At around noon on 15th January 1559, and upon the advice of the most prominent astrologer of the times, John Dee, the 25 year-old Princess Elizabeth Tudor was crowned Queen of England amid much colour, pomp and splendour at Westminster Abbey. The cost of the ceremony, excluding the banquet, has been estimated at around £3.5 million in today's money. Quite an occasion!

In Tudor England, astrology was considered an important component in regulating the affairs of state. Astrology of this kind when practised at its higher levels (not today's newspaper or magazine horoscopes) uses the moment of birth as a point of departure for assessing the quality and character of an individual life. The date and time of Elizabeth's coronation was carefully chosen as the 'birth' of the Elizabethan Age. The astrologer charged with the responsibility of timing this event was John Dee. These pages provide a summary of  attitudes to magic and the occult at the time of Elizabeth - along with information concerning the very special relationship that existed between Elizabeth I of England and her astrologer.

New! A remarkable Story about Elizabeth and her Astrologer

External Links of Interest:

Historical Fiction - exciting new titles
The Elizabeth Files

The Astrologer's Chart

A Brief Biography of John Dee

The Arrow Chest - the story of Anne Boleyn in Victorian Gothic