How a simple pharmacist became a great prophet and other little-known facts from the life of the famous predictor Nostradamus

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The name of Nostradamus is still heard today, even though more than four centuries have passed since the day of his death. This famous French astrologer and doctor, pharmacist and alchemist, who helped to overcome the plague in his time. This man is especially famous for his quatrains, rhymed prophecies, which won him worldwide fame and the loyalty of his followers for centuries to come. The uniqueness of the predictions of Nostradamus lies in the fact that they are so vaguely composed that they can be tied to any significant historical events. How did a simple pharmacist, who was even kicked out of the university, manage to win such honor and write his name forever in history?

Nostradamus is credited with accurately predicting all the most weighty historical events, from the French Revolution to the appearance of Adolf Hitler. Some researchers even find in his prophecies records that predict a coronavirus pandemic in 2020. According to Nostradamus, the end of the world will occur in 3797.

Birth and adolescence

Michel de Nostradame was born according to some sources on 14, according to others - on December 21, 1503, in the south of France in the town of Saint-Remy-de-Provence. He was one of nine children born to Rainier de Saint-Remy and her husband Jome de Nostradam, a wealthy grain merchant and notary of Jewish origin. Jome's grandfather, Guy Gassonet, converted to Catholicism half a century ago and changed his surname to Nostradam to avoid persecution during the rampage of the Inquisition.

Little is known about Michel's childhood. According to various testimonies, one can only judge that the boy was extremely smart, he studied well. At first, his maternal grandfather, Jean de Saint-Remy, was engaged in his education. Even then, he saw the intellectual potential of his grandson. Michel's grandfather taught the basics of Latin, Greek, Hebrew and mathematics.

Also, apparently, it was the old man de Saint-Remy who introduced him to the ancient Jewish traditions, the basics of faith and such a heavenly science as astrology. Already in childhood, the future prophet received an idea of the heavenly bodies and how the planets affect human destiny.

Nostradamus: Education

At the age of 14, Michel de Nostradam entered the University of Avignon to study medicine. However, just a year later, he was forced to leave the country due to an outbreak of bubonic plague. According to his own stories about this time, Nostradamus traveled through the countryside. He researched and studied various herbs and their medicinal properties, and also worked as a pharmacist.

In 1522, Michel entered the University of Montpellier to receive a doctorate in medicine. Nostradam often argued with Catholic priests about their doctrine that rejects astrology. This was undesirable for university officials and they looked for ways to exclude the uncomfortable student.

Such a reason was found: the management of the educational institution became aware of Michel's experience as a pharmacist. This was considered unacceptable and Nostradam was excluded. Although some sources claim that Michelle was licensed to practice medicine. At this very time, his name underwent romanization, and he became Nostradamus.

Nostradamus and the plague

Over the next several years, Nostradamus traveled through France and Italy, treating victims of the plague. There was no known cure for this ailment at the time. Most doctors relied on mercury potions, the practice of bloodletting, and dressing patients in garlic-soaked clothes.

Nostradamus has developed several very progressive methods of fighting the plague. He did not bleed his patients, instead he taught them to observe basic and very effective rules of hygiene. He also pioneered the removal of plague-infected corpses from the streets. Michelle became famous for creating the "pink pill," a rosehip herbal lozenge (rich in vitamin C) that brought some relief to patients with mild forms of plague.

The success in curing the plague was so impressive that Nostradamus became a real local celebrity. Although almost all of this is due to the observance of cleanliness by its patients, a low-fat diet and the provision of sufficient fresh air. Through this practice, he made some fortune.

In 1531, Nostradamus was invited to cooperate by one of the most famous scientists of the time, Jules-Cesar Scaliger. Michel moved with him to Agen, in the southwestern part of France. There he married and had two children over the next few years. His family died, presumably of the plague, while Michel was in Italy on medical business. Because of this, he lost Scaliger's affection and was practically not accepted in society.

Nostradamus and the occult

A once unceremonious remark about a religious statue almost cost Nostradamus a lot of trouble. He was accused of heresy and had to appear before the court of the Inquisition. Michel made the wise decision to flee the province. After that, he spent several years traveling in Italy, Greece and Turkey.

One of the legends about Nostradamus tells how, during a trip to Italy, he experienced a psychological awakening. This happened during a meeting with Franciscan monks, one of whom he named the future pope. This prophecy came true completely: in 1585, this monk, by the name of Felice Peretti, was ordained and became Pope Sixtus V.

The Inquisition was still threatening Nostradamus and he decides to return to France to resume the practice of curing the plague. Michel settled in his hometown and married a wealthy widow, Anne Ponsard. The latter bore him six children - three boys and three girls. Michel studied medicine and wrote two books.

Over the next few years, he became interested in the occult. Nostradamus could meditate for hours in his office over a bowl filled with decoctions of various herbs. From this he had different visions. They became the basis of his prophecies. Passion for astrology led to the writing by Nostradamus of the first almanac on this topic. There he outlined his visions, local folklore and forecast for the next year. This work was a great success.

Prophecies of Nostradamus

A few years later, prophetic visions became the basis of all the works of Nostradamus. He wanted to write ten volumes that would contain his predictions for two thousand years ahead. For unclear reasons, Michel expounded his prophecies in encrypted form. Nostradamus used quatrains - quatrains, sometimes a mixture of other languages. Perhaps he was afraid of persecution from the church. Although Michel had no special problems with the church. Nostradamus was extremely popular and enjoyed the special patronage of Catherine de Medici.

The wife of King Henry II of France was Michel's most ardent admirer. She read his almanac, where he hinted at threats to her family and summoned Nostradamus to Paris. Several years later, he became her advisor and personal physician.

Nostradamus argued that his prophecies were based on astrology - the art of predicting future events by calculating the position of various celestial bodies in relation to the Earth. His sources include passages from classical historians such as Plutarch, as well as other medieval chroniclers he cited.

Many researchers believe that Nostradamus was engaged in paraphrasing various prophecies about the end of the world (mainly from the Bible), and then, through the prism of astrological predictions of the past, he projected these events into the future. There is also information that not everyone was so fascinated by the predictions of Nostradamus. Professional astrologers criticized him for gross errors in calculations.

Death of Nostradamus

Like so many people of his age at the time, Nostradamus suffered from gout and arthritis. In the last years of his life, he suffered from severe edema. Due to the stagnation of fluid in the tissues, Michel developed pathological heart failure. Nostradamus knew the time of his death. In the last days of June, he called his lawyer and drew up a will. In the evening, Michel told his secretary that in the morning he would be dead. The next day he was found dead.

Legacy of Nostradamus

Most of the quatrains of Nostradamus spoke of such shocks as wars, earthquakes, epidemics. Fans of his works attribute to the prophet predictions about Napoleon, Hitler, the creation of the atomic bomb, the terrorist act of September 11, 2001. Some argue that Nostradamus foresaw the COVID-19 pandemic.

The secret of Nostradamus's popularity, obviously, partly explains the fact that his quatrains are full of uncertainties and understatements. The absence of any specificity in the predictions allows them to be cited selectively, linking them to any similar dramatic historical events. Many scholars believe that Nostradamus wrote down his predictions not for the glory of the prophet. He just veiled comments on the events and people of his time. Be that as it may, this medieval doctor is still an authority for those who are trying to look into the future and find answers to difficult life questions there.

Read more about the prophecies of Nostradamus in our article how the prophecies of the astrologer became the subject of speculation.