"If I am killed...you... have nothing to fear."

Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin

Rasputin the "mad monk" was once the most mystical man in Russia. He was born in Pokrovskoye, Siberia. Until 1901 he lived as an uneducated peasant when he left his family to begin his career as a wandering holy man. His reputation as a faith healer and hard-drinking, womanizing man soon grew.

In 1905 he traveled to Russia where he met Count Louis Hamon. The count also known as "Cheiro" was a master hypnotist and seer. By some accounts the two engaged in a hypnotist duel and Cheiro was losing. Cheiro explains that the two were at an empass when he saw the monks death.

In a vision Cheiro saw Rasputin poisoned, shot and dragged to the Neva River. There Cheiro declared Rasputin would die beneath the icy waters.

Rasputin had mesmerizing eyes. Prince Yusupov described them as:"[His] eyes shone before me like a kind of phosporescent light. From them came two rays that flowed into each other and merged into a glowing circle... I was gradually falling into the power of the mysterious man."

The same year Rasputin was presented at court and won favor by curing Alexis Nikolayovich. Heir to the Russian throne and a hemophiliac. The monk became very influential, especially with the czarina.

By 1911 many high government offices were filled by Rasputin's incompetent friends. Distrust in the monarchy began to circulate in the Russian people. At the start of World War I Emperor Nicholas II went to the front lines to command his army. Rasputin became the prominent authority figure. He scandilized the Russian people with his orgies, rude manners and alcoholism. The Russian people despised him and rumors began to circulate that he was conspiring with Germany.

In 1914 a peasant woman stabbed Rasputin in the stomach. The attempt failed and Rasputin continued in power.

As the people became increasingly discontent with him, Chiero's prophecy began to heighten his fear of death. In this state he had a vision of his own.

In a letter to the czar he wrote:

"If I am killed by common assassins and especially by my brothers the Russian peasants, you... have nothing to fear. But if I am murdered by Boyars (nobles), and if they shed my blood, their hands will remain soiled with my blood.... Brothers will kill brothers, and they will kill each other and there will be no nobles in the country."

Rasputin wrote this letter in December 1916. In a letter he wrote to the czarina he predicted his death would occur before New Years Day 1917. He warned the czarina if he was killed by nobles her family would all die within two years.

While making these dire predictions Prince Felix Yusupov and several noblemen were plotting to murder the "mad monk." Yusupov invited Rasputin to a party at his palace on the night of December 29, 1916.

The nobles made certain he was the first to arrive and laid out cake and wine for him. The cake and wine was loaded with a deadly dose of potassinum cyanide. While waiting for the others Rasputin hungrily devoured them both.

Yusupov arrived expected to see a corpse. Rasputin greeted him unaffected by the poison. Yusupov shot him in the back and at last Rasputin was pronounced dead.

A while later Yusupov and the conspirators returned to dispose of the body Rasputin sprung to life and on all fours chased a terrified Yusupov up a flight of stairs. The monk was shot twice more and dragged to Neva river.

The nobles all kicked and battered Rasputin. They then broke a hole in the ice and shoved his, still breathing body into the water.

Two days later they returned to recover his body. He was found with his right hand upon his chest and three fingers in a sign of benediction.

His predicted death of the czar's family came true when they were all shot on the 16th of July by the Bolshevik guards. Rasputin's curse on the nobles ensued and after the Revolution there were no nobles left in the country.