Rasputin

The Royal Disease and Russia

Laurie Kelley March 12, 2023

Both the Royals and the Russians have been making the news this past year, not much of it good. For the Royals, it’s mostly just the Markles (on their “Privacy Tour”). For Russia…. well, let’s not go there.

While Russia is making a ruinous name for itself these past two years, it’s famous for its hemophilia history. Which originated from the English Royals.

We noted last week that it’s Bleeding Disorder Awareness Month, and we shared some popular myths about hemophilia. One was that hemophilia has been dubbed “The Royal Disease.” I shared in detail how this happened, and who it affected in my blog here.

But the most famous outcome of a genetic link in the English Royal family happened when Princess Alix, whose grandmother was Queen Victoria, a carrier of hemophilia B, married Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Queen Victoria had nine children, of whom two were carriers (Alice and Beatrice) and one had hemophilia (Leopold). It was well known that hemophilia was now running in the family.

Alix, nicknamed “Sunny” by Nicolas, gave birth to Alexis (or Alexei), after already having four girls. They got their heir to the throne. But Alexis had hemophilia.

Alexis had no access to clotting factor of course; this was 1904, after all. The royal family came rely on a person of ill repute: Rasputin, the mad monk. He had a lascivious reputation but also a track record of helping people in pain, probably through hypnosis. Rasputin became ingratiated into the royal family and helped also to bring down the Russian monarchy. It’s been proposed that Nicholas II was so distracted by his son’s suffering due to hemophilia, that eventually he lost his grip on the monarchy at a time when the Bolshevik Revolution was poised to strike. And it did. It has been proposed that hemophilia changed the course of World War I, and changed the course of history. The Cold War, the Soviet Empire… all find their roots in the royal palace of the Tsar and a little boy with hemophilia.

Order Alexis: the Prince Who Had Hemophilia here for your child with hemophilia.

What a doll!

Laurie Kelley January 22, 2023

Our eminent researcher of all things hemophilia, Richard Atwood of North Carolina, has found a book with “paper” dolls related to hemophilia! I certainly had paper dolls growing up, and apparently, we still have them for kids these days.

Nicholas and Alexandra Paper Dolls, published in 1998, is an oversized book (9”x12”) on the family of the last Romanov Tsar, Nicholas II, whose son Alexei had hemophilia B. The book includes 11 dolls on 16 plates printed on lightweight cardboard. There are two pages of text with notes and instructions to provide historical insights and fashion commentary. Alexandra has two dolls, accompanied by six dresses, including her 1894 wedding dress and 1896 coronation dress, plus ball gowns. Nicholas has two dolls, accompanied by five uniforms. Alexei’s older sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia all wear the same casual dresses, that may be covered by two sets of identical dresses. Alexei is dressed in a sailor suit that may be covered with a uniform. Other dolls are the mad monk Gregory Rasputin in a monk’s garb and Clementy Nagorny in a sailor suit. The book cover illustration could also be used as dolls for Nicholas, Alexandra and Alexei.

The life of Alexei is briefly summarized. Alexei was born in August of 1904. From his mother, he inherited hemophilia B that was soon evident to the family, who did not publicly reveal it. Hemophilia was a deadly disease then, with no known cure. The bleeding bouts caused pain. Gregory Rasputin is described as a healer who used hypnosis to relieve Alexei’s suffering. Rasputin is also described as a lecher, a drunkard, and a con man. Clementy Nagorny was one of two sailors who acted as Alexei’s nanny.

Alexei is correctly shown with a bent left leg, though the metal brace he wore for most of 1913 is hidden. Something not revealed in the text is that Alexei’s accident at Spalo in 1912 caused femoral neuropathy (or paralysis of femoral nerve) due of an iliacus hematoma (or an iliopsoas muscle bleed). This was the medical reason for his hip flexion and bent leg. The metal brace, not Rasputin, straightened Alexei’s left leg. The instructions printed in the book do not mention the need for a sharp cutting tool such as an X-Acto knife in order to remove the dolls and clothes from the book pages.

