Astrologers and the End of the World

As I already mentioned somewhere, I am a history buff and I like astrology, classical music and computers. I work as a Web Analyst doing numerous researches for local web analytics company. As for my passion for classical music, those who are interested may visit my blog dedicated to life and death of famous classical music composers starting from Medieval times. I was always interested in the past astrological predictions that did not happen. Throughout history many astrologers made predictions about the future course of world events, and these are often remarkable either for their fulfillment or for the ruin and confusion they brought upon their authors.

So, the favorite topic of the astrologers of all countries has been the immediate end of the world. They announced it when the end of the first millennium was coming to the end, and thousands of people believed them and were ready for their last funeral rites. When this did not happen, as early as 1186 the Earth had escaped another one threatened cataclysm of the astrologers. Another astrologer named Stöffler predicted a universal deluge for the year 1524 - a year, as it turned out, distinguished... for drought. His aspect of the heavens told him that in that year three planets would meet in the aqueous sign of Pisces. Among those who believed was a prominent Frenchman Aurial from Toulouse who built himself a Noah's ark!

The most famous predictions about European and world affairs were made by the astrologer Nostradamus. His claim to fame came after the publication in 1555 of his work Centuries. A book that represented a series of cryptic prophecies. So obscure are the predictions that they have been interpreted as relating to a great variety of events since, including the French and English Revolutions, and the World War 2.

Nostradamus became so popular that in 1556 he was summoned to the French court by queen Catherine de Medici and commissioned to draw up the horoscope of the royal children. She was one of his most staunch supporters. Later Nostradamus fell out of favor with many in the court and was accused of a witchcraft, but Catherine de Medici continued to support him and patronized him until his death.