(1872-1918)
Part 3
There is a testimony from Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna , Nicholas' sister, in which she related how Rasputin cured her nephew on one of his crisis: "The poor child lay in pain, dark patches under his eyes and his little body all distorted and the leg terrible swollen... Alicky sent a message to Rasputin... he reache the palace about midnight. By that time I had reached my appartments. Early in the morning Alicky called me to Alexis's room... The little boy was not just alive but well.He was sitting up in the bed, the fever gone, the eyes clear and bright, not a sign of any swelling in the leg. I learned from Alicky that Rasputin had not even touched the child but only stood at the foot of the bed and prayed". (Massie).
When Rasputin first arrived in St. Petersburg, he had a dirty aspect. He had long and greasy hair, hanguing in thin strandsto his shoulders; his beard was tangled and encrusted with debris; his hands were dirty and his nails black. He slept and rose with his peasant clothes. After his succes in Tsarkoe Selo, his cloth changed. Now his shirts were of silk, some of them made by Alexandra's own hands. He wore around his neck a beautiful golden cross, a gift from the Empress. Only his greasy hair and his tangled baerd remained the same.
Not only was Rasputin popular among the Imperial family but among some high-society-ladies from St. Petersburg. He interested them because of his spiritual nature as well as because of his sensuality. He preached his doctrine of redemption through sin among these ladies and they were anxious to go to bed with him, which they considered an honour, in order to practice the doctrine. Rasputin organized parties in his apartment, full with sex and heavy drinking and soon his activities began to spread around St. Petersburg. It was also said that he was Alexandra's lover as well as her daughter's.
In 1910 a woman named Vishniakova, nannay of the Imperial children, went, on Alexandra's advise, on a holiday to Pokrovskoie with Rasputin. One night Rasputin introduced himself into Vishniakova's room and seduced her. On her return to Tsarkoe Selo, the woman told the Empress about her awful experience with the starets, but Alexandra refused to beleive it. The children's governess, Sofia Ivanovna Tiutcheva disliked Rasputin's presence in the Grand Duchesses' room when they were going to bed, and asked Alexandra to forbid his entrance, telling her about the rumours about him. Alexandra answered she did not believe such slanders that-she said- came from bad-intentioned people who wanted to ruin "Father Grigory". Nicholas interfered calling Titutcheva to his presence. When she told him what was happening, he asked her: "So you don't beleive in the sanctity og Grigory?... "abd what if I told you that all these difficult years I have survived only because of his prayers?" Tiutsheva replied: "You have survived because of the praers of the whole Russia Your Majesty". Nicholas told her he didn't believed such stories about Rasputin arguing that "the oure always attract everything dirty". Tiutcheva was dismissed and then went to Alexandra's sister, Grand Duchess Elisabeth, to persuade he rto talk to the Empress. When Elisabeth tried to advise Alexandra against Rasputin, it only caused a distance between the two sisters.
The first Duma of 1905 couldn't get along with the Tsar. Its members were demanding universal suffrage, a radical reform to the possesion of the land, the release of political prissoners and the dismissal of all the ministers appointed by the Tsar, that would be replaced by ministers approved by the Duma. Terrified, Nicholas ordered Minister Ivan Goremikyn (Witte's succesor) to reject all what the Duma was demanding. Goremikyn was hissed by the members of the Duma who shouted that the executive power should bow before the legislative. Nicholas decided that the Duma must be dissolved but he thought Goremikyn was not the adequate man to face such a diffuclt situation. The Minister resigned in July 1906 and was replaced by Piotr Arkadievitch Stolypin. Stpolypin dissolved the Duma and created a second one in February 1907, but it also attempted to challenge the government and three months later it also was dissolved. A third Duma was created in the autumn of 1907. This time its memebers were absolutely conservative; there were 45 Orthodox priests among them. At last, the Duma and ther government could work in harmony.
The period of Stolypin's ministery (1906-1911) was of great progress for Russia. He decresed terrorism by establishing marcial courts all around the country, that hangued terrosits three days after being arrested. He ended the inefficient syste, of communal working of the land and introduced the concept of private property. During Stolypin's period, Russia was favoured with mild weather conditions and good crops. There was an improvement in the railroad system and in the production of coal and iron. Such was the progress in Russia that the exile Bolchevique leader, Vladimir Ilitch Ulianov Lenin, began to fear would be never set up in Russia.
Nevertheless, not everything was good. In August 1906, Stolypin was victim of an attempt against his life; a bomb exploded in his house at the outsides of St. Petersburg. He was unhurt, but his son and daughter were severely injured. Stolypin received a letter from Nicholas: "A few days ago I received a peasant from the Tobolsk district, Grigory Rasputin, who brought me an icon of St. Simon Verkhouturie. He made a remarkably strong impression both on Her Majesty and on myself... he has a strong desire to see you and to bless your injured daughter with an icon. I very much hope that you will find a minute to receive him this week" (Maylunas). Rasputin indeed visited the girl, but Stolipyn disliked him deeply.
