Publisher's description and from the front flap:
This study is the first to examine the important political role played by astrology in Italian court culture. Reconstructing the powerful dynamics existing between astrologers and their prospective or existing patrons, The Duke and the Stars illustrates how the "predictive art" of astrology was a critical source of information for Italian Renaissance rulers, particularly in times of crisis. Astrological "intelligence" was often treated as sensitive, and astrologers and astrologer-physicians were often trusted with intimate secrets and delicate tasks that required profound knowledge not only of astrology but also of the political and personal situation of their clients. Two types of astrological predictions, medical and political, were taken into the most serious consideration. Focusing on Milan, Monica Azzolini describes the various ways in which the Sforza dukes (and Italian rulers more broadly) used astrology as a political and dynastic tool, guiding them as they contracted alliances, made political decisions, waged war, planned weddings, and navigated health crises.
The Duke and the Stars explores science and medicine as studied and practiced in fifteenth-century Italy, including how astrology was taught in relation to astronomy.

From the back cover:
"This book, as erudite as it is elegant, takes the reader deep into the court life of Renaissance Milan. Using a vast range of sources with great care and artistry, Monica Azzolini recreates the lost discipline of astrology. The Duke and the Stars restores and illuminates a lost world, as colorful, as complex and as full of vividly portrayed individuals as a great Renaissance fresco."—Anthony Grafton, Princeton University

"Azzolini's impressive study adds a startling new dimension to our picture of Renaissance Milan. Taking us behind the scenes at the Sforza court, her book introduces us to the actual workings of astrology as a determinant of daily behavior. Her central argument—that Renaissance rulers took astrological calculations into serious account when making key policy decisions—is sure to spark lively debate."—Gary Ianziti, University of Queensland

Contents:
Page IX Preface
XI Illustrations
1 ntroduction
22 1. The Science of the Stars: Learning Astrology at the University of Pavia
65 2. The Making of a Dynasty: Astrology under Bianca Maria Visconti and Francesco Sforza
100 3. Astrology Is Destiny: Galeazzo Maria Sforza and the Political Uses of Astrology
135 4. The Star-Crossed Duke: Gian Galeazzo Sforza and Medical Astrology
167 5. The Viper and the Eagle: The Rise and Fall of Astrology under Ludovico Sforza
210 Epilogue
215 Abbreviations
219 Notes
321 Bibliography
355 Acknowledgments
361 Index