Rasputin, Grigori Efimovich 1871-1916
Russian peasant and self-styled religious 'elder' (starets)

He was born in Pokrovskoye, Tobolsk. A member of the schismatic sect of Khlysty (flagellants), he arrived in St Petersburg at a time when mystical religion was fashionable, and obtained an introduction to the royal household. There he quickly gained the confidence of Tsar Nicholas II and the Empress Alexandra, by his apparent ability to control through hypnosis the bleeding of the haemophiliac heir to the throne. However, he soon created a public scandal through his sexual and alcoholic excesses, and achieved notoriety through his political influence in securing the appointment and dismissal of government ministers. He was murdered by a clique of aristocrats, led by Prince Felix Yusupov, a distant relative of the tsar.

Bibliography: Alex De Jonge, Life and Times of Gregorii Rasputin (1988)