Shadow of Night

Diana and Matthew spend time in England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire during their journey to 1590-1591. In the late 16th century, England was ruled by Queen Elizabeth I. Her father, King Henry VIII, broke from the Catholic church when it would not allow him to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who was Catholic. He established the Protestant Church of England, which he led as head of state, and married Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn. Henry’s daughter with Catherine, Mary, was raised Catholic, while his daughter with Anne, Elizabeth, was Anglican, or of the Protestant Church of England. When Mary became queen, she restored Catholicism, charging Anglicans with heresy and exiling or burning them (McIlvenna, Una. “What Inspired Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary’s Gruesome Nickname?” History, 2023). Later, when Elizabeth became queen, she restored Anglicanism and tried Catholics for treason, resulting in them being hanged and quartered (McIlvenna). Some Catholic communities continued to practice in secret, and tensions between the two sects remained. Within the text, Matthew is Catholic, while people like Mary are Anglican. When Mary grows upset with Matthew, she talks about how the difference between their two Gods puts them at odds with one another. This exemplifies contemporary tension between Catholics and Anglicans in England.

Meanwhile, England had a tenuous political allyship with Scotland, which was ruled by King James VI of Scotland. King James VI of Scotland was Elizabeth’s closest relative through their common ancestor, Henry VII. Since Elizabeth never married and had no heirs, James would become King James I of England upon Elizabeth’s death in 1603. Before James’s English kingship unified England and Scotland, they were two distinct kingdoms on the same, relatively small land mass, which sometimes led to jockeying of power between Elizabeth and James. Within the text, Matthew works as a spy for Elizabeth, and one of Matthew’s missions is to monitor the political situation in Scotland and manipulate it in ways that benefit England. This especially pertains to James VI’s persecution of witches. In 1590, James became convinced that witches represented a real threat to his livelihood after his ship was beset by a dangerous storm he thought was conjured by witches. He began the infamous North Berwick witch hunt, which unfolds throughout Shadow of Night.

This threat to witches is one of the reasons Matthew and Diana go to France. France was also embroiled in religious turmoil, as the French Wars of Religion unfolded between 1562 and 1598 between Catholic and Protestant factions. As of 1589, the Calvinist King Henry IV of Navarre ruled France in name, though parts of the country, including Paris, remained in Catholic control. Though Philippe practices ancient Greek religion, he supports the Catholic pope in the French civil wars.

Matthew and Diana’s pursuit of Ashmole 782 brings them to Prague in the Holy Roman Empire, which encompassed modern day Croatia, Austria, Hungary, Germany, and the Czech Republic. The manuscript’s journey throughout the European continent demonstrates how, though these countries were often embroiled in religious and political tension, there was still a robust exchange of ideas between them. Elizabeth’s court astronomer, John Dee, who is a minor character in the novel, traveled throughout the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) with Edward Kelley, another minor character, through the 1580s. In the novel, Kelley steals Ashmole 782 from Dee and brings it to the court of Rudolf II, where he tries to make the philosopher’s stone. HRE Rudolf II, a Catholic, was part of the famous Habsburg family. Just as Matthew tells Diana, Rudolf was a collector, enamored by the occult and unusual objects that he displayed in his infamous cabinet of curiosities. It displayed “small bronzes, works in cut stone, medallions and ivories, books and drawings, coins, scientific instruments and natural objects, as well as some paintings” (Wisse, Jacob. “Prague During the Rule of Rudolf II (1583-1612).” The MET, 2013).

The HRE had slightly more religious tolerance than England. In England, Jewish communities were forcibly expelled in 1290 under the reign of King Edward I. Though select Jewish communities continued to meet in secret, Jews were not officially permitted to live in England until more than 350 years later. In the HRE, under Rudolf II’s reign, “the Jewish Town thrived culturally and economically as Jews experienced more freedom in Czech society” (Burns, Tracy A. “The Maisel Synagogue in Prague’s Jewish Town.” Private Prague Guide). In the novel, Rabbi Loew is a major community leader and one of the smartest men in the city. Despite this, Prague’s Catholic officials demand that Jewish people identify themselves with a yellow circle embroidered on their chest. This common badge was called a “‘rota,’ circles of red or yellow felt in the front and back of their clothing” (“Jewish Badge: Origins.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). Though Prague, unlike England, allowed Jewish communities to gather, Loew teaches Diana that there is an important difference between acceptance and “tolerance,” and tolerance can—and will—be revoked.