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Prince Don Carlos and Queen Elizabeth of Spain
According
to the history books Prince of the Asturias Don Carlos, son of Phillip
II of Spain, died in his room of natural causes on July 24th, 1568 – He
was 23 years old. According to the history books, Phillip’s wife
Elizabeth of Valois (and stepmother to Prince Don Carlos) died in
childbirth a few months later on October 3, 1568 – she was 23 years old.
This is the end of their story. Two sad and unfortunate young people, turned
to dust many centuries ago. But is it the end of their story? Or after
all these centuries, is it just the beginning of their story?
July 8th 1545 was a day of great celebration in Spain. It marked the birth
of an imperial prince, heir to the vast dominions of the Spanish Empire.
The little prince's father was the mightiest emperor of the day, Phillip
II of Spain. His mother was the Portuguese infanta, who died soon after
he was born. This period in time was marked by the bloodiest wars imaginable
between France and Spain. But in October of 1558, there came an end to
it all, and the Peace of Cateau Cambresis was signed between France and
Spain. To cement the Peace treaty, the little Spanish Prince was to be
married to Elizabeth of Valois, the daughter of the king of France.
By now, Prince Don Carlos was 13 years old, and aside from minor curiosity,
probably was not too concerned about it all. However, in the next few years,
he would become increasingly interested in the female species, and it must
have given him great satisfaction to gaze at the portraits sent from France,
of his future wife. She was the most sought after catch in her day, with
her olive skin and dark eyes, "as beautiful as the Greek Lais" suggests
Nostradamus about her in another verse.
Elizabeth of Valois
Prince Don Carlos
The
young prince fell in love with his wife to be. But, alas, it was not to
be. After his 2nd wife, the English Queen Mary Tudor died, his father Phillip
II was faced with a new threat from England - the formidable Queen Elizabeth.
Many more double dealings ensued between the monarchs, and in the end,
it was Phillip's name on the French marriage contract, and not his son’s.
In 1559, Elizabeth of Valois arrived in Spain amid great pomp and ceremony,
a girl scarcely 16, about to marry a man older than her father.
Meanwhile, our Spanish prince Don Carlos was 15 years old, and he had grown
up in a very cold and motherless atmosphere - Phillip II had no time or
affection for him. On top of all his other woes, he was slightly misshapen,
one shoulder was higher, and one leg was shorter. He appeared to be hunchbacked,
and he was left handed, surely a portent for evil in those days. Emotionally,
the prince was in even worse shape. Some whispered that he was schizophrenic,
and he roamed the streets of the capital at night with his companions.
Fate had played her hand. What was to happen next? That the young prince
was still in love with Elizabeth, there was no doubt, and in the next few
years, it would only become more intense. They spent much time together,
and Don Carlos was known to have worn an agate medallion engraved with
her likeness.
Other factors shaped this prince as well. It was very much an age of cloak
and dagger conspiracy in the courts of the great monarchs. Religious wars
between the Catholics and the Protestants raged throughout all of Europe
on a daily basis. Phillip II was very much a Catholic, and he had an iron
clad determination, that all of his dominions were going to remain that
way. However, some of his dominions were very far away, and difficult to
control. Especially the Netherlands, which were virtual hotbeds of Protestantism.
Spies came and went through the Spanish court with monotonous regularity.
What happened to those who were caught, was not a pretty sight in Spain,
homeland of the notorious Spanish Inquisition. Prince Don Carlos grew up
to bitterly hate his father. Rumor had it that the prince was conspiring
with the Protestants in the Netherlands, who planned to dethrone his father,
and put him on the throne instead.
Rumors of the day also flew concerning the Prince and his stepmother, Elizabeth
of Valois. Was he conspiring with the Protestants? Was he having a clandestine
affair with his stepmother? – So the gossip of the court went.
All of this must have been too much for a monarch as proud as Phillip II.
Phillip was merciless in the suppression of the Lutheran heresy,
which had appeared in various parts of the country, "If my
own son were guilty like you", he replied to a gentleman condemned
to death for heresy who had reproached him for his cruelty, "I should
lead him with my own hands to the stake".
