Nostradamus Dies: Centuries of Prophecy Debate Begin

Nostradamus told his priest the night before he died: "You will not find me alive at sunrise." He died on July 2, 1566, in Salon-de-Provence, and his followers immediately noted that he had, as usual, predicted it. Born Michel de Nostredame on December 14, 1503, in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, he studied medicine at the University of Montpellier and practiced as a plague doctor during several outbreaks in southern France. His medical reputation was mixed; some accounts credit him with innovative treatment methods, while others suggest his interventions were no more effective than standard practices of the era. His transition from medicine to prophecy began in the late 1540s, when he started publishing almanacs containing predictions for the coming year. These were enormously popular. In 1555, he published the first installment of "Les Prophéties," a collection of 942 quatrains written in an obscure mixture of French, Latin, Greek, and Provençal, arranged in groups of 100 called centuries. The quatrains were deliberately vague, employing astrological references, classical allusions, and ambiguous language that could be applied to almost any event after the fact. Catherine de Medici, the queen of France, became one of his most influential patrons, summoning him to court for consultations on multiple occasions. He produced private horoscopes for the royal children. The relationship lent him credibility and protection from the Inquisition, which viewed prophetic claims with suspicion. His predictions have been continuously reinterpreted since his death. Every major historical event from the Great Fire of London to the September 11 attacks has been retroactively matched to one or more of his quatrains by enthusiasts. Skeptics note that the language is so vague that any event can be made to fit. His 942 quatrains are still in print, still being reinterpreted, still matching whatever just happened.