The momentous rift between England’s King Henry V111 and Rome in 1534 is an integral part of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, first televised a decade ago and now dramatising a much praised follow up – Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Focusing on his adviser Thomas Cromwell, a Putney blacksmith’s boy risen to high office, closely involved in the break with the Vatican, the latest BBC offering covers the final stages of Cromwell’s life before his execution.
Henry’s decision stemmed in part from his desire to be Supreme Head of the Church of England, with the power and revenues that would bring and remove external allegiance; partly the influence of the reformers at court, including Cromwell and Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer (a Sun Cancer opposition Uranus Saturn). But the principle reason was the crisis over the succession to the throne with his then wife the Spanish Katherine of Aragon having only produced one son who died young. Declaring his marriage had never taken place, freed him to marry Anne Boleyn.
Henry V111, born 28 June 1491 JC 8.45 am London, was a Sun Cancer with an Aries Moon. With an over-hopeful and reckless Jupiter in Gemini opposition Neptune square Mars in Virgo; and an intensely stubborn Mercury opposition Saturn square Pluto.
When the split came in 1534 he was on a Saturn Half Return and more crucially a Uranus half return marking his midlife crisis. His Progressed Mars was square his natal Uranus and transiting Uranus. And his Solar Arc Mars was square his Saturn and his Mercury with tr Saturn square his SA Mars as well. A high-stakes moment with tempers rising sharply.
That was also reflected in the England 11 May 973 JC chart with the Solar Arc Uranus conjunct the Mars and square the Pluto for an explosive and epoch-making parting of the ways.
What is intriguing is that the late Hilary Mantel, twice a Booker winner, born 6 July 1952, has her Sun in Cancer exactly at the same degree as Henry V111, though in her case it is conjunct a freethinking, unconventional Uranus and a charming Venus. Her Mercury in Leo is also close to Henry’s Mercury in Leo with her Mars in Scorpio square. Her (maybe) Sagittarius Moon may be conjunct Henry’s Neptune and hooking into his Mutable T square. Small wonders she was drawn to write so movingly about his court.
There is no birthdate for Thomas Cromwell, sadly, apart from 1485. Though sticking a finger in the middle of 1485 would give him a Jupiter in Sagittarius conjunct Henry’s North Node which could have been a support to Henry’s spiritual path. And Cromwell’s Uranus in Sagittarius square his North/South Node axis would rattle up Henry’s impulsive Mutable T square – Cromwell’s reforming instincts propelled Henry into action.
Actor Damien Lewis, a serious Sun Aquarius square Saturn with a Virgo Moon plays Henry in this adaptation, not an intuitive casting at first glance but he pulls it off. Lewis’s Jupiter Neptune in Sagittarius is conjunct henry’s North Node and his Mercury in Aquarius keys into Henry’s Saturn opposition Mercury Pluto T square – enough connections to key into the spirit of Henry.
Mark Rylance, 18 January 1960, who plays Cromwell, a Sun Capricorn with a Virgo Moon, has his North Node conjunct Cromwell’s South Node and his Jupiter in Sagittarius conjunct Cromwell’s Uranus. A link across the centuries.
The post Henry V111 – leaving his mark on history first appeared on Astroinform with Marjorie Orr – Star4cast.
