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4[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lincolnmont2_4790.jpg]]
5[[caption-width-right:350:[-One of the most famous American presidents, used in wildly various contexts. [[note]]clockwise from top left: [[UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln His portrait]], ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'', ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'', ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''.]]-][[/note]]
6
7Simply put, it's taking a well-known person from RealLife history and using this person as a character in a story. This does mean any work of that kind, whether it's HistoricalFiction, a HollywoodHistory story, a piece of AlternateHistory, or a [[ShownTheirWork well-researched and accurate]] {{biopic}} of events. Needless to say, there isn't necessarily any similarity in personality between the real person and the character in the story. They may even be [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy classical composers who were secretly sleeper agents for extraterrestrials]]. Whatever works.
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9Naturally this covers a lot of works (save for non-fiction), but given how often people can disagree about real history and our present, it would be hard to draw a line between which fictional works would fit and which fictional works wouldn't. Thus all are included.
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11Note that despite this trope having "Historical" in the name, present-day living people are also included in this list, as long as they have a very significant social impact or cultural legacy that will cause them to be remembered in future media. Please remove troping in these people's pages as you browse.
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13Obviously, the vast majority of (in)famous historical figures are long deceased. If a story mentions real-life dead people by characters living in the present-day, or if they're featured in historical flashbacks, then they also double as {{Posthumous Character}}s. Also compare this trope with PublicDomainCharacter, AnonymousRinger, RomanAClef, and RealPersonFic.
14----
15[[index]]
16[floatboxright:
17'''UsefulNotes'''
18* {{UsefulNotes/Historical Domain Character}}s (list)
19]
20!!Examples:
21* HistoricalDomainCharacter/AnimeAndManga
22* HistoricalDomainCharacter/ComicBooks
23* HistoricalDomainCharacter/FanWorks
24** ''HistoricalDomainCharacter/ItFeelsMoreLikeAMemory''
25* {{HistoricalDomainCharacter/Film}}
26* {{HistoricalDomainCharacter/Literature}}
27* HistoricalDomainCharacter/LiveActionTV
28** ''HistoricalDomainCharacter/TheMinistryOfTime''
29* {{HistoricalDomainCharacter/Theatre}}
30* HistoricalDomainCharacter/VideoGames
31* {{HistoricalDomainCharacter/Webcomics}}
32* HistoricalDomainCharacter/WesternAnimation
33* HistoricalDomainCharacter/OtherMedia
34----
35!!Subtropes:
36* AllohistoricalAllusion
37* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: It's revealed that a historical figure had an unusual or extraordinary aspect of their life that isn't recorded in the history books.
38** JuliusBeethovenDaVinci: Multiple historical figures were actually the aliases of an immortal being.
39** YouWillBeBeethoven: A time-traveler accidentally kills a historical figure or finds that the historical figure did not exist, so they decide to take on the identity of the historical figure to secure the timestream.
40* TheDeadRiseToAdvertise: Deceased celebrities are used to endorse products in commercials.
41* FictionalizedDeathAccount: A work of fiction has a historical figure die in a different way from how they died in real life.
42* HistoricalBadassUpgrade: A work of fiction makes a historical figure more impressive than their real-life counterpart.
43** HistoricalDomainSuperperson
44* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: A historical figure is depicted as being more attractive than they were in real life.
45* HistoricalCharactersFictionalRelative
46* HistoricalDomainCrossover
47* HistoricalDowngrade
48* HistoricalFiguresInArchivalMedia
49* HistoricalGenderFlip: A historical figure is depicted as a different gender or sex than they were in real life.
50* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: A historical figure is depicted as more heroic and benevolent than they were in real life.
51* HistoricalHilarity
52* HistoricalInJoke
53* HistoricalPersonPunchline
54* HistoricalRelationshipOverhaul
55* HistoricalUglinessUpdate
56* HistoricalVillainDowngrade: A malevolent historical figure has their atrocities downplayed, but isn't necessarily depicted in a more favorable light.
57* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: A historical figure is depicted as a worse person than they were in real life.
58** JuryOfTheDamned
59* InThePastEveryoneWillBeFamous
60* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed
61* RealPersonCameo
62** RealPersonEpilogue
63* RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman
64* YoungFutureFamousPeople
65[[/index]]

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