Astrology as a Political Ideology in the Reagan Administration Holy Roman Empire. Oct 2, 4pm

Posted on | September 24, 2009 | Comments Off

On Oct 2, Darin Hayton, history of science prof at Haverford College, will be presenting a symposium at the Ewell Sale Library of the Academy of Natural Sciences about astrology as a political ideology. It is part of a colloquium series held by the Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science, and is not, I’m afraid, about Nancy Reagan using astrology for input on her husband’s travel schedule*.

It is, in fact, about the use of astrology as a political tool by Maximilian I of the Holy Roman Empire**.

Abstract: Emperor Maximilian I was a master of propaganda and self-aggrandizement. From the earliest years of his reign until his death he consistently shaped and reshaped his image. This essay argues that astrology was central to the emperor’s efforts to fashion the ideal, “modern” prince. Throughout his autobiographical works, Maximilian drew on astrology in a variety of roles–to narrate his birth and to reveal key aspects of his personality and reign, to emphasize his efforts to master the art of stargazing, and to display his importance by successfully attracting the most skilled astrologers to his court. Maximilian crafted his memorial in both words and images, which were at once idealized monuments shaping how contemporaries viewed him and normative portraits offering a model for his Habsburg successors. For Maximilian, the ideal prince exploited the science of astrology in all facets of politics through personal knowledge and expertise and through privileged access to the best astrologers and the most credible sources of knowledge.

You’ll need to RSVP here to attend the symposium and dinner. You can also download the paper at the link.

*To be fair, Mrs. Clinton consulted a New Age mystic to get in touch with Eleanor Roosevelt, and Mrs. H. W. Bush once tried to summon Cthulhu.

** It was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire. Discuss.

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