We are delighted to invite you to an evening with Sir Antony Beevor, who will discuss his book Rasputin: And the Downfall of the Romanovs in conversation with Vladimir Raevskiy. In his newest book, Beevor explores the legends of the ‘mad monk’ and casts a new light on the controversial ‘great man’ theory of history.

Rasputin was a mysterious, bizarre, polarising figure. He was a devout Christian whose licentious behaviour scandalised society and caused ruinous rumours. Despite holding no official position, he exerted extraordinary influence over Empress Alexandra and her husband, Tsar Nicholas II. He was a devoted monarchist, yet became the posterboy for the weakness and corruption surrounding the last Tsar; it may seem that Rasputin contributed more to the fall of the Romanov dynasty than any other individual. 

Just as Rasputin cast a spell over the Romanovs, his story has long captivated historians. We are still trying to understand the fall of the Romanovs more than a century later. Antony Beevor brings together psychological insights into Rasputin and those around him, meticulous archival research, and vivid storytelling to examine the truth behind the tales. Did a barely literate Siberian peasant really alter the course of history? Or is his legacy a lesson about the potency of conspiracy, a ruling elite out of touch with reality, and where the two meet amid a crumbling political system – with unsettling analogies in our world today?

Sir Antony Beevor is a preeminent British historian and bestselling author known for his works on military history and modern European history. His books include Stalingrad (1998), which won the first Samuel Johnson Prize, the Wolfson Prize for History and the Hawthornden Prize for Literature; Berlin: The Downfall (2002), which received the first Longman-History Today Trustees’ Award; and the Sunday Times bestseller Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917–1921 (2022); and he is the co-editor with Luba Vinogradova of A Writer at War: Vasily Grossman with the Red Army 1941–1945 (2005). Educated at Sandhurst, Beevor served as regular officer with the 11th Hussars, leaving the Army after five years to write. He has received honorary doctorates and fellowships from five universities, and is a visiting professor at the University of Kent and an Honorary Fellow of King's College, London. He was knighted in 2017.

Vladimir Raevskiy is a journalist, broadcaster, television producer and author. From 2014–2022, he created over 250 episodes of the documentary series Raevskiy’s Moscow for Moscow 24, the city’s main TV channel, in which he used Moscow’s historical landmarks as starting points for exploring contemporary Russian culture and history. After the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Raevskiy publicly expressed his opposition to the war, left Russia and is now based in London where he conducts interviews, produces documentaries, and performs historical stand-up lectures, among other projects.

Conway Hall 25 Red Lion Square London WC1R 4RL