Free the Alchemist: Efforts of Sigismund Iii at the Imperial Court to Free Michał Sędziwój (Michael Sendivogius) From Prague Prison. New Sources

Abstract

The article presents the efforts of Sigismund III Vasa at the imperial court to free the eminent Polish alchemist Michał Sędziwój (Michael Sendivogius) from Prague prison. The analyzed correspondence and instructions for emissaries depict diversified mechanisms of king’s action in this matter. The collected sources allow also for a verification of research findings to date concerning some important fact from the alchemist’s life, such as the period of his imprisonment in Prague, of his service as a diplomat, as well as his ennoblement and bestowment of the office of king’s secretary. The articles concludes with an edition of discussed sources.