The Life and Prophecies of Nostradamus

the dominant power in French politics. Before the regency's official dissolution, Catherine managed to address the country's increasingly violent religious conflict by brokering the Edict of Imboise, which ended the first stage of the French Wars of Religion and brought on a brief period of official peace between the Hugonots or

French Protestants and Catholics. In an effort to enforce the edict and to rally support for the crown in the wake of the unrest, Catherine and Little Charles set out in March of fifteen sixty four for a two year Grand Tour of France. The tour took the pair and their roughly twenty thousand person entourage across the country, from

Paris to Provence, Brittany to the Bourbonet. Each stop on the tour was carefully planned to strengthen loyalty in the provinces, but there is one stop designated for the King and Queen Mother's personal agenda. In October, the tour reached the quiet southern town of Celan de Provence, home of the

famed physician and occultist no Stradamus. That iconic name is likely known by a majority of modern listeners, but even at the time of the royal visit, no Stradamis's infamy had already spread throughout the country and beyond its orders. In fact, the validity of his predictions had become another point of contention in the religious conflict. Protestants were arguing he was a fraud. Catholics believed he had a divine gift. Catherine, a devout Catholic, came to sell on seeking a message

from the stars delivered through no Stradamis. Later, writing to the Constable of France, Catherine happily recounted that the astrologer quote promised all kinds of good things to the King my son, and that he shall live as long as you. That prediction would come true, but not in the world way Catherine brightly anticipated. Today, more than four centuries after no Stradamus's death, his prophecies continue to be a subject

of discussion. Have they predicted major world events or are they simply vague enough to be easily applicable to any number of situations. But there's one more question, perhaps most interesting of all, were his prophecies even original. For all of this debate, the man behind the predictions remains to many a mystery. I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is Noble Blood. The famous future astrologer was not born Nostradamus the Great and Powerful or Old Nasty if you've been listening to

the Rain Recap series over on the Noble Blood Patreon. Instead, his parents called him Michelle de Nostre Dame when he was born in fifteen o three in sin Remi de Provence. Michelle was only the second generation to be born with the last name Nostr Dame. His paternal grandfather had been a Spanish Jew forced to convert and take a Christian name around fourteen fifty five due to hostile New edicts, so his grandfather, Gui Gassonet became Pierre de Saint Marie

before settling on Pierre de Nostradame. The surname meaning our lady Michelle Nostre Dame's Jewish heritage will come up later in debates surrounding his legitimacy, so remember that point. It's traditionally believed that Michelle started his education young, taught by

his maternal great grandfather, who was a physician. Those early studies are said to have focused on Latin and yes some astrology, which at the time was a respected scholarly tradition with a long history, although the Renaissance period saw increasing skepticism of astrology and those who practiced it. Later in life, Nostredam would claim to still treasure the astrolabe

he inherited from his great grandfather. Sometime between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, Michelle left for the nearest major city, Avignon, where he sought higher education at the local university. In Nostradamus's day, university curriculum consisted of the trivium, which was grammar, rhetoric and logic, followed by the quadrivium geometry, arithmetic, music,

and astrology. However, our young scholar never got the chance to advance to the quadrivium's astrology lessons because in fifteen twenty a plague outbreak forced the Universe Diversity to close its doors covid Era students, I'm sure can relate in a later diary entry, Nostrodamis reflected on life following the

university closure quote. I spent most of my young years on pharmaceutics and the knowledge and study of natural remedies across various lands and countries, constantly on the move to find out the source and origin of plants involved in the purposes of the healing art. That is a long sentence to say he became a self taught traveling apothecary. Perhaps he was inspired by his close encounter with the plague, or maybe he was following in his great grandfather's footsteps.

By fifteen twenty nine, schools had reopened their doors. We know this because fifteen twenty nine was the year Michelle enrolled in the University at Montpellier to study for his medical doctorate. His written enrollment confirmation pen in shaky Latin, remains in the university's library to this day. Though this may be a point of pride for that university. Now, the reception no Stradamis received at the time was quite different.

