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The Fifth Century
Quatrains 81 - 90

Quatrain 81

L’oiseau royal sur la cité solaire,
Sept moys devant sera nocturne augure :
Mur d’Orient cherra tonnerre esclair,
Sept jours aux portes les ennemis à heure.

The royal bird over the solar city,
Seven months in advance will be a nocturnal omen:
The eastern wall will fall, lightning shines,
The enemies at the gate for seven days.

Ambiguous

The royal bird is the eagle. With the two exceptions of Nazi Germany and the United States of American, it stands for an imperial government, dating from the days of the Roman Imperium. It has stood for the symbol of the imperial governments of Spain under Carlos I, the Kaisers of Germany, the Tzar's of Russia, the Hapsburgs of Austria, even the symbol of the Holy Roman Empire.

The quatrain is self-descriptive. Unfortunately, I cannot figure it out. I must leave it to the reader to figure out.

Quatrain 82

Au conclud pache hors de la forteresse
Ne fortira celuy en desespoir mis :
Quant ceux d’Arbois, de Langres, contre Bresse
Auront monts Dolle mouscade d’ennemis.

In the treaty’s conclusion outside the fortress,
Not will come he who was in despair:
When those of Arbois, of Langres, against Bresse,
Around the mountains of Dole an enemy ambuscade.

Ambiguous

There is a Bresse, a former province of France, a Bresse-suir-Grosne, a commune in France, and a Bressa, a town in Italy. Arbois and Langres are both in France, but that those two cities would be against Bresse, France, does not make sense. It could be from the turmoil of the Religious Wars, but I have my doubts. More likely it is the city in Italy that Nostradamus is referring to.

The mountains of Dole refers to the Swiss Alpine mountains; Dole is one of the mountains.

Quatrain 83

Ceux qui avront enterprins subuertir,
Nonpareil regne puissant & invincible :
Feront par fraude, nuictz trois advertir,
Quant le plus grand à table lira Bible.

Those who will have undertaken to subvert,
Unparalleled realm, powerful and invincible:
They will act fraudulently, three nights to warn,
When the greater one reads his Bible at the table.

The Attempted Assassination of Gaspard de Coligny

The key is the fourth line. Gaspard de Coligny, a Calvinist lord, was in his home for three days reading his bible while an assassin waited to kill him. The first two lines are understandable in light of Nostradamus’s reputed extreme Catholicism; Catholics were convinced that Calvinism would subvert the kingdom and were opposed to Coligny’s power and influence. The kingdom is, of course, France.

Quatrain 84

Naistra du gouphre & cité immesuree,
Nay de parens obscurs & tenebreux :
Qui la puissance du grand roy reveree,
Voudra destuire par Rouen & Evreux.

Born of the gulf and immeasurable city,
Born of parents obscure and dark:
Whom the power of the great revered king,
Will want to destroy by Rouen and Évreux.

Ambiguous

Rouen and Évreux are cities in the northern part of France, which locates the last part of the quatrain. This is one we would have to work backwards. I cannot figure it out.

Quatrain 85

Par le Sueves & lieux circonvoisins,
Seront en guerre pour cause des nuees :
Gamp marins locustes & cousins,
Du Leman fautes seront bien desnueer.

Through the Suevi and neighboring places,
They will be at war over the clouds:
Swarm of marine locusts and gnats,
The faults of Geneva will be laid quite bare.

World War II

The Suevi was several Germanic tribes that inhabited various parts of Germany and Austria. It was a name given to them by the Romans, even though they called themselves different names. Because of the territories the Suevi occupied, this can only refer to Nazi Germany. The neighboring places are, of course, France, Italy, Poland, and other nearby countries. The war over the clouds refers to the fighting in the air between aircraft. The last line refers to the League of Nations, which collapsed as a result of this war.

Quatrain 86

Par les deux testes & trois bras separés,
La cité grande par eaux sera vexee :
Des grands d’entre eux par exil esgarés,
Par teste perse Bisance fort preslee.

By two heads and three arms separated,
The great city by water will be vexed:
Great ones among them will be banished,
By the head of Persia Byzantium strongly pressed.

Future

The fourth line gives the quatrain a Middle-Eastern flavor. It is true that there have been wars between the Iranians and the Ottomans since Nostradamus wrote the quatrains. The first two lines indicates a city that is occupied by foreign troops being inundated by a flood. The only problem is, which? Likely it is Baghdad or one of the cities of Mesopotamia – the great rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers could conceivably flood. But also of note is the fact that some of the nobility of the city are banished, so it could be a flood of foreign troops. I do not know enough about middle-eastern history to know for certain, but my limited resources indicate that this has not yet happened.

