# Exactly HOW Did Rasputin Die? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 18, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465 "2003-09-18T21:17:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/1 "2003-09-18T21:17:52Z")
Many years ago I read a book by a long-dead Russian price-Prince Geory Youssipov, who was the man who plotted the murder of Grigory Rasputin. As we all know, Rasputin was the favorite of the royal family of Russia, and because of his influence over the Tsar Nicholas, he (Rasputin) was widely hated by the Russian nobility. Youssipov and three friends lured Rasputin to a cellar room, where he was fed poisoned cakes, and wine that had been poisoned by potassium cyanide. When Rsputin appeared to be dead, the conspirators decided to wrap the body in a sheet, and dump it in the Neva River. Instead, Rasputin woke up, and attempted to grapple with Youssipov. He was then shot, but kept going. Youssipove reported that he (Rasputin) was still alive, even as they pushed his body into the river. Was this story true? I’ve never been able to find anything more about the fate of Rasputin. I was told (again years ago) that Rasputin made a prophecy about his own death-he said that if he were murdered, Russia would be plunged into revolution, and the monarchy would fall. Anybody know more-was Youssipov lying? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/2 "2003-09-18T22:08:12Z")
> [@](#): > > [Ra-Ra-Rasputin > lover of the Russian queen > They didn’t quit > they wanted his head > Ra-Ra-Rasputin Russia’s greatest love-machine > And so they shot him till he was dead.](http://www.elyrics.net/go/b/Boney_M/Rasputin/) ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/3 "2003-09-18T22:12:44Z")
Ah, it was an early example of a nineteen twen… nah…never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/4 "2003-09-18T22:13:42Z")
A documentary I saw on either A&E or The History Channel indicated that when the corpse was found, it was in some kind of state or position that indicated Rasputin had in fact died while in the river, rather than prior to being dumped in… as if he had been trying to swim or get out. That’s not the worst cite in GQ today, but it’s far from being the best. Sorry I don’t remember the name of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/5 "2003-09-18T22:14:16Z")
Rasputin was not poisoned. There is no possible way he, or anyone else, could survive the type and dose of poison (95 times the lethal dose) that it is claimed he was given. Furthermore, a description of his corpse revealed none of the obvious signs of poisoning that would have been present. Rumour has it that the doctor that was supposed to provide the poison chickened out, instead substituting a placebo. For more information, see “Forensics: True Crime Scene Investigations” (pages 146-148) by Dr. Zakaria Erzinclioglu, ISBN# 0-7607-4076-3. ---
**Author:** ![GuyMontag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ad7895/32.png) [@GuyMontag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyMontag)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/6 "2003-09-18T22:21:43Z")
If I remember my college history, they found water in his lungs when they pulled him from the river, so apparently he drowned. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/7 "2003-09-18T22:29:01Z")
_Rasputin II: Die Hard with a Vengeance_ ---
**Author:** ![quothz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/da6949/32.png) [@quothz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quothz)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/8 "2003-09-18T22:30:23Z")
He was killed by a 1920’s-style death ray. No. Sorry. He was probably indeed drowned after several tries to do him in. My encyclopedia is old and haggard, but it says (emphasis mine): > [@](#): > > In December, 1916, a group of discontented aristocrats, led by Prince Felix Yusupov, murdered Rasputin – allegedly to rid Russia of his evil influence. **According to the conspirators** , Rasputin remained alive after being poisoned, shot, and clubbed; he died only after he was thrown into the Neva River. So we apparantly have it on the word of the only surviving witnesses to the event. I suspect it’s medically possible - people survive the darndest thing sometimes. Whether his murderers might’ve exaggerated a little for their own reasons is something we’ll never know. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/9 "2003-09-18T22:53:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Rasputin II: Die Hard with a Vengeance Rasputin III: Die Rasputin Die! ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_M.Paler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d26b3c/32.png) [@Vlad\_M.Paler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_M.Paler)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/10 "2003-09-18T23:00:43Z")
Just wait for the movie. From Hollywood Stock Exchange: “Rasputin is based on the life of the insane Russian monk. Before the Russian revolution, Rasputin dominated the court of the Russian czar. He was assassinated shortly after his rise to power, which was partly due to his remarkable influence and powers of healing and hypnotism. **Paul Verhoeven** will direct the historical adventure film written by Roselyne Bosche.” Love 'em or hate 'em, Verhoeven will make it interesting. Prolly not entirely factual, but interesting. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/11 "2003-09-19T01:14:47Z")
Kudos to **Mr2001**. I was just checking in to post the Boney M lyrics myself. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/12 "2003-09-19T01:45:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Rasputin is as famous for his death as he is for his life. At the end of 1916, a group of aristocrats in cahoots with the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich (a cousin of Nicholas II) decided that Rasputin’s influence had grown too great and that he had to be killed in order to save Russia. They lured him to the Yusupovsky Palace on the pretext that Prince Felix Yusupovsky would introduce Rasputin to his beautiful wife. > > Rasputin was led to the cellar and fed poisoned cakes and wine, but these did affect him. Yusupovsky then shot the monk at point blank range and Rasputin collapsed on the floor. When Yusupov went to tell his fellow conspirators the good news, they sent him back to make sure he had done the job. On returning to inspect the body, Rasputin suddenly regained consciousness and started to throttle poor Yusupov, who needless to say was completely scared out of his wits. The Prince fled the cellar, screaming for help; when they returned Rasputin was gone. They found him in the yard crawling towards the gate and proceeded to shoot and bludgeon him. They then bound him and tossed him into the river. When Rasputin’s body was found, his bonds were broken and his lungs were filled with water, showing that he didn’t actually die until he was submerged in the frozen waters. Source: [The Home of Rasputin](http://homepage.tinet.ie/~pbarry/ras2/) [History’s Mysteries: The True Story Of Rasputin](http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=43117) Seems to be much death disputin’ about Grigory Rasputin … 😃 ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-did-rasputin-die/202465/13 "2003-09-19T02:29:55Z")
I remember reading once that when he was fished from the river, the fingers of Rasputin’s right hand were found held over his chest in a sign of benediction. No cite – it was one of those 'weirder than science" books, and sounds like an embellishment to me – _would you care about your final hand position as you struggled for your life?_