The Death of the Mad Monk

The Dave Bowman Show

Dive into one of the most infamous murders in history as we unravel the life and death of Grigori Rasputin, the "Mad Monk" who rose from Siberian obscurity to become one of the most influential—and controversial—figures in the Russian Empire. This episode of Dave Does History takes you deep into the final days of Imperial Russia, where Rasputin’s magnetic presence in the court of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra sparked scandal, intrigue, and ultimately, a deadly conspiracy. Was Rasputin truly the mystical healer who soothed the ailing Tsarevich Alexei, or was he a charlatan manipulating a desperate monarchy? What drove a group of Russian aristocrats, led by Prince Felix Yusupov, to conspire against him on a frigid December night in 1916? Did Rasputin survive poisoning and gunfire, only to succumb in the icy waters of the Neva River—or has history been distorted by myth and exaggeration? This episode explores Rasputin’s meteoric rise to power, the political and social chaos of World War I-era Russia, and the dramatic events surrounding his murder. From poison-laced cakes to mysterious autopsy findings, we separate fact from fiction while reflecting on how his death accelerated the fall of the Romanovs and ushered in revolution.