The death of Rasputin - December, 1916

How the Guardian and Observer reported the death of Grigori Rasputin, the
Russian mystic who exerted a powerful influence over the Romanov royal
family

Grigori Rasputin, circa 1916. Photograph: Laski Diffusion/Getty Images

One hundred years ago on 30 December 1916, Grigori Rasputin, the Russian
mystic who became a confidant of Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, was
brutally killed. After supposedly being poisoned, shot and beaten, he was
thrown into the freezing waters of St. Petersburgs Neva River by aristocrats
fearful of the influence he wielded over the Romanov court.

The death of the notoriously evil monk was reported in the Manchester
Guardian on 3 January 1917, while the following day, amidst all the news
about the war in Europe, it was noted that Russia could now breathe more
freely.

As more details about the death emerged, the Observer published a detailed
profile, Grishka Rasuputin: The career of a sanctimonious adventurer, by
historian Zinovy N. Preev. Mystic or charlatan, he concluded that the
Siberian peasant was a maker and breaker of cabinet ministers, governor-
generals, bishops, and other high officers of state and church.
Over the following decades some of the assassins would describe their role
in Rasputins demise. In 1923, the diary of Vladimir Purishkevich was
published with an excerpt, How I killed Rasputin, appearing in the
Guardian. A few years later, Prince Felix Yusupof described his role in the
affair while giving evidence during a libel trial. By 1966 he was living in
Paris and in a (very short) interviewwith Guardian writer Peter Lennon, he
said he would, if necessary, kill Rasputin again.

Manchester Guardian, 23 October 1923.

Rasputin first appeared on the pages of the Guardian in 1913. A feature
about himfrom January 1914 included the fact that Gregory the rake, a
translation of Rasputin, was the nickname given to him on account of his
personal habits. It also noted the power this crude imposter had over
fashionable women.

A century after Rasputins death, numerous writers have attempted

to disentangle the myths from facts, as well putting forward new theories as
to what exactly happened in the early hours of 30 January 1916. For
example, in 2004 it was suggested that MI6 officer Oswald Rayner fired the
fatal shot that killed Rasputin. The recent biography by Douglas Smith
presents a less sensational portrait of the mad monk.