Alexandra pushed Anna into a loveless marriage to Alexander Vyrubov, who was a survivor of the battle of Tsushima, in the Ruso-Japanese war, and was menthally disturbed. They were married in 1907. When Anna discovered her husband's problem and besides that he was impotent, she obtained form the Holy Synod a decree of dissolution of marriage. Feeling blamed for Anna's misfortune, Alexandra invited her to accompany the Imperial family in their annual cruise through the Finnish fjords. The Empress found in Anna someone in whom she could trust giving nothing in change. By the end of the cruise their friendship had strenghtened.
Anna became a go between for Alexandra and Rasputin; she was also under Rasputin influence and this made her quite unpopular among the people, being ungfairly accused of parrticipating in Rasputin's orgies. Anna proved this accusations tro be false when in 1917, after Nicholas' s abdication, she submitted herself to an examination and she was publicly certified to be a virgin.
In 1911, a group of crlergymen, headed by Bishop Hermogen, who previously had been amazed by Rasputin, and a young monk named Serge Iliodor, confronted Rasputin with evidence of his sexual activities. Rasputin and Iliodor had once been friends and went together on a journey to a retreat on the banks of the Volga River. In front of Iliodor, Rasputin seized the women and kissed them on the lips, which the younk monk dissaproved. The starets also told to his friend about the power he had over the Tsar and the Tsarina; he said they said they bothe bowed down to him, kneeled to him and kissed his hands. He even said that Nicholas toughht him to be Crhist incarnated and that he frequently kissed Alexandra, even in fornt of her daughters. He then gave Iliodor a bunch of letters form the Tsarina.
After being confrontated by the priests, Rasputin hysterically accepted his culpability. They dragged him into a chapel and forced him to swear before an icon that he would leave women and the Imperial family alone. But two days later, Rasputin rushed into Tsarkoe Selo and told Alexandra his own version of the confrontation with the priests. Furious, Alexandra sent Hermogen to a monastery and ordered Iliodor to exile himself. The monk took his revenge by publishing the letters Rasputin had given him. The most significant letter said: "My beloved , unforgettable teacher, redeemer and mentor: How tiresome it is without you, My soul is quiet and I relax only when you, my teacher, are sitting besides me. I kiss ypour hand and lean my head on your blessed shoulder...I only wish one thing: to fall asleep, forever in your shoulders and in your arms... I am asking for your Holy Blesssing and I am j¿kissing your blessed hands. Mama" (King).
The whole St. Petersburg gossiped about Rasputin being Alexandra's lover. Minister Stoplypin, who has Rasputin's enemy, saw the opportunity of banishing him from the city and oredred a complete investigation of the starets's activities. He presented a report to Nicholas, who read it ans did nothing. Stoplypin, acting by his own, ordered Rasputin to leave St. Petersburg . Alexandra protested but Nicholas supported his minister and Rasputin had to leave.
Alexandra began to hate the minister; he had deprived her from the only man who could relief his son from pain. On September 1911, Nicholas, Stolypin and the Finance minister, Vladimir Kokostov went to Kiev to unveil a statue of Alexander III. By casualty, Rasputin was in Kiev that day, among the crowd that had gathered to see the Tsar. When he saw Stolypin he exclaimed "Death follows his steps, death rides on his back". The folowing day, while attending to the Opera, Stolipyn was murdered before Nicholas's eyes, by a young revolutionary named Mordka Bogrov.
One of the worse crisis Alexis had was in Spala in 1912, and it would be one of the most difficult moments in Nicholas' and Alexandra's life. In September 1912 the whole Imperial family, accompanied by Anna Vyrubova, went to Spala, their hunting lodge in the forests of Poland. They traveled on the Imperial train and they first stopped in Belovezh, another hunting lodge in eastern Poland. In Belovezh, Alexis had an accident; he slipped in his bathroom and knocked his leg against the ledge of a tube. His private doctor, Dr.Botkin, examined him and discovered a swelling on his left thigh, below the groin. The Tsarevitch was taken to bed in pain but wthin a few days pain had dissapeared and the family continued their trip to Spala. Once in Spala, Alexandra thinking that a few fresh air would fit her son, took him for a ride in acarriage, accomapnied by Anna Vyrubova, but the road was full of bumps and holes, and soon Alexis began to feel pain in leg and lower stomach; he was having an internal haemorrhage. Alexandra ordered the driver to turn back inmediately. When DR. Botkin examined the child, he found a new swelling in his upper thigh, a consecuence of the Bielovezh swelling. Alexis was in great pain. Many specialists were brought to Spala but they said there was nothing to be done. The internal bleeding didn't stop and it was getting into the tissues and bones; it was even reaching the abdomen, Shouts of pain were heard through the walls and corridors of Spala while Alexandra remained day and nigth by her son's bed. The boy cried: "Mama help me", and tears ran down the Tsarina's cheeks.
