Throughout the 20th century many books have been written about the fall of the Romanov Empire in Russia. It was a dynasty that had been in power for over three hundred year and ends with the last Romanov family being murdered. Tsar Nicholas and his family have been made famous through the many movies and books that tell of their tragedy. Over the past 80 years the Romanov story has become legend, like a fairy tale; but in this fairy tale one man stands out. This man, Rasputin, although he was not royalty, was close to the family and had a hand in its downfall.

Rasputin Gregory Yefimovich was a peasant and a self proclaimed holy man. He was born in 1872 in the Siberian village of Pokrovskoye to a simple village family. He faced many tribulations early in his life. He lost his mother at and early age and...