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Alessandro Kaliostro(Giuseppe Balsamo) count, charlatan and adventurer
Date of Birth: 02.06.1743
Country:  Italy |
Content:
- Biography of Alessandro Cagliostro
- Early Life and Travels
- Return to Europe
- The Scandal and Imprisonment
- Death
Biography of Alessandro Cagliostro
Alessandro Cagliostro, born on June 2, 1743, in Palermo, was a famous mystic and adventurer who went by various names. His real name was Giuseppe Balsamo, an Italian alchemist and adventurer.
Early Life and Travels
After committing several petty crimes in his homeland, Cagliostro fled Sicily and embarked on a journey through Greece, Egypt, Arabia, Persia, Rhodes, and Malta. It is believed that during his travels, Cagliostro acquired knowledge in alchemy and occultism.
Return to Europe
Upon returning to Europe, Cagliostro assumed a count’s title and married Lorenza Feliciani, a woman of extraordinary beauty whom he used to further his own goals. Traveling across Europe, he presented himself as a doctor, alchemist, necromancer, and Freemason, selling miraculous potions, medicines, alchemical remedies, love potions, and rejuvenating elixirs. His audacity and ingenuity brought him wealth and a brilliant reputation among the high society of Europe.
The Scandal and Imprisonment
Being friends with Cardinal de Rohan, Cagliostro became entangled in a scandal involving the Queen's diamond necklace in 1785. After spending nine months in the Bastille, he was expelled from France in 1786. He later settled in Rome, where in 1789, he was arrested and sentenced to death as a heretic, although the death penalty was commuted to life imprisonment.
Death
Cagliostro passed away on August 26, 1795, in the prison of San Leo in the Apennines.
