“Vir sapiens dominabitur astris”. Astrological knowledge and practices in the Portuguese medieval court (King João I to King Afonso V).

Resumen

Master's Thesis presented to the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of the University of Universidade Nova de Lisboa in 2011. Supervision by Professor Maria de Lurdes Rosa and Professor Doctor Kocku von Stuckrad.

This study addresses the practice of astrology and its cultural repercussions in the 14th and 15thcentury Portuguese court. It is based in the comparative study of three sets of sources: 1) the astrology books from the royal libraries, which reveal the dominant concepts of astrology; 2) the writings of kings João I and Duarte, and prince Pedro, as examples of the practical application of these concepts; 3) the royal chronicles of Fernão Lopes; Gomes Eanes de Zurara and Rui de Pina. The comparative study of the astrological references in these three sets of sources allows a better understanding of the role of astrology and its cultural repercussions in the Portuguese medieval court.