Knowra Nostradamus Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (1503–1566) was a French physician and astrologer whose cryptic prophecies, published as Les Prophéties , became enduring objects of interpretation.
Les Prophéties : A collection of four-line prophetic poems published by Nostradamus, chiefly in editions beginning in 1555. This collection contains the quatrains most often attributed to him.
Salon-de-Provence : A town in Provence, France, where Nostradamus lived during the later part of his life. He settled there, practiced medicine, and composed many of his prophecies.
Great Fire of London : A major urban fire that destroyed much of central London in September 1666. A frequently circulated interpretation claims one of his quatrains predicted the fire.
Biblical prophecy : Prophetic writings and predictions found in the Bible, interpreted within Jewish and Christian traditions. Unlike scripture, his verses have no shared religious canon that fixes their authority.
Quatrain : A poem or stanza of four lines, often using a rhyme scheme. Nostradamus cast most of his predictions in four-line verses.
Catherine de' Medici : Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 and a major political figure during the Wars of Religion. Nostradamus gained courtly attention after predictions associated with her family.
French Revolution : A period of political and social upheaval in France beginning in 1789 and ending in 1799. Later interpreters linked several ambiguous verses to revolutionary events.
Cold reading : A technique for seeming to know personal details through broad statements and feedback from an audience. It offers a human technique for apparent prediction, unlike claims of supernatural foresight.
Astrology : A divinatory system that interprets celestial positions as meaningful for human affairs. Astrological ideas shaped the intellectual world in which he wrote.
Printing press : A device that transfers inked text or images onto paper, enabling the production of multiple copies. Printed editions carried his prophecies beyond their original audience.
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