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John Dee: Queen Elizabeth's Wizard

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Manage episode 512608076 series 1443941
Content provided by Nick Shepley. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Nick Shepley or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Who was John Dee—the Tudor polymath who advised Elizabeth I, mapped the heavens, spoke (he believed) with angels, and penned a landmark preface to Euclid? Historian and writer Rachel Morris joins to unpack Dee’s strange, brilliant world at the fault line between Renaissance “natural magic” and the birth of modern science. We explore why astrology was respectable, what “as above, so below” meant to learned magi, how printing turned libraries into engines of ideas, the hazards of practicing magic in an age of heresy trials, and why Dee still feels uncannily modern. We also touch on his years in Prague, his uneasy return to England, and the beautiful—if perilous—idea that the cosmos is alive with meaning.

Rachel’s new book The Years of the Wizard: The Strange History and Home Life of Renaissance Magicians (Duckworth) is out now. Please support independent bookshops or buy direct from the publisher.


Go Deeper: Visit our website at www.explaininghistory.org for articles and detailed explorations of the topics discussed.

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Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.

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843 episodes

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John Dee: Queen Elizabeth's Wizard

Explaining History

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Manage episode 512608076 series 1443941
Content provided by Nick Shepley. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Nick Shepley or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Who was John Dee—the Tudor polymath who advised Elizabeth I, mapped the heavens, spoke (he believed) with angels, and penned a landmark preface to Euclid? Historian and writer Rachel Morris joins to unpack Dee’s strange, brilliant world at the fault line between Renaissance “natural magic” and the birth of modern science. We explore why astrology was respectable, what “as above, so below” meant to learned magi, how printing turned libraries into engines of ideas, the hazards of practicing magic in an age of heresy trials, and why Dee still feels uncannily modern. We also touch on his years in Prague, his uneasy return to England, and the beautiful—if perilous—idea that the cosmos is alive with meaning.

Rachel’s new book The Years of the Wizard: The Strange History and Home Life of Renaissance Magicians (Duckworth) is out now. Please support independent bookshops or buy direct from the publisher.


Go Deeper: Visit our website at www.explaininghistory.org for articles and detailed explorations of the topics discussed.

▸ Join the Conversation: Our community of history enthusiasts discusses episodes, shares ideas, and continues the conversation. Find us on:

▸ Support the Podcast: Explaining History is a listener-supported production. Your contribution helps us cover the costs of research and keep these conversations going. You can support the show and get access to exclusive content by becoming a patron.

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.

▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive Content

Become a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory

▸ Join the Community & Continue the Conversation

Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcast

Substack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com

▸ Read Articles & Go Deeper

Website: explaininghistory.org


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  continue reading

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