Elder Grigory Rasputin became a symbol of the moral degradation of power under the last Russian emperor. The uncritical trust of the royal family to the scandalous seer caused bewilderment and indignation among the dignitaries and the public. But even before the appearance at the court of Rasputin, the tsar favored dubious personalities. Among them there were sorcerers, hypnotists, fortunetellers and many other charlatans who looked like "holy devil".
Blessed of the people
Both the emperor himself and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna were distinguished by their piety and respectful attitude to Orthodoxy. For many years they waited for the birth of an heir, but only daughters were born. The feeling of evil fate strengthened the religious beliefs of the already impressionable spouses. Therefore, various holy fools and blessed ones began to appear at the court, who could "predict the future" - that is, the birth of a boy.
Nicholas II and his daughters.
Respect for strange people from the people outwardly fit into the church tradition. One of such activists was Matrona-Barefoot. So she was nicknamed for the habit of walking barefoot on the street, even in the winter season. She was found in the Petersburg slums and brought to Tsarskoe Selo, where she convinced the imperial couple that they would be able to give birth to an heir.
Former soldier Vasily Tkachenko, a native of the Kuban, was also called Barefoot - he became famous for his wandering lifestyle in a monastic cassock and with a staff crowned with a cross. To the blessed Praskovya, or Pasha of Sarov, Nicholas II and his wife went to bow to the Seraphim-Diveevsky monastery in the Nizhny Novgorod province.
Vasily Tkachenko and Pasha Sarovskaya.
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Before the emperor and empress there were also more "holy fools" faces. Once they were introduced to the feeble-minded Mitka Kolyaba. He was disabled from birth: lame, deaf and with stumps instead of hands. Kolyaba could not speak clearly, expressing himself with shouts and other incoherent sounds. Naturally, he did not utter any obvious prophecy during the meeting.
Darya Osipova, suffering from epileptic seizures, was brought to the courtyard by the adjutant wing Alexander Orlov - as they said, she helped women in her native village to cope with diseases. She did not make a positive impression on the empress, because she behaved too strangely: she shouted many curses and almost fell into a trance. Nevertheless, it was during her stay in Tsarskoe Selo that a boy was born to Alexandra Feodorovna - Tsarevich Alexei.
Perhaps, if Tsarevich Alexei had not suffered from incurable hemophilia, Rasputin would not have received such a great influence on the throne …
Political schemers
The proximity to the throne allowed the favorites in a number of cases to influence politics. Perhaps the most moderate close "mystic" of Nicholas II was the doctor of Tibetan medicine Zhamsaran Badmaev, a native of Buryatia. In the course of his career, he became Petr Aleksandrovich Badmaev and grew to become a full state councilor.
By the way, Tibetan medicine, for all its controversy, inspired a certain degree of confidence. Doctor Badmaev's treatment helped many patients, including Tsarevich Alexei and the famous priest John of Kronstadt. So it's difficult to call Badmaev a charlatan.
Peter, he is Zhamsaran Badmaev.
According to rumors, the doctor could be a member of the Tibetan mystical society "Green Dragon" (Nazis who were fascinated by mysticism were interested in him later) - and through Badmaev Rasputin and even Empress Alexandra Feodorovna could get there. It is difficult to prove these rumors, but it was precisely because of his proximity to the court that Badmaev tried to convince the authorities that Tibet should be annexed to Russia. The doctor did not strive for strong influence, limiting himself to private medical practice. This allowed him to maintain both his position and life - in comparison with the same Rasputin.
But the meteorologist Nikolai Demchinsky too abruptly took advantage of the Tsar's trust. Now meteorology is considered a science, but at that time weather forecasts seemed like something mystical, like astrology. Hence the emperor's curiosity. Demchinsky wrote a letter to the tsar in which he asked to carry out reforms in favor of society: "The picture of the future of Russia has long been outlined in my head and, it seems to me, the picture of its only possible prosperous existence." This zeal was not appreciated, and Demchinsky lost influence.
European mystics
Mystical teachings could come to Russia from enlightened Europe. One such authoritative medium at the end of the 19th century was the Frenchman Nezier Philippe. "Master Philip", as he was called, from a young age could heal with prayer, and then did everything in a row: hypnosis, sessions of spiritualism and, of course, predictions of the future. All this was combined into the whole teaching of Martinism. In words, Martinism spoke of prayer and salvation of the soul in the spirit of Christianity, but in fact it was a refuge for mystical practices of all kinds.
A session of spiritualism.
Rumors about Philip's popularity reached the royal family and even a story that he allegedly caused lightning after a dispute with a Catholic priest. Nikolai and Alexandra Romanovs began to look for a meeting with a popular occultist, and he, in a conversation, predicted the birth of a prince. After that, he several times predicted the death of the Russian Empire and the royal family. It is not known what his further influence on the emperor would have been if he had not died in 1905.
Master Philip.
But his companion in the Martinist Order, Papus, continued the contacts of French mystics with the Russian tsar. For the royal couple, he conducted a seance, invoking the spirit of Alexander III, and also strongly contributed to the development of Martinism in Russia (the lodges of the order were opened, books were translated, an official magazine of Martinists was published in Russian).
The visiting Europeans did not seek to gain the subservient trust of the emperor. And many common elders were too uneducated and short-sighted. Rasputin combined the image of a "truly popular" predictor, a cunning mind and strong ambitions. His appearance at court will eclipse the glory of all other charlatans.
