ROMANOV FAMILY: DESCENDANTS OF GRIGORI RASPUTIN

ROMANOV FAMILY: DESCENDANTS OF GRIGORI RASPUTIN

Viktor Prolubschikov of Pokrovskoe, who claims to be Grigori Rasputin’s illegitimate grandson and Laurance Solofioff of France, a recognised great-granddaughter of Rasputin.

 

In Grigori Rasputin‘s native village of Pokrovskoe, in Tyumen region, lives a scruffy looking man  with long white hair and beard, who practices the old Siberian tradition of healing by laying on of hands. His hometown and skills are not the only things Viktor Prolubschikov  claims to have in common with the infamous starets, who was once referred to as “Our Friend” by the last  Tsar of Russia,  Nicholas II and Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna.  Rasputin, he claims, is none other than his grandfather, by a woman who once worked as the former’s housekeeper, possibly Akilina Loptinskaya.

It is known that Rasputin was not a model husband to Praskovia Dubrovina, his legal spouse, and was not beyond various dalliances on the side, any of which may have resulted in illegitimate offspring. Hence this claim is not completely unreasonable. Nevertheless, the final word belongs to science.

Which is why the popular Russian talk show, “Let Them Talk” decided to do just that. The show’s producers organised an in-person meeting between Laurance Solofioff, Rasputin’s acknowledged great-granddaughter through his daughter Matriona (Maria), and her alleged half-uncle, in their studio.

Above: Lauraance Solofioff, Rasputin’s great-granddaughter, traveled to Moscow from France to meet her alleged half uncle.

DNA samples were obtained from the two alleged relatives in advance, and the result was to be announced on the show.

But of course the result was not going to announced until the end of the show, so meanwhile, each participant is asked about their backgrounda.

Laurance shares her family tree and history.  Her grandmother Matriona was one of Rasputin’s two daughters, who settled in France after the revolution, and had two daughters of her own: Tatiana and Maria.  Laurance is one of Tatiana’s three children.

Laurance even demonstrated her gold locket with the image of a double headed eagle – the symbol of imperial Russia.

Viktor told stories of his life in Pokrovskoe and of Raspintin-esque healing abilities – he even demonstrated how he uses his hands to perform these rituals.

Later in the show, another acknowledged Rasputin descendant came into the studio.  Her name is Valerie Eo-Theron, and she is a great-great-granddaughter of Rasputin, through her father, who is Laurance’s brother.

Valerie Eo-Theron,  great-great-granddaughter of Grigori Rasputin
Theron’s great-granddaughter is Matriona Rasputina, daughter of the infamous starets

The DNA result was finally announced, but we still do not have our answer because it was…  inclusive. It showed a 22% chance that Solofioff and Prolubschikov are related, and may share a common ancestor. According to the DNA expert, this result does not prove or refute the relation, and needs additional,, more thorough investigation. So stay tuned!

Grigori Rasputin – world famous starets and friend of Russia’s last Tsar

 

 

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IN THE STEPS OF THE ROMANOV FAMILY: ROSTOV VELIKY (22 MAY, 1913)

IN THE STEPS OF THE ROMANOV FAMILY: ROSTOV VELIKY (22 MAY, 1913)

Rostov Veliky (The Great)
From the 1913 diary of Nicholas II:

22 May. Wednesday. All night we stood [in a train] at a small station Kozmodemyansk. At 10 o’cl arrived in Rostov. Alix was very tired and besides that she came down with angina, hence she was lying down all day. After the welcome drove in an automobile with the children to the ancient city of Rostov-Veliky. Visited Uspensky cathedral, heard the famous ringing of bells, walked to the White chambers and the princely towers through the Kremlin walls, looking at the inner churches on the way.

Hear the bells of Uspensky Cathedral below – the same bells Nicholas and his children would have heard that day!

The White Chamber as it looks in July of 2018.
The White Chamber in Rostov Kremlin, as seen by the Romanov family in 1913
White Chamber in July of 2018

 

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RUSSIA’S LAST ROMANOVS: In Their Own Words

RUSSIA’S LAST ROMANOVS: In Their Own Words

The Last Ruling Romanovs.. Much has been written about the life of the last Imperial family of Russia: Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Tsarina Alexandra, and their five children – Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Aleksei. The entire family, including their personal physician, retainers, and even their pets, became tragic victims of the Bolshevik revolution. They were arrested, exiled, and ultimately secretly murdered in a small cellar of a house in the Urals, in the summer of 1918.

In this book, you will follow the events which led up to their eventual tragic fate through personal words of each family member, as well as their close friends and associates. Their letters, diaries, and postcards – many of which have been compiled into English here for the first time – tell a unique story, and have yet a lot to reveal.

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Also available as ebook

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THE DIARY OF OLGA ROMANOV: Royal Witness to the Russian Revolution

THE DIARY OF OLGA ROMANOV: Royal Witness to the Russian Revolution

The First English Translation of the Wartime Diaries of the Eldest Daughter of Nicholas II, the Last Tsar of Russia, with Additional Documents of the Period
In August 1914, Russia entered World War I, and with it, the imperial family of Tsar Nicholas II was thrust into a conflict they would not survive.

His eldest child, Olga Nikolaevna, great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, had begun a diary in 1905 when she was ten years old and kept writing her thoughts and impressions of day-to-day life as a grand duchess until abruptly ending her entries when her father abdicated his throne in March 1917. Held at the State Archives of the Russian Federation in Moscow, Olga’s diaries during the wartime period have never been compiled into English until this volume.

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IN THE STEPS OF THE ROMANOVS: Final Two Years of the Russian Imperial Family 1916-1918

IN THE STEPS OF THE ROMANOVS: Final Two Years of the Russian Imperial Family 1916-1918

IN THE STEPS OF THE ROMANOVS: The Final Two Years of the Russian Imperial Family 1916-1918

This volume offers an accurate glimpse into the final two years of the last Imperial Family of Russia: exclusively through their own diary entries and personal correspondence, supplemented by contemporary eyewitness accounts, many of which are published here in English for the first time.
The reader will get to know on a deeper level the Grand Duchesses and the Empress, as they work at Tsarskoe Selo infirmaries; witness the imperial family’s grief for their murdered “Friend” Grigori Rasputin; experience their arrest after the outbreak of revolution, and follow them into captivity in Siberia – and ultimately the Red Ural – where they meet their tragic end in the cellar of “The House of Special Purpose”.
This already familiar unique piece of history is individually told by Nicholas, Alexandra and their five children: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei. Their collective personal story is a portrayal of a united family bound together by love, hardship and tragedy, taking place during the twilight of an extraordinary bygone era.

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TSAR NICHOLAS II: DIARY OF THE ABDICATION

TSAR NICHOLAS II: DIARY OF THE ABDICATION

Tsar Nicholas II with his generals

FEBRUARY 1917

 27th February. Monday. Disorders started several days ago in Petrograd; unfortunately, even the troops have begun to take part in them. It is a sickening feeling to be so far away and to receive fragments of bad news. Did not spend much time listening to reports. During the day took a walk along the highway towards Orsha. The weather was sunny. After dinner I decided to quickly head to Tsarskoe Selo, and at 1 o’cl. in the morning boarded the train.

Read more TSAR NICHOLAS II: DIARY OF THE ABDICATION

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