Tomislav Matić (Zagreb): Fateful Heavens. Horoscopes, Politics and Learning in the Late Middle Ages

Moderation: Meta Niederkorn

Präsenzveranstaltung

Abstract:

Political decisions, as rational as they might seem, were often made based on inaccurate or imaginary information. Astrology was, in the Late Middle Ages, a curious case of a discipline which possessed all trappings of science, but was based on entirely fictitious foundations. Still, many politicians took advice from astrologers, and even those who despised horoscopes consulted them nonetheless. This presentation will consider the case of Late Medieval astrological predictions which carried political weight. These are, for example, horoscopes for entire political entities or geographical regions, which often contain information about the current political climate. Many of the foremost astronomers of the era were renowned for the horoscopes they would regularly cast, and it rulers were eager to have access to their services. This presentation will focus on the sources we have regarding this practice, which include manuscripts and, in later periods, printed editions of calendars, almanacs and similar texts. These circulated widely and significantly influenced the public opinion. We will consider them in the context of the political climate in which they were made, with a focus on the purposes which their authors and their addressees intended to achieve.

Zum Vortragenden:

Tomislav Matić obtained his doctoral degree in Medieval history from the University of Zagreb. He is employed as a research associate at the Croatian Institute of History. His work was supported by several institutions, including the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Fulbright Program and the Hungarian State Balassi Institute. He was engaged with the University of Oxford, the University of Vienna and the University of California (Los Angeles).

Rückfragen: martina.fuchs@univie.ac.at