Albertus was born in the first decade of the 13th century in Swabia, a son of the noble family of Bollstadt. He studied Aristotle at Padua, and in 1223 became a Dominican brother of the Catholic Church. Eventually he rose to the rank of Bishop of Regensburg. He lectured on theology and Aristotelian subjects at Cologne and Paris. From the University of Paris he obtained his doctorate degree. His most famous student was Thomas Aquinas. His numerous works on all subjects fill thirty-six volumes. Albertus was known to his detractors as the Ape of Aristotle, but by his champions as Albertus the Great. He died in 1280.

As is so often the case with famous magicians, there is no indication in historical records that Albertus ever practiced magic in any form. Undoubtedly he possessed a knowledge of astrology (every learned man of the time did) and of what is termed natural magic, which is the magic of herbs, stones, and other natural substances that were thought to derive their specific occult virtues from the rays of the stars and planets.

His reputation as a magician arose from a book that was published under his name after his death, called the Book of Secrets. It contains a wealth of information on natural magic, and was drawn in part from the works of Albertus. This magical book was enormously popular for five centuries, and was reprinted innumerable times in all the major languages of Europe, as well as the universal language of Latin. Though falsely attributed to Albertus, it confirmed him in the public imagination as a great magician. The book is available as a paperback from Oxford University Press.

It is, of course, quite possible that Albertus did practice magic. He would certainly have studied it, since magic was a significant branch of human learning, and in medieval times every educated man set out to learn the sum total of human knowledge. On the other hand, Albertus was a member of the Church, and the study of all forms of magic other than natural magic was strictly forbidden. We will probably never know for sure how much of a magician Albertus really was.