Přátelství a dary v korespondenci Winfrieda / Bonifáce

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between friendship and gift-giving in the early Middle Ages. Friendship and its associated rituals are understood as part of the ‚rules of the game‘ that shaped medieval society. The ritual of gift-giving, which served to establish friendly relations and strengthen friendships, is explored here through the corpus of Saint Boniface’s correspondence. By using the letters of Saint Boniface as an example, it is shown that gifts played a major role in building friendships.