From Intense Teaching to Neglect: The Decline of Astrology at the University of Valencia and the Role of the Spanish Novatores

Abstract

This article examines the specific traits of the decline of astrology in a scholarly context at the end of the seventeenth century, specifically considering the case of the University of Valencia as a robust center of astrological learning during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The tradition of these university professors of astrology is compared to the attitude of the ‘novatores,’ significant scholars at the beginning of the eighteenth century known for their insistence on introducing the ‘new science’ to Spain. This article ultimately analyzes to what extent there is evidence that the hostile attitude of the novatores of Valencia towards astrology could have led to its decline in the University.