1965–
A historian of power's intimate worlds
He turned Beria's presence at Stalin's deathbed, and the evidence around the poisoning theory, into a historical question rather than a settled legend.
A British historian and writer, he is known for combining political history with vivid portraits of rulers and their private worlds. Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar reconstructed Stalin's rule and inner circle from newly available documents and testimony, including evidence concerning Beria at Stalin's death and the theory that Stalin was poisoned. He later broadened his scope with Young Stalin, Jerusalem: The Biography, and The Romanovs, bringing the long history of revolution, empire, and dynasty to a wide readership.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1965Born in London
- 1983Read history at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
- 1991Published his first novel, King's Parade
- 2001Published Catherine the Great and Potemkin
- 2003Published Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar
- 2007Published Young Stalin
- 2011Published Jerusalem: The Biography and presented a television documentary series
- 2016Published The Romanovs: 1613–1918
Related historical events
Writing the history of Stalin
In Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar (2003), Montefiore examined Stalin's rule and inner circle, then turned to Stalin's pre-revolutionary years in Young Stalin. Young Stalin received the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography and the Costa Book Award. These books form one strand of his historical writing, connecting the operation of political power with a ruler's personal life and relationships with those around him.