The Day England Outlawed Alchemy (2024)

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The Day England Outlawed Alchemy (2024)

FAQs

Why was alchemy outlawed in England? ›

On the one hand, The Art posed a threat to the control of precious metal and was often outlawed; on the other hand, there were obvious advantages to any sovereign who could control gold making.

Why did the British government ban alchemy? ›

This Act forbade the transmutation of base metals into gold or silver, which one might then use to create counterfeit coins. Its enactment was meant to protect the authority of the government by preventing the debasem*nt of currency.

Was alchemy ever outlawed? ›

In 1403, Henry IV of England banned the practice of multiplying metals (although it was possible to buy a licence to attempt to make gold alchemically, and a number were granted by Henry VI and Edward IV).

What is the crime of alchemy? ›

On January 13, 1404, King Henry IV of England signed a law making it a felony to create gold and silver out of thin air. The Act Against Multiplication, as it was formally titled, outlawed something called “multiplication,” which in alchemy meant taking some of a material, like gold, and somehow creating more of it.

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