Nostradamus Prophecies
QUESTION: Nostradamus prophecies - When did they begin?ANSWER:The life of Michel de Nostredame (Michael of Our Lady), whose latinized name was Nostradamus began on December 14, 1503. He was blessed with a genetic lineage of academics stretching back along each line of his family tree. There were mathematicians and doctors on his mother's side. His father, James, was a lawyer. It is not surprising then that Michael was a bright boy. When he was quite young his education was entrusted into the hands of his grandfather, Jean, who taught him basic mathematics, a variety of languages, and most significant of all, it was his grandfather who introduced him to the celestial science of Astrology.
When his grandfather died, the lad was sent to further his education at Avignon, the then famous center of Renaissance learning. He continued to study Astrology until his father became worried that he was wasting his time and relocated him to Montpellier to study medicine. This was in 1519, which would have made him 16 years old. From all accounts, he graduated just three years later, and at the tender age of 19 he was a doctor of medicine. After his license to practice medicine was approved, he went out into the country to work with victims of the Bubonic Plague, or the Black Death, which eventually killed over one-third of the population of Europe. He returned to Montpellier when he was 26, [1523] to study for his Ph D. His thesis was to be the world's first medical directory which listed the names, location, and specialties of physicians and healers practicing in Europe.
In 1534, he married and in due course his wife gave birth to two children. The marriage was to be short lived, as all three succumbed to the plague and died. It is a matter of record that his wife's family made efforts to redeem her dowry; from this one could assume that the union was relatively brief. To add to his personal grief, his beloved medical practice faltered because nobody wanted to be treated by a doctor who couldn't even save his own loved ones. The loss affected him so greatly that he took to wandering for about six years, from 1538 until 1544. There is very few factual records to enlighten us about this period of his life, however many legends regarding his prophetic powers begin to appear at this time. This may well be when the prophesies of Nostradamus did begin.
When Nostradamus was 41 [1544] he made Marseilles his home, and it was in 1544 that he began to produce a yearly Almanac. Some short time later, he wrote the 'Prognostications' which enjoyed enough success to inspire him to begin writing the 'Prophesies.' In 1547, he married again, this time to a rich widow called Anne Ponsart Gemelle. They had at least one child, a son whom they called Caesar. By 1555, he had completed the first part of the 'Prophesies.' He suffered with an illness for some time and wrote his last will and testament on June 17, 1566. He summoned a priest to give him his last rites on the July 1 of that same year and made his final prophesy that he would be dead by morning, which proved to be correct!
After his death, his son Caesar collected those remaining prophesies which had not been published, and in 1568 (two years after his death) they were released.
