Grigori Rasputin

About Grigori Rasputin

Grigori Rasputin (1869–1916) was a Siberian mystic who gained immense political influence in the final years of the Russian Empire due to his purported healing abilities, particularly with Tsarevich Alexei, the heir to the throne. His presence at the court of Tsar Nicholas II deeply polarized public opinion; he was viewed by some as a holy man and healer, and by others as a corrupting, manipulative occultist whose presence hastened the dynasty's collapse leading up to the Russian Revolution. MIT’s Pantheon project ranks him #407 in historical importance based on his profound, albeit controversial, impact on 20th-century Russian history.

Despite his high historical ranking (#407), Rasputin’s modern internet attention is considerable yet shows signs of volatility. His Wikipedia page garnered 2.2 million views in 2025, placing him in a state of overattention relative to his historical weight, indicated by an Attention Gap of +6x. To contextualize this, Rasputin receives significantly more modern attention than deeply consequential figures like Franz Schubert (#211 importance, 506K views) or Albrecht Dürer (#126 importance, 384K views). However, this interest is slightly declining, with a year-over-year change of -11.3%, though his Q1 to Q3 momentum suggests a small resurgence in interest (+4%).