The Devils

The Devils draws from the political, religious, and social structures of medieval Europe. While not set in our world, the novel functions as a dark, distorted mirror of the Middle Ages, incorporating elements of church schisms, mercenary warfare, religious fanaticism, and widespread social unrest. Abercrombie uses the trappings of fantasy not to escape history but to explore its patterns in a fantasy setting.

One of the most direct historical parallels is the novel’s Church. While the Savior and saints are fictional, and this religious structure features a female-led clergy, it is still based on the real Catholic Church of the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. The rituals, hierarchies, and elaborate ceremonies described in the novel also draw heavily from Catholic liturgical practice, albeit twisted to emphasize hollowness and hypocrisy. Real-life figures like the Borgias, who enriched themselves through simony and utilized the papacy to exert secular power, serve as historical antecedents to the political clergy in Abercrombie’s story.

The novel also features the Eastern and Western churches, creating another historical parallel. In the real world, the Roman Empire formally split in 395 CE after the death of Emperor Theodosius I. The two regions gradually developed different political systems, cultures, and religious traditions.