Leo, Charlemagne, and Charlemagne's Coronation

The sign Leo is associated with royalty and kings and queens. Leo is the sign following Cancer, the sign that has to do with family ties. Royalty implies authority, lineage, biological connection with other royals, charisma and wealth. Not every king has all those qualities. Leo builds on the family connections of Cancer and contrasts with the anarchy and egalitarianism of Aquarius. Kings and Queens usually have the sign Leo or the Sun prominent in their horoscopes.

In astrology we look at the chart for a country or region or era to understand more about that matter. The whole of Western Civilization is said to be under the chart determined when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne at 12:09 pm in Rome on 25 December 800 CE.

Charlemagne or Carolus Magnus, meaning Charles the Great, who lived from (742/747[1] – 28 January 814) was King of the Franks from 768 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III[2] on 25 December 800, in an attempted revival of the Roman Empire in the West. Through his foreign conquests and internal reforms, Charlemagne helped define Western Europe and the Middle Ages. His rule is also associated with the Carolingian Renaissance, a revival of art, religion, and culture.

In Charlemagne’s horoscope—which admittedly is speculative—we have many planets high in the horoscope conjunct, some widely, the Midheaven. Charlemagne has Leo rising. His ruling planet, the Sun, is conjunct the Midheaven and Venus and Jupiter. Sun, Venus and Jupiter constitute a stellium in Aries, as well as being the focal point of a configuration known as a talent triangle[3]. [A talent triangle is two planets in trine with both sextile the same planet at their midpoint. In interpretation it indicates a talent which is available to us, but not “fated.” We aren’t compelled to use that talent; it is optional.] For Charlemagne, the talent of Sun, Venus and Jupiter in Aries in the ninth house is the opportunity for becoming a king and later an emperor.

What else do we know about Charlemagne’s horoscope? His Grand Air Trine means he was able to think and speak well. He had the gift of intelligence, thinking clearly, communicating well, and persuading others. His ability to persuade was something he could do by his power of position—kingship—or by his powers of understanding how the world worked (9th house) and being able to speak well. Charlemagne had a Cardinal T-square[4], with Mercury participating out-of-sign, as Mercury was in Pisces. Squares generally, t-squares and cardinal t-squares in particular, motivate people to act. One did not conquer and rule half of Europe without seizing the initiative! Another interesting aspect pattern in Charlemagne’s chart was what is called a Hard Rectangle [four or more planets connected by semi-squares and oppositions]. The Hard Rectangle indicates someone with great will power who would prevail or die trying.

Was there a softer side to Charlemagne? He had Sun in Aries, Leo rising and Moon in Capricorn. Not much of a soft side. Compare Charlemagne to his modern day “twin,” former Vice-President Albert Gore, who has the same combination of these three signs for Sun, Moon, Ascendant.

Let’s look at the horoscope for the Coronation of Charlemagne as Emperor. Here again we have the Sun angular, conjunct the Midheaven quite closely. Aries is rising. Note that the Sun of the coronation chart is 8 Capricorn 28, and Charlemagne’s natal Moon is at 8 Capricorn 18. Also note the coronation Ascendant at 18 Aries 00 and Charlemagne’s stellium of Venus-Sun-Jupiter at 9-16 Aries!

The coronation chart is often considered the Foundation Chart for Western Civilization. The tightest aspects in the chart are the Sun parallel Midheaven, both parallel the North Node. Then look at the close quintile[5] aspect from Sun to Uranus and another close quintile aspect from Pluto to the Ascendant. Finally consider the Jupiter sextile to the Midheaven. Quintiles are aspects of creativity and invention, both of which flourished following Charlemagne’s coronation and have continued to this day.

Unlike Charlemagne’s chart, the coronation chart does have softer placements. Look particularly at the 12th house, which has both Jupiter and Moon in Pisces, though too far from each other to be in a traditional aspect. Pisces is perhaps the softest and most gentle of signs, and is especially associated with Christianity. Here this is a clear indicator of the partnership between secular and religious authority that, again, has continued to the present.

People who share the Sun in Capricorn and Moon in Pisces combination include: John Denver, Ben Franklin, J. Edgar Hoover, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Obama (if born 11 am or later), Edgar Allen Poe, Elvis Presley, and J. R. R. Tolkein.

[1] His horoscope is set for 02 April 742 CE at 12:30 pm local time in Herstal, Belgium.
[2] This was a very politically astute move, combining secular with religious authority to lay claim to the highest political office.
[3] Here it is a “conjoined” talent triangle. Actually three talent triangles with Venus, Sun and Jupiter all constituting the focal point!
[4] Another “conjoined” configuration, this time the t-square. One t-square has Pluto-Moon-Mercury, which is mixed sign; the other is a pure cardinal t-square of Pluto-Moon-Jupiter.
[5] A quintile aspect is one fifth of the 360 degree circle, or 72°.