I love historical costume films. Especially about kings, their reigns, and their lives. The series “The Tudors” immediately caught my attention.
After watching, of course, I wanted to look at the chart of such a bright personality.
For some reason, I couldn’t find a similar chart on the internet, to my surprise. However, the biography and dates are quite clearly stated. So, let’s begin.
Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491, in Greenwich, England. He inherited the throne from his elder brother Arthur. Their father was the first of the Tudors to ascend to the throne. As always, power attracts many who consider themselves more worthy. Undoubtedly, the young eighteen-year-old king was surrounded by envious people, especially in the early years of his reign. The king’s life has been recreated in many literary works and films. What made his figure so captivating?
The king was known for his marriages. He changed six wives. And one can only guess about his love affairs.
Henry wanted a son, but as with his wives, luck was not on his side. In films, he is portrayed as a hot-tempered man who, in fits of anger or offense, knew no mercy.
During his reign, 77,000 people were executed, including commoners, close associates, friends, and even his wives. Justice was unattainable. People were tortured until they confessed to whatever truth the king wanted to hear. Henry’s thirst for power knew no bounds. And his religious views remained very vague. He decided to become the head of the English Church simply to divorce a wife who displeased him. However, he could not choose a clear direction for the spiritual course of the country, which only worsened the people’s attitude toward him by the end of his reign.
The first portrait, painted by Holbein and approved by the king, showed a sick, unhappy man.
Henry’s chart somehow disappointed me. I expected a sharper, more tense chart with strong, harsh aspects. His horoscope is generally quite good. Though it’s such a mess that it’s hard to tell whether historians exaggerated or the date is incorrect. But let’s trust the historical data and assume the chart reflects the real personality. We’ll have to refine it. First of all, we need to refine the birth time. Determining the Ascendant is very difficult. Portraits from that time often distorted the truth. After adjusting the chart, I settled on 10:50 AM. This seems acceptable to me. Such a high-ranking state figure should emphasize the upper social hemisphere. The Sun in the 10th house is more than sufficient. It forms an excellent trine to Pluto in the 2nd house. The king derived wealth from his power. This was direct profit from his high status. Moreover, Pluto with the Sun is an aspect of vitality. In those distant times, child mortality was very high. Boys, in general, had a harder time adapting to the world. So this aspect gave Henry not only the chance to be born and grow but also to avoid severe consequences of many injuries and illnesses. I’ll leave Mars near the cusp of the 1st house. Henry did not postpone his affairs. He was quite active as a man, making sharp, cardinal decisions. Mars in the 12th house, especially in an earth sign, would not be so obvious. In the 1st house, it gives Arian traits. And the trine to Uranus gave Henry that impulsiveness, hot temper. Moreover, as one can judge from the film, the king enjoyed provoking himself and was fond of active leisure. The emphasized eastern part of the chart corresponds to the fact that Henry acted more according to his inner voice, his desires, or beliefs. He was in no hurry to do what was considered correct or pleasing to others. He was quite distant from other opinions.
As for his house. Sagittarius, ruling this house, often indicates a wealthy household or a family of high status. Moreover, the ruler of Sagittarius itself occupies the highest position, near the cusp of the 10th house. It’s hard to hide one’s personal life from prying eyes with such a position. Everything most precious and valuable will belong to the public. Neptune is located in the house of family and home, in rather tense aspects. In childhood, Henry witnessed some terrible injustice, lies, or outright godless behavior under the constant talk of faith and God. Such a tense Neptune did not allow him to find peace, tranquility, or spiritual grace. But the trine to Chiron gave him the opportunity to find it through marriage with a partner. He himself noticeably changed after the wedding. Even the faith of some of his wives strongly influenced the course of the church reforms Henry initiated in his kingdom. For example, after the death of his beloved Jane, everyone noted the king’s return to Catholicism. His last wife, Catherine, on the contrary, inclined the king toward the Protestant faith. Some historians claim that the king inherited a positive Kell antigen. This is not the Rh factor but a more subtle gene that also affects blood. It was this Kell antigen that became the cause of the king’s problems with childbirth. This gene was supposedly passed down by the king’s great-grandmother on his mother’s side, Jacquetta of Luxembourg. Difficulties with offspring were observed in her male descendants, while women did not experience such problems. All of this also corresponds to the tense Neptune in the 4th house. After all, Neptune governs genes, our lineage, and inheritance. And the 4th house directly relates to the lineage, the mother’s gene pool.
