:49:08,400 Speaker 1: This theory is that you suppose jazzed up the story 702 00:49:08,560 --> 00:49:12,400 Speaker 1: for dramatic purposes. After a Sputant's body was found and 703 00:49:12,680 --> 00:49:16,520 Speaker 1: Yusupope was understood to have been the culprit behind his demise, 704 00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:21,320 Speaker 1: the Zarina wanted to put him and his accomplices on trial, however, 705 00:49:21,600 --> 00:49:25,040 Speaker 1: it was painfully obvious from the celebrations in the street 706 00:49:25,600 --> 00:49:29,280 Speaker 1: that a jury of his peers would find Usupov not guilty, 707 00:49:30,040 --> 00:49:33,080 Speaker 1: And while the Zarrena wanted justice to be served, she 708 00:49:33,280 --> 00:49:36,400 Speaker 1: also knew that a not guilty verdict would be viewed 709 00:49:36,480 --> 00:49:39,759 Speaker 1: as a slight on the monarchy, an institution that was 710 00:49:39,840 --> 00:49:43,760 Speaker 1: growing less and less stable by the day. The solution 711 00:49:43,920 --> 00:49:47,760 Speaker 1: to this was, you suppose ordered exile from the capital 712 00:49:47,880 --> 00:49:51,480 Speaker 1: to his family's estates in central Russia without a trial. 713 00:49:52,640 --> 00:49:56,000 Speaker 1: Years later, after the monarchy fell, you suppope and his 714 00:49:56,080 --> 00:49:59,719 Speaker 1: family fled Russia, and he took with him, among priceless 715 00:49:59,800 --> 00:50:02,720 Speaker 1: jewe poles and a couple of rem brands, his story 716 00:50:02,920 --> 00:50:07,600 Speaker 1: about the night he killed Gregory Resputin. Yusupov often boasted 717 00:50:07,680 --> 00:50:10,760 Speaker 1: of this accomplishment to people he would meet on his travels, 718 00:50:11,360 --> 00:50:14,000 Speaker 1: and it makes sense he would aggrandize some of his 719 00:50:14,160 --> 00:50:18,120 Speaker 1: claims to bolster his reputation, especially if he could stand 720 00:50:18,200 --> 00:50:20,120 Speaker 1: to make money off of it. In the memoir, he 721 00:50:20,160 --> 00:50:25,759 Speaker 1: would go on to write, so what actually happened that night, Well, 722 00:50:26,040 --> 00:50:30,000 Speaker 1: it's impossible to say, after all, As Joseph Ferman notes 723 00:50:30,080 --> 00:50:34,960 Speaker 1: in his biography, resputing the untold story. The autopsy surgeon 724 00:50:35,160 --> 00:50:38,280 Speaker 1: could have not been looking for the poison and failed 725 00:50:38,320 --> 00:50:41,840 Speaker 1: to see it. An autopsy from nineteen sixteen is hardly 726 00:50:41,920 --> 00:50:45,200 Speaker 1: as reliable as one would be today, so in reality, 727 00:50:45,320 --> 00:50:48,360 Speaker 1: Resputin very well could have been poisoned, but just not 728 00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:52,280 Speaker 1: given a lethal dose. Some like to speculate that Resputin 729 00:50:52,400 --> 00:50:55,400 Speaker 1: had built up an immunity to poison, but that's actually 730 00:50:55,480 --> 00:51:00,080 Speaker 1: not possible with cyanide personally. For no real reason, In 731 00:51:00,320 --> 00:51:02,920 Speaker 1: just a hunch, I think that the Prince was sold 732 00:51:03,000 --> 00:51:06,000 Speaker 1: fake pills and he didn't use a lethal dose. But 733 00:51:06,239 --> 00:51:10,160 Speaker 1: in the larger sense, the truth about reciputants murder stomped 734 00:51:10,239 --> 00:51:13,840 Speaker 1: mattering a long time ago. The lack of details released 735 00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:16,800 Speaker 1: to the public in the immediate aftermath, mixed with the 736 00:51:16,960 --> 00:51:20,000 Speaker 1: already larger than life mythos of the man in question, 737 00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:24,560 Speaker 1: created a perfect storm of mystery and intrigue that has 738 00:51:24,600 --> 00:51:28,200 Speaker 1: flourished into a story that is most likely far superior 739 00:51:28,280 --> 00:51:31,840 Speaker 1: to the actual source material, Which brings us back to 740 00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:36,080 Speaker 1: the Excuse me pickled penis sitting in the Museum of 741 00:51:36,120 --> 00:51:40,200 Speaker 1: Sex and Erotica in St. Petersburg. Although its origins are 742 00:51:40,520 --> 00:51:44,239 Speaker 1: now widely understood to be of the bovine variety. The 743 00:51:44,400 --> 00:51:47,759 Speaker 1: legend associated with it remains, and if we are to 744 00:51:47,840 --> 00:51:50,840 Speaker 1: believe the events of that night at they are actually occurred, 745 00:51:51,239 --> 00:51:55,160 Speaker 1: then resputed and obviously wanted his let's say, larger than 746 00:51:55,280 --> 00:51:59,560 Speaker 1: life legacy to have carried on. The question does remain, 747 00:52:00,160 --> 00:52:02,880 Speaker 1: why do we continue to give the spotlight to someone 748 00:52:03,080 --> 00:52:08,480 Speaker 1: as deeply controversial and problematic as Resputant. On a purely 749 00:52:08,680 --> 00:52:12,120 Speaker 1: esthetic level, the idea that someone with the