Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs
On the centenary of the death of Rasputin comes a definitive biography that will dramatically change our understanding of this fascinating figure

A hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil. Numerous biographies, novels, and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and the guardian of the sickly heir to the Russian throne. His debauchery and sinister political influence are the stuff of legend, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty was laid at his feet.

But as the prizewinning historian Douglas Smith shows, the true story of Rasputin's life and death has remained shrouded in myth. A major new work that combines probing scholarship and powerful storytelling, Rasputin separates fact from fiction to reveal the real life of one of history's most alluring figures. Drawing on a wealth of forgotten documents from archives in seven countries, Smith presents Rasputin in all his complexity—man of God, voice of peace, loyal subject, adulterer, drunkard. Rasputin is not just a definitive biography of an extraordinary and legendary man but a fascinating portrait of the twilight of imperial Russia as it lurched toward catastrophe.

1123238773
Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs
On the centenary of the death of Rasputin comes a definitive biography that will dramatically change our understanding of this fascinating figure

A hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil. Numerous biographies, novels, and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and the guardian of the sickly heir to the Russian throne. His debauchery and sinister political influence are the stuff of legend, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty was laid at his feet.

But as the prizewinning historian Douglas Smith shows, the true story of Rasputin's life and death has remained shrouded in myth. A major new work that combines probing scholarship and powerful storytelling, Rasputin separates fact from fiction to reveal the real life of one of history's most alluring figures. Drawing on a wealth of forgotten documents from archives in seven countries, Smith presents Rasputin in all his complexity—man of God, voice of peace, loyal subject, adulterer, drunkard. Rasputin is not just a definitive biography of an extraordinary and legendary man but a fascinating portrait of the twilight of imperial Russia as it lurched toward catastrophe.

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Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs

Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs

by Douglas Smith
Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs

Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs

by Douglas Smith

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Overview

On the centenary of the death of Rasputin comes a definitive biography that will dramatically change our understanding of this fascinating figure

A hundred years after his murder, Rasputin continues to excite the popular imagination as the personification of evil. Numerous biographies, novels, and films recount his mysterious rise to power as Nicholas and Alexandra's confidant and the guardian of the sickly heir to the Russian throne. His debauchery and sinister political influence are the stuff of legend, and the downfall of the Romanov dynasty was laid at his feet.

But as the prizewinning historian Douglas Smith shows, the true story of Rasputin's life and death has remained shrouded in myth. A major new work that combines probing scholarship and powerful storytelling, Rasputin separates fact from fiction to reveal the real life of one of history's most alluring figures. Drawing on a wealth of forgotten documents from archives in seven countries, Smith presents Rasputin in all his complexity—man of God, voice of peace, loyal subject, adulterer, drunkard. Rasputin is not just a definitive biography of an extraordinary and legendary man but a fascinating portrait of the twilight of imperial Russia as it lurched toward catastrophe.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781250141262
Publisher: Picador
Publication date: 11/07/2017
Pages: 880
Sales rank: 149,404
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Douglas Smith is an award-winning historian and translator and the author of Rasputin and Former People, which was a bestseller in the U.K. His books have been translated into a dozen languages. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he has written for The New York Times and Wall Street Journal and has appeared in documentaries with the BBC, National Geographic, and Netflix. Before becoming a historian, he worked for the U.S. State Department in the Soviet Union and as a Russian affairs analyst for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He lives with his family in Seattle.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

List of Illustrations xiii

Maps xxi

Note on Dates and Spelling xxvi

Introduction: The Holy Devil? 1

PART ONE: HOLY PILGRIM: 1869–1904

1. Origins 11

2. The Pilgrim 20

3. Nicholas and Alexandra 30

4. Monsieur Philippe 33

5. Alexei 46

6. The Burning Torch 50

7. The Mad Monk 60

PART TWO: OUR FRIEND: 1905–1909

8. To the Throne 65

9. Rasputin- Novy 71

10. Sects and Whips 82

11. Demons of the Silver Age 89

12. Anna Vyrubova 98

13. The Eyes 103

14. “. . . prayers that purify and protect us.” 107

15. The Investigation: Part I 115

16. The First Test 130

17. “better ten Rasputins . . .” 141

PART THREE: SCANDALS: 1910–1911

18. Trouble in the Nursery 155

19. The Press Discovers Rasputin 168

20. In Search of Rasputin 177

21. Prince Yusupov 184

22. Holy Land 198

23. Rasputin in His Own Words 207

24. Iliodor’s Triumph 216

25. Two Murders 223

26. Confronting the “Antichrist” 228

PART FOUR: A TIME OF MIRACLES: 1912–July 1914

27. Germogen’s Fall 235

28. Iliodor, Apostate 243

29. Quousque tandem abutere patientia nostra? 253

30. The Blow to the Alcove 264

31. The Investigation II: Was Rasputin a Khlyst? 279

32. The Miracle at Spala 289

33. War and Celebration 301

34. Gutter Talk, Name-Glorifiers, and Murder Plots 308

35. On the Edge of a Precipice 323

36. The Attack 330

37. “This time it didn’t work . . .” 341

38. Iliodor’s Flight 351

PART FIVE: WAR: JULY 1914–1915

39. A Menacing Cloud 359

40. The Incident at the Yar 370

41. Rasputin’s Women 381

42. Dinner with Rasputin 393

43. The Religious Faces of Rasputin 402

44. A Summer of Troubles 409

45. The Tovarpar 422

46. Nicholas Takes Command 428

47. Rasputin, Favorite 436

48. Fresh Scandal 444

49. The Troika 452

50. Gorokhovaya, 64 464

51. Dark Forces and Mad Chauffeurs 475

52. Another Miracle 486

PART SIX: THE FINAL YEAR: 1916

53. Revolution in the Air 491

54. The Minister Plots Murder 495

55. Iliodor in America 509

56. With Us or With Them 514

57. Rasputin the Spy? 526

58. Rasputin and the Jews 535

59. “The sun will shine . . .” 547

60. Apotheosis 553

61. Stupidity or Treason 561

62. “Vanya has arrived.” 569

63. “My hour will soon strike.” 578

64. The Last Day 586

65. A Cowardly Crime 590

66. The Investigation 597

67. The Body in the Water 602

68. The Romanov Family Drama 615

69. Orgies, Gay Love, and the Secret Hand of the British 624

70. The End of the Tobolsk Yoke 635

PART SEVEN: THE AFTERMATH: 1917–1918

71. A Time for Dominoes 643

72. Here Lies the Dog 650

73. The Myth 655

74. Unsettled Business 660

Epilogue 671

Acknowledgments 681

Bibliography 683

Notes 716

Index 789

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