Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim was a physician and philosopher, and a contemporary of Erasmus.de Plancy, J. C., (1863). Dictionnaire Infernal. 6ed. pg.10
== Life ==
He was born in Cologne in 1486, and died in 1535 in Grenoble with the receiver general, though rumours claim he died in Lyons and/or in a hospital, and rumours that he had faked his death and still lived persisted until the reign of Louis XIV.
He was educated at the University of Cologne, and served under Maximillian I of Germany around that time. Spence, L. (1920). An Encyclopædia of Occultism. 2 ed. pg. 6
In 1509 he became a lecturer at the University of Dole, but was accused of heresy by a monk called Catilinet, causing him to leave Dole and return to his former occupation as a soldier. 
He was taught a number of (what were considered in his day) esoteric sciences while at university, and became obsessed with neo-Platonic theory, started calling himself the "Heir to the School of Alexandria", and trying to perform magic. 
He was an associate of many famous figures and princes during his lifetime, and was responsible for a number of political negotiations, which caused him to travel widely, including to England. After his return from England, he went with Maximillian to Italy and spent seven years serving various nobles, including Margaret of BurgundySpence, L. (1920). An Encyclopædia of Occultism. 2 ed. pg. 7. His travels resulted in him learning to speak eight languages.
He worked in Metz before returning to Cologne. He then went to Geneva to practice medicine, and became the physician of Louise of Savoy (mother of François I). While working as a physician for Louise of Savoy, he also worked part-time as a diviner, and gave a prediction to the constable of Bourbon that he would have success against François I.
According to Thevet, in his Lives of Illustrious Men, he had mental health problems that caused him to travel widely, trick people, become recognised, and then be chased away. 
He was known to attempt alchemy, but with little success, leading him to be in poverty when he died. He had previously been imprisoned in Brussels for falling into debt. 
He was persecuted for his Occult Philosophy, which belongs to the neo-Platonic tradition. This persecution is linked to his life-long feud with monks, who he fought with increasingly as he grew older. Amongst occultists, he was attributed the authorship of many questionable pamphlets. 
== Magical Abilities ==
He is said to have been a skilled magician, and had a familiar in the form of a large black dog. On his deathbed, he is said to have denounced magic and said "Begone, wretched animal, the entire cause of my destruction!" to it, after which it left the room and drowned itself in the Saom. 
He is said to have been able to make shells and horn appear as though they were money, which he used to pay for his stay at inns. 
In the presence of John George, elector of Saxony, he summoned the spirit of Cicero to give his Pro Roscio oration before the elector and an audience. 
He is said to have possessed a magic glass that allowed its user to see things in other times and places. Surrey used this to see his mistress, Geraldine, lamenting his absence. 
According to one account, Agrippa went travelling one day, locked up his museum, gave the key to his wife, and told her not to let anyone in. One of the lodgers started harassing her until she gave him the key, and he went inside. Inside, he found Agrippa's spellbook, which he read from and accidentally summoned a demon, which strangled him. Coincidentally, Agrippa happened to return at that time and saw the demon killing the lodger. Agrippa then convinced the demon to animate the man's corpse, have it walk to the market, and then release it from the animating force. The body dropped dead again at the market. When it was found that the lodger had been strangled to death, people realised it was the result of Agrippa's magic and chased him from the city. 
== Works ==
* De incertitudine et Vanitate Scientiarum et Artium atque Excellentia Verbi Dei Declamatio
* De Nobilitate et Praecellentia Feminu Sexus
* Occult Philosophy
== Further Reading ==
* Infernal Legends
* Magic in the Nineteenth Century
== References ==
Category:Dictionnaire Infernal
Category:Spellcasters
Category:Authors
Category:An Encyclopædia of Occultism