The museum’s collection houses a printed copy of the photograph of the Yusupov family in Rakitnoye. It was taken during the exile that Felix Yusupov was serving after the fateful night of December 30, 1916, when Grigori Rasputin had been murdered.
Rasputin was believed to have enormous influence on the imperial family: the pious Empress Alexandra Fedorovna consulted him on everything, then imposing his decisions on Emperor Nicholas II. There were whispers in society that this man actually ruled the state, and the reputation of the imperial family was steadily falling. Numerous attempts by various people to talk sense into the sovereign were unsuccessful: she only replied that saints were always slandered, and stopped communicating with critical advisers.
Gradually the high society became of an opinion that to get rid of the old man and vindicate the imperial family could only be done in one way — by killing Rasputin. Felix Yusupov became a member of a conspiracy against the old man. He teamed up with like-minded people: the Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, politician Vladimir Purishkevich, Dr. Stanislaw Lazvert and Lieutenant Sergei Sukhotin. The men made a plan of murder, deciding to lure Rasputin to the house of Yusupov. Their plan did indeed come to fruition.
When the imperial family learned that the young prince Felix Yusupov had shot Rasputin, a scandal erupted. Only the participation of Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich in the murder saved the conspirators from execution. Felix was sent into exile under secret police surveillance.
From his memoirs the details of the departure became public knowledge:
Rasputin was believed to have enormous influence on the imperial family: the pious Empress Alexandra Fedorovna consulted him on everything, then imposing his decisions on Emperor Nicholas II. There were whispers in society that this man actually ruled the state, and the reputation of the imperial family was steadily falling. Numerous attempts by various people to talk sense into the sovereign were unsuccessful: she only replied that saints were always slandered, and stopped communicating with critical advisers.
Gradually the high society became of an opinion that to get rid of the old man and vindicate the imperial family could only be done in one way — by killing Rasputin. Felix Yusupov became a member of a conspiracy against the old man. He teamed up with like-minded people: the Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, politician Vladimir Purishkevich, Dr. Stanislaw Lazvert and Lieutenant Sergei Sukhotin. The men made a plan of murder, deciding to lure Rasputin to the house of Yusupov. Their plan did indeed come to fruition.
When the imperial family learned that the young prince Felix Yusupov had shot Rasputin, a scandal erupted. Only the participation of Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich in the murder saved the conspirators from execution. Felix was sent into exile under secret police surveillance.
From his memoirs the details of the departure became public knowledge:
