Historical Note

February 1, 1534

Seventeen years have passed since an obscure German mon\ named Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door of a Wittenberg church. His denunciation of Catholic excess has spawned a new religion, which has spread across Europe, challenging the old order. Theology has spilled over into politics, with wars of territory fought in the name of Catholics or Reformers. François I, fing of France, is pivotal in the struggle for the soul of Europe but dallies in his religious commitment, more concerned with defeating his nemesis, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. England's Henry VIII, while capturing the popular imagination with his marital intrigues, is but a secondary player in the overall drama.

In science, new learning on all fronts threatens to overwhelm dogma. Traditional, Church-approved theories of geography, anatomy, medicine, chemistry, and especially astronomy are all under intense pressure from men who insist that human knowledge is separate from the Church.

Inevitably, science, politics, and religion will clash. The result will change the world.

Paris, 1534