Michael A. Ryan. A Kingdom of Stargazers

Michael A. Ryan's book analyzes the interest in, and practice of, astrology among three kings of the late medieval Crown of Aragon, and its relationship with questions of authority and political power. Based on extensive research in Catalan archives, and a renewed reading of late medieval European prophetic and divinatory texts, this book blends cultural history and history of science to provide an original and convincing portrait of the relationship between political power and magic in the Crown of Aragon. The archival material for the medieval Crown of Aragon has an amazing richness, both in quality and quantity, and American researchers have taken advantage of this documentary wealth during the last decades. Nevertheless, their works have traditionally focused on political, social, and economic history rather than in cultural and intellectual aspects. Ryan offers a study from a truly original perspective. This is so because of his ability to explicate the available documentation on astrology and magic from an interdisciplinary approach.

Ancient history · Astrology · Early Modern Europe · MAGIC (telescope) · Middle Ages · Political science · Politics · Power (physics) · Classics · Diverse Historical and Scientific Studies · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · History of Science and Medicine · Law