The Horoscope of the 'Sun King' Louis XIV
by Liz Hargreaves
Beyond the historical clichés of this obscenely ostentatious monarch (brought to vivid life in the recent TV series Versailles), what does the birth chart tell us of this seemingly unlikely Virgo who demanded order, ritual and self-serving extravagance?
The compelling Canal+/BBC2 historical drama
Versailles – a “rip-roaring period romp” according
to one critic – transports viewers to the 17th century opulent and
decadent court of Louis XIV, the absolutist ‘Sun King’
(le Roi-Soleil) who ruled France for 72 years and 110 days. In
history he is notorious for countless love affairs, his fabulous Palace
of Versailles, staggering extravagance and costly foreign wars.
But was the ‘real’ Louis different from these clichés? I looked for clues in his natal chart and uncovered more in biographies and court memoirs. Here, I tell his story supported by detail from his nativity, transits and progressions.
He was born at 11:13am on Sunday (only the “Sun’s Day” would do), 5 September 1638 (Gregorian date), at Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, about 16 miles from Paris. His parents, Anne of Austria and King Louis XIII, had given up hope of an heir after over twenty years of marriage. Their baby was seen as a supreme gift from God (Louis’ Jupiter is sextile MC; Leo Moon conjoins Venus in 9th). In gratitude, they named their son Louis Dieudonné (‘God-given’).
Louis’s natal chart has two fixed t-squares, a
grand trine, a yod and a rosetta, all linked together by the lord of
control, Saturn, and the lord of suspicion, Pluto (chart ruler and lead
planet), in a powerful trine magnified by Scorpio Jupiter at the apex of
both t-squares to Saturn.
In every place, Saturn and Pluto are lurking and influencing his every move.
Order, rituals and routines
Louis had an obsessive need for order. His life was dominated by the compulsive following of rituals and routines (Mars square Virgo Mercury in grand trine with Saturn-Pluto). He introduced many elaborate and complex systems of court etiquette to be carried out with clockwork precision; and his days were highly structured (e.g. Sun and strong Mercury in Virgo in Capricorn-associated 10th).
In his words he could be cutting, sometimes cruel, and he demanded extraordinary effort from everyone. Capable of alarming severity, he must have been extremely intense to be with (e.g. Scorpio rising; Mercury square Mars and in grand trine with powerful Saturn and Pluto; Saturn opposite Moon-Venus square Jupiter at apex of fixed t-square; and Moon square Jupiter).
We know Louis was inconstant and may have lived on his ‘nerves’ (final dispositor Mercury is harassed by a square from 2nd-house Sagittarius Mars; Sun=Moon/Uranus). He may have deeply feared a reversal in fortune (chart ruler and lead planet Pluto square Midheaven in tight aspect) and perhaps he tended to over-dramatise his feelings (Leo Moon in 9th square Jupiter at apex of two fixed t-squares).
Despite the grandeur of his image (“L’etat, c’est moi”), he experienced despondency; and the expression “It’s lonely at the top” is applicable to him (Sun in 10th; Leo Moon opposes Saturn). He may often have been absorbed in his problems and fluctuated between positive and negative thinking (Moon opposite Saturn).
An idealist at heart (Moon conjunct Venus in 9th), he could be easily discouraged and was prone to deep emotional upset (Moon opposite Saturn; Neptune angular in 1st; Scorpio Jupiter in 12th square Moon-Venus: all in t-squares with powerful Saturn). Loss of temper will have been common (Moon square Jupiter; Mars=Uranus/Midheaven).
Louis used portraiture to re-enforce his majesty on the court and
nation (Jupiter in rosetta sextile Midheaven; Sun and Mercury in 10th)
and he was painted frequently (e.g. Leo Moon conjunct Venus; Jupiter in
12th sextile Midheaven). His most famous and baroque portrait is by
Hyacinthe Rigaud (his Sun and Moon trine Louis’ Neptune angular in
1st), Louis’s favourite artist.
Louis ostentatiously displayed his wealth and power both to his subjects and with an eye on posterity (Leo Venus sextile Pluto in the yod with focal point 2nd-house Capricorn North Node – conjunct Sagittarius Mars). This yod also gave him the drive to build something extraordinary and against all odds, manifesting in the obscenely magnificent Palace of Versailles, a monument to the Sun King, a personal obsession (Sun=Mars/Pluto).
The grand trine formed by Virgo Mercury, 3rd-house Aquarius Saturn and Gemini Pluto, suggests an ability to reason well, a sharp intellect and deep thinker. Louis enjoyed debating the new philosophies and breakthroughs in physics (Sir Isaac Newton was a contemporary). He avidly studied world history and loved classical art which adorned the ceilings of Versailles (Leo Moon conjunct Venus in 9th with Cancer on the cusp).
