Cold Open

It’s the early hours of December 30th, 1916, in an aristocratic palace in St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia.

Sitting in a lavishly decorated cellar, faith healer and mystic Grigori Rasputin holds up a near-empty crystal goblet and admires its intricate engravings in the dancing firelight.

As he takes the last sip of his wine, his host rushes over to refill it.

Most aristocrats steer clear of Rasputin. But over the last few weeks, the young Felix Yusupov has proved the exception. And when he invited Rasputin over to meet his wife this evening, Rasputin was all too eager. Irina is not only the niece of Russia’s autocratic emperor, but she’s also said to be very beautiful, and Rasputin has always had a weakness for women.

All evening, he’s waited patiently for Irina to appear, but Felix has made excuse after excuse, and there’s still no sign of her. Rasputin shifts uncomfortably in a high-backed oak chair that doesn’t quite fit his six-foot-four frame. In the dim light, he notices that Felix’s boyish face is starting to perspire. Felix apologizes again for his wife’s tardiness and then mumbles something about going to check on things before dashing upstairs.

Now alone with nothing but his thoughts, Rasputin plays with the silk sleeve of his shirt. It was a gift from the Empress herself. He smiles, thinking of how far he’s come—once he was just a lowly Siberian peasant, now he’s the closest confidant of the Russian Imperial family. And if Felix Yusupov’s recent overtures of friendship are any indicator, perhaps the country’s aristocrats are finally accepting that Rasputin isn’t going anywhere.

But just as that thought crosses his mind, Felix returns—not with his wife Irina as promised, but with a revolver aimed right at Rasputin’s chest.

In a few days, the authorities will discover Grigori Rasputin’s frozen corpse in a local river. His murder will scandalize the country and devastate the Imperial family that had come to depend on him. But an even greater catastrophe is about to befall Russia’s rulers. Because in just a few short months, their 300-year-old dynasty will come crashing down—in part because a handful of amateur assassins took aim at Grigori Rasputin on December 30th, 1916.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham, and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is December 30th, 1916: The Assassination of Russia’s “Mad Monk”.

Act One

It’s October 12th, 1912, at an Imperial hunting lodge in Poland, four years before the murder of Grigori Rasputin.

Empress Alexandra of Russia sits at her only son’s bedside, her face streaked with tears. Eight-year-old Alexei looks so small in his grand canopy bed. The empress strokes his hand as he writhes in agony.

There have been incidents like this before. Terrible spells of bruising, bleeding, and pain. But nothing as bad as this. Over the last 11 days, some of the staff at the hunting lodge have taken to putting cotton in their ears to drown out the constant wailing and moaning. But Empress Alexandra will not let Alexei suffer alone. After all, it’s her fault. It’s because her blood runs in his veins that Alexei is cursed with the disease of hemophilia. His blood won’t clot properly. And that means even the slightest bruise can be deadly.

Alexei’s condition has been a carefully guarded secret. Only a handful of people know that the heir to the Russian throne is so sick. But if Alexei dies, Empress Alexandra knows that they will have to come up with something to tell the public.

There’s a soft knock at the door, and one of her ladies-in-waiting silently sweeps inside. She’s carrying an envelope—a telegram from her closest confidant, and spiritual advisor, Grigori Rasputin. Empress Alexandra lets go of her son’s hands and grabs the message.

Alexandra was introduced to Rasputin six years ago by a close friend who was an avid believer in mysticism. She had been awestruck after Rasputin correctly predicted the demise of her marriage. Believing Alexandra needed a powerful faith healer, the friend then insisted that she meet Rasputin.

At first, Alexandra was taken aback by Rasputin’s long, unruly beard and his terrible manners. But soon his intense and mysterious personality had her spellbound. Originally from Germany, Empress Alexandra had never truly felt at home in Russia—until she met Rasputin. He soon became her closest and most trusted advisor. The rest of the Russian court was scandalized, though, and years later, Alexandra knows there are still all sorts of rumors. People call Rasputin the “mad monk” and make horrible innuendos about his relationship with the Imperial family. But Alexandra refuses to even entertain the idea of dismissing him. She relies on Rasputin too much.

