The 19th Century  19th Century  Part I
     The next quatrain concerns the restored Bourbon King Louis XVIII in the year circa 1816.

     Louis XVIII

        10-16 Happy in the realm of France, happy in his life
         Ignorant of blood, death, fury and plunder
         For a flattering name he will be envied
         A retired King, too much faith in the kitchen

     This quatrain exactly describes the restored Bourbon King Louis XVIII. This King was known by a flattering name - he was called Louis le Debonnaire in his own lifetime. Nostradamus also describes him as being retired - which is almost what he was - he beame almost totally inert because of his renowned obesity and gluttony. He was as well, spared from the kind of bloody events which happened to his brother Louis XIV, who was guillotined.
            Note that in the numbering of this quatrain 10-16, we are given three digits of the date 1816, in which this King was so happy in his life, in the realm of France.

            10-90 A hundred times will the inhuman tyrant die
            Put in his place will be one learned and debonnaire
            All the Senate will be under his hand
            He will be vexed by a rash scoundrel.

              King Louis XVIII                        Deathbed of Napoleon

            The inhuman tyrant who dies a hundred times, is Napoleon, who dies a lingering death by poison on the island of St. Helena on May 5, 1821. Put in his place, was the restored Bourbon King Louis XVIII. This King was a savant, and the word debonnaire describes him particularly well. Amazingly enough, this Louis was called Le Debonnaire in his lifetime! And as the prophet suggests here as well, both houses of Parliament professed their loyalty to him down to the last man.
            The anger referred to in the last line, is the assassination of the heir to the throne, his nephew the Duke of Berry, son of the future King Charles X of France on February 13, 1820. Notice that this event happened very close to the time of Napoleon’s death, as Nostradamus could also see.
            The next quatrain was written for the exiled French monarchy.

            3-91 The tree which had long been dead and withered
            In one night it will come to grow green again
            The Cronian King sick, the Prince with a club foot
            Through fear of his enemies, he will make his sail rebound.

    
 Charles X             Titular King Henry V
            The tree which comes to life again, is the line of the Bourbons. Seven months after her husband the Duke of Berry was assassinated, his wife gave birth to a posthumous child, a son born September 29, 1820
            After the death of his grand-father Charles X the Cronian King in 1836 the Duke of Berry  became the legitimate pretender to the French throne under the name HENRY V. Louis-Philippe was still king, having succeeded Charles X in 1830. In 1848 rebellion overtook the course of history, and he was never to become king
            The King of France during this time, was the Prince’s grandfather Charles X, who had succeeded his brother Louis Le Debonnaire. Historians would describe Charles X as being an ineffectual monarch, but perhaps the reason for this was his state of health, as Nostradamus here indicates. He also calls him a Cronian King, referring to Saturn, or Chronos - that is, an old King, which he was.
            During the July revolution of 1830, Charles X abdicated the French throne in favour of his grandson, who ascended as Henry V on August 16, 1830. The French, however, would have none of this, and the unfortunate monarch Charles X was packed off to exile in England. He took with him the unwilling Duchess of Berry, and her son the titular King Henry V of France. They wandered in exile, going from England to Bohemia, and then to Italy.
            This Prince was a sickly child, and he injured his foot in a fall from a horse in Austria. This resulted in him having a permanent limp. Despite long negotiations with Republican France, the Duke of Bordeaux never did succeed in regaining the throne for the Bourbon line. Although Nostradamus does not say that this Prince was a coward, he assures us in the last line, that he will never be known as France’s greatest soldier prince either!
            Note in the numbering of this quatrain 3-91, we are given two digits of the year 1831, in which the Bourbon family of France suddenly found themselves in exile.

            1-100 For a long time a gray bird will be seen in the air
            Near Dole and the Tuscan land
            Holding in it’s beak a verdant sprig
            Soon the great one will die and the war will be finished.

            This quatrain refers to the Duke of Berry as well. It tells us about the ultimate outcome of the wars between the Republic and the Monarchy of France. The gray bird who holds the verdant sprig, is the last remaining member of the legitimate Bourbon monarchy in France. He was the posthumous son of the Duke of Berry, and at his birth, was called the Dove of Peace.
            But unfortunately, he was usurped by the Orleans family in the revolution of 1830, and exiled along with his grandfather King Charles X. After wandering in England and Bohemia, they ended up in Tuscany Italy as the prophet foresees in this quatrain. Here, he married the daughter of the Duke of Tuscany in 1846. He died without ever regaining the French throne, but his death saved the possibility of another war breaking out between the Republicans and Monarchists in France, and as the prophet says in the last line, the wars between them finally ended for good. France remained a Republic from this point forward in time.

