People close to the reigning persons, temporary workers and favorites existed in all eras, regardless of what the ruler was called: king, tsar or emperor. It was they who often created politics, standing behind the back of the monarch or discussing with him face to face the most pressing state issues. In Rus' they were called “close people.” The famous historian Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Kozlyakov talks about three such “close people” of the 17th century in his new book. The heroes of the book are the “first boyar” of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, Prince Ivan Borisovich Cherkassky, the educator of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, boyar Boris Ivanovich Morozov, and the “great chancellor”, “Russian Richelieu” Artamon Sergeevich Matveev.