by Jude Cowell
Have you ever consulted the Wikipedia page of Catherine de' Medici, Queen consort of King Henry II of France? Well, here's an interesting video concerning Catherine de' Medici, a 16th-century monarch sometimes labeled as, The Black Queen of France, and she's featured in a 2022 Starz presentation, The Serpent Queen.
Now as per historical record, Catherine married King Henry II of France and served as Queen from 1547 until 1559. Born April 13, 1519 in Florence, Italy, Catherine passed away on January 5, 1589, age 69, at the Chateau Royal de Blois, Loire-et-Cher, Centre, France (lithograph shown, below):
Chateau Royal de Blois: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles-Ca%C3%AFus_Renoux,_Chateau_de_Elois.jpg
Full discloure: geni dot com informs me that Catherine de Medici is my 9th cousin 15 times removed, but don't judge me--she could very well be your distant cousin, too--or closer! This connection, although distant, is the sort of discovery that inspires me to look at her natal chart and write about it, may she R.I.P.
Astro-Notes: Catherine de' Medici's Natal Chart Is AA-rated!
Happily, I find that there exists an accurate natal chart for the Queen consort of France which may be accessed at astro.com. Her chart reveals a rational Earth-Air combo of a Sun Taurus-Moon Libra personality blend along with a dynamic T-Square between her Mars-Saturn opposition of aggression and resentment pointing its energies toward her Moon-Jupiter conjunction. Here are a few astro-notes concerning the natal planetary placements of Catherine de' Medici as I see them; you may, of course, disagree as you wish:
Sun Taurus-Moon Libra is a charming, harmonious blend of conscious (Sun) and unconscious (Moon) energies with a strong aesthetic sense, and suggesting vibes of an "incurable romantic" as well. Bringing genuine concern to all social gatherings, Queen Catherine may have been quite a flirt! Having a knack for diplomacy, she impressed others with the practicality (Taurus) of her views and opinions through the "sheer force of her personality," partially due to the fact that Taurus is a fixed sign of rigidity and stubbornness; meanwhile, Venus-ruled Libra is the sign of diplomacy and balance, but also of war being opposite Mars-ruled Aries.
(For more details, see The Harvey's Sun Sign-Moon Sign #ad).
So as you see, the gentler indications within her personality blend are in direct opposition to critiques of the much-maligned Catherine de' Medici who's been labeled through the years as poisonous, venomous, malevolent, and vicious. Well, she did act with desperation and intrigue in order to hold on to power when events seemed to call for it, and undoubtedly she had been 'schooled' by the venomous personalities within her dog-eat-dog environment. Now who do we know who's ever done such a thing, or attempted to? Because unsurprisingly, those who attain power tend to become determined to hold on to it, especially those harboring malevolent or sinister motives (except for President George Washington!). Certainly, the world is experiencing current-day examples of such desperate, violent behavior, as autocratic despots and dictators grab, or try to hold on to, the reins of power. And naturally, high finances are involved.
A Famous Portrait of Queen Catherine de' Medici:
Workshop of François Clouet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Her Complexity of Character!
So it seems to me, centuries after the fact and with her natal planets before me, that Catherine's capacity to act in such a vicious manner must involve her T-Square since the Mars-Saturn pairing relates to the death axis (R. Ebertin) of fury, rage, destructive urges, and "the intervention of a higher power" (R.E.). Plus, we expect a Mars-Saturn opposition to provide an individual with potentials for poor timing, rashness, and obstacles in their paths as they attempt to achieve their ambitions. Well, there we go. And these difficult energies are aimed at her rather pleasant, happy-go-lucky Moon-Jupiter Conjunction which, on the negative side, can denote one who tends to overdo or overreact even while providing an abundance of contacts with people from around the world, plus, many travel opportunities.
Then with Catherine's complex Mars and Saturn squaring Moon and Jupiter, potentials for restlessness and going overboard emotionally are indicated, plus, she may have taken offence at the slightest provocation along with a measure of selfishness and what we today would call, nitpicking. Then with a square from karmic Saturn, frigid feelings and a tendency to brood may also have been in evidence. Obviously, difficult childhood issues such as feeling unloved must have affected her into adulthood thanks to her parents.
Well, there's my brief astro-profile of Queen Catherine de' Medici, so let's close this post with two quotes from a historical figure closer to our time, a man who shares the Sun Taurus-Moon Libra personality blend, philosopher Bertrand Russell who was fortunate enough to be born with a Mars-Saturn trine, the aspect of The Master Builder (A. Oken):
"Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure that happiness is no longer a possibility. Yet when I talk to my gardener, I'm convinced of the opposite." And, more famously--
"What is matter, never mind; what is mind, no matter."
A note to all dear readers: if you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share for it's very encouraging! jc
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