Phillip II was to mean what he said. On January 19th, 1568, in his 23rd
year, Prince Don Carlos was imprisoned in his room by his father. The king
steadfastly refused to comment on what the prince had done, only saying
that "he had done very grave things."
On July, 9 1568 Don Carlos was judged guilty of treason for he had plotted
the death of his father the King, and had conspired to become sovereign
of Flanders. A few months later, on July 24th of the same year, Phillip
announced that his son had "died of natural causes." He did not
attend the boy's funeral, watched it instead, from a palace window, with
no sign of grief apparent on his face.
Elizabeth of Valois Phillip’s wife, was heartbroken at her stepson's
death, and plunged into melancholy. She spent two days weeping until Phillip
rebuked her, saying "Enough tears, Madame." Elizabeth was pregnant
at the time, and only a few months later, in October 3rd of 1568, in her
23rd year, she went into premature labor. Both she and the child died.
What really happened here? Historians say after the death of Don Carlos,
his papers were confiscated. They found two lists - one of his enemies,
and one of his friends. His father headed one list, seconded by the Duke
of Alba, and his stepmother Elizabeth headed the other, seconded by Don
Juan of Austria.
But more interesting, two and a half centuries later in 1812 during the
brief reign of Joseph Bonaparte in Madrid, the remains of prince Don Carlos
were exhumed. The post mortem showed damage to his neck, either by beheading,
or strangulation. Strangulation by catgut was the preferred method practiced
by Phillip II at the time....
Nostradamus chronicles the brief life and death of these two unfortunate
people in this way:
9-78
The lady who is as beautiful as the Greek Lais,
Will be made happy by countless suitors.
But she will be transferred out to the Spanish realm,
Where she will be taken captive to die a miserable death.
This verse speaks of a beautiful lady of France who will be sent to the Spanish realm. Here she will die a cruel death. This verse speaks for itself - Elizabeth did have countless suitors, as the beautiful daughter of the King of France was in great demand. Line 4 says she was "taken as a captive", meaning she had no choice in the matter - but this line also hints at Elizabeth's father Henry II of France, who was taken captive and held as a hostage in Spain for a few years previously. Nostradamus refers to him as "the hostage" in another verse, and in this verse, he plays on that fact as well, with his choice of words. The word Lais plays on her name - Valois
8-63 When the Adulterer wounded
without a blow
Will have murdered his wife
and son out of spite,
The wife will be knocked
down, and the child strangled,
Eight captives taken, choked
without respite.
Note
that in the numbering of this quatrain, 8-63, two of the digits of the
date 1568 are given, in which Prince Don Carlos and Elizabeth of Valois
met their deaths.
In this verse, the "adulterer wounded without a blow" is Phillip II, wounded
by both his wife and his son. Not physically, but mentally, as is obvious.
As to Nostradamus' description of Phillip II being an adulterer as well,
we leave that to the reader's imagination. Obviously Nostradamus saw what
was really going on in the life of the sanctimonious monarch of Catholicism
- he was guilty of the crime as well.
Nostradamus also mentions eight people being taken captive and then choked.
Phillip II disposed of many people in this fashion, but in this particular
affair, there were obviously 8 people who knew what was going on, and were
caught in the conspiracy. One documented case was the nobleman Montigny
who was an agent of William of Orange and friend of prince Don Carlos.
He was caught in the plot, and strangled in his cell shortly after the
death of the prince.
Phillip II always insisted that Montigny had died a natural death, but
the truth came out in 1848, when documents were discovered in a locked
chest in the Castle of Simancas where he died. Another two cases were the
Counts of Egmont and Hoorn, again, both executed by Phillip II shortly
after the death of Don Carlos. The murder of Escovedo would have been another
one.
In the third line, Nostradamus says this man knocked down his wife - not
a wise thing to do when a woman is 5 months pregnant, as Elizabeth was
at that time. Did he beat her? Is that why she died a miserable death?
According to Nostradamus, this is what happened.
8-25
The heart of the lover will be opened by a furtive love,
He will cause the lady to be ravished in the brook.
The lustful woman will feign half a hurt,
And the father will deprive them both of their souls.
