How Royal Assassination Fears Led European Monarchs to Criminalize Astrology

During the post-medieval period in Europe, horoscopes were regarded as scientific facts but evolved into perilous instruments of politics. In 1581, Elizabeth I enacted a Statute declaring it treason to cast horoscopes predicting her death; her successors introduced similar regulations. James I focused on astrologers who forecasted the demise of royal family members. Horoscopes led to uprisings, prompted merchants to stockpile goods, and placed additional strain on peasants. Historical examples include Emperor Augustus, who prohibited death predictions in 11 CE, and Tiberius, who exploited horoscopes to rationalize murders. In Italy, astrologers influenced the economy through predictions of cardinal deaths. Pope Sixtus V’s Coeli et Terrae decree denounced judicial astrology as heretical. An astrologer forecasted Pope Urban VIII’s death in 1631, while Kepler’s findings and Louis XIV’s 1682 decree diminished astrology's scientific credibility.