Rasputin's Last Letter
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Posted by Ginger Groves Jun 20, 2006 |
The following is what has been referred to as "Rasputin's Last Letter". It was delivered to the Tsarina on December 7th, 1916. Some people view this as an affirmation of Rasputin's mystical gift. The letter is as follows:
I write and leave behind me this letter at St. Petersburg. I feel that I shall leave life before January 1st.
I wish to make known to the Russian people, to Papa, to the Russian Mother and to the children, to the land of Russia, what they must understand. If I am killed by common assassins, and especially by my brothers the Russian peasants, you, Tsar of Russia, have nothing to fear, remain on your throne and govern, and you, Russian Tsar, will have nothing to fear for your children, they will reign for hundreds of years in Russia. But if I am murdered by boyars, nobles, and if they shed my blood, their hands will remain soiled with my blood, for twenty-five years they will not wash their hands from my blood. They will leave Russia.
Brothers will kill brothers, and they will kill each other and hate each other, and for twenty-five years there will be no nobles in the country. Tsar of the land of Russia, if you hear the sound of the bell which will tell you that Grigory has been killed, you must know this: if it was your relations who have wrought my death then no one of your family, that is to say, none of your children or relations will remain alive for more than two years. They will be killed by the Russian people...I shall be killed. I am no longer among the living. Pray, pray, be strong, think of your blessed family.
I doubt that it was written by him. I've read that it was penned by his secretary, Aaron Simonovich, in order to sell his book some years after the death of Rasputin. However, the letter notwithstanding, I do believe Rasputin did have some sort of a mystical/spiritual gift. Healers have been around throughout history.Did he have the gift of prophecy? Maybe, but even in the event he is the author of the letter it didn't take a gift of prophecy to write the statement "I am no longer among the living." Rasputin was a hated man and even the Tsar was in fear of his life. Russia was in turmoil and no one was safe. He did appear to have magnetism about him and I think that made him "tabloid" fodder. And, without a doubt he did attempt to ingratiate himself into the upper-class society of Saint Petersburg, but in studying this mysterious man, I don't think he was trying to "fit in", I think it was more a case of thumbing his nose at them. I do believe he cared for the Royal Family and especially the children. And in some way did save the life of Alexei more than once.
It's my opinion that Rasputin, along with a few other nefarious figures in history, have gotten a bum rap and maybe should have hired a PR firm. His major fault was the attempt to influence the Tsar in matters of the state and I certainly don't minimize the damage he did in doing so. I think toward the end he was getting much too ambitious for what ever reason. But I don't think he was "spawned by the devil". He was just a man.....
This blog is part of the Historic Travel series on The St. Petersburg Traveler.