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:''"Count Saint-Germain" redirects here. Also see St. Germain (Theosophy). For other uses of St. Germain see Saint-Germain (disambiguation).'' The Comte de Saint Germain (born 1712?; died 27 February 1784)〔Isabel Cooper Oakley, p45〕 was a European courtier, with an interest in science and the arts. He achieved prominence in European high society of the mid-1700s. Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel considered him to be "one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived".〔S. A. Le Landgrave Charles, Prince de Hesse, ''Mémoires de Mon Temps'', p. 135. Copenhagen, 1861.〕 St. Germain used a variety of names and titles, an accepted practice amongst royals and nobles at the time. These include the Marquis de Montferrat, Comte Bellamarre, Chevalier Schoening, Count Weldon, Comte Soltikoff, Graf Tzarogy and Prinz Ragoczy.〔Spellings used are those given in ''The Comte de St. Germain'' by Isabel Cooper-Oakley〕 In order to deflect inquiries as to his origins, he would invent fantasies, such as that he was 500 years old, leading Voltaire to sarcastically dub him "The Wonderman".〔(Comte de Saint-Germain (French adventurer) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia ). Britannica.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-07.〕 His birth and background are obscure, but towards the end of his life he claimed that he was a son of Prince Francis II Rákóczi of Transylvania. His name has occasionally caused him to be confused with Claude Louis, Comte de Saint-Germain, a noted French general, and Robert-François Quesnay de Saint Germain, an active occultist. ==Background== The Count claimed to be a son of Francis II Rákóczi, the Prince of Transylvania, possibly legitimate, possibly by Duchess Violante Beatrice of Bavaria.〔''The Comte de St. Germain'' by Isabel Cooper-Oakley. Milan, Italy: Ars Regia, 1912〕 This would account for his wealth and fine education.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Oxford University Press Article )〕 It also explains why kings would accept him as one of their own. The will of Francis II Rákóczi mentions his eldest son, Leopold George, who was believed to have died at the age of four.〔 The speculation is that his identity was safeguarded as a protective measure from the persecutions against the Habsburg dynasty.〔 At the time of his arrival in Schleswig in 1779, St. Germain told Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel that he was 88 years old.〔S. A. Le Landgrave Charles, Prince de Hesse, ''Mémoires de Mon Temps'', p. 133. Copenhagen, 1861.〕 This would place his birth in 1691, when Francis II Rákóczi was 15 years old. St. Germain was educated in Italy by the last of Medicis, Gian Gastone, his mother's brother-in-law. It is believed that he was a student at the University of Siena.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Count of St. Germain」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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