Guide Note

16th century astronomer, physician and mystic Nostradamus published a series of prophecies, which were written in quatrains and arranged in ten sections, or "centuries" of 100 verses each. Nostradamus' reportedly received visions of future and recorded these visions, some of which are very specific and others which are vague and open to interpretation.¹

Fast Facts

1. Full name: Michel de Nostredame
2. Born: December 14, 1503
3. Birth place: St. Remy de Provence, France
4. Treated those afflicted by the plague during the European outbreak
5. Died: July 2, 1566

Although supporters of Nostradamus credit him with accurately predicting the rise of the Nazis and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II as well as the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte,² critics argue that the vagueness and antiquity of his prophecies allows for numerous interpretations. They point out that most of the events that Nostradamus predicted were credited as having been prophesied after the events occurred. Scholars have also theorized that Nostradamus was actually intentionally masking his writings about events during his own time as prophecies to avoid persecution.³