He wasn’t such a fan of astrology though, and banned its practice at court after an astrologer (later found to be a fake) predicted his death (incorrectly as it turned out).
Louis’ armour confirms his height at just 5ft 5 ins. His high heels and huge wigs made him look taller – though few would have been fooled (2nd-house Sagittarius Mars trine Midheaven, but deceptive, sometimes deluded, Neptune angular in 1st). Perhaps this get-up was a cover for deep insecurities (Saturn opposite Moon-Venus in t-squares with 12th-house Jupiter at apex).
Only the best for Louis
Known today as the “King of Couture”, Louis wore magnificently expensive, elaborate and dramatic outfits (Leo Moon-Venus square Jupiter). To feed his taste for statement pieces and opulence, he established furniture, textile, clothing and jewellery workshops which triggered the Paris fashion industry (Saturn opposite Leo Moon-Venus).
He excelled as a ballet dancer (mutable Mercury in Virgo for flexibility, balance and precision square 2nd-house Sagittarius Mars, giving energy and endurance). Around age 12, he took the principal (and portentous) role of Apollo, the Sun god.
He surrounded himself with the best creatives of the day (Jupiter sextile Midheaven in rosetta; Neptune angular in 1st; Leo Moon-Venus conjunct). Court playwright Molière, composer and ballet master Lully, and dramatist Racine, staged his favourite satirical comedies (Sagittarius Mars square Mercury in grand trine with 3rd-house Saturn and Gemini Pluto), ballets and operas (again, Moon-Venus conjunct). After a performance, Louis would host elaborate firework displays (Sagittarius Mars trine Midheaven; Leo is strong).
He readily gambled (e.g. Sagittarius Mars in 2nd, Aries on 5th), delighting in the complex card game reversi which required an inscrutable expression (exalted Mercury trine chart-dominating Pluto in Gemini; Scorpio Ascendant). And he often amused himself by moving around the court in disguise.
Louis took pride in attracting women who greatly appreciated his courtly grace and charm (Moon-Venus conjunct). But the image of a healthy and virile king that he sought to project may not always have lived up to expectations (e.g. weak Sun in 10th sextile Neptune angular in 1st). Court doctors recorded many persistent and unpleasant ailments including abscesses, boils, gout, hot flushes and violent headaches (e.g. 2nd-house Mars in fire sign and Aries on 6th; Mars=Saturn/Neptune).
Louis probably didn’t feel secure in his close relationships, which could have played out in possessive and jealous tendencies (Chiron in Taurus angular in 7th opposes Neptune angular in 1st; Pluto in the 7th). Any insecurity will have been soothed by Taurean accumulation of luxury possessions and seeking earthly pleasures from dangerous liaisons (Jupiter at apex of two t-squares, outlet Taurus). He looked everywhere for fulfilment but may have failed to look within himself (12th-house Jupiter in Scorpio, traditional ruler of the 8th).
His transvestite, bisexual brother
Louis’ younger brother by two years, Philippe, Duke of Orléans,
arrived in the world with much less fanfare (Louis’ 3rd-house
Saturn opposes Moon). Louis possibly struggled to develop tolerance for
Philippe’s less conventional lifestyle (Louis’ 3rd-house
Saturn trine critical Virgo Mercury in stern 10th).
Philippe was bisexual. He liked to dress as a woman, wore rouge and flaunted his male lovers at court. And it is possible Louis projected distaste for his own promiscuity and lack of propriety onto Philippe (3rd-house Saturn opposes Leo Moon-Venus; Saturn in grand trine with Mercury and Pluto, and square Jupiter).
Louis was jealous of his brother’s unusual skill, bravery and leadership on the battlefield, and put an end to his military career. The two brothers were locked in an inherently uneasy relationship (Louis’ 3rd-house Saturn in tight trine with chart ruler Pluto).
So how did Louis’ chart play out?
On 21 April 1643, on the orders of his dying father, who
had never shown Louis love (Louis’ natal Moon opposes Saturn), the
four-and-a-half-year-old dauphin was christened ‘Louis XIV’
with great ceremony (e.g. tr. Sun trine natal Midheaven, square natal
Saturn and opposite natal Jupiter).
