The Romanov Memorial: The influence of Rasputin

It is generally accepted that the monk known as Rasputin came to be accepted by the Tsar through his influence on the Tsarina, Alexandra.

To have a child who suffers from haemophilia would be extremely stressful for any parent and Nicholas and Alexandra would certainly have felt this stress. Their child could have died at any moment as a result of the slightest injury. No parent wants to deprive their child of the chance to play and do the things that any normal child does. No parent wants their child to feel different to other children because they can’t do normal things.

As if this was not stressful enough, Nicholas and Alexandra owed Russia the future of the dynasty. It was their job to provide a male heir. They had four daughters first. I have heard that when the fourth daughter, Anastasia was born Nicholas went for a long walk before finally returning to see his baby girl. After all, he loved all of his children with thorough devotion. Finally, in 1904 the long awaited boy was born, the Tsarevich Alexei. He became the centre of attention. His parents and sisters adored him.

How was it possible that their long awaited son could be a haemophiliac? Sadly, given the history of haemophilia in the royal houses of Europe, it had a strong probability. Even still, it was most unfortunate for Nicholas and Alexandra and of course, Alexei himself.

The love of a sick child coupled with the task of providing Russia with an heir to the throne was now reality for Nicholas and Alexandria. Certainly stress would follow.

Rasputin, however was a womanising monk who drank too much. It is quite an enigma as to how this person came to have so much influence over Alexandra. Especially considering this kind of behaviour was not favoured by either Nicholas or Alexandra.

Rasputin had charisma. He had managed to charm many of the aristocratic ladies of St. Petersburg, hence his reputation. Did he also charm Alexandra? It is unlikely that there was anything indecent between Alexandra and Rasputin, as many rumours have suggested. Alexandra was completely devoted to Nicholas and was unlikely to consider an affair with anyone else. It is also worth considering the fact that Nicholas and Alexandra were the top of Russia’s social and political hierarchy. Rasputin would not gain anything from coming between them. In fact, for him to have an affair with the Tsar’s wife would have cost him many opportunities, should Nicholas have learned of it. I suggest that it is most likely that he did charm Alexandra, but he did so in a purely social manner.

For her part, Alexandra may have been easily charmed by this person. As mentioned above, she did have some stress in her life. She was also said to be reluctant to attend social gatherings, preferring quiet time with her family at home. Rasputin may have tried to make her feel good about herself and this would have given her the confidence to enjoy herself. Rasputin also presented himself as a holy man, who was capable of performing miracles. Someone who could perform miracles would have been welcomed by the Tsarina. A miracle was exactly what she needed.

After Alexandra became acquainted with Rasputin she was much happier and would have been reflected through a positive change of behaviour which would be detected by close family and friends. For this reason, Alexei would have noticed that his mother was increasingly confident in his recovery. As he was just a child himself and still dependent on his mother, his confidence would have also risen. This may have resulted in a state of seemingly improved health for Alexei, due to his improve emotional well-being.