            3-14 Through the branch of the valiant personage
            Of lowest France: because of the unhappy father
            Honors, riches, work in his old age
            For having believed the advice of a simple man.

            This quatrain is speaking of the constitutional monarchy of the Citizen King, Louis Philip of Orleans. He was descended from the brother of the guillotined monarch King Louis XVI. The unhappy father in the second line refers to Napoleon. What he is talking about here, is the Napoleonic interlude, and the disruption of the legitimate Bourbon line, at a time when France was at it’s lowest point. Then, there will be sprung from the legitimate branch, another Bourbon King, who will succeed at a very old age. Nostradamus has mentioned elsewhere about Napoleon's unhappiness because of being seperated from his son.
            Honors, riches, work in his old age - this exactly describes the Citizen King Louis Philip, who was elected to the throne of France as a constitutional monarch. And he came in his old age as well.
            During the revolution, Louis Philip conspired with General Dumouriz, and was exiled from Paris for it, along with all the others of Bourbon blood. But he returned to be France’s King in 1830, to enjoy riches, honours and work in his old age, as the prophet promised.
 

            9-2 From the top of the Aventine hill a voice heard
            Be gone, be gone all of you on both sides
            The anger will be appeased by the blood of the red ones
            From Rimini and Prato the Colonna expelled.

            The Aventine is one of the seven hills of Rome. This quatrain is referring to the beginning of the movement towards Italian independence. At the end of September in 1845, there was an uprising at Rimini. The men rose, captured the town, and held it for three days, but then they were forced to flee.
            But they were not alone in their fight for independence. Another group, issued from Tuscany, the Manifesto of Rimini, in which they recounted the cruelty and inefficiency of the Papal government. This document stated the reforms without which, no peace or compromise could be reached. This had the result of arousing European opinion against the Papacy, and probably did more good for the cause of Italian independence than any other one event.
            To summarize this quatrain, Nostradamus tells us that the Italian Revolutionists will stand on the Aventine hill in Rome, and declare their independence from all the countries which have subjugated them for so many centuries. Spain, France, Austria, all took their turn in subjugating Italy. Last, but not least, was the Papacy, who was mostly the mouth piece for whichever country happened to be dominant at the time.
            Here he tells us that the Italians will vent their anger on the Papacy, and will expel them from Italy. In this process, many innocent Catholics will be killed. The last line refers to the Colonnas - there were two principal Papal families in Rome, the Colonnas and the Orsini. Here he is using Colonna as a synecdoche for Papal families in Rome.

                   Pius IX last Pope to hold temporal power

            5-46 Quarrels and new schisms by the Red hats
            When they will have elected the Sabine
            They will produce great sophisms against him
            And Rome will be damaged by the Albanois.

            The Sabines were a Roman tribe who lived in Central Italy, north of Rome. On June 16, 1846, Pope Pius IX was elected in a short but bitter conclave. His name was Mastai Ferretti, and he was born in Senigallia, north of Ancona, thus fulfilling the 2nd line of the quatrain.
            During this time, there was much turmoil in Italy, and arguing about Italian independence. There were two factions in the conclave which elected this Pope. On one side stood the Conservatives, and on the other side stood the Progressives, or the Liberals. The Liberals wanted their new Pope to become involved in the fight for Italian independence, and send a force North to fight the Austrians who dominated Italy at this point in time.
            Pius IX was elected in the beginning, as a compromise choice between the two factions, but soon after he was elected, he swung more towards the Liberal viewpoint. This brought him immense popularity among the people. Unfortunately, when the time came to actually do anything about the Austrians, this Pope backed down. The Liberals were outraged about this, and took matters into their own hands. They murdered his premier, and held the Pope himself prisoner until he managed to escape to Gaeta in the Kingdom of Naples for two years.
            The Albanois of the last line are the Italian revolutionists, who certainly did damage Rome! Nostradamus derives the word Albanois from the original settlers of Rome, who first settled in Alba. This is most certainly a  play on the new Republic of Italy in the 19th century, after centuries of subjugation, finally springing free to once again, become a Republic.
            Note in the numbering of this quatrain 5-46, we are given two digits of the year 1846, in which this Pope was elected.

          June 25 1848 Mars in Leo and Saturn in Pisces (water)

            5-91 At the great market that they call that of liars
            Of the entire Torrent and field of Athens
            They will be surprised by the light horses
            By the Albanois Mars, Leo, Saturn is in water.