Louis XIII died on 13 May. His son was proclaimed King but was deemed too young to rule (tr. Saturn quincunx natal Jupiter in 12th; tr. Jupiter in 5th quincunx natal 10th-house Sun; tr. Mercury in own house square natal 3rd-house Saturn and trine natal Virgo Midheaven sextile Jupiter in rosetta with Saturn and Pluto).
His power-loving mother (her Leo Moon conjunct Louis’ Venus; her Sun-Mercury-Jupiter in Louis’ 10th) took control of the regency and appointed Cardinal Mazarin, Louis’ godfather, as her chief minister (Louis’ Moon opposes Saturn).
Their policies were unpopular, causing a series of rebellions involving the aristocracy known as the Fronde (1648-1653). In January 1649, the 10-year-old King was almost captured. Although not physically hurt, he was left very frightened and became anxious at how easy it would be to overthrow him (prog. Capricorn Moon in natal 2nd trine Midheaven; progressed Moon sextile natal Jupiter apex of t-squares and in rosetta).
After this crisis, Louis had a lifelong fear of rebellion and decided he must control the nobles to keep his crown (natal Pluto=Moon/Mercury, natal 3rd-house Saturn trine Pluto; Saturn opposite 9th-Leo Moon). His magnificent Palace of Versailles would later become their prison (natal 7th-house Pluto trine Saturn and sextile 9th-house Venus in yod with 2nd-house Capricorn North Node; Venus opposite Saturn).
Louis’ coronation at age 15 was held on 7 June 1654 (tr. Sun quincunx natal AS), which ended the regency (tr. Pluto square natal 10th-house Sun), though his mother was still influential (prog. Moon in natal 4th exactly quincunx natal Leo Moon-Venus); and Cardinal Mazarin retained his influence by marrying her (tr. Venus in own sign square Louis’ natal Moon-Venus).
Mazarin didn’t discuss affairs of state with the young King and encouraged him to remain frivolous (Mazarin’s Virgo Neptune in Louis’ 9th conjunct Louis’ MC; Mazarin’s natal Leo Mercury conjunct Louis’ Leo Venus).
The Cardinal even brought his young nieces to court along with their cousins (known as the Mazarinettes) to distract Louis; and he fell in love with one of them, Maria. But his mother and Mazarin steered him into a royal marriage (Louis’ Leo Moon-Venus conjunction, opposed by Saturn quincunx MC).
They had been in secret negotiations with Spain for a union with Louis’ first cousin (his mother’s niece), the Spanish princess Marie Therese (her Virgo Sun in Louis’ 10th), which it was hoped would avert a war.
The wedding took place on 9 June 1660 in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. It was a loveless marriage: Marie Therese’s massive dowry was never fully paid and peace with Spain didn’t hold (tr. Leo Venus in natal 9th conjunct his Venus-Moon, square Jupiter; tr. Pluto in natal 8th exactly semi-square natal Moon-Venus; tr. Mercury in natal 7th square natal MC and conjunct natal Pluto which is trine Saturn).
Louis began to have affairs, and took delight in his mother’s disapproval and anger at the humiliation of her niece. Marie Therese was an easy target for any vengeful feelings Louis held about his arranged marriage (Louis’s powerful Pluto sextile Moon-Venus opposite Saturn).
Mazarin died aged 58 on 9 March 1661 and Louis inherited
an enormous sum of money from him. Now 22, tired of being manipulated and
side-lined, he finally claimed his throne (e.g. prog. Moon in natal 7th
conjunct natal Pluto and square natal MC in rosetta with Jupiter, Saturn
and Pluto; prog. Moon trine natal Saturn and square natal 10th-house
Mercury).
His mother was retired to her convent (tr. Pluto semi-square Louis’ Moon-Venus). Louis announced he would rule alone without a chief minister and never wavered (tr. Uranus conjunct natal Saturn (dispositor Uranus) in t-squares and in grand trine with 10th-house Mercury and Pluto).
But Anne of Austria remained influential until her death on 20 January 1666 when Louis was 27. Now there was no one to stop his absolutism (e.g. tr. Sun exactly conjunct natal Saturn trining Pluto).
Appropriately, Louis promptly chose the Sun as his emblem to symbolise that everything would now revolve around his unfailing majesty. Due to his weakly aspected 10th-house Sun, he may have over-identified with his role slightly!
Building Versailles was underway by 1664, and from here Louis would preside over a centralised and absolutist state with just a few trusted advisers. He held his councils with strict regularity and believed that work was the first job of a king (natal Virgo Sun and Mercury in 10th). He directed administrative and financial organisation, reformed the army and developed trade and industry (natal Mars square 10th-house Virgo Mercury in grand trine with 3rd-house Saturn and 7th-house Pluto).
