John Dee

The London-born John Dee was actually of Welsh descent, his family having made a place for themselves in the capital after the accession of a fellow Welshman, Henry VII, to the English throne. Over the years, the young and ambitious Dee invented a lineage that was far grander than his true humble beginnings, claiming a family connection with various Welsh princes, and even suggesting descent from the fabled King Arthur himself.

Dee gained his Bachelor’s degree in 1545 from Cambridge. During his time at university, he had his first brush with the occult, in the form of alchemical studies, and came across the mathematical concepts that would become the basis of many of his later ideas. By the time he left university for good, he had already established something of a reputation in this area, though this did not stop him from taking Holy Orders in 1554.

Trouble erupted in 1555 when Dee