What is historical novel? characteristics of historical fiction?

With its characters often being fictional, a historical
novel,with its narrative set against a background of real conflicts and issues in time,
often elicits interest from a reader who would normally not pay much attention to the
mere recordings of historical fact that form the background for the narratives.  Thus,
as a secondary benefit, the reader of a historical novel learns much about a historical
era.

So, historical novels are novels that both entertain
and instruct.  For instance, a classic novel such as A Tale of Two
Cities by Charles Dickens gives a reader a history of the cruelty
and bloodshed of not only the French Revolution, but also the age of highwaymen and
grave robbers in England.  The Irving Stone novel, The Origin,
provides a delightful narrative about Charles Darwin the man, along with his influence
upon science.