Sellers of relics

The story of the Czech knight Martin of Stvoln, full of suspense, excitement and plot twists, from the middle of the 14th century.

It was a time of cruel wars, debilitating famines and pervasive violence, in which at the same time there was a fierce struggle for the unity of the Church and the Christian faith. The second-born son of a poor landowner, Martin goes to Paris to study at the university, but soon comes into conflict with the Inquisition. Unable to return home, he wanders the French countryside in the company of a dealer in fake relics of saints. He experiences not only passionate love affairs, but also the horror of the plague, circumstances lead him into bloody battles, and more than once he must defy the mad fanaticism of religious sects. In the face of victories and painful defeats, he asks himself what the point of it all is, why does one have to keep fighting for something only to lose it again?

Against the background of historical events, the author guides us through the life of medieval France, vividly and with a deep knowledge of the realities of the time, he depicts the university environment, monasteries, the life of bourgeois families and village estates, as well as the environment of the shenanigans, brothels and military camps. Without exaggeration, it depicts the amorous adventures and rough manners of the people of that time, as well as their naive desire for truth, love and happiness.

The story can be read in one breath, as it manages to evoke the real atmosphere of life in the Middle Ages, which is not as distant from contemporary man as it sometimes seems.