Alessandro Cagliostro

Giuseppe Balsamo (2 June 1743 – 26 August 1795), known by the alias Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, was an Italian occultist, self-styled magician and confidence trickster. He became a glamorous figure associated with the royal courts of Europe where he pursued various occult arts, including psychic healing, alchemy, and scrying. In his 1833 essay, Count Cagliostro, Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) pronounced him the "Quack of Quacks".

Early life and education

Cagliostro was born Giuseppe Balsamo on June 8, 1743 in Albergheria, Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily. Several sources, including Cagliostro himself, state that he was descended from the Byzantine Greek family of Komnenos; specifically the Megas Komnenos branch, which ruled the Empire of Trebizond. Given that 'Balsamo' is a name of Greek origin, and that Albergheria was largely inhabited by people of Greek descent, Cagliostro's claim to Greek ancestry seems valid. Albergheria was also known as the Jewish Quarter, which led later biographers to state that Cagliostro was at least part Jewish, despite the fact that he was from a Catholic family.

Cagliostro's parents were Pietro and Felicita Balsamo. Pietro, the son of a ribbon merchant, owned a prosperous shop and the Balsamos were described as "honest tradespeople". However, for unknown reasons, Pietro was forced to declare bankruptcy and died at age 45, leaving his wife to raise Giuseppe, one brother and one sister.