The author, Tom Tierney, who is an artist, has signed each of the 11 dolls. Tierny is known for his series of paper dolls for a variety of historical figures, including Queen Elizabeth II, Michelle Obama, Abraham Lincoln, Shakespeare characters, and more.

And, you can still buy this on Amazon.com!

From Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. 32 pages.

Starring… Rasputin!

Laurie Kelley August 14, 2021

Doug and I went to see the movie Free Guy, starring the ever-hilarious Ryan Reynolds, a thoroughly delightful movie that seems like a cross between The Truman Show, Inception and Tron. We loved it. But it was the previews that caught my attention. The King’s Man is the upcoming prequel to the Kingsmen series. It’s set during World War I, and Rasputin will make an appearance, doing flying sidekicks and all sorts of things you don’t find in history books. As this week is the anniversary of the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his entire family in a basement Siberia, it got me thinking about Rasputin portrayed in film. He’s such a character, you almost could not make him up. But he was real and he had a huge role to play in the life of Alexei, the prince who had hemophilia, and the overthrow of the monarchy. Pretty sure he had nothing to do with the King’s Man.

Where else has Rasputin appeared? I found the following on the internet. Within nine months of Rasputin’s murder in 1917, there were two low budget silent films about Rasputin. Producer-director Herbert Brenon released The Fall of the Romanoffs, and producer William A. Brady released Rasputin, the Black Monk.

There was Rasputin, a 1929 silent film, produced by Momento Film Company and directed by Nikolai Larin. Rasputin, The Holy Devil is a 1930 German film produced and directed by Martin Berger. Rasputin, Dämon der Frauen was a 1932 German film;  and Rasputin and the Empress, was a 1932 MGM production, with Lionel Barrymore playing Rasputin!

There was La Tragédie impériale, a 1939 film based on the book by Alfred Neumann; Raspoutine, a 1953 French film directed by Georges Combret; never released in the United States or England. The Night They Killed Rasputin, a 1960 film;  Rasputin the Mad Monk, a 1966 Hammer film. Hammer was known for the horror genre so it seems right that Rasputin was played by Christopher Lee!

J’ai tué Raspoutine (I Killed Rasputin) is a 1967 film featuring an interview with the real Prince Felix Yussupov, who participated in his murder.

My favorite is the spectacular Nicholas and Alexandra, a 1971 epic British film based on the book by Robert and Suzanne Massie, who have a son with hemophilia. Rasputin was expertly played by Tom Baker.

Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny is a 1996 HBO TV film, in which Rasputin was played by one of my favorite actors Alan Rickman, who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal.

And finally the upcoming The King’s Man, a 2021 Matthew Vaughn film.  Welsh actor Rhys Ifans will play Rasputin, who will pull a lot of martial art moves apparently!

And surprise! Rasputin, an upcoming film to star Leonardo DiCaprio as Rasputin! Maybe this will be his second Oscar?

Rasputin, the Ultimate Health Care Provider?

Laurie Kelley October 16, 2009


Following up on the news that the “Royal Disease,” hemophilia, apparently was factor IX deficiency in Queen Victoria’s lineage, comes this delightful report from my friend, Richard Atwood, self-made historian about all things hemophilia. He also happens to be president of the North Carolina Chapter. While Richard does not have hemophilia, he is fascinated by hemophilia and keeps what must be the most extensive listing of hemophilia in literature and history.

So he sent me this message: “Located on the northern California coast in Fort Bragg is the North Coast Brewing Company, proud purveyors of the award winning Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Rasputin was the consummate hemophilia health care provider, surrounding himself with wine, women and song, and then applying his hypnotic stare and laying on his hands to ease the symptoms of a hemophilic bleed.

Check out the brewery website — www.northcoastbrewing.com — to view the available merchandise for the Old Rasputin ‘Never Say Die’ t-shirts and hats, and then enjoy the brew by imbibing in San Francisco.”

Do you know why the motto is “Never Say Die”? If not, and you have hemophilia in your family, look it up! Very funny.

The annual NHF meeting is in San Francisco from October 28-31. Halloween, Rasputin, beer… sounds like a good time! I’ll be there– at NHF, not the brewery. For now, I am in London, home of the royal family that gave hemophilia its royal disease tagline.

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