Alessandro Cagliostro, Count Cagliostro (real name Giuseppe Giovanni Batista Vincenzo Pietro Antonio Matteo Franco Balsamo; 1743-1795) - an Italian mystic and adventurer who called himself by different names. Also known in France as Joseph Balsamo.
There are many interesting facts in the biography of Count Cagliostro, which we will talk about in this article.
So, here is a short biography of Cagliostro.
Biography of Alessandro Cagliostro
Giuseppe Balsamo (Cagliostro) was born on June 2, 1743 (according to other sources, June 8) in the Italian city of Palermo. He grew up in the family of the cloth merchant Pietro Balsamo and his wife Felicia Poacheri.
Childhood and youth
Even as a child, the future alchemist had a penchant for all sorts of adventures. He took a keen interest in magic tricks, while secular education was a real routine for him.
Over time, Cagliostro was expelled from the parish school for blasphemous statements. To teach her son the mind to reason, the mother sent him to a Benedictine monastery. Here the boy met one of the monks who knew about chemistry and medicine.
The monk noticed the teenager's interest in chemical experiments, as a result of which he agreed to teach him the basics of this science. However, when the negligent student was convicted of fraud, they decided to expel him from the walls of the monastery.
According to Alessandro Cagliostro, in the monastery library he was able to read many works on chemistry, medicine and astronomy. Returning home, he began to make "healing" tinctures, as well as forge documents and sell "maps with buried treasures" to gullible compatriots.
After a series of machinations, the young man was forced to flee from the city. He went to Messina, where he apparently took a pseudonym - Count Cagliostro. This happened after the death of his aunt Vincenza Cagliostro. Giuseppe took not only her last name, but also began to call himself a count.
Cagliostro's activities
In subsequent years of his biography, Alessandro Cagliostro continued to search for the "philosopher's stone" and the "elixir of immortality." He managed to visit France, Italy and Spain, where he continued to deceive gullible people using various methods.
Each time the count had to flee, fearing retribution for her "miracles". When he was about 34 years old he came to London. Locals called him differently: magician, healer, astrologer, alchemist, etc.
An interesting fact is that Cagliostro himself called himself a great man, talking about how he supposedly can talk with the spirits of the dead, turn lead into gold and read people's thoughts. He also stated that he had been inside the Egyptian pyramids, where he met with the immortal sages.
It was in England that Alessandro Cagliostro gained immense fame and was even accepted into the Masonic lodge. It is worth noting that he was an experienced psychologist. During conversations with people, he casually spoke about the fact that he was born thousands of years ago - in the year of the eruption of Vesuvius.
Cagliostro also convinced the audience that during his "long" life he had the opportunity to communicate with many famous kings and emperors. He also assured that he had solved the secret of the "philosopher's stone" and was able to create the essence of eternal life.
In England, Count Cagliostro amassed a decent fortune by making expensive stones and guessing winning combinations in the lottery. Of course, he still resorted to fraud, for which over time he paid.
The man was seized and sent to prison. However, the authorities had to release him, for lack of evidence of the crimes presented. It is curious that without having an attractive appearance, he somehow attracted women to himself, using them with great success.
After his release, Cagliostro realized that he should leave England as soon as possible. After changing several more countries, he ended up in Russia in 1779.
Arriving in St. Petersburg, Alessandro introduced himself under the name of Count Phoenix. He managed to get close to Prince Potemkin, who helped him get to the court of Catherine 2. The surviving documents say that Cagliostro possessed a kind of animal magnetism, which could mean hypnosis.
In the Russian capital, the count continued to demonstrate "miracles": he expelled demons, resurrected the newborn prince Gagarin, and also offered Potemkin to increase the amount of gold belonging to the prince 3 times, on the condition that he would get one third.
Later, the mother of the "resurrected" baby noticed the change. In addition, other fraudulent schemes of Alessandro Cagliostro began to be exposed. And yet, the Italian somehow managed to triple Potemkin's gold. How he did this is still unclear.
After 9 months in Russia, Cagliostro went on the run again. He visited France, Holland, Germany and Switzerland, where he continued to practice quackery.
Personal life
Alessandro Cagliostro was married to a beautiful woman named Lorenzia Feliciati. The spouses participated in various scams together, often going through difficult times.
There are many known cases when the count actually traded the body of his wife. In this way, he earned money or paid off debts. However, it is Laurencia who will play the final role in her husband's death.
Death
In 1789, Alessandro and his wife returned to Italy, which was no longer the same as before. In the autumn of the same year, the spouses were arrested. Cagliostro was accused of links with Freemasons, warlock and machinations.
An important role in exposing the swindler was played by his wife, who testified against her husband. However, this did not help Lorenzia herself. She was imprisoned in a monastery, where she died.
After the end of the trial, Cagliostro was sentenced to be burned at the stake, but Pope Pius VI commuted the execution to life imprisonment. On April 7, 1791, a public repentance ritual was organized in the Church of Santa Maria. The condemned man on his knees and with a candle in his hands begged God for forgiveness, and against the background of all this, the executioner burned his magic books and accessories.
Then the wizard was imprisoned in the castle of San Leo, where he stayed for 4 years. Alessandro Cagliostro died on August 26, 1795 at the age of 52. According to various sources, he died from epilepsy or from the use of poison, injected into him by a guard.
Cagliostro Photos
