The Grand Cophta
In 1785, a scandal broke that would captivate all of Europe, destroy reputations, and help light the fuse of revolution. At its center stood three remarkable figures: an ambitious con artist who claimed royal blood, a desperate prince of the church, and a flamboyant mystic. This episode brings you the story of Count Alessandro di Cagliostro and the Affair of the Diamond Necklace.
Researched, written, and produced by Corinne Wieben with original music by Purple Planet.
Cover image: Le Collier de la reine by Château de Breteuil - Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Music
Purple Planet - Expectancy
Beethoven - Piano Sonata no. 8 in C minor 'Pathetique', Op. 13 - III. Rondo - Allegro, performed by Paul Pitman
Purple Planet - Breaking the Silence
Purple Planet - Sense of Loss
Purple Planet - Shadowlands
Sources
Primary
Authentic Adventures of the Celebrated Countess de la Motte. London, 1787.
Barberi, Giovanni. The Life of Joseph Balsamo Commonly called Count Cagliostro. London, 1791.
de la Motte, Countess. Memoirs of the Countess de Valois de La Motte. London, 1789.
The Life of the Count Cagliostro. London, 1787.
“Memorandum to Her Majesty the Queen Concerning the Diamond Necklace Affair (1786).” Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution.
Memorial, or Brief, for the Comte de Cagliostro, Defendant. London, 1786.
Secondary
Beckman, Jonathan. How to Ruin a Queen: Marie Antoinette and the Diamond Necklace Affair. Boston: Da Capo Press, 2014.
Carlyle, Thomas. The Diamond Necklace. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1913.
Gell, C. W. M. “The Affair of the Queen’s Necklace.” Dalhousie Review 32, no. 1 (1952): 45-52.
Koenig, Duane. “Count Cagliostro, Grand Cophta of the Enlightenment.” Social Studies 36, no. 8 (1945): 359-363.
Photiades, Constantin. Count Cagliostro. Oxford: Routledge, 2005; 2012.
Trowbridge, R. H. Cagliostro: The Splendour and Misery of a Master of Magic. London: Chapman & Hall, 1910.
