The magic circle of Rudolf II : alchemy and astrology in Renaissance Prague

In the late 16th century the greatest philosophers, alchemists, astronomers, painters, and mathematicians of the day flocked to Prague to work under the patronage of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, an emperor more interested in the great minds of his times than in the exercise of his immense power. Rarely leaving Prague Castle, he gathered around him a galaxy of famous figures: among them the painter Arcimboldo, the astronomer Tycho Brahe, the mathematician Johannes Kepler, the philosopher Giordano Bruno and the magus John Dee. Fascinated by the new Renaissance learning, Rudolf found it nearly impossible to make decisions of state. Like Faust, he was prepared to risk all in the pursuit of magical knowledge and the Philosopher's Stone which would turn base metals into gold and prolong life indefinitely. But he also faced threats: religious discord, the Ottoman Empire, his own deepening melancholy and an ambitious younger brother. As a result he lost his empire and nearly his sanity. But he enabled Prague to enjoy a golden age of peace and creativity before Europe was engulfed in the Thirty Years' War. Filled with angels and devils, high art and low cunning, talismans and stars, The Mercurial Emperor offers a captivating perspective on a pivotal moment in the history of Western civilisation.… (more)

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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend

this was the court to which Johann Kepler was both astrologer and astronomer, and it is a colourful account of the social side of Science in the seventeenth century. Rudolph was a rather dubious catholic, and a he had to do some fancy dancing to avoid confrontations with the Inquisition. The

material is more interesting than the writer's style, however.

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LibraryThing member Stbalbach

I first heard about Rudolf II while reading a history of collecting. Even though Rudolf II was Holy Roman Emperor, king of the largest empire in Europe, that part of his life is the least interesting and this book thankfully does not spend too much time on politics. Rudolf, too, would have been

pleased.

Rudolf II was one of the world's greatest collectors, he spared no expense in finding rare and exotic objects from around the world to fill his castle in Prague. He never married, had a stable of 'imperial women', rarely left his castle or appeared in public, had little interest in the affairs of state - all of his energies were in his collections and in the occult sciences of astrology and alchemy. He was so wealthy and patronized so many artists and intellectuals that Prague became Europe's late Renaissance cultural capital for about 30 years around the turn of the 17thC.

Peter Marshall does a wonderful job of revealing this eccentric and fascinating monarch, and the amazing artists and thinkers that were a part of his world. It was because of Rudolf's patronage that foundational scientific works were created, such as Kepler's "New Astronomy". Although Rudolf's ultimate quest was to find the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary alchemy rock that made one immortal, he inadvertently helped lay the foundational stone of the scientific revolution by allowing many great minds to flourish in an atmosphere of freedom and creativity. It is called the "Rudolfian age", comparable to the "Elizabethan age" (Elizabeth I of England).

History has not been kind to Rudolf, only in the past 50 years or so has his life been been re-examined beyond the lens of his political failures, and his contributions to the arts and sciences been given their due credit. His life story will be appealing to anyone with an interest in collecting, astrology/alchemy, science history, European history, and eccentric monarchs. Marshall writes in a very readable style and brings life and color to the period, people and events.

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LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba

A very enjoyable read - its fast paced, doesn't get too bogged down in the details. Its an interesting history that not too many people know about. The biggest thing I got out of this book was that people didn't think the way they do now - certain thoughts just didn't occur to them. An example of

this is, it is important to know how the stars move through the solar system. But, there was no reason to find out why. Very thought provoking, and shows a different history than what is given in a high school history class.

Highly recommended.

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LibraryThing member multiplexer

I gave this book three stars because it had enough meat to get me through it but the writing is definitely a two star effort and GoodReads doesn't allow me to assign a half-star.

I was very disappointed in this book. The writing is dry and technical with little love or verve on the subject. Some of

the chapters were fantastic, as was the one on John Dee, but the latter part of the book focuses on Rudolf's decline and it reads like a rendition of a list of facts.

I wanted more. More on the alchemists. More on the astrologers. More on their culture and their books. More on some of the local players and politics. More on the Church and the Counter-Reformation. More on the Jesuits and the Capuchin Monks!

There's just not enough meat on this book for me to recommend it. For a vague overview of this period in Prague's history it's fine, but for more on Alchemy and Astrology in Renaissance Prague, it means looking for other sources.

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