The “Sail” configuration in the king’s horoscope deserves attention. Closed figures always endow a person with unique traits. The basis of the “Sail” consists of personal planets: Mercury in Cancer, which serves more personal needs, Venus in its dignity, in Taurus and in the 8th house, which skillfully allows one to desire women, love, and money—things that are essentially someone else’s. And Mars in the sign of Virgo. The latter, though not honorable, rightfully bears the title of “King of Aspects.” It interacts with many planets in the king’s chart, is close to the birth point, and characterizes Henry as a very practical, very active man who wants to do everything as best as possible, to do it correctly and meticulously. But every “Sail” has a peak. At the peak of this “Sail” is Uranus, which falls into the 5th house of the horoscope—the house of love, passions, and children. I think Henry was prone to intense romantic experiences. One could even call it a need. The harmonious aspect to Mars shows his tendency toward extremes, and the good aspect to Venus may indicate unusual ways of satisfying his desires. I wouldn’t call it perversion, but the urge to romanticize love, the attraction to forbidden and unattainable love, was definitely present. He could seek strong sensations in love and his passions. History proves this. If Anne Boleyn had been more compliant and submissive, she would have saved her life. And Henry would not have divorced his lawful wife. But Anne’s demands, as well as her family’s, were too high. She managed to find the right point, to stoke the king’s interest in herself—so to speak, to whet his appetite. At the stage of infatuation, this is easy to do. But in everyday life, especially in marriage, it’s difficult for such a man to remain an unclaimed prize for long. Beauty alone was clearly not enough; inventiveness in sex, intelligence, and feminine ability to manipulate were also required.
A strong Uranus in the horoscope, even in harmonious aspects, is difficult. One can cope with it only by using it correctly. It seems to me that with such Uranus, Henry could have become an excellent actor. The opportunity to experience a storm of emotions and feelings through acting would have been very beneficial for such a person. Ah, how unfortunate that at that time there was no possibility to engage in air sports, to participate in races, or to use the internet. But Henry compensated for this with hunting, since shooting aligns with the aspects of Mars and Uranus, as well as with knightly tournaments, in which he actively participated in his youth, and the acting talent of the king was noted by Queen Catherine of Aragon herself. Henry knew how to wear a mask and play the necessary roles. Such Uranus may indicate an unconventional number of children. In total, Henry’s wives expected children from him about 13 times. He eagerly awaited all his children and regarded their birth as a miracle. After all, Uranus is a miracle. He generously bestowed titles and other privileges upon his illegitimate children. One could say this was an expression of care and generosity, especially toward sons. Only three of his sons survived, and they each wore the crown of England in turn. If not for Henry’s high status and his mad desire to have an heir, he might have been able to establish good, friendly relationships with his children, as such Uranus allows for psychological alignment with a child. Unfortunately, the energy of this planet was directed elsewhere, and in the memories of his children, especially the daughters, Henry left a difficult legacy. The theme of children in the king’s horoscope is also highlighted by Saturn. This planet is in a tense state. I believe this planet caused Henry significant problems with procreation. Saturn in the 5th house alone often results in one late child, as a rule. And in a debilitated state, it can even deprive a person of parenthood altogether. Perhaps only a well-aspected Uranus, which holds a stronger position, provided the exception to the rule.
13 children is not a lot by the standards of those times, but with such an afflicted Saturn, it is truly a miracle. Moreover, such Saturn not only makes it impossible to follow rules, take responsibility, and causes problems with growing up, but also health issues. Primarily, the musculoskeletal system, bones, and teeth suffer. Henry’s illnesses worsened after the age of 40. By old age, he had gained significant weight, and his legs, covered in ulcers, made normal movement impossible. Historians claim that the ulcers on his legs were a consequence of a disease caused by the same positive Kell antigen. In other words, the cause was poor heredity and blood issues. An afflicted Saturn can disrupt not only the human skeleton as a structure but also the structure of blood cells, among other things. Of course, ulcers are also related to the Moon, as blood, and together with Mars, it can cause serious inflammatory processes. In Henry’s horoscope, there is an aspect between the Moon and Mars. A non-harmonious aspect between the Moon and Venus can negatively affect the epithelial layer of the skin. But in any case, our