The reign of Francis I, the “Knight King,” as he called himself, is the era of the French Renaissance and the emergence of absolutism. Having lost “everything except honor” after the Battle of Pavia, the king was not used to taking other people’s opinions into account and lived by the principle “because it pleases us.” Being a supporter of the ideas of humanism and religious tolerance, Francis supported either Catholics or Protestants. During his reign, the fires of the Inquisition bloomed wildly, which the king himself visited at the head of triumphal processions. However, not everything was bad in the French kingdom. The overseas talents of Leonardo, Raphael, Cellini were widely used for the benefit of the country, castles of wondrous beauty were built along the Loire, and the fleet expanded. And besides, a bold decision was made to break the centuries-old treaty with the kingdom of Argo. The haven of Parisian thieves and vagabonds is subject to destruction. The Court of Miracles continues the events begun in the novel Triboulet. Published in Russian for the first time.