What is cornelius agrippa known for

Cornelius Agrippa

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim, 1486-1535, German mystic and alchemist.

Agrippa of Nettesheim was born of a once-noble family near Cologne, and studied both medicine and law there, apparently without taking a degree.

In 1503, he assumed the name Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim, adopting the von to suggest a noble background; three years later, he established a secret society in Paris devoted to astrology, magic, and Kabbalah.

His career is diverse: secret agent, soldier, physician, orator, and law professor, in Cologne, Paris, Dôle, London, Italy, Pavia, and Metz.

In 1509, he set up a laboratory in Dôle in the hopes of synthesizing gold, and for the next decade or so traveled Europe, making a living as an alchemist, and conversing with such important early humanist scholars as Colet and Reuchlin.

In 1520, he set up a medical practice in Geneva, and in 1524 became personal physician to the queen mother at the court of King Fra