In fact, he was expelled shortly after arriving. The confirmation of his expulsion also still exists in library records, reading quote, he whom you see crossed out here has been an apothecary or quack, and through the students we have heard him speak ill of doctors end quote. This was the first, but certainly not the last, time no Stradamus would be called a quack. While being an apothecary was deemed inferior to being a doctor, it was also forbidden for university

students to have practiced a quote manual trade. Academic snobbery and no Stradamis's over confidence were a bad mix. So no Stradamus returned to the life of a traveling apothecary for the next few years, following Hippocratus's famous advice to quote seek out old wives or alternative remedies. In fifteen thirty one he settled into a stationary life in Agen, where he was invited to be the personal apothecary of a famed scholar he had befriended. There, he married his

first wife, Henriette, with whom he had two children. His time there, as his time had been in Avian and Montpellier, was once again destined to be brief. By fifteen thirty four, Michell nostdam faced the triple loss of his wife, son, and daughter, all to another plague outbreak. The mortality rate of the sixteenth century plague epidemics was still lower than that of the Black Death in the fourteenth century, but

the effects were still devastating. Known treatments were ineffective, and a famous piece of advice at the time for doctors was quote get out fast, stay well away, come back late. I don't remember that part of the Hippocratic oath, but I am no doctor. If you can't find a doctor, you might as well turn to a less respected professional. After two years spent as the aid to a prominent physician, a Montpellier alum no less in Marseille, Nostrodamus's service were

procured by the city of x in Provence. Our apothecary was likely motivated to aid where others fled for an number of reasons. A chance at renown, certainly, but also the chance for medical discovery almost certainly. The chance to fight the same disease that took his family away. It was there that he treated residence with his would be

famous rose pill. I wouldn't recommend trying this at home, but if you're curious as to how a rose pill is made, you can turn to Nostrodamis's fifteen fifty five best selling medical cookbook Wellness Influencers, pumping out a book tail as all as Time. The rose pill formula calls for quote one ounce of the sawdust shavings of cypress wood as green as you can find, six ounces of florentine iris, three ounces of cloves, three DRAMs of sweet calamus,

and six DRAMs of aloes wood. Next, take three or four hundred years unfolded red roses, fresh and perfectly clean, and gathered before dewfall. From there, the concoction is to be shaped into a lozenge and left to dry. But as a bonus, he notes that the mixture may also be made into a perfume. Quote add as much musk or ambergrease as you either can or wish. If these two are added, I do not doubt that you will

produce a superbly pleasant perfume. This same cookbook part of a rapidly growing genre of recipe books, often called books of secrets, marketed to DIY minded readers, many of them women. Also includes formulas for teeth whitening, hair coloring, and a love tonic so powerful that Nostrodamis claimed a few drops placed in a woman's mouth while kissing her would trigger

a burning passion. When described how big the rose pill, no Stradamis dedicates time to recounting the horrors he witnessed in X, as the plague tore apart, families and graveyards overflowed, but he notes that his concoction provided relief, protecting its users from infection. We can't say for certain or with any likelihood, that the pill was an actually effective preventative measure, but as in many cases, what mattered was that people

believed in it. That rose pill was the catalyst that set no Stradamis on the path to fame, and he soon became known as the plague Doctor. In reality, it appears that the X plague naturally subsided after around nine months, which was a typical timeline. While his prowess may have been exaggerated, no Stradamis rightfully deserves credit where it's due, for staying where many doctors fled, and for trying what

hadn't been tried. He continued to help a number of other cities over the next few years before settling in the town that he would call home for the rest of his life, Celon. By this point he was in his early forties, and alongside his new success, it appears he sought another chance at a stable family life. On November eleventh, fifteen forty seven, he married his second wife,

