"At 1:15 this afternoon, Alix gave birth to a son . . . There are no words to thank God properly for the comfort he has sent us . . .."

-Nicholas II's diary, August 12, 1904

It was a warm August day when Alexandra's labor began. By mid-afternoon, she had given birth to an apparently perfect eight pound boy, Alexei, the only heir to the Russian throne. It wasn't until six weeks later that the infant began to bleed from the navel. The parents told themselves that it was nothing more than a too-sharp cut to the umbilical cord at birth, but as each tiny bruise developed into a dark blue swelling, it was clear that their son had hemophilia, a genetic disease of the blood affecting only males, although transmitted by their mothers, and fatal in every case. The symptoms were all too well known; several of Alexandra's nephews suffered from it. More than forty doctors were brought to the Russian court, but it would be years before an effective treatment for hemophilia would be developed. All that could be offered was minimal comfo

It was in Autumn, 1905 that Grigori Rasputin first met with the Russian Imperial family. The exact date of his first "healing" is not known, but is said that the ailing Alexei "bubbled with laughter" at the sight of Rasputin. "Rasputin laughed too," according to an account. "He laid his hand on the boy's leg and the bleeding stopped at once. ' There's a good boy,' Rasputin said. 'You'll be all right. But only God can tell what will happen tomorrow,'" By 1907, Rasputin was considered by the Empress to be her son's only hope.

But the damage had already been done. The family's meager reputation was soiled even more than it had been previously, partly by Rasputin's decisions during World War I. The country was disgusted that the imperial family would let themselves be influenced by such a vile creature. Eventually, other problems piled on top of the Rasputin ordeal, and the Tsar chose abdication. They were originally placed under arrest for their protection, but ultimately the arrest became real and the royal family was placed in captivity. Meanwhile, a revolution raged in Russia, and in turn, the entire imperial family was assassinated along with some of their servants and doctors.

For the Empress, Rasputin's miraculous interventions to save her son's life showed that he was "a man of God sent to help" the imperial couple through the many trials and tribulations of their lives.

But despite all of the good deeds that Rasputin did for the family, his behavior outside of the palace was undeniable. Rasputin received visitors at all hours of the night. Rasputin was scarcely an imposing figure. But it was his eyes that struck most visitors. "They were pale blue," wrote one man, "of exceptional brilliance, depth and attraction. His gaze was at once piercing and caressing, naive and cunning, far off and intent. While he was in earnest conversation, his pupils seemed to radiate magnetism." Most of his visitors were female. Women seemed fascinated by the man called "Father Grigori." He delighted in humiliating these refined members of society. He would describe to them in detail the sexual relations of horses. His table manners were repulsive, plunging his dirty hands into his soup, he would take a bite of a sandwich and offer the rest to his guests, or he would submerge his fingers into a jar of jam, then offering it to one of his female guests, saying, "Humble yourself! Lick it clean, lick it clean!" In the eyes of his followers, he was the incarnation of the Lord. Intercourse with him could not be a sin. There is no doubt that he had dozens of willing partners. When one took his liking, he would lead his choice away from the table, whispering, "You think that I am polluting you, but I am not. I am purifying you." Meanwhile police detectives stood watch outside the apartment, detailing his days and documenting his visitors.

The people did not care that Rasputin was a remarkable healer, and seemed to be their only hope to save the heir of Russia. The only thing that seemed to matter to the people was that their country was being run by incompetent rulers and a Holy Devil was influencing their actions. Rasputin was considered vulgar by the extended imperial family, and they felt that actions must be taken against him. One assassination attempt had already been made. It was in 1914 and was plotted by a mad monk named Iliodor, in which Rasputin was stabbed by a disfigured syphilitic prostitute for abusing his so called "sainthood", and had to wait twelve hours for treatment, but

Some common words found in the essay are:
Romanov Dynasty, World War, Felix Youssoupov's, Empress Rasputin's, Tsarskoe Selo, St Petersburg, Lord Intercourse, Father Grigori, Efimiovich Rasputin, Skopsty Followers, imperial family, st petersburg, tsarskoe selo, grigori efimiovich rasputin, 18 april, eyes little, royal family, empire york, nicholas ii, lick clean, accessed 18 april, 18 april 1999, april 1999,
Approximate Word count = 2382
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)