Rasputin had a significant impact on the royal family as well as Russia during the reign of Czar Nicholas II. Rasputin was a staret that worked his way into the royal family. The influence of Rasputin on Alexis, the heir to the throne, gave him great power. The power given to Rasputin had a notable impact among the Russian people as well as Russia. Grigory Efimovich, better known as Rasputin, was born in the town of Pokrovskoe in 1871. The name Rasputin means "dissolute," for his tireless pursuit of girls, and "crossroads," in which his town was located between. He had a dual reputation of "second sight" from the beginning. It was said that he could spot a horse thief in a crowd with one glance and predict the weather for farmers. This cast a religious glow of sanctity about him. These were all factors that led up to him presenting himself to the Imperial Palace in 1905. Besides gaining the friendship of Grand Duchess Militza and Anastasia, Rasputin also gained the trust of Anna Vyrubova, Empress Alexandra's trusted companion. It was under the recommendation of the Grand Duchesses and Anna Vyrubova that Rasputin was summoned to appear before Alexandra. He showed up in crude country boots and a caftan. They saw that Rasputin was a very dirty man. He had a long, uncut beard, greasy hair that was slicked back, and terrible oral hygeine which is shown in the 3rd picture. Alexandra favored him and was obsessed with the man's ability to heal so he became her servant. She thought of him as a representative of the people of Russia but closer to god as well. He soon became an important figure in the royal family. Alexis was born with a rare disease called hemophilia. This meant that when Alexis began to bleed he would bleed uncontrollably and it could not be stopped. Rasputin treated Alexis as if he were his nanny, reading him stories, curing his headaches, but most importantly, controlling his bleeding. It was said that all that Rasputin had ...
