For centuries, the extraordinary abilities of Count Cagliostro excite the imagination of people. Myths and reality about him are intertwined so closely that they are very difficult to distinguish. Among the great charlatans of his time, he stood out with special impudence and imagination. His fame boomed throughout Europe. The fraudster was able to impress, and then carefully cover the tracks. The great "magician" and "alchemist" had a chance to visit Russia. We will talk about the life of this unusual person in our article.
Childhood
The real name of our hero is Giuseppe Balsamo. He was born in 1743 in a family of poor Sicilians. His father was engaged in merchantry, traded in cloth and silk. The man was very pious and dreamed of making a priest out of his son. Therefore, he sent the boy to the monastery, where he discovered many talents. The future Count Cagliostro drew beautifully, was engaged in calligraphy, led chemical experiments under the guidance of a mentor and even mastered the skills of ventriloquism. However, soon Giuseppe's adventurous inclinations made themselves felt. In the monastery he was convicted of fraud, and he fled to Palermo. Thus began his dizzying career.
Lies and Fraud
The future Count Cagliostro did not disdain anything. He faked bills and wills, cooked "love" potions, seduced people with stories of countless treasures. He liked to play on human greed. The richest of his prey in that period was the moneylender Murano. He bought an invention with a treasure. Giuseppe led him to a certain cave and, with the help of ventriloquism, convinced that the black spirit guarded the treasures in it. Like, to get rid of him, you need to bring sixty ounces of gold to the cave. In the end, some evil creatures attacked the poor moneylender, and he lost a lot of money, but he never found the treasure. After this impudent adventure, Giuseppe had to urgently carry off his feet from Palermo.
Oriental tales
The real story of Count Cagliostro is no less entertaining than the myths that he composed about himself. At first he traveled to the cities of Italy, then he disappeared somewhere for three years. It is possible that he visited Africa or the Middle East, because after his wanderings he acquired a lot of useful and unusual skills. At first, our hero worked with accomplices, but this method was ineffective. In the end, Giuseppe was tired of revelations and arrests, and he decided that from now on he would work alone.
Our hero was really very different from the rest of the scammers. First of all, he was very curious and constantly learning something. In a short time he mastered hypnosis. In addition, he adopted aristocratic manners and began to communicate with senior persons. It was possible to make large bets on such a contingent. In addition, fairy tales about the miracles of the East made an indelible impression on the rich and nobles.
Magic tricks
Many people have their own ideal, that is, a person who seems to them an example to follow. Count Cagliostro also had one: the king of scammers sought to resemble Count Saint Germain. However, the simple Sicilian lacked aristocracy in appearance. Giuseppe looked solid, but rustic. Strong physique, swarthy face, broad shoulders betrayed a rustic origin in him. But our hero spoke several languages, though with an indestructible Sicilian accent. In general, the grace of Saint-Germain was not enough for him.
Everything was much better with the written speech, although the theories of Count Cagliostro did not sin by originality. In his notes, he used an explosive mixture of mysticism, parapsychology and traditional medicine. This proven method is used by many modern charlatans. However, no one has learned to do this better than Cagliostro himself.
Our hero created from his appearance a real theatrical performance. The scenery could be different: a chemist's laboratory or an exotic oriental outfit. To emphasize his importance, the fraudster came up with a new name - Count Alessandro Cagliostro. However, he had several more pseudonyms: Count Phoenix, don Ticino, Marquis d'Anno and many others.
Cupid affairs
A solid bag of knowledge and unsurpassed artistry made Balsamo one of the most successful crooks of his time. In the end, he got the audacity and went to Rome, where he confused the heads of the locals. In addition, he met a charming girl - Lorenza Feliciane. With her beauty, the girl could marry a rich man, but chose a swindler and a hoaxer. The poor thing did not know that she would have to play along with her husband in his ideas, and sometimes to please respectable clients.
The love of Count Cagliostro brought him substantial dividends. At first, the couple wandered around the world, portraying unhappy lovers and begging for money. Giuseppe then managed to gain recognition in Britain. He successfully treated people with miraculous balms, and also surprisingly accurately predicted winning lottery numbers. But there were still more losers. And then the irresistible spell of Lorentz came into play, which her husband renamed Serafina. However, even her charming smile was not enough to calm the raging loser customers. They sued Cagliostro and ... lost. The fraudster was able to prove that people gave him money voluntarily.
