The 17th Century Part IV

The next quatrain dated for the 17th century concerns the annexation of Franch Comte, in May of 1674.

         6-47 The two great ones assembled between two mountains
         Will abandon their secret quarrel
         Brussels and Dole will be overcome by Langres
         To execute their plague at Malines

    Brussels and Malines were in Brabant, Dole in Franch Comte, all three cities belonged to the Spanish in the time of Nostradamus. Langres was in France - what he is saying in this quatrain, is that France will conquer these parts of the Spanish territories. Indeed they did, in May of 1674, Louis XIV conquered an annexed Franch Comte, Conde piled up victories in Flanders, and Marchal Tureene sacked and ravaged Alsace, Lorraine and the Palatinate. These wars were known in France as the Dutch wars of 1672-78.
             The secret quarrel would no doubt be referring to the secret treaty of Gremonville signed in 1668 between Louis XIV and Leopold I, arranging for an eventual partition of the Spanish empire if and when Charles II of Spain died heirless.
            Note in the numbering of this quatrain 6-47, we are given three digits of the date 1674, on which these events occurred.

    The next dated quatrain for the 17th century concerns Austria, and the Turkish threat which began in the year 1682 and lasted until 1699.
             In the year 1682, Vienna and the land of Austria did tremble greatly, as did most of Christiandom. The Turkish hordes under Sultan Kara Mustafa started on the move towards Austria. They were joined by the Magyars of Hungary, who were unhappy with Austrian rule.  By July 7, 1683, the advance guard of the Tatar horde reached the gates of the city of Vienna, and the Emperor, along with about 60,000 very frightened inhabitants, fled the city. One week later, the main army was sighted, and the 60 day seige of Vienna began. The garrison left in that city numbered only about 14,000, the beseigers numbered nearly 200,000.
            During these tense days, the French King Louis XIV had also been at war with the Austrian Emperor. He suddenly recalled his troops from Flanders, claiming that it was in order to free Leopold and all of Europe from wars in the West, while the Turks were attacking Christiandom in the East. But the French correspondence from Hungary at the time revealed Louis XIV’s duplicity. He was busy subsidizing the insurgents in Hungary to combine with the Turkish forces against the Emperor. This deadly Habsburg Bourbon feud was a virtual guarantee, that the European nations would never unite themselves together against the advance of the Ottamen Turks in the East.
 

 Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha Grand Vizier who led the last Ottoman Army against Vienna in1683.

            1-82 When the columns of wood will be trembling greatly
             Led by the South wind, covered with red ochre
            A very great assembly will empty outside
            Vienna and the land of Austria will tremble

            Quand les colonnes de bois grand tremblee,
            D'Auster conduite, couverte de rubriche:
            Tant videra dehors grande assemblee,
            Trembler Vienne et le pays d'Austriche.

            The first line is a little difficult to interpret, but I think it is a word play on the Colonnas of Rome, one of the premier Papal families there. The Pope not only trembled at the advance of Islam into Europe, but also was reeling from the Edict that the French King had recently signed in France which limited the Pope’s influence completely to the Ecclesiastical sphere, and even that, was subject to the Gallican Church.
            Note that in the numbering of this quatrain, 1-82, we are given three digits of the date 1682, in which these events occurred.

            This next quatrain continues on with the story of James II and his Catholic wife, Mary of Modena. Eventually the monarchy was restored in England, and James’ brother Charles II became King of England. However, Charles II died childless, and then the throne went to his brother James II. The English were not terribly pleased with this situation, because their new sovereign was Catholic. But the English had patience, and they could see a light at the end of the tunnel, for their new King was childless, and it would be only a matter of time until they could get rid of him.

          James II

             But then, the unthinkable suddenly happened. After 14 years of childlessness, Queen Mary of Modena was delivered of a son on June 10, 1688. The Protestants of England went into an absolute uproar. They wanted no part of a Papist Prince ruling over them - the light at the end of the tunnel now became very far away indeed!
            They promptly offered the throne to William of Orange, he accepted, and James II and his wife fled to the safety of the French court once again. As Nostradamus says, counsel very quickly perished for the shaven heads of the Catholics in England.

            1-88 The divine wrath will surprise the Prince
            A little after he will have married a woman
            His support and credit will suddenly become very thin
            Counsel will perish for the shaven head

    Note that in the numbering of this quatrain, 1-88, we are given three digits of the date in which this occurred.
            The next quatrain as well, tells us of the flight of James II from England back to the safety of France.

