Passion of the People – 1.1.8

Middle Ages Belief in the Power of Stars

In the medieval world, from about 500 to 1500, astronomy was a required field of study. Universities across Europe organized their courses and bookshelves around the seven liberal arts: grammar, rhetoric, logic, music, geometry, arithmetic, and astronomy. In the centuries of the migration of people, Central and Western Europe had largely lost contact with ancient Greco-Roman cultural knowledge. Only in the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire did ancient astronomical literature remain accessible and studied. In the Latin-speaking West, on the other hand, very little of this tradition was available until the 12th century.

From London to Baghdad and beyond, students of medicine, philosophy, and even theology carefully observed the astrological relationship between the 12 signs of the zodiac and one’s physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Indeed, peoples of many religions believed that the radiant Sun, full Moon, twinkling stars, and distant planets held great power over their lives, the seasons, and daily activities. Stargazing influenced everyday decisions in the Middle Ages.

The work of astronomers in the Middle Ages consisted mainly of the transmission, translation and improvement of ancient astronomical writings. Western European scholars adopted the astronomical theories of Ptolemy from the Arabs. Ptolemy had taught that the Earth was a sphere in the centre of the world and that the Sun and all the stars orbited it.

Islamic astronomers were the leaders in this field. The leading Islamic scientists were often also court astronomers or court mathematicians. The Arab achievements were mainly in the field of astrometry:

accurate observations of the sky – also for astrological purposes, although Islam disliked the attempted look into the future and did not permit astrology;
creation of star catalogues, naming of bright stars (still in use today);
further development of the astrolabe and precise measurement of the ecliptic slant.

The medieval scholars adopted from the Arabs the teaching that the planets influenced the fate of human beings through their position in the sky. They tried to predict the future from the position of the planets. This fortune-telling developed into an entire system that came to be called “astrology”. However, major innovations were largely absent at this time.

Tookit

Passion of the People

Previous page

Next page

Arabic Astrolabicum, beginning 13^th century

*Gregor Reisch: Margarita Philosophica, 1503. Allegory “Astronomia”*

Further Resources

Links below will redirect you to external websites. In accordance with the European data protection declarations, we would like to point out that by clicking on these links you may send data to external providers. We cannot prevent that.

Images

Chart showing signs of the zodiac and the solar system with the world at centre (Andreas Cellarius Harmonia Macrocosmica, 1660/61)