Nicholas and Alexandra tought the end was near. Nicholas even ordered Count Vladimir Fredericks, Minister of the Imperial court, to prepare Alexis's funerals. In grerat despair, Alexandra asked Anna Vyrubova to send a telegram to rasputin, who was in Pokroskoie, begging him to pray for her son's life. Rasputin replied inmediately: "God have seen your tears and heared your prays. Don't worry. The Little One willnot die. Do not allow the doctors to bother him too much". When she recieved the telegram a great calm invaded Alexandra and with a smile on her face she showed it to Nicholas. "I am ot a bit anxious now" she said, "During the night I received a telegram from Father Grigory and he has reassured me completely" (Massie).
The following morning, Alexis was still alive and the swelling on his thigh had begun to dissapeared; the internal bleeding had stopped. He was still pale and weak but alive and the nightmare had at last ended. Many theories had tried to explained how this happened, but to Alexandra the fact was that Rasputin had cured Alexis with his prayers and she was sure that while he stayed by her side, Alexis would remain alive.
In March 1913, Russia celebrated the three hundred anniversary of Romanov rule with great pomp. By the beggining of 1914, Alexis had recovered almost completely from the Spala crisis; his leg ws almost straight again and he walk with only a trace of limp.
On Sunday, June 28 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his morganatic wife, Sophia Chotek, payed a visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, a Slav province under Austrian rule. Things were not good in Bosnia; there was a great discontent and a revolutionary discord agitated the city. There was a nationalist movement that wanted to create a great Slav state under the rule of the independent kingdom of Serbia. While driving through the streets a bomb that was thrown form the crowd exploded at the rerar of the Archduke's open motorcar. Franz Ferdinand and his wife were not hurt and continued their ride through the city. Suddenly a young Serbian named Gavrilo Princip appeared within the crowd and shot the Archduke and his wife, killing them both.
The Austrian government reacted violently and claimed that the murder of the Archduke was a declaration of war from Serbia to Austria. Meanwhile in Siberia, some hours before Franz Ferdinand was killed in Sarajevo, Rasputin was also suffering an attempt against his life. A woman named Jina Guseva, disciple of Iliodor, thrust a knife into Rasputin's stomach. The starets was severely injured and during two weeks his life was in danger but afterwards, with his characteristic strenght, he recovered. The doctor who saved him received a gold watch in gratitude from Alexandra.
On July 20, 1914, Nicholas and Alexandra received the state visit of the French presidetn, Raymond Pioncare. The visit lasted five days. The morning following Poincare's departure, on July 25 1914, Austria sent an ultimatum to Serbia, claiming that the Archdule's murder had been plotted in Belgrade and that the assasin had been supported by Serb officials. It demanded that Austrian officers were allowed to go into Serbia to conduct their own investigation and the suppression of all Serb nationalist propaganda against the Austrian empire. Serbia must answer in 48 hours.
When she received the ultimatum, Serbia appealed to Russia, traditional protector of the Slav nations. Nicholas assured the Serbian Crown Prince that he would not remained indifferent to the fate of Serbia. To Nicholas and his ministers, the Austrian ultimatum to Serbia aapeared to be a direct attack against Russia. The Russian minister of Foreign Relations, Serguei Sazonov, advised the Serb minister, Pashich, to accept the Austrian demands; Serbia, indeed, answered the ultimatum in the most friendly terms. Austria expecting another answer, was shocked and on July 28 she declared war to Serbia. At five in the morning of July 29 the Austrian artillery opened fire against Belgrade. In response, Nicholas oredered the mobilization of the Russian troops along the Austrian border.
The Russain mobilization was only against Austria; the frontiers with Germany remianed the same. Nicholas tought that his cousin the Kaiser did not want the war. In fact Wilhelm tried to mediate between Austria and Russia and several telegrams were exchanged between he and Nicholas, but when he knew of the Russian mobilization, he ordered Count Pourtales, German embassador in St. Petersburg, to present an ultimatum to Russia inviting her to stop the mobilization. As Russia had not answered for the next afternoon, Wilhelm ordered mobilization. France, Russian allied, mobilized her troops that same day. The following day, August 2, 1914, Nicholas made the formal declaration of war against Germany from the Winter Palace. When he and Alexandra appeared before the crowd gathered in the square, people accalimed them, filled with patriotism, shouting. "Batiushka, take us to victory!".
On August 3, Germany declared war to France and two days later Austria declared war against Russia. When the German army crossed the neutral Belgian frontier, England entered the war against Germany and on the Russian and French side.