hygiene practices 750 00:52:12,200 --> 00:52:15,920 Speaker 1: of a cockroache had access to Russia's most powerful royals 751 00:52:16,400 --> 00:52:20,000 Speaker 1: is a confounding mystery in and of itself. But mix 752 00:52:20,080 --> 00:52:23,640 Speaker 1: in the sex, the scandal, and the mysticism, and it's 753 00:52:23,680 --> 00:52:28,799 Speaker 1: a recipe for intrigue. The legendary assassination is just icing 754 00:52:28,880 --> 00:52:32,840 Speaker 1: on the cake. But underneath the chaotic Jenga tower that 755 00:52:32,920 --> 00:52:36,520 Speaker 1: has become Resputants legacy, I think it's important to remember 756 00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:39,440 Speaker 1: that the man beneath it all was just a man, 757 00:52:40,040 --> 00:52:43,439 Speaker 1: one who's all too real body was exhumed shortly after 758 00:52:43,560 --> 00:52:46,799 Speaker 1: the Czar's abdication, taken to the outskirts of the city, 759 00:52:47,200 --> 00:52:51,600 Speaker 1: and hastily cremated by the hands of inexperienced soldiers. And 760 00:52:51,920 --> 00:52:54,719 Speaker 1: after the flames had died out, the men dumped what 761 00:52:54,960 --> 00:52:58,200 Speaker 1: charge remains there were into a nearby stream, where he 762 00:52:58,360 --> 00:53:01,560 Speaker 1: calmly washed back into the earth from whence he came. 763 00:53:07,280 --> 00:53:11,320 Speaker 1: That's the strange and possibly even true story of Gregory Rasputin, 764 00:53:11,640 --> 00:53:14,799 Speaker 1: But stick around after a brief sponsor break to hear 765 00:53:14,840 --> 00:53:17,080 Speaker 1: the all two real story of one of the few 766 00:53:17,239 --> 00:53:29,200 Speaker 1: people he left behind. Perhaps the only person to rival 767 00:53:29,320 --> 00:53:32,920 Speaker 1: the larger than life persona of Gregory Resputin is his 768 00:53:33,080 --> 00:53:37,719 Speaker 1: daughter Maria. After fleeing the country following the Bolshevik Revolution, 769 00:53:38,280 --> 00:53:41,800 Speaker 1: Maria lived a nomadic lifestyle with her first husband until 770 00:53:41,880 --> 00:53:45,840 Speaker 1: his death in nine As the mother to two daughters. 771 00:53:45,920 --> 00:53:48,200 Speaker 1: By this point, she knew she had to find a 772 00:53:48,280 --> 00:53:51,400 Speaker 1: way to provide for her and her family. Cut to 773 00:53:52,160 --> 00:53:58,720 Speaker 1: Maria Resputin taming lions in the Traveling circus In Maria 774 00:53:58,880 --> 00:54:02,280 Speaker 1: joined the Bush circus Us as a dancer, eventually making 775 00:54:02,360 --> 00:54:05,600 Speaker 1: her way to America with the Ringling Brothers as their 776 00:54:05,640 --> 00:54:09,719 Speaker 1: animal tamer. She was often billed as the daughter of 777 00:54:09,800 --> 00:54:12,880 Speaker 1: the mad monk whose feats in Russia astonished the world. 778 00:54:13,480 --> 00:54:15,880 Speaker 1: When asked if she minded being in a cage with 779 00:54:15,960 --> 00:54:19,560 Speaker 1: the animals, she famously replied, why not, I've been in 780 00:54:19,600 --> 00:54:23,560 Speaker 1: a cage with Bolsheviks. Her career with the Circus only 781 00:54:23,760 --> 00:54:26,920 Speaker 1: ended after she was brutally mauled by a polar bear. 782 00:54:27,560 --> 00:54:32,120 Speaker 1: Miraculously she survived the attack, of course she did. I 783 00:54:32,200 --> 00:54:36,120 Speaker 1: think it's actually a little ironic. Polar bear attack is 784 00:54:36,320 --> 00:54:39,040 Speaker 1: the only method of death that has never been rumored 785 00:54:39,080 --> 00:54:43,120 Speaker 1: to be ascribed to Resputing himself. Maria spent the rest 786 00:54:43,200 --> 00:54:46,480 Speaker 1: of her life supporting her family by becoming a factory worker. 787 00:54:47,200 --> 00:54:50,000 Speaker 1: It's funny how history can feel so distant from our 788 00:54:50,120 --> 00:54:55,240 Speaker 1: lives when in reality, Resputent's daughter died in nine seventy seven, 789 00:54:55,920 --> 00:54:58,600 Speaker 1: the same year Star Wars would play in theaters for 790 00:54:58,719 --> 00:55:10,920 Speaker 1: the first time. M m. Noble Blood is a production 791 00:55:10,960 --> 00:55:13,880 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Mankey. 792 00:55:14,480 --> 00:55:17,840 Speaker 1: The show is written and hosted by Dani Schwartz. Executive 793 00:55:17,880 --> 00:55:22,920 Speaker 1: producers include Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. The 794 00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:26,080 Speaker 1: show is produced by rema Ill Kali and Trevor Young. 795 00:55:26,800 --> 00:55:29,720 Speaker 1: Noble Blood is on social media at Noble Blood Tales, 796 00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:31,880 Speaker 1: and you can learn more about the show over at 797 00:55:31,960 --> 00:55:34,880 Speaker 1: Noble Blood Tales dot com. For more podcasts, from I 798 00:55:35,000 --> 00:55:38,560 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, 799 00:55:38,800 --> 00:55:42,279 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. M