The Magic Circle of Rudolph II: Alchemy and Astrology in Renaissance Prague

The Magic Circle of Rudolph II: Alchemy and Astrology in Renaissance Prague

"Rudolf II-Habsburg heir, Holy Roman Emperor, king of Hungary, Germany, and the Romans-is one of history's great characters, and yet he remains largely an unknown figure. His reign (1576-1612) roughly mirrored that of Queen Elizabeth I of England, and while her famous court is widely recognized as a sixteenth century Who's Who, Rudolf 's collection of mathematicians, alchemists, artists, philosophers and astronomers-among them the greatest and most subversive minds of the time-was no less prestigious and perhaps even more influential. Driven to understand the deepest secrets of nature and the riddle of existence, Rudolf invited to his court an endless stream of genius-Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, German mathematician Johannes Kepler, English magus John Dee, Francis Bacon, and mannerist painter Giuseppe Archimboldo among many others. Prague became the artistic and scientific center of the known world-an island of intellectual tolerance between Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam. Combining the wonders and architectural beauty of sixteenth century Prague with the larger than-life characters of Rudolf 's court, Peter Marshall provides an exciting new perspective on the pivotal moment of transition between medieval and modern, when the foundation was laid for the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment."--Publisher's website.

Peter Marshall

New York : Walker & Co.

Habsburg Family tree viii -- 1 The Making of the Holy Roman Emperor 7 -- 2 A Boy of Few Words 16 -- 3 Dominus Mundi 30 -- 4 The World's Stage 43 -- 5 The Greatest Art Patron in the World 58 -- 6 The Kunstkammer 75 -- 7 As Above, So Below 87 -- 8 Ars Magica 97 -- 9 The Magi 110 -- 10 The New Hermes Trismegistus 128 -- 11 The Starry Heavens 150 -- 12 The New Astronomy 170 -- 13 The Emperor of Darkness 185 -- 14 The Recluse of Prague 199 -- 15 The Labyrinth of the World 212.

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