Claims to have been no other than
Tsar Peter III,
Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich. Founded the
Skoptsi after he had a fit of
convulsions and
visions one night and was seized by the
revelation that
castration is the only path towards
Salvation. This occurred shortly after his marriage to
Catherine, who was not too pleased with this whole
shananigan. He performed his own "
sugery" with the
Knife of Aqedah, which he received as a
wedding present.
He claims to have been aware of his wife's plans to assassinate, and escaped, leaving his "double" to be killed in his place.
He changed his name, and went off to gather followers.
While recruiting followers, he was arrested and sent to Siberia for several years, from which he escaped. He was granted an audience with the new Tsar in 1801. Tsar Alexander granted him his freedom and permitted the cult to grow. But the Tsar's advisors quickly convinced Alexander that Selivanov indeed posed a real threat, and so Alexander humanely ordered him confined to a monastery. Selivanov handed over leadership of the Skoptsi to Shilov, his most faithful disciple.
He died in 1825.