Nostradamus

Nostradamus (Michel de Nostredame, 1503–1566) was a French physician and astrologer of the Renaissance, known for Les Prophéties, a collection of prophetic verses that has remained in print for more than four centuries. Born in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, he studied at Avignon and at the medical school of Montpellier, then traveled through southern France treating victims of the plague outbreaks of his time. In 1547 he settled in Salon-de-Provence, where he turned increasingly to astrology and began publishing popular annual almanacs. The first edition of Les Prophéties appeared in 1555, presenting rhymed quatrains grouped in sets of one hundred called centuries. His growing reputation brought an invitation to court from Queen Catherine de' Medici, and in 1564 King Charles IX named him physician-in-ordinary. His cryptic verses have been read, translated and interpreted by generations of readers seeking insight into the course of history.