The Middle Ages in the minds of modern people is often associated with a dark and cruel time. Meanwhile, this is the brightest period in the history of mankind, an era of great conquests and great upheavals, which keeps many unsolved secrets. Who really was Joan of Arc, who became a key figure in the liberation of France? Where was the mysterious eastern kingdom of Prester John? Did the Tatar-Mongol yoke really exist in Rus'? What happened behind the walls of the Forbidden City in the capital of the Celestial Empire?.. Riddles, versions, hypotheses - there are enough of them in the book, and this is another opportunity to better learn the history of the Middle Ages, to understand for yourself the vicissitudes of a distant and mysterious era.