1635: The Eastern Front
Encyclopedia
1635: The Eastern Front is a novel by Eric Flint
in the 1632 series. It is a sequel to 1635: The Tangled Web
and is directly continued by 1636: The Saxon Uprising
.
, has with the aid of the time-displaced citizens of Grantville, West Virginia, tipped the balance in the Thirty Years' War
and become emperor of much of Germany
, now reorganized as the United States of Europe. Having at least temporarily knocked Austria
and France
, the main enemies of the new state, out of the war, he is free to turn his attention to the rebellious states of Brandenburg
and Saxony
and pursue his dream of conquering Poland
. The former are duly reconquered and the latter invaded.
West Virginian Mike Stearns, former prime minister of the USE, is now a major general in command of the army's third division of the USE army, acquits himself well in the campaign, but atrocities committed by some of his men leads him to establish the Hangman Regiment to police his own forces, under the command of new-minted Colonel Jeff Higgins.
Meanwhile, on the home front, other sequences of events involve Mike's wife Rebecca Abrabanel and the Swedish royal family. French Huguenot
s attempt to assassinate Gustavus's daughter Princess Kristina in an attempt to provoke the wrath of the Swedes against the government of their Catholic-ruled country. The princess escapes, though her mother, the queen Maria Eleonora
, is murdered.
Gustavus's eastern war is stalled in the battle of Lake Bledno, in which he gains a strategic victory but receives a life-threatening wound. His hitherto-loyal chancellor Axel Oxenstierna
takes the opportunity to seize power in an attempt to reverse the democratizing influence of the West Virginians, endangering the USE at a critical juncture.
Eric Flint
Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :...
in the 1632 series. It is a sequel to 1635: The Tangled Web
1635: The Tangled Web
1635: The Tangled Web is a novel in the alternate history 1632 series, written by Virginia DeMarce.-Plot summary:The main setting takes place in Fulda in 1633 and follows in four interlinking stories which ties together near the end of the novel....
and is directly continued by 1636: The Saxon Uprising
1636: The Saxon Uprising
1636: The Saxon Uprising is a novel by Eric Flint in the 1632 series. It is a direct continuation of 1635: The Eastern Front.-Plot summary:...
.
Plot summary
Swedish king Gustavus AdolphusGustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
, has with the aid of the time-displaced citizens of Grantville, West Virginia, tipped the balance in the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
and become emperor of much of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, now reorganized as the United States of Europe. Having at least temporarily knocked Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the main enemies of the new state, out of the war, he is free to turn his attention to the rebellious states of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
and Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
and pursue his dream of conquering Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The former are duly reconquered and the latter invaded.
West Virginian Mike Stearns, former prime minister of the USE, is now a major general in command of the army's third division of the USE army, acquits himself well in the campaign, but atrocities committed by some of his men leads him to establish the Hangman Regiment to police his own forces, under the command of new-minted Colonel Jeff Higgins.
Meanwhile, on the home front, other sequences of events involve Mike's wife Rebecca Abrabanel and the Swedish royal family. French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s attempt to assassinate Gustavus's daughter Princess Kristina in an attempt to provoke the wrath of the Swedes against the government of their Catholic-ruled country. The princess escapes, though her mother, the queen Maria Eleonora
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg was a German princess and queen consort of Sweden.She was the daughter of John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, and Anna, Duchess of Prussia, daughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia....
, is murdered.
Gustavus's eastern war is stalled in the battle of Lake Bledno, in which he gains a strategic victory but receives a life-threatening wound. His hitherto-loyal chancellor Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre , Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of first Gustavus Adolphus and then Queen Christina.Oxenstierna...
takes the opportunity to seize power in an attempt to reverse the democratizing influence of the West Virginians, endangering the USE at a critical juncture.