Tsarena is in control while being heavily influenced by Rasputin (jul 1, 1915 – dec 30, 1916)

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When the Tsar took on the role as commander in chief of Russia’s army, he had to travel to Petrograd 800km away from the palace
This meant that the Tsarena was his regent, which gave her the Tsar’s power to govern the empire in his absence
There were 3 main reasons the Tsarena contributed to the 1917 February Revolution:
1. She was a strong believer in autocratic rule. This meant that she dismissed many members of the Duma and refused to deal with it, instead bringing in the people she wanted
2. She was German, making her deeply unpopular with the Russian people
3. She was obsessed with Rasputin, of which she was obsessed with his “mystic healing powers” (which obviously didn’t exist) which weakened her relationship with other royals, as they felt it was their right to give advice to the Tsar

- Rasputin was a very controversial figure - people either loved him or hated him
- He believed the best way to connect with God spiritually was by sinning and then repenting (deeply regretting something you did which was wrong)
- Examples of sins included drinking too much, stealing from people and sex: all of which Rasputin was accused of doing too much of in his life
- Prince Alexis (son of the Tsar and heir to the throne) was born with the disease haemophilia (minor injuries meant a lot of blood would spurt out)
- Rasputin recommended that the doctor stop giving him aspirin pills (as it was making his blood thinner) which the Tsarena interpreted as him being a spiritual healer. This was how she met Rasputin, so they began to grow close
- When it seemed Rasputin was able to help Alexis, Alexandra’s gratitude turned into dependence upon him
- This caused the aristocracy to be very much against Rasputin, as he was allowed access to the Tsarena that none of the aristocrats were
- She took Rasputin’s advice by appointing ministers and wrote to the Tsar

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