a wealthy widow named Anne Ponzard. It was in the years following his second marriage that Nostrodamus became interested in the occult. He hadn't formally studied astrologies since childhood, but the field was becoming increasingly more popular as well as

more controversial. His major influences included fifteen fifty's book on the Nature of the Times and Their Changes, which used planetariyr patterns to define the world by cycles, the last of which would conclude with a predicted and notably inaccurate apocalypse, as well as the rising success of annual almanacs, which

provided predictions and warnings for the year ahead. Though they were first introduced about a century earlier, almanacs were now so popular that two to three dozen were being published every year. With the country's increasing religious tensions, as well as economic and political strife, it was no wonder that people sought guides to the future. Nostradamus wrote his first almanac in fifteen fifty, and would continue to write one

every year until his death. It was in his first almanac that we see the pen name Michele Nostre Dame mus as opposed to Nostradame. In trading his French surname for or a Latin one, he aligned himself with the great thinkers of antiquity, a practice adopted by many scholars of the Renaissance. No copies of his first publication have survived, but the predictions it contained were recorded by his secretary.

One reads, throughout Gaul, meaning France, there shall be certain uprisings which shall be appeased by stern Council, fairly vague, but pretty predictably likely. Another report quote in the autumn heavy rains, which shall be the cause of many setbacks, shall even confound some very great enterprises. The third prediction claims, at this time, whether in wars or in illness, love, honor, and fear shall be the reason why people shall not

be oppressed but shall live in peace. Those are all decidedly short, vague, and reliable rain in autumn groundbreaking, But as the years progressed, we'll see his predictive style change predictions will become wordier, heavier, and increasingly grounded in the movements of the planets. His almanacs sold well, but they didn't particularly stand out compared to the many other successful almanacs. His more lucrative source of income was a new practice

horoscope readings for wealthy clients. As opposed to other astrologists. However, he did not draw up these charts himself, instead asking the client to provide the material. His apothecary practice also continued, but you wouldn't be wrong to wonder where the shift

from medicine to occultism came from. After his childhood studies, Michelle hadn't shown an interest in astrology for his entire young adult and adult life, but now in middle age, he was a practicing astrologist with visions of the future. This transition wasn't something Nostradamis wrote about in his journals, so we're left to analyze for ourselves. There's the cynical angle that he saw the field becoming more lucrative and

wanted a piece of the pie. And there's also the more optimistic angle that he was an inherently curious person, constantly seeking new ways to understand the world around him. I would argue it's probably a mixture of both, and indeed many scholars of the time saw medicine and astrology as intertwined. Fifteen fifty five would be the year Nostradamis

began to see real success in his new practice. For the fifty five almanac, no Stradamis had the idea to write his predictions in verse, which not only set him apart from his contemporaries by calling back to the voices of ancient prophets, but poetic language also helped keep things

open to interpretation. It's also in the fifteen fifty five edition that no Strodamus first claims to be divinely inspired quote by divine spirit, soul filled with prophecy, War, famine, plague, and upheaval shall come by floods droughts, while blood shall stain both land and sea. Peace packs, prey lets be born, and princes die. He does not explicitly state his predictions

came from God. That would be a step two controversial in certain circles, but any reader who wanted to believe that could certainly sense the true intent behind his words. Besides religious wars, lightning strikes, and crocodiles, Yes, Nostradamis predicted

an incident involving a mysterious crocodile. One particular prediction stood out among the others that year the King, he wrote at the time, still referring to Catherine de Medici's husband, Henry, the second quote shall beware of some one or many of his court, lest they seek to do which I dare not put in writing, as the stars in accordance

with occult philosophy demonstrate. A few years later, the astrologer Laurent Videl, who ironically taught the subject at Avignon where Michel was forced to abandon his studies before he reached the astrology courses, published a scathing indictment of Nostrodamis, in which he questioned that very prediction quote you say that you dare not declare what would happen that year? Why did you resort to such ruses? If not so that you should be sent for from the court. You knew

perfectly well the king would want the truth. In other words, you're only being COI, so the king will summon you. Whether or not Videl was right about Nostradamis's intentions, he was wrong about one thing. In particular, it was not the king whose attention he caught, but rather the queen's. In the summer of fifteen fifty five, Nostradamis received the

