In how far ? I'd like to learn more about your point of view.
It's because history is one of my hobbies (although rather ancient history), and I'd like to write history books about my own fantasy universe one day.
Counterfactual history is an interesting genre in this regard, often lying in a shady area between fiction and historical fact. Many historians take it seriously, though, especially since
Railroads and American Economic Growth: Essays in Econometric History (which was simultaneously a huge step forward for econometric history). Even if not everyone agrees with Fogel's conclusions. But that's kind of the point, engendering debate.
I have a BA in History (which I regularly use in combination with a buck to buy a coffee), and yeah, the skillsets are diverse. In general, great historians share with great writers that they can write well. Unlike more internalized forms of human sciences like anthropology or sociology, historians don't tend to write just for themselves and their colleagues. Historian's works, at least the best, tend to be easy to read and comprehend (especially if you have the kind of mind that gobbles up facts), especially things like Landes' Wealth and Poverty of nation or Orlando Figes' many classics (great writer, that).
"History books" is kind of a meaningless catch-all phrase here. It is very different to write anthropologic history like Nortbert Elias did or cultural history like the aformentioned Figes. Then there's stylistic differences in trying to catch all or doing one of those infamous local history things (I'm thinking of course of the seminal Montaillou by Ladurie). But in general, while the writing down takes a similar skill set to some extent, the process where writers have to think creatively and come up with ideas is replaced with historians by months or years of pain-staking research. I think the skill set you'd need as a novelist for convincing historical fiction is to understand this, to comprehend the way historians have to find out specific details, figure out how everything slots together. If you don't, you'll likely create a pretty illogical, inconsistent world.