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Who was Rasputin?

Grigory Rasputin (1872–1916) was a Russian mystic and supposed holy man who started as a peasant farmer and became adviser to Russian monarchs Czar (Emperor) Nicholas II (1868–1918) and Czarina Alexandra (1872–1918). (Nicholas II was a member of the Romanov dynasty, a succession of rulers from the same family, who had ruled Russia since 1613.) In 1905 or shortly thereafter, Rasputin met Alexandra and claimed that he could effectively treat the royal couple's son Alexis (1904–1918), who suffered from hemophilia, a hereditary blood disorder. Rasputin quickly gained favor with the Russian rulers. He had a powerful hold on Alexandra, who convinced Nicholas to remove many capable government officials and replace them with incompetent Rasputin favorites. The prime minister and members of the legislative assembly, the Duma, could see that Rasputin was a disreputable character, and they feared his influence on the...

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