Queen's summon to attend court in Paris. According to the contemporary Chronique Lionnaise, he apparently quote feared greatly that harm would have been done to him, for he said himself he was in great danger of having his head cut off. Evidently it was not his head Nostradamis had to worry about, but his feet. He was only at court a short amount of time before he was bedridden with a bad

flare up of gout. As later reported by his son Caesar, Nostradamis actually read the charts of Eager Nobles right there from his bed. In a letter, Nostradamis wrote, as a fine reward from the court, I became ill there. The Queen paid me thirty crowns and there's a fine sum for having come two hundred leagues, having spent a hundred crowns,

I made thirty. This may seem an oddly irreverent tone from a man who was highly respected by the Queen, but that letter was written to a man to whom Nostradamis owed money, and so he sought to downplay his wealth. He does, however, make sure to tell the man how much he sung his praises to Catherine. According to a later account from Nostradamis's son, the seer's duty on that first trip was to examine the birth charts of the three princes who would become Francis the second, Charles the ninth,

and Henry the third. The Queen was evidently pleased, and Nostradamis's son later reported that his father returned to Ceylon a hero, haralded by the people, as quote the most famous prophet in all of France. The next project for this most esteemed Frenchman was his magnum opus, The Prophecies, released in three volumes from fifteen fifty seven to fifteen fifty eight. Rather than predicting a single year's events, as was the task of his almanacs, he would predict thousands

of year's events. He was certainly not the first to attempt such an undertaking, but he would be the first to time to do so in French, the language of the people. It was such a major project, in fact, that upon publication it included a dedicatory letter to King Henry. The second. Published treatises during this time were frequently dedicated to existing or potential patrons. By addressing his work to Henry, Nostradamis communicated his lofty ambitions to both the king and

to his readers. He was making the inaccessible ancient art of prophecy accessible, and I mean that in a more literal sense as well. He was essentially translating the existing

work of the ancients into French. As described by Peter Lemosier in his biography The Unknown Nostradamus, Michelle's writing directly reflected the major events and developments first told by ancient prophets and later reproduced in fifteen twenty two's Mirabilis Lieber, which was a popular collection of predictions from numerous Christian

saints and diviners in Latin. Of course, in his book's preface, no Stradamis writes that his prophecies concerned future events quote about which the divine Being has granted me knowledge by means of astrological cycles. He contradicts himself in the same preface, however, writing quote, even though my son I have used the word prophet, I have no wish to attribute myself a title of such lofty sublimity. At present here, at present means in the present work. In his biographer's words, the

material was quote certainly not Nostradamus's copyright. Only in the matter of detail of the who and where and when was his own hand and evident. Even then, his predictions relied on the expectation that history would repeat itself. For example, he wrote numerous times that Europe would be invaded from the east and south by massive Muslim forces. There are passages fully plagiarized from historical sources, including Livy, Plutarch, and

other classics. This all sounds rather scandalous to our modern ears. Revealed no stra Damis plagiarized his predictions, but this was actually a very common practice at the time, seen more as paying homage to the great than infringing on their intellectual property. In one quatrain that would become particularly famous, Nostradamis mirrors the deposition of the Byzantine emperor Isaac the

sec Angelus. It reads in Nostradamus's standard verse style quote, the young young lion shall surmount the old on Marshall battlefield in a single duel. His eyes he'll put out in a cage of gold. Two forces joined, and then a death most cruel. Nostrodamus was right that history would repeat itself, but in a way no one could have expected. In fifteen fifty nine, a tournament was held honoring the marriage of Henry the Second and Catherine's daughter Elizabeth to