Quatrain 87

L’an que Saturne fera hors de servage,
Au franc terroir fera d’eau inundé :
De sang Troyen sera son mariage,
Et sera seur d’Espaignols circundé.

In the year that Saturn is out of service,
In the Frank territory will be inundated by water:
Of Trojan blood will his marriage be,
And by the Spanish will be safely confined.

Felipe V of Spain

The French kings had a supposedly real, if shadowy, claim to being descendants of the Trojan kings. Of course, by this time, with all the intermarrying between the various royal houses, all the kings of Europe could make the same claim. But what is of interest here is the shadowy claim would be officially spread to the Spanish throne.

In the year 1700, when Saturn left the sign of its traditional rulership, Aquarius. Charles II of Spain died. He named as his heir Philippe, Duc d’Anjou, who became Felipe V. Felipe was the grandson of Louis XIV, the Great Monarch and because of multiple marriages between the Spanish and the French (Elizabeth of France married Felipe II of Spain, and the Spanish Maria Theresa had married Louis XIV, tying the two thrones together by reasons of blood) Charles decided that the French Bourbon line was closer to his blood than the Hapsburg line in Austria. However, Leopold I of Austria, the Hapsburg ruler, also claimed the throne. Louis, acting for his grandson and honoring the will of Charles, claimed the whole of the Spanish provinces. Leopold objected. Sides were drawn and everybody marched.

The Frank Territory here refers to the old territory of the Frankish king, Charlemagne. His territory was vast and covered not just modern France, but much of Italy and Germany as well. These were the main theaters where the majority of the war was fought.

The part about being inundated by water is a direct reference to the forces and leadership of the naval power, England. They were very ably lead by John Churchill, the future Duke of Marlborough.

Fourteen years of warfare resulted, but the result was basically what Charles II had desired. Felipe was safely seated on the Spanish throne.

Quatrain 88

Sur le sablon par un hideux deluge,
Des autres mers trouvé monstre marin :
Proche du lieu sera faict un refuge,
Tenant Savone esclave de Turin.

On the sand by a hideous deluge,
A marine monster from other seas found.
Near the place will be made a refuge,
Supporting Savona the slave of Turin.

Ambiguous

Savona and Turin are in the northwest part of Italy. Beyond that, I can say nothing.

Quatrain 89

Dedans Hongrie par Boheme, Navarre,
Et par banniere fainctes seditions :
Par fleurs de lys pays pourtant la barre
Contre Orleans fera esmoutions.

Inside Hungary by Bohemia, Navarre,
And by the banner of feigned seditions:
By the country of the fleur-de-lys in spite of the bar
Against Orleans will make emotions.

Ambiguous

The country of the fleur-de-lys is France. The Capétien monarchy has always had the lily flower as their symbol. Bohemia is the modern day Czech Republic.

There are several times when Bohemia is tied in some way to France, usually through some major war. The separation of Navarre from Orleans indicates a serious split in France. The last time such a split happened, Orleans was in Occupied France while much of the French side of the ancient kingdom of Navarre was found in Vichy France. However, not all of the French portion of ancient Navarre was controlled by Vichy, so I am not certain this is the correct interpretation.

There is also the time of the French Revolution, when the outlying lands were more in league with the crown whereas those places that were closer to Paris were in league with the revolutionaries, especially the Jacobins. Hungary and Bohemia, being part of Austria in those days, was tied to the French crown. This is possible, especially as the third line states the fleur-de-lys, the official symbol of the French monarchy. But what is the bar of line 3 ?

It is, of course, possible that Nostradamus made a mistake when writing this, so I am forced to leave this to the reader to figure out.

Quatrain 90

Dans les cyclades, en perinthe & larisse,
Dedans Sparte tout le Pelloponnesse :
Si grand famine, peste par faux connisse,
Neuf moys tiendra & tout le cherronesse.

In the Cyclades, in Perinthus and Larissa
Inside Sparta all the Peloponnese:
So great a famine, plague by false arts,
Nine months will last throughout the peninsula.

Ambiguous

The cities of the first two lines are beyond a doubt in Greece. The last line, cherronesse, which is obviously modified to rhyme with “Pelloponnesse,” is close to the ancient Greek word chersonesos, which means peninsula. This seems to refer to a nine month famine or plague that sweeps the entire Greek peninsula.