High school students should acquire skills in the preparation of historical portraits. This will help to successfully pass the exam. In addition, the description of a portrait of a historical person is by no means a boring task. When studying the biography of the ruler, you can understand the cause of certain events that affected the fate of millions of ordinary people.
A portrait created by a skilled artist has little in common with photography. The painter paints a person as he sees. The same can be said about historical portraits, which are composed by researchers on the basis of various documents, but often influenced by subjective opinion. Perhaps a more reliable biography is that which consists of assumptions and versions. After all, not one, even the most experienced researcher, can know exactly how Ivan the Terrible felt, killing his son, and how Joseph Stalin treated Hitler.
Historical portrait plan
Where should one start such a task? First of all, you need to understand the events that take place during the life of an individual whose historical portrait is to be compiled. It is important to familiarize yourself with the biography. History is a relative science, and therefore one source is not enough. It is advisable to read one or two books. It can be both journalism and fiction.
In drawing up a portrait of a historical person, as mentioned above, the events of early years play an important role. Worldview is formed in childhood. The attitude of parents, environment, education - all this, the researchers take into account when drawing up historical portraits. The characteristics of a ruler, politician or commander should also be listed. Then already tell about the deeds thanks to which he influenced the course of history. Attention should be paid to the last years. That is, the historical portrait of the prince or king is compiled according to this plan:
- Childhood, youth.
- Years of rule.
- Important historical events.
- Last years.
Below are some brief historical portraits. It provides not only a description of the events, but also interesting facts from personal life. Moreover, the heroes of the story are both rulers and personalities, whose role in history researchers still argue.
The childhood of Ivan the Terrible
It is interesting and uncomplicated to draw up a historical portrait of this ruler. Many books have been written about him, many films have been shot. For many, the name of Ivan the Terrible is associated with cruelty and numerous executions. But not everything is so simple and simple. First, in the sixteenth century, killing was not considered such a terrible sin, in any case, if it was committed by a king, whose power was given, as it was believed, by God. Secondly, the childhood of Ivan, the future king, was far from bleak.
The first memories of the future ruler were associated with a desperate struggle for power. This fight was fought between Shuisky and Belsky. No one cared about the prince until he came to power.
Ivan was orphaned early. There was never a good close teacher next to him. Around from an early age, the king saw lies, cruelty, intrigue. You can read about coups and the struggle for power in any history textbook. A historical portrait of this ruler should be drawn up, taking into account the mores of that era. However, even for his time, Ivan the Terrible was excessively cruel. At first he watched how others were killed, then, having matured, he himself also became involved in the murder. But before executing the "infidels," he trained on cats and dogs. The young sovereign rode along the streets of Moscow, killing animals. He did not spare the old people who were in his way. When he grew stronger, he took up his enemies, the main of which was Andrei Shuisky. Since then, the sovereign has been filled with fear and respect.
First king
Ivan the Terrible - the first Russian ruler to receive the royal title. In the hat of Monomakh he went to the people in 1547. The Queen was chosen for a long time, meticulously. Decrees on the immediate delivery of girls to the young tsar were sent throughout Russia. One of them was destined to become the wife of Ivan IV. Those who did not submit a candidacy for the Kremlin casting were expected to be executed. However, there were few unwilling to obey the royal decree. Everyone dreamed of having a relationship with Rurikovich.
Ivan the Terrible proved to be a tough, uncompromising ruler. He used to send ex-wives to the monastery. As you know, he killed his son. True, sources speak of this, the reliability of which is in great doubt. One way or another, it was a great ruler: Kazan took, Astrakhan took, Revel took ...
Pious Satrap
With his penchant for quick reprisals, the king was a very pious man. In the capital, built several temples and churches. There is a version that the only person able to instill fear in Ivan the Terrible was St. Basil - the same holy fool who walked around the Kremlin naked and made strange, incomprehensible speeches.
Peter the Great
After the sudden death of Tsar Fedor, the boyars were declared the new ruler of the nine-year-old Peter. There was another candidate for the throne - Tsarevich Ivan. However, he was not so lively and lively. The choice of the boyars did not like Miloslavsky. And again the fierce struggle for power began. The Miloslavskys managed to use for their own purposes the archers, who organized the famous riot, and then, years later, paid for it. Young Peter was sent away from Moscow. For a while his sister Sophia reigned.
