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1632 is a novel set in the Holy Roman Empire by writer-historian Eric Flint that has spawned worldwide interest and an almost cult-like following in less than five years. While initially not a best seller, and originally available only as a paperback, the alternate history set in 1631—1632 Europe during the heyday of the Thirty Years War has far eclipsed many such 'flashier' works in sustained continuing sales as it continues in printing after printing.

While it was originally intended to be a single volume, the novel has only become but the first work of an open-ended series numbering seven published works (i.e. print) and three others as ebooks in less than five years. The first, second and fourth works are of similar long-novel length, the others related and integrated collections of short stories, edited by Historian-author Flint.

History and premise

The historical setting

It was a century and a quarter after the Council of Trent when the new role of the Roman Catholic Pope had been established as an absolute ruler (in name) over the priesthood as was strongly characteristic of the new age of absolutism ushered in by the sixteenth century. At that time the Pope had new and effective army of "Foot Soldiers of Christ", the much-feared, well-educated Society of Jesus (Jesuits — established in 1534) which had for nearly a hundred years the institutional goal of stamping out Judaism, Protestantism and heresy where and whenever they occurred. But the fractured religious landscape was but a background factor, usually only important as a pretext for the wars ripping through the European Kingdoms which had the primary cause of furthering the power of the nation-state, or diminishing that of another. Like today, that deadly dance was accomplished at times by using proxy states, rather than engaging head to head, major power to major power.

Politically, the era was wedded to authoritarianism rooted in the Divine Right of Kings, and Spain was the pre-eminent power rich from the gold and silver of the new world, dominating in both Europe and on the world stage at large while the other sea faring nations raced to grab territories of thier own in the middle of the Age of Exploration. The Roman Catholic Church had settled well into the path of the counter-reformation, the Puritan revolution was on the horizon. It was the heyday of the Dutch Merchantile Empire and somewhat past the beginning of Poland's decline and the ascension of Russia, while the Swedish empire was at it's zenith. There were seven prince-electors enjoying the greater temporal power in the Germanies, but in that time, three of them were Arch-Bishops wielding princely world power as the feudal system had yet to go away, and these Bishops weren't very much interested in listening to Rome, or the Pope, or anyone else including their sworn feudal superiors. Neither were many of the other Bishops and Cardinals all that interested in the Pope's wishes. Life was good, they had a lot of power and so if they could mask their actions with intrigue and schemes, they just give lip service to obedience, which was most of the time. In this they behaved much like the Prime Minister of France, his Eminence the Cardinal Richelieu, the heavy weight schemer of the World, saying one thing while pressing and advancing an entirely different agenda out of sight. His well focused goal was to increase the power and Glory of France whatever the cost, while reducing the dynastic Hapsburgs power in both Spain and the Holy Roman Empire.

So as the Jesuits became better educated in large numbers, they increasingly contributed to the reinvigoration of the Counter-Reformation Church, seducing Europe's nobles away from protestantism by a variety of measures culminating in the Edict of Restitution — the papal proclaimation that all propery of protestant churches was to be confiscated for the Church. Consequently, the Jesuits had done nothing but grow more powerful as the century passed, and many of it's members were the heart and soul of the Office of the Holy Inquisition, but they were also sworn agent-soldiers of the Pope, anxious to intrigue and sway any protestant ruler by any means, including war. When the Jesuits were banned upon pain of death from living in the Holy Roman Empire, this (in part) created the conditions leading to the Thirty Years War, the geopolitical background into which author Flint paints yet a bleaker picture—Faith wasn't the real cause behind the death of millions, but a mere pretext—the real causes were politics, internal and international—power politics and power struggles rooted in selfishness and greed with a heavy dose of intrigue and national self-interest.

The Catholic church had two other big guns. The first was the ultra-religious Spanish Hapsburg Monarchy, which believed you were better off dead than to be a non-Catholic. (Native Americans, Jews, Protestants, please take note—the inquisition is coming!) But more importantly and of far wider scope was the doctrine of Corpus Evangelicorum—'The people take on the faith of the Ruler'. It was far easier to convert one prince (or conquer him) than a hundred-thousand individual peasants, after all.

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