            Au grand marché qu'on dict des mensongiers,
            Du tout Torrent & champ Athenien:
            Seront surprins par les cheuaux legiers,
            Par Albanois Mars, Leo, Sat. vn versien.

            In the first line, the Pope is referred to as a liar, since by April 29, 1848, he had backed down on his promise to go to war against Austria, and now supported them instead. Most of the Italians were furious about this betrayal on his part.
            In June of 1848, Saturn was in the waters of Pisces, and Mars was in Leo. On June 25, 1848 the Italian nationalists under the King of Savoy went against the Austrians at the battle of Custozza, which they lost, but it did not stop them from continuing on with the war.
            In this quatrain Nostradamus compares the Italians to the city states of ancient Greece, who often went to war with one another. Note that here again, he has used the word Albanois to describe the Romans - from their founders who settled at Alba when they first came to Italy from Troy.
            Note the first line where he says By Albanois Mars, the way it is worded is a play on Mars meaning warlike, to describe these Albanois people.

            Presage number 54 September
            The shaven ones will be deprived of their arms
            It will increase their quarrel much more
            Father Liber will deceive, lighting to the Albanois
            Sects will be gnawed to the marrow.

            This Presage also mentions the Albanois, referring to the Italian nationalists. The Shaven ones refer to the Papacy, who were chased out of Rome, but when that happened, the French under Father Liber in the third line became involved, and came to the aid of the Pope, thus increasing this struggle even further. Father Liber is a play on the word Liberty, obviously – he is referring to Napoleon III and his new Republic of France. There certainly was lightning to the Albanois when France suddenly went back on their word and became involved against the cause of Italian liberty, and supported the Pope instead of them.

            6-7 Norway and Rumania and the British Isle
            Will be vexed by the united brothers
            The Roman chief sprung from French blood
            His forces will be hurled back into the forest.

                            Battle of Custozza 1848

            This is a rather odd assortment of countries. Rumania was part of Hungary, and was under the rule of the Habsburg monarchy in the days of Nostradamus. Norway remained under the Danish crown until 1815, and then went to Sweden, becoming independent only in 1905 with a Danish King.
            The united brothers would be the Emperor of Austria (1830-1916) and his brother Leopold III grand Duke of Tuscany (1824-1859 deposed).
            In 1848, there were revolutions against Austrian rule in Venice, Checkoslovakia, Hungary, and in Vienna itself. The Austrians called in Russian troops to quell the revolution in Hungary.
             A declaration of neutrality by Denmark, Sweden, and Norway (1853) opened all but seven ports to the warships of any belligerent. This act helped to secure the countries positions within Europe by gaining French and British support against German claims on territories.
            The Roman chief would be King Charles Albert of Savoy, who was descended from the younger son of Charles Emanuel I, who had French blood. He was defeated and his forces hurled back into the forests by the Austrians on July 15, 1848 at the battles of Custozza and Novara.

                           King Louis Philip

            8-42 Through avarice, through force and violence
            The chief of Orleans will come to vex his followers
            Near Saint Memire assault and resistance
            Dead in his tent, they will say that he sleeps within.

            By his greed and abuse of power, this chief of Orleans will come to vex his followers, says Nostradamus - this is a good description of King Louis Philip of Orleans, the pretended champion of the bourgeoisie but he soon abandoned his earlier principles and alienated his subjects. After the National Guard refused to cheer for him, Louis Phillipe abdicated in favor of his grandson. He then fled across the Channel to England. His actions as King most certainly sparked the 2nd revolution in France, which had a domino effect spilling over into Germany, Austria and Italy during 1848
            The assault and combat supposedly took place near the church of St. Meri on June 5 and 6th of 1832 but I have been unable to substantiate that. Note that in the numbering of this quatrain 8-42, we are given two digits of the date this King abdicated in 1848.

            Presage number 88
            From good to evil the times will change
            The peace in the South the hope of the greatest ones
            Of the great ones, only Louis too much more will stumble
            The Shaven ones, given neither power nor recognition.

            In this Presage, Nostradamus tells us about the time of troubles about to arrive with the rise of Napoleon III. All the legitimate monarchies began to quake with the stirring of Republicanism in Italy, for it threatened their very existence. The peace in the South refers to the fight over Rome.
            The third line of this presage tells it all - the very last King of the French Monarchy, King Louis Philip will be the last King to stumble. He gives us his very name, Louis! The last line tells us of the shape of the Papacy in the new Italian Republic.
                Note in the numbering of this presage we  are given two digits of the date 1848, in which the French monarchy under King Louis Philip stumbled and fell for the last time.

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