illnesses are merely a reflection of our actions in life. Perhaps, in a philosophical sense, the ulcers were the illness’s way of trying to stop Henry from continuing on the wrong path. Especially striking is the effect on the legs—the desire of the illness to halt a person. If we consider the Moon as the main cause of his illnesses, it turns out that the mutable house concealed the true cause of the disease from doctors. With mutable houses, illnesses are generally difficult to diagnose. And the Moon in the 3rd house primarily indicates neuroses. And, naturally, problems with wives. The quintile between the Moon and Mars gave Henry the ability to experiment with his soul and his wives. These experiments were not always successful, but thanks to the creative nature of the aspect, they did not cause him great harm, though secretly they did their dark work. And the ascending Lunar Node shows that the processing of this planet was the person’s karmic task. His wife was meant to be his teacher—a wise, educated, well-read, and pious woman. She was to instill in him the laws of morality, rules, and norms. She was not just to be his wife but, above all, his sister. A teacher who, like a child, would tell him stories of goodness, mercy, and tenderness. But he could not count on his wife’s love as a woman. The first and last wife of Henry had the chance to come close to this ideal. In his first marriage, Henry was too young, and Catherine of Aragon was quite educated and tolerant. As a result, this marriage lasted a long time and was happy in its early years. In his last marriage, the king was already old and exhausted by illness. Having a wife nearby as his closest friend suited him perfectly. We can also note Anne of Cleves, Henry’s fourth wife, whose marriage was short-lived. She did not arouse desire in Henry, but later became a good friend and a welcome guest to him. The sign of Jupiter amplifies the characteristics of the Moon. This could be either a wise wife or your inner convictions about honor, duty, and justice. Unfortunately, the king tried in every way to rid himself of both. After all, could a king allow a woman to have her own opinion? Could he listen to the quiet and weak voice of his heart when he bore such responsibility and was surrounded by people who were far from honest and loyal? Overall, Henry’s horoscope is very eloquent. The motives behind many of his actions become clear. Like most of us, the king hoped for positive aspects in his chart, trying not to notice the obvious problems that ultimately poisoned his life. He tried to prove to himself and others his significance, greatness, and power. He suffered from an afflicted ego, vulnerability. Everything seemed to be, but nothing was. His Sun in the 10th house inclined him toward a desire to create his own clan, toward family values. Perhaps he wished for this with all his heart, took steps toward it, though not always the right ones, made decisions, though not always well-considered. He wanted to fulfill the main function of any Cancer: to find a strong rear, a home, and a family. But in the fate of a person, especially the ruler of an entire kingdom, things cannot be so simple. Care for the people, as for his own brothers and sisters… The people and the country were to become his home, his children, his family. This idea was fully embodied by his daughter Elizabeth I, who ruled England for 44 years. She said that she did not become a mother to her children but was a mother to her subjects. As often happens with people with a weak Saturn but strong Pluto, their permissiveness, impunity, and ability to dominate others give them the illusion of their chosen and unique status. Not everyone uses their power to help others. Henry called a friend to his side, despite his grave condition, asked him to kneel, and placing his hands on him, ordered him to be healed. Perhaps this was driven by his unwillingness to experience such a loss, but it was very much in the spirit of aspects with Pluto. “You are not God, you are merely a creation of God” (c) a good prayer for such people. Perhaps such strong personalities, with a strong Uranus, are guided to overthrow the old regime, to bring about new reforms. After all, Henry was not afraid to defy the rules, breaking away from the Pope and becoming the head of the English Church, even if it was for personal gain. But a new regime requires new rules, just like any Uranus in a harmonious aspect with Saturn. Henry’s Uranus is striking, while his Saturn is pitiful. He destroyed, but he could not consolidate his reforms. Because he himself lacked a firm core within. All of this led to internecine strife and religious disagreements. Only Elizabeth I’s reign, thanks to her gentle and sensitive leadership, allowed the country to avoid internal war and contributed to England’s flourishing. The portrait of the king, reworked by Holbein the Younger, inspired him much more.
In the previous photograph, the king’s portrait had been done first. In it, Henry saw a sick, exhausted man. His ego was wounded. The portrait was ordered to be redone. Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess.