Note that in the numbering of this quatrain 8-25, we are given two digits of the date 1568 on which these events occurred. The first line refers to prince Don Carlos, it sounds as if he was the one who pushed himself on Elizabeth, and she resisted, but only marginally. Later on, what happened? Did someone see it and report it to Phillip? Did Phillip confront Elizabeth, and to protect herself, she said that Don Carlos had raped her? Obviously, somehow, later on, it will come to Phillip's attention that his wife was a more willing participant in the affair than she had let on, and she will be "deprived of her soul" as Nostradamus so quaintly puts it.
Prince Don Carlos of Spain Elizabeth
of Valois
10-35 The young Royal, burning
with flagrant lust,
To enjoy his first cousin
Will dress in female clothes,
going to the temple of Artemis,
He will soon be murdered
by an unrecognized one of Maine.
Lines one and two refer to Don Carlos and Elizabeth of Valois. The term
cousin was commonly used to describe the Royal relationship between the
monarchs of France and Spain.
How and where, did Don Carlos and Elizabeth of Valois secretly meet? Here,
and also in verse 4-27 below, Nostradamus mentions a "temple of Artemis"
One of the many Roman ruins that dot the landscape of Spain? It appears
that Don Carlos went in the disguise of a maiden to go to this particular
trysting place. His father resided alternately at Madrid which he made
the capital of the kingdom and in Villégiatures, (near Madrid)
the most famous of which is the Escorial, which he built in fulfillment
of a vow made at the time of the battle of Saint Quentin.
The last line reads "murdered by an unrecognized man of Maine" -
Nostradamus indicates here, who did the actual killing of the prince, under
Phillip's orders. Maine was a province of North West France, hotbed of
the ultra Catholic Guise family, who were close allies of Phillip of Spain.
One of the members of this family (who was unknown to the prince) did the
foul deed - this would be completely in keeping with known alliances of
the 16th century.
6-59 The lady in fury through
rage of adultery,
Will come to conspire not
to tell her prince.
But soon will the blame
be made known,
So that 17 will be put to
martyrdom.
Note that in the numbering of this quatrain 6-59, we are given three digits
of the date 1569, in which these events occurred. What is Nostradamus saying
here? The lady would be Elizabeth, furious about an adultery, but it is
difficult to say who the culprits were, it could have been any one of the
players in this story. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned - it almost
sounds like her prince Don Carlos was not being faithful to her.
I get the definite feeling here that Nostradamus means here by "her
prince" Don Carlos, and not her husband King Phillip. It also sounds like
someone else beat her to the punch, and informed Phillip of what was going
on. This person, whoever it was, had some connection, or knew something
about the Netherland conspiracy.
The seventeen who are put to martyrdom are clearly the seventeen provinces
of the Netherlands, who suffered heavily under the brutal treatment meted
out to them by the Duke of Alba in King Phillip's name. During this time
the Duke of Alba set up what he called "The Council of Tumults" - 9 or
10 judges who had the powers to quickly execute
those found guilty of rebellion in the Netherlands. Thousands suffered
martyrdom for their religious and political beliefs under this cruelest
of regimes between 1567 and 1569.
Interestingly enough, before Phillip II sent Alba to the Netherlands, he
had planned to go himself, and take his half brother Don Juan of Austria
and his son Don Carlos with him. Suddenly all plans were changed, and he
sent the soldier warrior Alba at the head of 10,000 troops instead.
St Paul de Mausol
Mausol
The Arch of SEX.
4-27 Salon, Tarascon, Mausol,
the arch of SEX.
Where the pyramid is still
standing.
They will come to deliver
the prince of Annemark
But his redemption will
be spoiled in the temple of Artemis.
Salon,
Tarascon, and St. Remy in Provence France are mentioned in this quatrain.
Mausol, the arch of SEX. And the pyramid he mentions here are
all roman ruins in the site of Glanum very close to St. Remy France. Mausol
is either the church of St. Paul de Mausole or the nearby Roman monument
it was named for, the Mausolee des Jules. The Mausolee des Jules is a funerary
monument dating from around 20 BC, raised by the Julii family in honour
of their father and grandfather. The Pyramid is a 20 meter
high limestone monolilth nearby the other two sites that the quarrymen
called “the pyramid”.
