Close People

People close to the ruling figures, opportunists and favorites have existed in all eras, regardless of what the ruler was called: king, tsar, or emperor. It is they who often created politics, standing behind the monarch or discussing the most pressing state issues with him face to face.
In Russia, they were referred to as "close people." The well-known historian Vyacheslav Nikolaevich Kozlyakov tells 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 Fyodorovich, Prince Ivan Borisovich Cherkassky, the educator of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich, Boyar Boris Ivanovich Morozov, and the "great chancellor," the "Russian Richelieu" Artemon Sergeevich Matveev.