King Philip the Second of Spain. King Henry was an avid jouster and decided to participate in a festive triple joust with his captain of the Scottish Guard, Gabriel of Montgomery. In the third round, Gabriel's lance splintered and pierced Henry's eye so severely it penetrated his brain. Despite their best efforts, the royal doctors found there was nothing to be done when the king died ten days later. There are some clear parallels to Nostradamus's verse. For example, both jousters had

lions as their emblems. While Marshall Battlefield isn't exactly the same as a celebratory joust, Henry did lose his eye, wearing a gilded helmet and suffering an agony for ten days before finally succumbing to brain damage. I would certainly qualify that as a death most cruel At the time, however, those parallels were not drawn. Instead, some people wondered why Nostradamis failed to predict anything about the death of a king.

In the letter at the beginning of his book addressed to Henry, Nostradamis even described the king as quote most invincible. While Nostradamis had his fair share of denouncers, mainly fellow astrologists who saw him as a hack, this snaffoo wasn't enough to hinder his rise. Even in England, diplomats discussed quatrains referencing the ascension of Queen Elizabeth and the marriage between Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry's young successor, Francis

Nostradamis Mania officially swept the country. Foreign ambassadors were reporting back to their home countries that it was becoming difficult to conduct any business in France. For the country's collective mind was fixated on one thing. International clients were also rolling in, including the crown Prince of Vienna and a prominent Duke of Savoy. Catherine herself became a regular client, asking for readings for the new King Francis and for

his younger brother, Charles. No Stradamis's fifteen sixty almanac election ugly predicted the early death of King Francis the Second, which occurred in December of that year. If you recall this episode's introduction, the early years of Francis's younger brother, Charles the Ninth Regency saw the country on the brink

of civil war. In the end of fifteen sixty one, Nostra Damis wrote to a friend that the troubles had reached Salon and that he and his family had been forced to rent a safe house in Avignon, as his famed mysticism made him suspect in the chaos. Michelle failed to get the required license from a bishop for the publication of his fifteen sixty two almanac, and he was thrown into prison at the castle of Margnen. The Governor of Provence left his sentencing to Charles the Ninth and

No stra Damis was freed. Thus this began his reputation era. He always had his detractors, but upon his release from prison, the movement against him gained more traction than ever. A famous published critique called him and I will be adding this phrase to my personal vernacular a twenty four carot liar. Another pamphlet sought to discredit him on account of his Jewish origins, while additionally framing him as something of a courtester.

I who was there meaning court at the time, know perfectly well that there was nobody there who was not convinced that you had come there expressly in order to receive by way of reward, all the mockery that all your poor little treatises and fantastic statements richly deserved. That's such a good takedown, you know. The guy who wrote that would have killed on Reddit. But the heart of

this entire revie debate was between Protestants and Catholics. After Pierre de Ronsard, a Catholic poet with royal patronage, composed a flattering portrait of Nostradamis, a Protestant pamphlet was published denouncing Ronsard by appealing directly to Queen Catherine, it read, Ronzard, you fool, how dare you take to heart this damned Nostra Damis and his art calling him true and for a maniac's word betray the revelation of the Lord. As a brief aside, takedowns being written in verse feels like

the sixteenth century forbearer of rap battles. Catherine, as we know, paid those detractors no mind, and she soon embarked on her trip with King Charles to Salon, where we began this episode. Michelle's son Cesar was only ten at the time, but he would recount that visit in his later years. Apparently, Nostradamis asked to examine Charles's younger brother Henry to assess his future prospects. He pronounced that, according to the placement of the moles on his body, he would not only

become king, but rule for a long time. When the young prince did ultimately succeed to the throne, it said, he would often recall the occasion with amusement. As for Nostra Damis's other prediction that Charles would live as long as the Constable of France, that also came true, albeit bleakly.

He died three years later in his seventies, and King Charles only lived for another seven years, dying at just twenty three years before Charles's death, however, Nostra Damis was called upon to bless the proposed union between the new French king and Queen Elizabeth of England, who was twice his age. Whether or not no str Damis saw a bright outcome, it appears he had no choice but to say he did. The proposal was sent to England with a copy of Charles's birth chart and no Stradamis's commentary.

