{"abstract":"Grigori Rasputin rose from an obscure Siberian peasant to one of the most controversial men in Imperial Russia. Rumored to be a mystic, womanizer and prophet, his influence over Tsar Nicholas II's family made powerful enemies. Then, in December 1916, a group of Russian nobles decided he had to die. According to the legendary story, they poisoned him, shot him, beat him and finally threw him into a freezing river — and somehow he kept fighting. But Rasputin's autopsy revealed a very different story.","title":"They poisoned Rasputin, shot him and threw him in a river - but that’s not what killed him","sourceHref":"https://cpcvideouploaderprod.blob.core.windows.net/aa1qqhq5-aa1qqhqf/202608171214359200.mp4?skoid=32d4760b-3ce6-44b0-95ae-cb4413207624&sktid=975f013f-7f24-47e8-a7d3-abc4752bf346&skt=2026-08-17T12%3A28%3A16Z&ske=2026-08-18T12%3A28%3A16Z&sks=b&skv=2026-02-06&sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-08-17T12%3A23%3A16Z&se=2026-08-17T13%3A28%3A16Z&sr=b&sp=r&sig=ixoksuvUt%2BufXDoLXwizNWApFErGJPF2AxigjfDtmVw%3D","renderingRestriction":0,"authors":[],"imageResources":[],"thumbnail":{"caption":"They Poisoned Rasputin, Shot Him and Threw Him in a River - But That’s Not What Killed Him","image":{"width":1672,"height":941,"quality":100,"url":"https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA2ahMZG.img","attribution":"","title":"They Poisoned Rasputin, Shot Him and Threw Him in a River - But That’s Not What Killed Him","caption":"Grigori Rasputin rose from an obscure Siberian peasant to one of the most controversial men in Imperial Russia. Rumored to be a mystic, womanizer and prophet, his influence over Tsar Nicholas II's family made powerful enemies. Then, in December 1916, a group of Russian nobles decided he had to die. According to the legendary story, they poisoned him, shot him, beat him and finally threw him into a freezing river — and somehow he kept fighting. But Rasputin's autopsy revealed a very different story.","source":"msn","cmsId":"cms/api/amp/image/AA2ahMZG"}},"body":"Rasputin, the man who wouldn't die. December 30th, 1916. Grigory Efimovich Rasputin was born on January 21st, 1869 in Siberia, Russia to a peasant family and led a simple life until he reached the age of 28 when it's alleged that he had a religious awakening during a pilgrimage and after that became a wandering self-proclaimed holy man. Throughout Rasputin's life, there were constant rumors of him being involved in debauchery, drunkenness, womanizing, strange occult rituals, and belonging to a mysterious cult. But despite all this, by 1906, Rasputin was a popular high society figure in St. Petersburg and had become friends with Tsar Nicholas II and his family. By now, he had become known simply as Rasputin, and the Tsar's wife, Queen Alexandra, increasingly saw him as a prophet and a visionary who could heal her hemophiliac son, Alexei. Over the next 10 years, Rasputin's influence over the royal family and their political decisions grew and grew. This caused much resentment amongst the Russian people and politicians. There were attempts to curtail his power, and it was even an assassination attempt. For on July 12, 1914, a 33-year-old deeply religious peasant woman called Zhonya Guseva stabbed Rasputin in the stomach while he was visiting his home village of Pokrovskoy. Rasputin was seriously wounded and nearly died. Guseva claimed that Rasputin was a false prophet and the Antichrist. She was later judged insane and sent to a mental asylum for her crime. World War I was going badly for Russia due to poor leadership and logistical problems. By December 1916, its armed forces were on the brink of collapse. During this time, both Rasputin and the royal family had become incredibly unpopular. Many feared that Rasputin's influence over the royal family was seriously affecting the war effort. So a group of nobles and politicians plotted to kill him. This was led by Prince Felix Yusupov and his young friend Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich. On the night of December 29, 1916, the two of them invited Rasputin to a small party at the Moika Royal Palace. What happened next is open to debate as much of it has become hearsay, sensationalism, half-truths, and urban legend, as Rasputin was always seen by the public as a mysterious figure, and his death soon became a tale of his mystic, almost superhuman powers. The popular account about his death is that waiting for him at the palace were Prince Felix Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, while upstairs were several co-conspirators, including the renowned