The Renaissance

alchemy and alchemists declined. Some
monarchs and church officials banned
their work, and alchemists were subject to
arrest and execution as magicians and her-
etics.

The ancient Greeks and Romans told
of an ancient sage, the Egyptian Hermes
Trismegitus, who was believed to have dis-
covered many of the secrets of matter.
Europe’s medieval alchemists collected
plants, minerals, soil, and other substances,
combining them and altering them in a
search of the “philosopher’s stone,” which
would allow them to create gold or silver
from more common materials. In the
quest for curing illness, they also under-
took a search for a universal panacea that
would relieve deadly maladies and bring
the sick back to health.

The alchemists applied principles of
astrology, religion, and metaphysics in
their books of formulas, attempting to ar-
rive at universal principles that would ex-
plain their observations. Although they
failed in their efforts to find the
philosopher’s stone, they did uncover use-
ful compounds. In their research into the
nature of light and illumination, the al-
chemist Hennig Brandt discovered phos-
phorus in 1669. Alchemical knowledge also
contributed to industries such as dyeing,
tanning, metalworking, and glassmaking.

Alchemists of the Renaissance drew on
the medieval scholastic tradition of logic
and argument, the knowledge of Arab
herbalists and chemists, and the applica-
tion of scientific research in industry and
manufacturing. During the Renaissance,
many philosophers and scientists wrote al-
chemical works. Sir Isaac Newton devoted
more than thirty years to the investigation
of alchemy, setting down experimental
notes, transcribing and editing the works
of others, and making up catalogs of sub-

stances and their properties. The German

scientist Andreas Libavius wroteAlchemia,

considered by many to be the first chemis-

try textbook. In some cases, the principles

of alchemy provided a framework for in-

fluential systems of philosophy and knowl-

edge. Paracelsus (1493–1541), considered

by many as the greatest alchemist of the

Renaissance era, created an all-

encompassing chemical trinity, in which

all earthly substances were grounded in

salt (the principle of fixedness), sulfur (the

principle of inflammability), and mercury

(the principle of combining).

SEEALSO: Paracelsus

Alexander VI ....................................

(1431–1503)

Pope from 1492 until 1503, Alexander VI

is known as one of the most charismatic,

but also one of the most corrupt and

decadent, church leaders in history.

He was born as Rodrigo Lancol in the

town of Xativa, near Valencia, Spain. After

his uncle Cardinal Alfonso Borgia was

A medallion bearing the likeness of Pope Al-

exander VI. THELIBRARY OFCONGRESS.

Alexander VI