Elizabeth delicately refused the proposal and is said to have replied, quote, my Lord is too great for me, and yet too small still. No Stra Damis had gained enough acclaim with Catherine de Medici that he was appointed Privy Councilor and physician in ordinary to the King and awarded a grant

and pension. The Spanish ambassador, reporting the quote lunacy of what is going on here to his king, wrote quote, he has all the guile in the world, and only ever says what is pleasing to whomever it may be.

The ambassador continues, quote the Queen said to me to day do you know, noster Damis assured me that in fifteen sixty six a general peace would reign across the world, and that the Kingdom of France would be the most peaceful, and that the situation would settle down, and while saying that she had an air of earnestness, as if somebody had been quoting Saint John or Saint Luke at her end quote. Despite what outsiders thought of him, though noster Damis had made it to the top, but not long

after arriving, his chronic gout became increasingly more painful. In a December fifteen sixty five letter to a colleague, he wrote, quote, at Arl recently a fiery arrow was seen, a kind of falling star. He believed this meant varied woes were to plague the land, including invasions, drought, and famine. But

maybe he should have been looking inward. In his final surviving letter, he wrote an update to Catherine, predicting a vastly different future than the falling star portold quote, I find, by various celestial patterns drawn up in this place, that all shall be in peace, love, union, and concord, even though there shall be some great contradictions and differences, but in the end everybody shall return content of mouth and heart. Perhaps he simply forgot to mention the invasions, drought, and

famine that the falling Star had told him about. But really a prediction of peace, love and concord is pretty safe, because if you say that everything will be okay in the end and things aren't okay yet, it just means the end hasn't come. No Stradamus completed his final almanac for fifteen sixty seven only a fortnight before his end

came in the beginning of July fifteen sixty six. He did not predict his own death, but November fifteen sixty seven's entry was posthumously edited by his secretary to fit the circumstances of his passing. That's the life of no Stradamus. But keep listening after a brief sponsor break, to hear a bit about how his prophecies have been interpreted in

modern times. There are numerous events in more recent history that people believe had been predicted by Nostronamus, including the French Revolution, the death of Princess Diana, and the rise of Adolf Hitler. The latter is a particularly interesting one, as Nostradamus became a figure of government propaganda. Astrology was gaining popularity again in nineteen thirties Europe and publishers were

putting out multiple Nostre Damis books a year. The New York Times reported that men and women of all social stations, including officers at the front, were turning to Nostradamis's prophecies for insight. One of his quatrans stands out quote beasts wild with hunger shall swim the rivers. Most of the hosts shall move against ister. He'll have the great one

dragged in iron cage. When the child the German Rhine surveys Ister spelled Hister in the old French was referring to another name for the Danube River, but the twentieth century mind saw a clear reference to the name Hitler. On the eve of war, France's propaganda agency sought to publish a favorable interpretation of Nostradamis. Centuries after he was sought out by Catherine, Nostradamus was once again tasked with

predicting a hopeful future for France. Seeing the effectiveness of that strategy, the Nazis began to publish their own interpretations of Nostradamis's quatrains, and Hitler himself was interested in astrology. That didn't stop the Allies from using him in their propaganda. In fact, their new plan was to make no Stradamis a movie star in the US, with MGM producing short

films about the seer. As said by the studio's production supervisor, the vision was to quote make a given verse say what you wanted it to say in terms of the times, and in terms of the interest, and in terms of

the dramatic value of your interpretation. It's something to keep in mind when you see people making grand predictions on the Internet, people reading into clues and symbols and signs that throughout history, vague enough predictions have been used as propaganda, and we've always been looking to the stars for answers. Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and

Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannaswick, Courtney Sender, Amy hit and Julia Melaney. The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il Kaali and executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.