Nostradamus

Michel de Nostredame, commonly known as Nostradamus, was a French physician, apothecary, and astrologer.

He is most famous for his book, *Les Prophéties*, published in 1555. This work contains 942 poetic verses known as quatrains. Many people believe these verses predicted major world events. However, academic historians often view his work differently. They suggest his writing is too vague to be truly prophetic.

Nostradamus was born in December 1503 in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France.

His father, Jaume de Nostredame, was a notary. His family had originally been Jewish. They converted to Catholic Christianity about a generation before Michel was born. His father took the name Nostredame, which means "Our Lady." Michel was one of at least nine children in his family. He began his formal education at the University of Avignon at age 14.

His path to becoming a doctor was not easy. He had to leave the University of Avignon after one year. This happened because the plague caused the university to close. He then spent eight years traveling the countryside. During this time, he researched herbal remedies. Later, he entered the University of Montpellier to study for a medical doctorate. He was soon expelled by the student procurator, Guillaume Rondelet. The university discovered he had worked as an apothecary. At that time, university statutes forbade manual trades like apothecary work.

Nostradamus experienced great personal loss during his life. He married his first wife in 1531. In 1534, his wife and two children died during a plague outbreak. He eventually remarried a woman named Anne Ponsarde. Together, they had six children. He also worked as a physician to fight disease outbreaks. He assisted Louis Serre in Marseille and worked in Salon-de-Provence. He even became famous for creating a "rose pill" to protect against the plague.

As he grew older, Nostradamus moved toward the "occult," which involves hidden or supernatural knowledge. He began writing annual almanacs in 1550. These books were very successful and included calendars. He also provided horoscopes and psychic advice to wealthy patrons. To protect himself from religious opposition, he wrote his prophecies in a complex way. He used a mixture of Greek, Italian, Latin, and Provençal. He also used word games and unusual sentence structures. This made his meaning very difficult to uncover.

His most famous work, *Les Prophéties*, received a mixed reception. Some people thought he was a fake or even insane. Others, including the powerful Catherine de' Medici, were great admirers. Catherine was the wife of King Henry II of France. She eventually made Nostradamus a Counselor and Physician-in-Ordinary to her son, King Charles IX. Despite his high status, he faced legal trouble. In 1561, he was briefly imprisoned for publishing an almanac without a bishop's permission.

Nostradamus died in July 1566. Toward the end of his life, he suffered from severe gout. This condition eventually developed into edema, which is swelling caused by fluid. He left a large estate to his wife and children. He bequeathed 3,444 crowns to his wife, which is worth about $300,000 today. He was originally buried in a local chapel. Later, during the French Revolution, his remains were moved to the Collégiale Saint-Laurent.

Today, the debate over Nostradamus continues. Many supporters use the popular press to claim he predicted history accurately. They treat his quatrains like codes to be broken. However, academic sources reject the idea of his supernatural powers. They argue that his poems are characteristically vague. This vagueness means they could be applied to almost any event. Scholars believe people often misinterpret or mistranslate his words to fit history.