In 1511 Agrippa had been lecturing at the Cologne University because of his expertise and wealth of Occult knowledge which, I'm sure, was debated among scholars. He later joined the army and quickly rose to the rank of Captain. He took part in the Council of Pisa as a theologian but was quickly excommunicated from the Church. Agrippa served the Duke of Milan as a soldier and diplomat in 1512. When Pope Leo X took the throne of Catholicism, Agrippa was soon reinstated in the Church in 1513.
A story which has always fascinated me was when a particular woman fell under accusation by the Inquisition for the practice of Witchcraft Agrippa came to her defense. Keep in mind that by doing such a thing the defender would often come under accusation himself so it was often a rare case for anyone to step forward in defense of another. As would be expected, Agrippa fell under accusation by a man named Nicolas Savin. No judgment had yet been passed on the woman and Agrippa defended her legal rites. Savin returned the woman to prison behind Agrippa's back. He spoke to Judge Leonard of Vuoypy about the case but this was not Leonard's jurisdiction and a double trial was illegal.
Savin used the infamous book, Malleus Maleficarum to mercilessly torture the poor woman to either extract a falsified confession or to "cleanse" her soul from the Devil. The Magistrates were so horrified by this scene that they fled. Without further witness', Savin doubled her punishment with sheer torture and torment beyond all human nature. She was left with no food or water, nor were her sufferings tended to.
As if by Magick, John Leonard had become ill and as he lay there on his death bed, out of guilt, he confessed that he allowed Savin to mercilessly torture and beat an innocent woman. He pleaded for her release but Savin would not give up his conviction. Agrippa would not allow the woman to be executed putting his own office and duty at risk. He wrote a lengthy letter to the judge who replaced Leonard after his death. The letter was so convincing that the new judge stepped forward to stop Savin's inhumane torture. The woman was given absolution from the vicar of the Metz and her accusers were charges 100 franks. This act of Agrippa's defiance against injustice ended his career.
Most of the information in this article was collected from Three Books of Occult Philosophy. A chapter devoted to his life can be read in the book. It should be pointed out that near the end of Agrippa's life, he recanted his Occult Philosophy. A denial of such a great body of work which ultimately would inspire western Occultism. This is a difficult book to read and Donald Tyson did a wonderful job translating the text. This isn't a collection of spells and rituals. It's an understanding during a pinnacle point in Renaissance history when the greatest minds of the time gathered to discuss things of Magick and the Occult. If it were not for Agrippa's effort, much of the information would be lost or scattered and Magick would not exist as it does today.