About the book: 2023 / No one can live without friends. But it is very difficult to have them if you belong to the ruling family and all the inhabitants of the country are your loyal subjects. And the very atmosphere of the palace is not conducive to sincerity and frankness. Did the Russian emperors and empresses manage to establish real, strong friendships? And how did these relations influence the history of Russia? The book will tell you about this. Of course, it does not mention all the people who found themselves next to the kings and emperors of the Romanov dynasty during the 300 years of its reign. In order to list everyone and identify the influence that they had on the emperors and on the course of Russian history, a whole library would be required... And yet, the history of the period mentioned has left us with many interesting biographies of people who were not always examples of morality and intelligence, but they lived brightly and furiously, trying to make their dreams come true, and even their mistakes can teach us a lot.