So now, with trembling hands, Empress Alexandra unfolds the envelope and reads Rasputin’s telegram. Then, she almost sobs with relief. It’s good news. Rasputin has written to tell her that God has heard her cries and that Alexei will not die. He tells her to have the doctors leave Alexei alone, so that he can heal in peace.

Empress Alexandra does not question Rasputin for a second. Taking her son's hand, she tells him that he’s going to be all right. And for the first time in over a week, her voice is full of confidence.

The following day, Alexei’s hemorrhaging finally stops. And in the following months, to the amazement of his doctors, Alexei seems to make a full recovery.

And Empress Alexandra’s belief in Rasputin’s unique powers only deepens. So when Alexandra’s husband, Emperor Nicholas II, gives her a new responsibility, she knows exactly who to turn to for guidance.

In 1914, Russia joins the other Great Powers of Europe in World War I. But the conflict inflicts a terrible cost. Russia’s German adversaries are better trained and better supplied, and armed with more sophisticated weapons. So on the front line, Russian troops are massacred by the thousands, and the top brass seems incapable of turning the tide. Meanwhile, back at home, food supplies start to run low, and the already unhappy Russian population grows increasingly mutinous. In an attempt to show leadership, Emperor Nicholas decides to take personal command of the army. He has no military expertise and few in the Army have any faith in his judgment, but he won’t be dissuaded. In September 1915, he leaves the Russian capital of St. Petersburg for a command post nearer the front lines.

He puts his trust in his wife, the Empress Alexandra, to govern in his place. But rather than turn to officials or politicians for advice, Alexandra relies almost exclusively on her closest confidant, the strangely hypnotic mystic, Grigori Rasputin.

So suddenly, Rasputin doesn’t just have power over the wife of the Emperor. He’s effectively ruling the entire country. But wielding such authority will put a target on his back. And it will be only a matter of time before someone takes a shot.

Act Two

It’s December 30th, 1916, at Felix Yusupov’s palace in St Petersburg, two years into World War I.

Felix pours out a drink for his fellow assassins, Dmitri and Vladimir, then offers a toast to their success. In the cellar 20 feet below them, Grigori Rasputin lies in a pool of his own blood, having just been shot in the chest. Russia is finally free of the “mad monk.”

Felix has been planning this murder for a long time. Everyone outside the Imperial Family could see that their relationship with Rasputin was undermining the monarchy. The Empress Alexandra, especially, was becoming a punchline for tawdry jokes. Many aristocrats agreed that removing Rasputin was the only way for the country to survive.

But few thought Felix would be the man to take decisive action, though. As one of the wealthiest people in Russia, he's led a life of luxury—surrounding himself with musicians and artists and partying late into the night. Still, he was determined to defy his reputation and prove his patriotism by saving the Empress from herself.

So over several weeks, Felix carefully developed a relationship with Rasputin —feigning interest in his advice and playing the guitar for him. But it was all a ruse to win his trust and lure him into a trap.

Now, with the help of two other high-ranking aristocrats, Felix has snapped the trap shut. Rasputin is dead. And all that’s left to do is to get rid of the body. Finishing their drinks, the three assassins go down to the basement to begin the grisly task, but to their horror, Rasputin is not where Felix left him. Instead of lying dead on the floor, his hulking frame is halfway out the window.

Felix and the others try to grab him, but Rasputin wriggles away. Adrenaline pumping through him, Felix dashes back up the stairs and out into the snow. A trail of blood shows them the way. Rasputin has staggered away into a courtyard. Snow crunches underfoot as Felix and the others give chase. Vladimir is the fastest of them, and he races ahead, with his pistol drawn. Gunshots then ring out into the night, and Rasputin crumples to the ground. By the time Felix catches up, Vladimir is standing over Rasputin, his pistol pressed to the man’s forehead. Rasputin is alive, and his eyes gleam with defiance. Until Vladimir pulls the trigger.

