Grigori Rasputin

Grigori Rasputin, a Siberian peasant with claims to prophesy and healing powers, is one of the most legendary people from World War I. When he was 18 years old, he visited the monastery at Verkhoturye, where he learned about the clandestine Khlysty (Flagellants) sect. After a few months, Rasputin departed, got married, and had three kids. But the union did not satisfy him, and he went on the road, visiting Greece, the Middle East, and Jerusalem. Due to his purported healing abilities, Rasputin finally found himself in the court of Czar Nicholas II after traveling to St. Petersburg in 1903. Aleksey Nikolayevich, the only son, and heir to the throne of the royal line had hemophilia, which caused him and his family a tremendous deal of suffering. Rasputin gained the ardent support of Empress Alexandra and a position at the very top of Russian society as a result of the boy's remarkable recovery.

Rasputin immediately became the talk of the town due to his licentious behavior, constant drinking, and other eccentricities. His apparent mesmerization of the Royal family alarmed many people. Rasputin opposed Russia's entrance into the war when it first broke out in 1914 and foresaw calamity for the nation. Czarina Alexandra and her advisor Rasputin were in charge of the domestic affairs following the Czar's appointment as Commander in Chief in 1915. Rasputin was thereafter accused of being a German spy, a crazy monk, and a corrupter of the Imperial family. This further infuriated a lot of people. Rasputin was the target of numerous attempts to murder him, but none were successful until 1916 when close friends of the Royal family plotted to do him. Rasputin's final prophecy had still to come true; just before he passed away, he wrote to Nicholas II and said that if he were slain by government agents, the Russian people would kill the entire imperial dynasty.

Lifespan: January 22, 1869 – December 30, 1916

Nation: Russia