Science · Literature · 1503–1566
Born: 14 December 1503 · Died: 1 July 1566 · Age at death: 62
Nostradamus died aged 62. He was born on 14 December 1503 and died on 1 July 1566.
French physician and astrologer whose cryptic book of prophecies, Les Prophéties, is still studied for supposed predictions
Did you know?Before becoming a famous seer, he was a physician who gained recognition for his innovative methods of treating plague victims.
Nostradamus is the most famous prophet in history. He was a French doctor who treated victims of plague in the 1500s. He also wrote popular almanacs predicting the year ahead. In 1555 he published Les Prophéties, a book of four-line verses. They are vague, full of riddles and mixed languages. Queen Catherine de' Medici became his patron. For over four centuries readers have claimed his verses foretold events from the Great Fire of London to world wars. Historians are much more sceptical.
Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book Les Prophéties (published in 1555), a collection of 942 poetic quatrains allegedly predicting future events.
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Profile
French seer, 1503–1566
Michel de Nostredame was born in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in December 1503.
He worked as a doctor during plague outbreaks.
Les Prophéties appeared in 1555.
He served Catherine de' Medici.
Career highlights
Did you know?His Prophecies are said never to have gone out of print.
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