Historical fiction is generally defined as a made-up story set in a real time and place that existed over fifty years ago—from the Precambrian Period (wouldn’t that be an interesting story!) to the 1970s. Some of the characters might be based on real people, but others might be created by the author.
The word in publishing circles is that historical fiction is out of style. But do you wish such a wonderful genre were more popular--telling good stories while opening windows into past...