Salon, Tarascon, and St. Remy are located close together near the Spanish
border in Provence France – hotbeds of Protestantism in that era. Was the
rescue of Prince Don Carlos to be mounted from one of these areas?
The Arch of SEX - The fact that SEX is capitalized is significant, but
I am unable to determine the meaning. Since the quatrain is discussing
the plans to rescue Prince Don Carlos, perhaps the word “sex” is a tongue
in cheek description of why the Prince was not able to be rescued…..See
Edgar Leoni's book THE PROPHECIES OF NOSTRADAMUS page 623, 624 for more
information on this ruin. Possibly the initials L.M. mean something.
In the third line, the Prince of Annemark - this refers to the kingdoms
of Bohemia and Hungary under the reign of Don Carlos grandfather Charles
V. In 1526 the King of Hungary and Bohemia Louis II fell in battle and
his sister Anne became the heiress. When she married Ferdinand, brother
of Charles V, she brought these territories to her husband. They were known
as the frontier provinces of Anne (Anne’s marks, or Anne’s territories)
So the King of Annemark during the time of Nostradamus would have been
Ferdinand I brother of Charles V. At one point in the Habsburg succession
plans, Prince Don Carlos was slated to inherit these lands, thus making
him the prince of Annemark.
In this instance, perhaps Nostradamus is taking note of the fact that Phillip
II's sister Margaret of Parma became Regent of the Netherlands in 1559,
and the rebels wanted to oust her and replace her with their own "prince
of Annemark", Don Carlos.
The last line indicates that prince Don Carlos will not be rescued, because
of something which happens in the temple of Artemis. This clearly, is the
same temple of Artemis that forms the trysting place of these two lovers
in the previous quatrain. This has some connection with Elizabeth, obviously.
She must have been privy to some kind of information - how much did her
husband tell her, one wonders? Was she aware, that her husband knew that
his son was plotting against him? Was she angry with Don Carlos, and did
she fail to warn him out of spite? Surely even Elizabeth would not have
believed that Phillip II would actually come to murder his own son. Is
that why her grief was so profound at his death? Perhaps she felt it was
her fault - and perhaps she was right.
William of Orange the blond elect
1-39 By night, the highest
one will be strangled in bed,
Because the blond elect
had waited too long.
In substitution, the empire
will be enslaved by three,
He will be put to death,
with document and packet unread.
The first line of this quatrain refers to Prince Don Carlos, heir to the
Spanish empire, and the "highest one in the land". In the second line,
The "Blond Elect" most certainly refers to William Prince of Orange. He
was the "elected king", the rebellious outlaw who was causing most of Phillip's
troubles in the Netherlands.
The Prince of Orange waited too long to co-ordinate the rescue attempt
of his co-conspirator Prince Don Carlos. In the last line, Nostradamus
says the prince will be put to death without reading his letter, suggesting
that a letter was intercepted, and likely formed the basis for the damming
charges against him.
The third line reads "in substitution, the empire will be enslaved by three."
Here Nostradamus says that because of the death of prince Don Carlos, there
will be a substitution in the reign, and the 2nd son of the king will succeed
instead of the first son. This will turn out to be a disaster, and much
to the detriment of the Spanish kingdom, he says, and it will be enslaved
by three.
And he was completely correct in his prophecy. King Phillip II married again in 1570, his own niece, Anne of Austria. They had a son who succeeded to the Spanish throne as Phillip III on Sept 13th 1598, when Phillip II died. This son Phillip was a complete disaster as king, handing the reign over to his favorites, led by the Duke of Lerma. As well, note that his name was Phillip Third.
8-14 The great credit, the
abundance of gold and silver,
Will cause honor to be blinded
by lust.
Known will be the adulteress
offense
Which will occur to his
great dishonor.
Note that in the numbering of this quatrain 8-14, we are given two digits of the date 1568, the year in which this event occurred. This verse could only refer to Spain, with its "abundance of gold and silver" pouring in from the new world at that time. This concludes the tragic story of Prince Don Carlos of Spain and Elizabeth of Valois. What really happened to them is lost in history and in the centuries of time. These are the only clues left to us by the prophet Nostradamus.