            James II                         Charles II

            8-58 Realm in quarrel and divided between the brothers
            To take the arms and title of Britain
            The English King will be advised too late
            Surprised by night, off to the French air.

            The first two lines of this quatrain tell of the brothers Charles II and James II, both sons of Charles I, the beheaded monarch of England. Charles II was Protestant, and James his brother was Catholic - each with their many attendant supporters. Charles II died childless, and the throne went to his Catholic brother James II. The English put up with this, as we have seen previously, until they found out that James and his wife were to have a child. The English then offered the throne instead to William of Orange, and James II and his family fled back to the French court on December 21, 1688.
            Note that in the numbering of this quatrain 8-58, we are given two two digits of the date 1688, on which this event happened.

            When Mary of Modena was delivered of a son on June 10, 1688, the English reacted with horror. One day soon, a Papist prince would rule over them. The conspiracies naturally went into highest of gears. How to get rid of their Catholic monarch? Could they behead him, like they had done with Charles I? Eventually they decided against that idea - there had been too much of a backlash of opinion against them the last time they did that. And who would they replace him with? There was much flurry of activity going on in the British Isles during this period in time.
            At last, On February 13, 1689, the English Parliament offered the crown to William of Orange, Stadholder of Holland, and Mary his wife, to rule over England jointly.
            Their sovereign Catholic Monarch James II quickly picked up his possessions and once again fled with his family to France.

  William of Orange and his wife Mary

            4-89 Thirty of London will conspire secretly
            Against their King, the enterprise on the bridge
            He and his followers will have a distaste for death
            A fair King elected, a native of Holland.

            This is perhaps one of Nostradamus’ most spectacular of prophecies! He predicts a conspiracy among the people of London against their own King, to be followed by the election of a new King, who will be from Holland. As if this is not enough, in the numbering of the quatrain, 4-89, he gives us two digits of the date 1689, on which these events came to pass!
            In the third line of this quatrain, Nostradamus says the English people have a distaste for death. This would refer to the fact that they had already beheaded one of their Kings, and finding it to be very distasteful, were not willing to do it a 2nd time.
            One would gather that the English people responsible for inviting William of Orange into England, only wanted the Catholic King James II to go away, and had no intention of beheading him as they had his father Charles I. However, I am sure that James II did not believe that to be the case at the time. He fled for what he thought to be for his very life!
            The first line of the quatrain mentions thirty people who are in on this conspiracy. According to Ward in 1891, he cites the Gentlemen’s magazine as saying there were 29 signatures on the document which invited William of Orange into England.
            This prophecy is truly amazing, for in Nostradamus’ day, who would ever have believed that one day an elected man from Holland would sit on the English throne!
            On October 26, 1685, Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had been signed back in the days of Henry IV, and gave religious tolerance to the Protestants of France. What followed, was a full scale revolt against the King in the Cevennes area of the country.
            What also quickly followed, was war with Protestant England. In 1689, Louis constructed the Pate de Blaye, which closed the entrance of the Gironde river to the English.

            9-38 The entry at Blaye for La Rochelle and the English
            The great Aemathien will pass beyond
            Not far from Agen will wait the Gaul
            Narbonne help beguiled through conversation.

            This quatrain is not entirely clear, especially the last two lines, but it appears to concern the events of 1689. La Rochelle had always been historically Protestant, and allied with England. The Aemathien is of course France’s great Sun King. According to Le Pellier, Nostradamus derives this name from the name of a mythological character who opened the gates of the morning to the Sun. Curious how the prophet has picked up on the Sun King’s identity here.
            In 1689 Louis constructed the Pate de Blaye, to close the Gironde river to the English threat. There was an uproar in France after he had revoked the Edict of Nantes, and the Cevennes went into a full scale revolt against him as well.
            Note the numbering of this quatrain 8-38, we are given two digits of the date 1689 when this event occurred.

            9-64 L’AEmathion will pass the Pyrenees mountains
            In Mars Narbonne will not offer resistance
            By land and sea he will carry on very great intrigue
            Cap. having no land safe for residence.

