“Historical Portraits” by the famous Russian historian V.O. Klyuchevsky paint a series of political figures of the Russian state of the 14th–18th centuries. Recreating types of people of the past - be they kings, public figures, saints or ordinary people - was for Klyuchevsky one of the ways to understand the historical process as a whole. The historian describes the personality of his heroes, both in private and in public life, while the moral character of a person plays the most important role. Many historical figures appear before the reader from an unexpected perspective (Ivan the Terrible, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter I, Catherine II), their characteristics are original and often differ from the generally accepted ones. A personal attitude towards each of them, a lively manner of depiction and a detailed description of the environment around them make this cycle a fascinating read even in our time.