Felix’s breath comes in heaves. This is not how he expected the evening to go. It was supposed to be a clean death in the cellar. But always, Rasputin found a way to make their lives difficult. Now, Felix has a second crime scene to clean up. He’ll have to think of a way to explain all the blood. But first, they have to get rid of the body.

Two days later, Rasputin’s frozen corpse is discovered under river ice on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. His disappearance is already under investigation by police—and Felix Yusupov is the prime suspect. In the hours after Rasputin’s murder, neighbors reported hearing gunfire at the Yusupov property and claimed they saw three men loading a long, heavy-looking object into a car. Investigators then found blood behind the house. But when Felix was asked about it, he told the officers that his friend had shot a dog while drunk, and he presented the dead animal as proof.

But the police weren’t persuaded, and now Felix is under arrest. That’s not enough for the grieving Empress Alexandra—she wants Felix to be shot. But first, she insists on seeing her dear friend and confidant, Rasputin, buried properly.

Some have suggested Rasputin should be returned to his home and laid to rest in Siberia. But Empress Alexandra insists that he remain as close to her in death as he was in life. So, Rasputin is to be buried near an imperial palace, only a short distance outside St. Petersburg.

The small funeral takes place on a cold and overcast morning. And as she approaches the gravesite, Empress Alexandra thinks about the turmoil of the last few days. The idea that a member of her own family would murder her closest confidant and then kill a dog to cover it up seems ludicrous. Empress Alexandra keeps thinking that there must be some mistake, and Rasputin will return at any moment. But staring down at his coffin, she can’t deny the truth.

Placing a flower on the lid, Empress Alexandra’s composure breaks. Rasputin was one of her few true allies. And his murder shows now that she can’t trust even her fellow nobles. She feels more alone than ever.

And in the months ahead, Alexandra will lament the loss of Rasputin even more deeply. A crisis is brewing in Russia—and it won’t just engulf the Imperial family. Even Rasputin’s murderers will not be immune.

Act Three

It’s the summer of 1918 in Crimea, a year and a half after Felix Yusupov murdered Grigori Rasputin.

Here, away from Russia, Felix may be far from home, but in some ways, he’s on familiar territory—he’s hosting a party. Guests spill out of a seaside cottage, drinking Crimean wine under blooming pergolas. But although everyone seems content, Felix can’t help noticing that they are more muted than usual.

Shortly after Felix murdered Rasputin, Russia fell into chaos. The populace was sick of war, inflation, and food shortages, and, most of all, they were sick of their rulers. And far from strengthening the monarchy, Rasputin’s death only deepened the divide between the Imperial family and its people. Emperor Nicholas and Empress Alexandra became even more reclusive and secretive, trusting only each other. They didn’t know what was coming until it was too late.

In March 1917, mass protests broke out in the capital, St. Petersburg. Hoping to quell the unrest, Nicholas tried to return home from the front lines, but revolutionaries got to him first. His train was intercepted, and he was forced to abdicate the throne. The Imperial family was then placed under house arrest. But the revolution didn’t stop there. The more extreme Bolsheviks then seized power, and now, there are even rumors that Emperor Nicholas, Empress Alexandra, and all their children have been executed.

There have been often rumors like this in recent months, which is why Felix didn’t cancel his party. Still, it pains him to even think of such things. He had hoped that the removal of Rasputin would restore trust in the monarchy. But his plan backfired completely. It's only saving grace, as far as Felix is concerned, was that the murder probably saved his life.

Because, despite Empress Alexandra’s desire for him to be executed for the murder of Rasputin, Felix was instead sent into exile. But that meant when the revolution turned on Russia’s aristocracy, Felix was already safely far away. So, while other nobles were stripped of their property and lived in fear of harassment and execution, in exile, Felix has been able to maintain at least some of his old lifestyle. Still, for years to come, he will wonder if he did the right thing, or if history might have turned out differently had he not lured Grigori Rasputin to his death on December 30th, 1916.

Outro

Next on History Daily. December 31st, 1935. An unemployed salesman patents a new board game he calls Monopoly—without mentioning that he stole the idea from someone else.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Mollie Baack.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Hazel May.

Edited by William Simpson.

Managing producer Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.