Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin; baptized on 22 January 1869 - murdered on 30 December 1916 was a Russian peasant; mystic; faith healer and private adviser to the Romanovs. He became an influential figure in Saint Petersburg after August 1915 when Tsar Nicolas II took command of the army at the front.

There is much uncertainty over Rasputin's life and the degree of influence he exerted over the Tsar and his government. Accounts are often based on dubious memoirs; hearsay and legend. While his influence and role may have been exaggerated; historians agree that his presence played a significant part in the increasing unpopularity of the Tsar and Alexandra Feodorovna his wife; and the downfall of the Russian Monarchy. Rasputin was killed as he was seen by both the left and right to be the root cause of Russia's despair during World War I. Pictures From History Karl Bulla