In our history, there were several people about whom it is difficult to say anything unambiguously, and people's opinions about such characters can be strikingly different from each other. The same can be said about Papus, who was born in 1865 and who was considered a sorcerer, occultist, a member of the Masonic order, and by some an ordinary charlatan who “played” on people's trust.
Papus's real name is Gerard Anaclet Vincent Encausse, and he was born in Spain, but then decided to move to Paris, where he spent a huge amount of time studying treatises on magical practices and alchemy. If he had stayed in A Coruña, then such a famous person might not have appeared.
One of Papus' favorite occupations was the creation and restoration of various orders and secret societies. It was he who, in 1887, created the Martinist Order with the support of some influential French Masons. Gerard published the order's newspaper and many different articles and books on the occult and esotericism, traveled to European countries with lectures on magical practices, which further strengthened his reputation among sorcerers and lovers of the unknown. It is also interesting that most of his works were based on other famous treatises and books about esotericism, and he added a little information from himself.
Papus visited Russia more than once and they say that he even predicted the death of Nicholas II - the emperor of the Russian Empire. More than four hundred articles and 25 books by Papus have been translated into many languages.
Gerard had a huge influence on the development of Tarot cards, having thought over their system and made fortune telling on them more popular. During the First World War, he made a voluntary decision to become a doctor in a field hospital, and later died of tuberculosis.
If he did not possess any magical or occult skills, then in any case he can be called a great man who knew how to convince almost every person that secret knowledge was available to him.