Gullible Masons
The Age of Enlightenment shone with paradoxes. On the one hand, people refused medieval ignorance, on the other, they blindly bowed to the supernatural. This made them easy prey for scammers. And here is an eloquent example: the biography of the famous Count Cagliostro says that in Britain he came close to the "enlightened" Masons. They listened with excitement to stories of the wonders of the East. Probably, it was then that our hero decided to establish an Egyptian Masonic lodge and become its master.
Traveling around the world
However, Count Cagliostro did not stay anywhere for long, because he was often accused of fraud. He was forever threatened with a trial and prison, so he was actively moving around Europe: France, Belgium, Germany ... Everywhere he was met with enthusiasm, and escorted with suspicion. In Courland, he stayed with the Medem family. Here he founded his first Masonic lodge, and attracted not only men, but also women. In Mitau, our hero became famous for invoking the souls of the departed. He also expertly predicted the future of those present at the session. In a word, they started talking about him as a unique healer, soothsayer and alchemist. Having gained solid experience, the alchemist decided that it was time to go to Russia.
Gishpan Colonel
In 1779, our hero appeared in St. Petersburg. In the documents he was listed as "Mr. Count Cagliostro, Gishpan colonel." Of course, they were fake, but no one began to verify their authenticity. The fact is that the count was expected at the very top. No wonder he promised his adherents that in Russia he would be called a true name and would appear in all greatness. Where did the Sicilian crook come from? The fact is that the Russian masons were looking forward to meeting him. Among them: I.P. Elagin, who served as Empress Ober-Hoffmeister, Count A.S. Stroganov and many others. As always, Giuseppe was accompanied by the dazzling Lorentz - the love of Count Cagliostro. I must say that the girl did not immediately accept the role that was destined for her. Once she even managed to escape from her husband with a French nobleman, but the cunning Sicilian returned his wife through court. Since then, Lorenza reconciled with the role of an adventurer and brilliantly performed it. The couple rented an apartment on Palace Embankment and furnished them to their liking. A special place was reserved for a spacious room for magic sessions. It was decorated in a luxurious oriental style, equipped with special props to create a mysterious atmosphere.
The wonders of medicine
In the story "Count Cagliostro" A. N. Tolstoy does not sympathize with his hero at all, denying him nobility and a sense of compassion. However, not all contemporaries spoke badly of him. In fact, he was an excellent healer. For example, at the very beginning of his stay in Russia, Giuseppe was visited by his fellow countryman - singer Giovanni Locatelli. He complained of hoarseness and lack of vigor. Cagliostro's drugs helped. A resounding voice and former energy returned to the Italian tenor. The rumor about this story immediately spread to secular salons. The sufferers reached for the count. And many were truly able to be healed. Rumor goes on about the myriad of patients to whom Cagliostro regained health. It was claimed that some count helped with money and medicine.
"Friend of the poor"
But let's not be mistaken. Our hero was just trying to make a good impression on the public. Therefore, if anything helped people, then for a certain purpose. Count Alessandro Cagliostro knew many "relatively honest ways" of taking money from wealthy clients. Yes, and did not have to take away - they themselves begged to accept considerable amounts from them. Lorenza also played an important role in this story. Shining with freshness and beauty, she admitted to the ladies that she was "a little over forty." After this, the potassium drug islands were dismantled with lightning speed.
Mysterious Buttons
In the feature film The Formula of Love, Count Cagliostro is introduced to us as an itinerant philosopher. All his life he deceived people, but in Russia he encountered a mysterious Russian soul, which he could not comprehend. However, our compatriots had something to learn from him. Legend has it that the spell of Cagliostro carried away even the omnipotent Count Potemkin. It all started with trifles: with military uniforms in army depots, buttons began to disappear. Moreover, the threads remained intact, and the tin products evaporated. Interestingly, nothing like this happened to them in other countries! We now know that at low temperatures tin can crumble to dust. And then the puzzled nobleman did not find anything better than to turn to the famous alchemist with this riddle. Balsamo suggested making brass buttons. They listened to him, and since then for a century, shiny Russian “buttons of Cagliostro” flaunted on their Russian uniforms, which did not suddenly evaporate anywhere.
