Nostradamus and Hitler: Could a 16th Century Physician See the Future?

Michel Nostradamus has been credited with many future prophecies, from the death of King Henry II of France to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. For most of his life he was a credible scientist who studied the plague and the world around him. However, towards the end of his life Nostradamus began to write enigmatic poems, also known as quatrains, that have been interpreted over the years to fit historical events. How accurate was he though? And did he give the world warning that Hitler was to rise and perpetrate crimes like the world had never seen?

The Life of Nostradamus

Michel de Notredame, later Nostradamus, was born in 1503 in Saint-Remy, France, and went on to become one of the most widely read seers of the Renaissance. Beginning his medical practice in Agen in the 1530s, even though he had been expelled from medical school, Nostradamus gained a reputation for innovative medical treatment of the plague. In the 1540s he established and grew his reputation as a doctor. However, by 1555 Nostradamus had also begun making prophecies and had a book published, Centuries, featuring rhyming poems. He published a second edition in 1558 dedicated to the French King, Henry II.

Nostradamus painted by his son (César de Notre-Dame / Public Domain)