Most emperors wanted bigger armies. Rudolf II wanted to turn lead into gold. In 1583, he did something no one expected — he moved the entire capital of the Holy Roman Empire from Vienna to Prague. Not for politics. Not for war. He wanted to build the greatest laboratory Europe had ever seen, right inside Prague Castle.
0%
Riddles of the Past·2/2·1′
The place
Prague Castle
Rudolf II and the Court of Alchemists
When the Holy Roman Emperor sought the Philosopher's Stone in Prague Castle
1583-1612 (Rudolf II's Prague court)Prague Castle
Moral of the Story
“The pursuit of impossible knowledge can transform a city, even when the knowledge itself remains forever out of reach.”
Characters
E
Emperor Rudolf IIE
Edward KelleyJ
John DeeT
Tycho BraheJ
Johannes KeplerSource
Imperial court records; R.J.W. Evans "Rudolf II and His World"; alchemical manuscripts