From the rise of Adolf Hitler to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, some of Nostradamus' predictions seem shockingly accurate.
Michel de Notredame, more commonly known as Nostradamus, was a 16th-century French astrologer, physician, apothecary, and reputed seer who famously published more than 900 prophecies written in poetic quatrains. These were collected in a book titled Les Prophéties in 1555, with each set of 100 prophecies being referred to as a “Century.”
While Nostradamus’ predictions may be poetic in nature, and therefore, up for interpretation, historians have found that some of these predictions appeared to have come true.
To this day, some believe that Nostradamus truly did predict future events — ones that he could have had no knowledge of — while others say that his prophecies are too vague to have any real meaning.
Was Nostradamus really a seer capable of predicting the future? Or, was he taking shots in the dark and happened to manage a few lucky hits? Decide for yourself after reading these nine shockingly accurate Nostradamus predictions.
The Death Of King Henry II Of France
Wikimedia CommonsKing Henry II of France was killed in a friendly joust.
It wasn’t long after Nostradamus published his book that his predictions began to come true. Just four years after the publication of La Propheties, in the summer of 1559, King Henry II of France met a gruesome death — in a fashion eerily similar to one of Nostradamus’ predictions.
A religiously bigoted Roman Catholic, King Henry II was known to cut out the tongues of Protestants and burn heretics alive. But Henry would meet his own equally brutal fate when he challenged Gabriel de Lorges, the Count of Montgomery, to a joust.
De Lorges knocked the king down in the first go, but Henry refused to accept defeat. He once again took the reins of his horse and charged for de Lorges, lance out.
When de Lorge’s lance struck Henry’s helmet, however, it splintered into two shards, which shot through Henry’s eye and into his brain, scattering splinters throughout his head. Henry suffered for 10 agonizing days before eventually dying in bed.
What did Nostradamus have to say about the whole affair?
“The young lion will overcome the older one,
On the field of combat in a single battle;
He will pierce his eyes through a golden cage,
Two wounds made one, then he dies a cruel death.”
Some skeptics have argued that “field of combat” doesn’t apply here, as this was meant to be a friendly jousting tournament. Reports also differ as to whether the men’s shields were emblazoned with lion emblems.
Still, the “golden cage” could be taken as a reference to the king’s helmet — and given that the lance split, “two wounds made one” isn’t far off the mark.