Archery rebellion and the death of loved ones fell deep into the soul of the boy. Like Ivan the Terrible, he matured and took revenge on his wrongdoers. But before received a good education. From an early age, Peter was fond of shipbuilding, showed an amazing craving for knowledge. Composing a historical portrait of this king, one should tell at least briefly about the foundation of St. Petersburg. A city built on human bones really cost the lives of thousands of ordinary people.
“France is in my hands”
Let’s digress from Russian history and tell you about one of the most controversial French rulers. In Peterhof there is a monument depicting the founder of the Northern capital with a baby in her arms. The monument is located in the Lower Park. “All France is in my hands,” - according to legend, Peter I said precisely this phrase, picking up a little infant. This happened during the stay of the Russian Tsar in France.
Louis XV was orphaned early. Versailles, like the Kremlin, was filled with intrigue. True, the French power lovers got rid of their enemies more cunningly, sophisticatedly. The future king was lucky - there were no other candidates for the throne. However, this does not mean that the infant was surrounded by love and attention.
Lazy king
The upbringing of Louis was dealt with by Villeroix, who had the reputation of being a mediocre military leader and who turned out to be an average teacher. The main part of the educational process, in his opinion, was participation in ceremonies. A little boy from an early age was forced to abide by the strict rules of conduct at courtiers. That is why Louis XV later, becoming a full-fledged ruler, avoided all sorts of ceremonies and preferred to spend time hunting, away from the Palace of Versailles.
He was called the lazy, mediocre king. Louis showed weakness, lack of will in front of his favorites, and spent a lot of money on them. Parisians, meanwhile, were dying of hunger. In his youth, Louis entrusted the state affairs of de Fleury. After the death of the “gray cardinal”, most of the state affairs were decided by Madame Pompadour. However, it is worth saying that Louis did a lot for the development of arts, encouraging poets and artists. In addition, he was an educated and well-read man. Nevertheless, the king made many mistakes, for which his grandson, Louis XVI, had to pay.
Marie Antoinette
The biography of the queen inspires directors and writers. However, Marie Antoinette would not have attracted so much attention if not for her tragic death. The Bourbons and the Habsburgs shared power for too long. In the second half of the 18th century, they suddenly decided that it was time for them to find a common language, and for this, according to the mores of those times, several marriage contracts should be concluded. Which they did. The daughter of the Austrian Empress became a French Dauphin. Marie Antoinette was only 14 when she was married to Louis XVI.
These were absolutely different people from each other. Louis preferred to spend time in solitude, reading. Marie Antoinette has not mastered a single book in her life. The Queen loved to have fun, among her associates there were exclusively intriguers and hangers-on. Marie Antoinette did not notice that France was mired in poverty, and that revolutionary exclamations were heard louder in the vicinity of Paris. Her husband, perhaps, saw and understood something, but he lacked firmness and determination. Both of them ended their life on the block.
Napoleon
Little is known about the early years of the great commander. According to one version, he
I spent most of my time reading. According to another, the future Napoleon was nicknamed "Balamut", which does not agree with the image of a closed child. Corsican began to learn French at the age of nine. All his life he spoke with a terrible Italian accent.
Napoleon showed leadership qualities already in childhood. Conflicted with teachers, as a result of which he gained the respect of peers. He was impudent, determined, ambitious. It's easy to believe. Only an extremely ambitious and self-confident commander would have come up with the idea to get the keys to the Kremlin in the days of severe winter frosts.
Grigory Rasputin
Among the striking historical figures, there are not only rulers or politicians. One of the most mysterious personalities of the 20th century is Grigory Rasputin. So many rumors circulate about him that even historians today find it difficult to determine where the truth is and where is fiction. A simple village peasant, who had traded horse-stealing in his youth, somehow became a close friend of the Romanov family. Perhaps he really possessed the gift of a healer and was able to alleviate the suffering of the prince. Still, historians often portray Rasputin as a man who was indirectly related to the death of the royal family.