King Charles IX of France
was only a child of ten years of age when he ascended the throne of France
on December 6, 1560. In his first few years, his mother Catherine de Medici
ruled the kingdom as Regent. But as the King reached adulthood, it
became apparent that he was deranged. He was subject to taking violent
fits of mad fury, and had a sadistic taste for blood. He would beat his
sister Margo into unconsciousness, and even his indomitable mother was
afraid of him at times. He was unstable enough to be swayed back and forth
by the influence of various nobles, sometimes Catholic, sometimes Protestant.
His mother never knew what havoc he would wreck for the country next –
and as he grew older, Catherine had less and less control over him. It
boded evil indeed for the Kingdom of France.
On the other hand, Catherine had a favourite younger son named Henri, who
was everything that she dreamed a King of France should be. What if Charles
should die, and Henri become King instead? She could do her country a huge
favour by getting rid of her mad son King Charles IX – there was no doubt
about that.
Charles soon began to waste away, of some unknown malady. Was it tuberculosis?
Was it poison? No one knew. The unfortunate King died on May 30, 1574 at
the age of 24 years. Catherine wasted no time in writing her favourite
son Henri to come home immediately from Poland where he had been installed
as King.
9-53
The young Nero in three chimneys
Will cause pages to be thrown in to burn
Happy those who will be far away from such practices
Three of his own blood will have him ambushed to death.
The
three brothers, or three chimneys of France, all Kings, one after the other,
are the three sons of Henry II and Catherine d ‘Medici of France. (Francis
II, Charles IX and Henri III) Nero, alias Charles IX, was probably
the most bloodthirsty of the lot, as can be seen in this quatrain.
The third line hints at his brother Henri who at that time was I am sure,
happy to be far away in Poland and out of the reach of his mad brother’s
antics.
But it is the fourth line of this quatrain that is so interesting! Did
his own family kill him? Nostradamus says they did, although of course,
history does not record that fact.
Charles IX died on May 30, 1574, at the age of 24 years, his end more than
likely hastened by a considerate mother, or so historians suspect.
The three that Nostradamus sees as killing him, would be his mother
Catherine, his sister Margo, and his brother Henri. - all three of them
had more to gain, then to loose with his death - or so they thought, at
the time!
1-41
The city besieged and assaulted by night
Few escaped, conflict not far from the sea
On the return of her son, a woman fainting for joy
Poison and letters hidden in the fold
The city referred to in this quatrain, is Domfront. The Protestants had taken the city of Domfront in France in 1574, and the Catholics were now outside, besieging it. Montgomery and his men bravely held on for 16 days with only 150 men against 10,000 of the Catholic forces, but at last it was all over, and the city fell to the Catholics. The 2nd line describes Catherine de Medici’s joy at her son Henri coming home, and the last line, hints at poison. Did they poison Charles IX? It seems most likely that they did, poison being the most common way to dispatch awkward people during those days - and the Florentine Catherine d’ Medici was an Italian expert on poisons in her day...