Mars enters Capricorn February 12, 1689

            It could be that Nostradamus has also given us an astrological clue in this quatrain. He says Mars in Narbonne, and the word Cap. Is mysteriously shortened with a period after it in the original French. It is almost like he is saying Mars will be in Capricorn. Curiously enough Mars did move into the sign of Capricorn on February 12th, 1689.
The Cap. of the last line would definitely  mean Capet, the French Royal name, and I think refers to the war of the Spanish succession, when Louis’ grandson was put on the throne of Spain, causing the great war, in which neither France nor Spain was a safe place for a Capet to be. Note in the numbering of this quatrain 9-64 we are given two digits of the date 1689.
    In this quatrain as well,  the Aemathion is again France’s Sun King. In April of 1689 he declared war on Spain, and in July of the same year he declared war on England. By May of 1690 he had five armies in the field. The army of Flanders, Luxembourg, Catalonia the Dauphine, Catina, a total of 350,000 of the best troops in France.
            The next quatrain which is dated for the 17th century concerns the election of Pope Innocent XII, on July 12, 1691.

        Pope Innocent XII

         10-91 In the year thousand six hundred and nine
         At the beginning of the year, you will hold an election
         One grey and black will come from Campania
         That for once, won’t be so wicked

            This quatrain is truly amazing in it’s detail! On February 1, 1691, Pope Alexander VIII died, at the head of the year, as the prophet predicted. On July 12, 1691 the Cardinals chose Innocent XII to be their new Pope.
            Note in the numbering of this quatrain, 10-91 that we are given three digits of the date 1691 in which this Pope was elected.  But not only does he give us the date here, he also corroborates it in the 2nd line - In the year 1,600 and 9, at the beginning of the year, he says with astonishing accuracy.
            The new Pope was born at Spinazola near Bari, which is fairly close to Campania, but he was the archibishop of Naples, which is centered squarely in Campania. He was the only Pope to be elected in the 16th century from southern Italy.
            And finally, was he a good Pope? The answer to this question is yes as well - his death was universally regretted, when he died in 1700 after a long reign of 9 years and 2 months. He at least tried to stop Papal neopotism - he proclaimed in a Bull, that members of Pope’s families were forbidden to become Cardinals unless they could prove that they had the proper credentials.
            The next quatrain concerns the Sun King’s battles in the Netherlands, at which he personally commanded. He moved his troops to Gembloux, the plan being, that the two armies should proceed to cut the enemies lines of communcation between Belgium and Germany by capturing Huy and Leige.
On June 2, 1693 William of Orange, even though he had a much smaller army, was strongly posted at the Abby of Park. For some reason Louis XIV then retreated with his armies. The signal to give battle will not be given says Nostradamus in 10-83. Seeming to flee, they will deliver a final attack Louis did this again that same year - the French army had William III trapped at Louvain with two massive armies, but for some strange reason, did not take advantage of the opportunity to finish him off then either.  On July 29, 1693 happened the bloodiest battle of the century. So many were killed, that the resulting infection put even the victorious French to rout.

            2-65 The sloping park great calamity
            To be done through Hesperia and Insubria
            The fire in the ship, plague and captivity
            Mercury in sagittarius, Saturn will burn.

            10-82 Cries, weeping, tears will come with knives
            Seeming to flee, they will deliver a final attack
            Around the Park will be set up high platforms
            The living pushed back and murdered instantly.

            10-83 The signal to give battle will not be given
            They will be obliged to go out of the park
            The banner around Ghent will be recognized
            Of him who will cause all his followers to be put to death.

         William of Orange

            The sloping park of the first line would be referring to the Abby of Park. Hesperia was Spain, and Insubria was Italy, both of whom are going against the French in the Netherlands at this time.

Saturn, Sun, Mercury conjoin in Sagittarius November 27, 1693

The last line of 2-65 denotes a conjunction of Saturn, the Sun, and Mercury in the sign of Sagittarius on November 27, 1693 Note that the last two quatrains are numbered sequentially, and both refer to the same event.

            9-93 The enemies very far from the fort
            The bastion brought by wagons
            Above the walls of Bourges crumbled
            When Hercules the Aemathion will strike.

           This quatrain is not clear, however, it does mention the Aemathien, so we can assume that it refers to the Sun King’s war in the Netherlands circa 1693. Notice that in the numbering of this quatrain 9-93, if one turns the nine upside down, we would be given three digits of the date 1689. Bourges is in the heart of France, and it probably refers to the civil wars going on in France because of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. It is also a word play on Bruges in the Netherlands. Hercules would probably be William of Orange.

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