History Should Remember the “Mad Monk” Iliodor
The remarkable life of Rasputin’s biggest opponent
Read about Russian history around the turn of the 20th century, and Iliodor, much like Rasputin, is a name that seems to pop up everywhere. He was a strange, unhinged trouble maker with a list of enemies as long as his arm, and natural charisma to match anyone in history, whether he used it preaching, badmouthing his rivals, or just spinning remarkably imaginative lies.
Iliodor’s story is one that has rarely ever been told — his rise and fall (and rise and fall again), rarely matched.
While his greatest rival, Grigori Rasputin, has dominated popular culture for over a century after his death, Iliodor has become a mere footnote. But delving deeper, we see Iliodor’s colorful life stands out at a time already filled with interesting characters and world-changing events: a life that would see him start as a simple priest from a poor family, and become a revolutionary, assassin for hire, author, and American movie star.
The Rise
Born Sergei Trufanov in a small cossack village in 1880, at the age of 15 he started his theological studies at a local seminary, and five years later, moved to St. Petersburg to attend the theological academy.