She was married to Henry’s brother Arthur. But after her brother’s death, Henry married her, as this marriage was advantageous for many reasons. Catherine was pregnant about five times. Only one boy survived briefly. The only healthy, viable child was their last daughter, Princess Mary. Catherine died of a severe illness, forgotten and separated from her daughter. She never accepted the king’s law above God’s. Her horoscope is worth examining. It is a very interesting spectacle. Catherine was born on December 17, 1485, near Madrid. Without burdening yourself with rectification, you can work excellently with her karmic chart, which clearly shows important events in the queen’s life. At the time of her birth, a planetary parade was taking place in the sky. As many as eight planets were concentrated in the sign of Sagittarius. The enormous predominance of the fire element speaks of an active, fiery character, purposefulness. One planet clings to another, and the characteristics become tangled. It is impossible to separate and order them. It is a compressed, concentrated bundle of energy. This is the horoscope of an active, energetic woman who is frugal in her desires (Venus in Capricorn), but excels at organizing work and interacting with a partner. For her, words about duty and subordination matter. A fiery person will carry herself through life with great dignity. This was noted by the courtiers in the queen. But the anger of such people can be global. And suppressing this anger is much more dangerous than expressing it. A fiery person can perish under the weight of their own fury. In the early years of her marriage, Catherine was a close figure to Henry, serving as the Spanish regent at the English court. In 1513, Catherine achieved victory in a battle against the Scottish king James IV. But her main goal remained the birth of an heir to the English crown. Out of Catherine’s six pregnancies, only one daughter, Princess Mary, survived.In her horoscope there are no indications of an easy pregnancy or successful childbirth. Venus, as the planet of conception, is stressed. The Moon, as the planet of motherhood, is influenced by Uranus. This is always a threat to pregnancy, an unstable emotional state. Perhaps Catherine was too fixated on the desire to please, on her duty as queen, and expended much energy to protect her honor and dignity. Increased fire in the horoscope can lead to burnout. Too rapid and intense processes in the body of such a person. This can also cause inflammation of various organs, including the female ones. She was in too much of a hurry. Although both Venus and the Moon are aspected by Pluto, who also actively manifests as the highest will in matters of birth and death, the possible placement of Pluto in the house of illnesses, losses, in the karmic chart, influenced the large number of the queen’s losses.
Later, Henry began to distance himself from his wife; her influence waned. The marital process became a real trial for Catherine. She devoted herself heart and soul to her husband but could not accept the conditions imposed upon them. Due to her stubbornness and pride, she was separated from her only daughter for a long time, right up until her death. Perhaps she was poisoned, but judging by her horoscope, death through her own illnesses, through inaction, through resentment, is also quite real. Their karmic synastry with the king is not striking. A marriage of convenience, nothing more. Although the harmonious aspect between Henry’s Mars and Catherine’s Venus allowed for sexual attraction between them.
His second wife, Anne Boleyn. Crowned Queen of England. She was not distinguished by gentleness or tolerance but was overly ambitious. Because of this woman, the king was excommunicated from the church. He declared himself the head of the English Church, dissolved his marriage to his lawful wife, and married for the second time. This marriage was passionate but did not bring the queen the desired son. Only a healthy, viable girl, Elizabeth, the future Queen of England, was born. Having lost the king’s favor, Anne was beheaded by his order. Her date of birth is unknown. What a shame… A week after the execution of his second wife, Henry married for the third time. His choice fell on Jane Seymour.
Jane was distinguished by kindness and obedience. Her desire was to help women who were so powerless, weak, and dependent in that era. She died from childbed fever, giving the king the long-awaited son, the future King Edward. Her date of birth is also unknown. Anne of Cleves was Henry’s fourth wife and perhaps the happiest, since she simply did not appeal to Henry. Their marriage was advantageous for political reasons, but the queen’s beauty was also not the least of her attributes. The artist who sent Anne’s portrait to Henry slightly embellished the bride, and when she arrived in England, it was too late to back out. Henry married her and lived with her for six months. Then he found a way to divorce her as well. For her modesty and obedience, Anne was offered the title of the king’s sister. She remained in England, received a decent allowance, and outlived not only the king but all his future wives.
The king married for the fifth time to the young girl Catherine Howard. The girl was young, frivolous, and cheerful. She was interested in clothes and dancing. Due to her youth and trustfulness, she suffered greatly. She lost her head by the king’s order for adultery. The king’s last wife was Catherine Parr, who had been widowed twice before. Catherine was an intelligent, mature woman who took good care of Henry. Her flaw was her Protestant faith, for which she too faced the threat of execution. But she managed to deflect suspicion and save her life. After mourning her husband, Catherine married for the fourth time, out of love. But this marriage also turned out to be unhappy for her.
Mary, daughter of Henry and Catherine of Aragon. At the age of 37, she received the crown of England. With passion, she sought to return England to the Catholic faith, and during her short reign, she burned so many Protestants that she earned the nickname “Bloody Mary.”
Edward, son of Henry and Jane. The king feared greatly for the life of his only son. He was a golden child. He ascended the throne at the age of nine after his father’s death. But he reigned for a short time and died very young, from tuberculosis.
Elizabeth I, daughter of King Henry and his second wife Anne Boleyn. She ruled for 44 years, and during her reign, England entered an era of dawn. The queen always denied any connections with men and insisted on her innocence. Such is the analysis of the horoscope that emerged; there is much to say—let’s discuss!
