John Dee

John Dee
A 16th-century portrait by an unknown artist[a]
Born	13 July 1527[3] Tower Ward, London, England[3]
Died	December 1608 or March 1609(1609-03-00) (aged 81) Mortlake, Surrey, England
Alma mater	St John's College, Cambridge Louvain University
Known for	Advisor to Queen Elizabeth I
Spouses	Katherine Constable Jane Fromond
Children	Michael (d. 1594) Theodore (d. 1601) Arthur Rowland Madinia Frances Margaret (d. 1603) Katherine
Scientific career
Fields	Mathematics, alchemy, astrology, Hermeticism, navigation
Institutions	Trinity College, Cambridge Christ's College, Manchester
Academic advisors	Gemma Frisius, Gerardus Mercator[1]
Notable students	Thomas Digges[2]

John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, teacher, astrologer, occultist, and alchemist.^[4] He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy. As an antiquarian, he had one of the largest libraries in England at the time. As a political advisor, he advocated the foundation of English colonies in the New World to form a "British Empire", a term he is credited with coining.^[5]

Dee eventually left Elizabeth's service and went on a quest for additional knowledge in the deeper realms of the occult and supernatural. He aligned himself with several individuals who may have been charlatans, travelled through Europe, and was accused of spying for the English crown.^[6] Upon his return to England, he found his home and library vandalised. He eventually returned to the Queen's service, but was turned away when she was succeeded by James I. He died in poverty in London, and his gravesite is unknown.

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