Popular science work by a famous historian and prose writer about domestic diplomatic etiquette of the late 15th - first half of the 17th centuries. The book is notable not only for the abundance of factual information, but also for the fact that the scientist was able to put together, classify, and analyze norms that for more than two centuries existed exclusively in the oral tradition. The world of Russian diplomatic etiquette of bygone times, recreated by the author, is all the more interesting to study because the events described strikingly rhyme with modernity.