Think History Is Set in Stone? These 5 Historical Conspiracy Theories May Surprise You!

4) Count of Saint Germain

He claimed to have been born in 1691 and died in 1784 and this master of imagination was said to have kept the same appearance throughout most of his life. The Count of Saint Germain would have been 93 at the time of his death if his birth year is correct. How does a 93-year-old man continue to look 50 years younger than he is? This remains a mystery, yet it was reported by Madame Pompadour in 1750 after she had seen him 40 years earlier, looking much the same.

It has been written that Saint Germain often would tell people that he was 300-years-old or older, at the same time he manufactured potions to make them look younger. It is said that Saint Germain had an obsession with jewels, of which he had many with him at all times. And, there is a theory that he was the son of Prince Francis II Rákóczi of Transylvania, and was heir to that dynasty. But, the only son recorded in Francis II Rákóczi’s will was said to have died at age four. Some believe that this was a cover for the young Saint Germain as protection, an assumed identity to keep the Habsburg dynasty from harming the boy.

Tales of Saint Germain’s proficiency with languages, alchemy, music, diplomacy, and espial skills may have been overblown, but certainly he was well-regarded by some at least. A practicing alchemist, he helped to innovate new dyes for use on French fabric and some suspected that his wealth came from his ability to materialize gold from nothing using alchemy. And, some have even put forth that his magical abilities came from his membership in secret orders and his use of magical practices. It is unlikely that most of these fantastical stories are true and it is more likely that either he was an imposter or that the stories were fabricated.

It seems we may never know how old he really was or what skills he truly possessed, but this unsolved mystery certainly has been the source of many a speculative theory, many of which gained popularity at the end of the 19th century. But, it has to be said, a man from Transylvania who doesn’t seem to age and possess secret knowledge? That sounds like Dracula!

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