Anecdotes from the Ninth Age of Charles (World Famous Translation Library, Mérimée)

"Anecdotes of Charles IX" is a novel by Mérimée. It takes the famous religious tragedy "St. Bartholomew's Night" during the period of Charles IX in the 16th century as its theme, and shows the darkness and cruelty of medieval feudal autocracy. The protagonist Melky is a young aristocratic Huguenot from the province. After the religious peace in 1570, he went to Paris to join the Protestant leader Admiral Collini. After Melky came to Paris, he met his brother George, who had been separated for many years and converted to Catholicism during the Civil War. Under the direct command of the king, the massacre of the Protestants began. George refused to carry out the bloody order and was thrown into prison. Melky fled Paris and took part in the revolt against the king in the Huguenot city of Rochelle. George, who was released from prison, was forced to join the king's army that besieged the city of Roshel. On the battlefield, he was shot by soldiers under the personal command of Melki. George died in his brother's arms, and Melky was immersed in great pain. In the novel, the author exposes the hypocrisy and cruelty of the ruling group and the Catholic Church, and makes a ruthless indictment of the largest religious persecution in the history of this nation. In the dark, reactionary period of restoration where clericalism was rampant, the image descriptions in "Anecdotes of the Era of Charles IX" are undoubtedly sharply targeted and of realistic progressive significance.