Richard III: Friend or Foe? – Chris Mitchell
October 20 @ 18:00 – 20:30 BST
18:00 Chart Discussion
18:45 Tea Break
19:15 Richard III: Friend or Foe?
Today, lots of people decry the backstabbing that goes on in modern politics, and the divisive hatred that it can engender. There’s nothing new about this, though, and nothing demonstrates this better than King Richard III. Shakespeare portrayed him as an evil scheming child murderer, while the Richard III Society today portrays a much more positive view of Richard as a popular ruler attempting to improve the lives of his subjects. His contemporaries were equally divided – one described his rule as being marked by a “love of all his subjects, rich and poor, and great praise of the people”, while another described him as a monster akin to the Antichrist. By today’s standards, no medieval monarch could be described as “nice”, so in this talk we will look at this complex man and his relationships, the extraordinary story of the discovery of his body and subsequent reburial in Leicester Cathedral, and examine a few charts.
Chris Mitchell
Chris Mitchell is a certified geek, and since childhood has had a fascination with obscure languages, whether human languages (he’s learning Welsh), computer programming languages, or the mysterious symbols and language of astrology. He was therefore astonished to learn that he could actually get paid enough for writing computer programs to pay the bills, and was allowed to do a PhD in medieval astrology which opened doors allowing him the right to wander, Harry Potter style, through hidden basements of ancient buildings and magical libraries poring over arcane medieval manuscripts written on parchment. He is on the boards of the Astrological Association and the Association of Professional Astrologers International (APAI), as well as the author of “England’s First Astrology Book”. In 1921 he was the joint recipient of the Charles Harvey Award for Exceptional Service to Astrology in 2021.
