Europe at the turn of
the 19th century
by Yvette Bostic
Europe
in the early 1800’s saw the beginning of Napoleon’s march to dominance. Many of
the European countries traded treaties trying to curtail his pursuit, with several
succumbing to their fate and joining France’s advance. While most of Europe saw
Napoleon as a dictator determined to control all of Europe, France saw him as a
liberator. After the French Revolution, he brought control to chaos and
prosperity to a country fraught by the perils of civil war. History is quick to
record the winners and losers, but it’s also quick to forget the pain and loss
of the people.
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| The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries (by Jacques-Louis David, 1812) |
In
my quest for knowledge about the timeframe, I realized the extent of suffering of
the Parisian people during the French Revolutionary Wars. For over a decade the
citizens of all classes endured pain, loss and persecution.
As
early as 1791, the other monarchies of Europe looked with outrage at the
revolution and its upheavals, and considered whether they should intervene,
either in support of King Louis XVI, or to prevent the spread of revolution
into their own lands. In anticipation of an attack, France declared war on
Austria and Prussia. In the summer of 1793, the Reign of Terror was initiated
in Paris, calling for administrative and political purges. Reports vary of the
number of executions conducted during the next twelve months, ranging from
18,000 – 40,000 deaths.
 |
| Louis XVI by Portrait by Antoine-François Callet |
In
1794, the situation improved dramatically for the French, as huge victories at
Fleurus against the Austrians and at the Black Mountain against the Spanish
signalled the start of a new stage in the wars. By 1795, the French had
captured the Austrian Netherlands and knocked Spain and Prussia out of the war
with the Peace of Basel. An unknown general named Napoleon Bonaparte began his
first campaign in Italy in April 1796. In less than a year, Napoleon’s forces
decimated the Habsburg forces and evicted them from the Italian peninsula,
winning almost every battle and capturing thousands of prisoners. With French
forces marching towards Vienna, the Austrians sued for peace and agreed to the
Treaty of Campo Formio, ending the First Coalition against the Republic.
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| Bonaparte during the Italian campaign in 1797 |
Napoleon’s
rise to power brought stability to Paris, while the French Army decimated its
neighbours.
In
my series, Light in the Darkness, I
sought to use this time frame to demonstrate that you cannot remove evil from
the hearts of men, but the world requires a powerful source of good to balance
the unnatural evil summoned from the depths of hell. The source of that evil in
my novel reveals itself as a group of demon overlords intent on enslaving
humanity. The Council of Light struggles to stop the overlords in their fight
to maintain balance between good and evil.
The
first book in my series, Light’s Rise,
starts with the introduction of Darian in 1800, a young scout in the Austrian
army who encounters the French army just after the fall of Berlin. Darian
experiences first-hand the atrocities of war and develops a hatred for the
French soldiers who invaded his homeland. When he joins the Council of Light,
one of his assignments takes him to Paris. He’s forced to see the effects of
years of war on the city and its people. While he cannot bring himself to
sympathize with the French, his eyes are opened to their pain.
Smatterings
of history are littered throughout the book, such as the Treaty of Pressburg
and the Treaty of Schönbrunn. I attempted to stay true to historical events,
but mine is a story of demons and the powerful group of gifted men and women
fated to stop them. It is my hope that history buffs embrace the nonsensical
and fantasy lovers appreciate the history.
Yvette Bostic
Yvette lives in the
beautiful mountains of West Virginia. During the day she has a full-time
career, but when she gets home and kicks off her shoes she becomes absorbed in
her next novel. She enjoys the company of her ever-patient husband who believes
she's lost in her computer, and three dogs who are the only ones who can drag
her away from writing-mostly because she has no desire to clean up their mess.
Light’s Rise
~ Book 1
Darian was a young scout in the Imperial
Austrian Army when Napoleon Bonaparte started his campaign across Europe. It
isn’t until Darian’s hometown is threatened that he discovers an insidious evil
lurking behind enemy lines; taking advantage of the chaos of war. A mysterious
man named Raphael provides two choices: stay and fight against the French, or
join the Council of Light in the struggle to save Europe from an evil
mastermind intent on conquering humanity with his army of demons. Darian’s
choice leads him into a new war, where victory lies in the hands of an unusual
group of warriors with supernatural abilities whose sole purpose is to protect
humanity from an unending tide of evil.
Light’s Eyes
~ Book 2
With Zar’Asur’s defeat, the Council hopes
to have time to grieve for their losses and rebuild, but the demon Overlord has
other plans. After the loss of the Master’s book, Zar’Asur uses his remaining
resources to summon another Overlord. The demon brothers have a new strategy,
with a diabolical plot that the Council discovers too late.
Mikel’s calm,
analytical mind is nearly broken when the Overlords successfully complete the
first phase of their plan. The rest of the Council must pick up the pieces and
move forward in an attempt to rebuild their ranks. After centuries of hiding,
the true evil of the Overlords is revealed once again. Loyalties will be tested
and no one will walk away unscathed.
Such an interesting post. Thank you for sharing!!
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