opposition politician Vladimir Pereskevich. Once at the palace, Prince Yusupov offered Rasputin tea and cakes that had been laced with enough cyanide to kill three or four men. But this seemed to have no effect on him, so the prince gave him some Madeira wine, also laced with cyanide. But again, this seemed to have no effect on him. even after drinking 3 glasses, apart from getting him a little more drunk. Then Prince Yusupov went to get a revolver and came back and shot Rasputin in the chest. Rasputin promptly collapsed on the floor and seemed to be dead. Prince Yusupov then left the palace with the other co-conspirators, one of whom was wearing Rasputin's hat and coat, in the hope that it would give the impression that Rasputin had left the palace to return home. A short while later, the princes returned to the palace, and much to his surprise, the supposedly dead Rasputin leapt up and attacked them. Then Rasputin staggered into the palace courtyard, where it is said he was shot two more times. It is then claimed that Rasputin was beaten by Prince Yusupov with a dumbbell, and in the early hours of the morning of December 30, 1916, was carried to a nearby bridge and thrown into the freezing Malaya Nevka River below. It is said that Rasputin was last seen very much alive, thrashing about in the freezing cold water as he floated downriver, clinging to a lump of ice. Two days later, on January 1st, 1917, Rasputin's dead body was found under the ice-covered river, approximately 650 feet downstream from the bridge. Some of the details of his murder may have been untrue or exaggerated, but what we do know for certain comes from the official autopsy carried out on Rasputin's body. We know that Rasputin had been shot three times, and one of those shots was in the forehead at very close range and was the cause of his death. That the coroner could find no trace of any poison anywhere in his body. He also concluded that Rasputin was most likely dead when his body was dropped into the river. There were also deep cuts and bruising on his body, but they were not believed to be from a beating as commonly claimed, but to have been done post-mortem when Rasputin's body was dumped into the river through a fishing hole that had been carved into the iced over river. Prince Felix Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich's role in Rasputin's murder was quickly discovered. Queen Alexandra was so angered by the murder that she wanted both of them shot straight away by firing squad without trial. But instead, Prince Yusupov was exiled to his country estate, and Archduke Pavlovich was sent to serve in a Russian army garrison in Persia. As for Rasputin, he was buried on January 2nd, 1917, the day after his body was discovered, at a small local church in a ceremony attended by the royal family and a few close friends. Shortly afterwards, the Russian Revolution occurred and Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate, bringing an end to the Russian Empire.","provider":{"id":"AA1qQHQ5","name":"Simple History","companyLegalName":"Wild 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Wouldn't Die**  \n\n🕯️ **Mysterious Life**: Born in **1869 in Siberia**, Rasputin became a wandering holy man, gaining influence over **Tsar Nicholas II and Queen Alexandra**, who believed he could heal their hemophiliac son.  \n\n🔪 **Assassination Attempt**: On **December 29-30, 1916**, nobles including **Prince Felix Yusupov** and **Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich** tried to kill him with **poison, gunshots, and beating**, but the official autopsy confirmed he actually died from a **gunshot to the forehead**.  \n\n🌊 **Aftermath & Legacy**: Rasputin’s body was thrown into the **Malaya Nevka River**, his murder shocked the royal family, and shortly after, the **Russian Revolution** led to Tsar Nicholas II’s abdication.","key_takeaways_short":"**Rasputin: The Man Who Wouldn't Die**  \n\n🕯️ **Mysterious Influence**: Rasputin, a self-proclaimed holy man, gained the trust of Tsar Nicholas II and Queen Alexandra, becoming a key figure in Russian high society and influencing political decisions.  \n\n🔪 **Assassination Plot**: On December 29-30, 1916, nobles including Prince Felix Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich attempted to kill him with **poison, shooting, and beating**, reflecting his controversial power.  \n\n💀 **Actual Cause of Death**: Autopsy confirmed Rasputin died from a **gunshot to the forehead**, not poison, and was likely dead before being thrown into the Malaya Nevka 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