Magic sessions
The story of Count Cagliostro can be told endlessly! After he managed to gain confidence in Potemkin himself, he decided to deploy heavy artillery. Now he invited the chosen society to the "Egyptian Hall", where he appeared before everyone in the image of the Great Coptic. He put on exquisite clothes, put a bandage of brocade embroidered with gold on his head, decorated himself with fresh flowers and precious stones. A wide emerald-colored ribbon embroidered with grief beetles was thrown over his shoulders and chest. A sword with a cruciform hilt hung on its belt. In such an unusual form, Cagliostro really seemed a great adept and unearthly deity.
And our hero did not skimp on broad gestures. He predicted the future, summoned the souls of deceased people. To communicate with the world of the dead, the alchemist chose children with blue eyes. He watered the guys with a special broth and introduced him into a trance. After that, "pure creatures" behaved unusually and told amazing things. Now the number of adherents of the count has increased several times. The simple-minded masons, members of European lodges dreamed of getting into the Egyptian lodge, because they considered it more prestigious. However, in the capital, Cagliostro spoke differently. Some said that he had fooled respected and respected people. Others claimed that his actions were noble.
Healing of Pavlush Gagarin
It was a very strange story, after which our hero had to leave Russia forever. Prince Gagarin was seriously ill with a one-year-old son. All the doctors recognized their impotence, and only Count Cagliostro volunteered to help. However, he put forward two conditions: to send the child to his house and not to visit him until complete healing. After that, the alchemist kept the baby for two weeks. All this time, excited parents answered all the questions one thing: the child is better. Finally, they got back a completely healthy boy. Joy of parents knew no bounds! Prince Gagarin proposed Cagliostro a thousand gold imperials for the healing of his son. According to rumors, the healer refused for a long time, and the happy father left money in the hallway. And everything seems to be good. But strange rumors circulated around the capital about the substitution of a child. Allegedly, the patient actually died, and his body was burned by negligence during a magical rite. Only one thing is known for certain: Pavlusha Gagarin grew up, became an officer and rose to the rank of general. And his father did not want to think about any substitution.
Expulsion from Russia
Count Cagliostro at Tolstoy is a very selfish person. The great writer did not see anything but an unscrupulous thirst for profit. In this regard, Empress Catherine the Second fully agreed with him. For 140 years before writing the story “Count Cagliostro”, she composed two plays dedicated to the great mystifier - “The Deceiver” and “The Siberian Shaman”. In both she denounced the vile liars and charlatans. Rumors about the tricks of Cagliostro and so irritated her beyond measure, and the latter (about the son of Prince Gagarin) and completely infuriated. In addition, a terrible thing happened - her beloved Potemkin got confused with the Italian, the count’s wife! The patience of the empress burst. Cagliostro politely hinted that he stayed in Russia. According to the customs of that time, he announced in advance his departure. But in the end, still threw out the trick - he left the capital through all outposts at the same time. This spectacular gesture was appreciated.
last years of life
The last secret of Count Cagliostro remained unknown. Who was he, a deceiver or a diviner? Having got out of Russia, our hero went to Warsaw, where he was exposed, but managed to escape in time. He then settled in France. At first, everything turned out very well, but then the alchemist was involved in the story with the queen's necklace. This happened through the fault of another talented swindler - Jeanne de Lamotte. Cagliostro even happened to visit the Bastille, but then he was finally acquitted. After that, the soothsayer composed a "Letter to the French people." In this message, he predicted the execution of the king, the destruction of the Bastille, the triumph of the revolution ... It turns out that he still had the gift of foresight? This we will never know for certain. And the count eventually returned to Italy, where he founded yet another Masonic lodge. Soon he was arrested at the expense of the Inquisition agent and sentenced to life imprisonment. Lorentz was also found guilty and imprisoned in a monastery. The couple died in 1795. They experienced a lot together, so they could not live separately from each other.
Finally
Thus ended the story of one of the most prominent hoaxes of his time. The modern Russian public presents the hero of our article as he was shown in the famous feature film of Mark Zakharov. It shows a talented and very funny person who wants to fool everyone, but in the end he is fooled. So does Count Cagliostro from “Formula of Love” look like a person who in the 18th century stirred up the whole of Europe with his bright and virtuoso game? Who is he: an insidious seducer and an unscrupulous swindler or a talented alchemist and great healer? Probably, all these qualities were mixed in him at the same time in unknown proportions. Sometimes it seems that Giuseppe Balsamo really believed in his high mission, so bold were his plans and undertakings. One way or another, but his tricks left a mark in world history. And now we are happy to read stories about his dizzying adventures.