An atmosphere of suspicion pervaded at court, which crawled with spies and secret police. Everyone lived in fear of accusations (Louis’ Pluto in 7th). Dissent, or plotting against the King, could mean a spell in the Bastille, torture, or a traitor’s brutal death (Louis’ Pluto square Midheaven the tightest natal aspect; Pluto in grand trine with 3rd-house Saturn and 10th-house Mercury).
The King required his court captives to be present at Versailles for most of the year, so that they would neglect their estates. Life at court was made very expensive by the necessity to wear luxury clothing, accessories and the latest hairstyles (Leo Moon-Venus sextile Pluto in grand trine).
Many nobles became financially dependent on the King,
which caused great anxiety and a fear of ruin (Saturn (trine Pluto)
opposite Moon-Venus).
Louis involved himself in taboo relationships with married women (7th-house Pluto trine Saturn, Pluto sextile Venus opposite Saturn). During his affair with religious Louise de La Vallière (her Leo Sun in Louis’ 9th), who was originally a decoy for the rumoured relationship between Louis and his brother’s wife, Henriette of England, he was also involved with the married Madame de Montespan who first attracted him with her wit and intellect (her Aquarius Mars in Louis’s 3rd sextile his Sagittarius Mars).
‘Good’ Catholic Louis would parade at nine every morning in the insanely expensive Hall of Mirrors (perfect for Leo Moon conjunct Venus), in all his finery on his way to and from Mass, making a great show of his religious observation (9th-house Leo Moon-Venus conjunct).
When Queen Marie Therese died on 30 July 1683, Louis began to feel remorse for his behaviour and became increasingly pious (tr. Scorpio Moon square natal 9th-house Leo Moon-Venus between 10:30am and 4:30pm; prog. Pisces Moon square natal 2nd-house Sagittarius Mars (disposited by religious Jupiter)).
In late 1683-early 1684, at the age of 45, Louis secretly married the exacting and staunch Catholic, Madame de Maintenon, who had great control over him and demanded fidelity. Louis seems to have complied (her Sagittarius Sun in Louis’s 1st trines his 9th-house Leo Moon-Venus conjunction, and opposes his 7th-house Pluto).
Louis loved all his children (Leo Moon). His only legitimate son, Louis, died aged 49 of smallpox on 14 April 1711, throwing the crown into crisis and Louis into a deep depression (e.g. tr. Pluto conjunct natal MC; tr. Neptune in applying square to Saturn; prog. Aries Moon in natal 4th quincunx 12th-house Jupiter).
Louis XIV died at Versailles at 8:15am on 1 September 1715 (tr. Saturn exactly conjunct natal Mercury, final dispositor, in 10th, which is in the grand trine with powerful Saturn trine Pluto!)
As the lords of control and suspicion lost their hold on the Sun King, France (thought to be ruled by Leo) had under Louis become the dominant power in Europe.
Bibliography:
Abbott, John, Louis XIV, A History of the Sun King of
France, Kindle Edition.
Alexander, Andrew, Louis XIV King of France, Kindle
Edition.
Charles River Editions, French Legends: The Life and Legacy of
King Louis XIV, Kindle Edition.
Duc de Saint-Simon, Memoirs of Louis XIV and His Court and of the
Regency, Kindle Edition.
Wolstencroft, Dauphin, Ph.D., Versailles and Louis XIV: a study
guide for the television series, Kindle Edition, 2016.
Worsley, Lucy, The Real Versailles, BBC TV documentary.
Image sources:
Louis as Jupiter: Charles Poerson (Public domain)
Louis by Hyacinthe Rigaud (Public domain)
Philippe: Pierre Mignard (Public domain)
Louis in 1643: Claude Deruet (Public domain)
Louis in 1661: Attributed to Charles Le Brun (Public domain)
Louis monogram: (Public Domain)
Chart provided by the author; data: Astrodatabank, RR: AA.
Published by: The Astrological Journal, May/Jun 2017
Author:
Liz Hargreaves
worked for many years as an Independent Financial Adviser. She
retired early to study for The Mayo School Diploma. She was tutored by
Wendy Stacey and passed with distinction in 2016. She is interested in
finding out how astrology works with other subjects, especially history.
Her analysis of the astrology of ‘Obamacare’ was published in
the Jan/Feb 2017 issue of The Astrological Journal and
republished by Astrodienst at astro.com. Her article on The Sky at
Night at 60 is in the Mar/Apr 2017 issue. Liz’s contact email
is: lizhargreaves@outlook.com.
© Liz Hargreaves 2017/2019
