XLIX
Long before such intrigues,
The ones from the East by lunar virtue :
The year 1700 will make big changes,
Almost subduing the Aquilonian corner.
Original
Beaucoup avant telles menees,
Ceux d'orient par la vertu lunaire:
L'an mil sept cens feront grands emmenees,
Subjugant presque le coing Aquilonaire.
In general terms, the quatrain translated into Spanish has no significant translation details. And this quatrain is pure history as we say in my country. Let's see.
The key to this quatrain is the word East and the Moon as a symbol. We know that for Nostradamus, the Moon is specifically the Ottoman Empire or Islam in general. Here he speaks about the year 1700. Let's see what was happening historically in the Ottoman world. That year, Mustafa II ruled (February 6, 1664 - December 28, 1703), as the sultan of the Ottoman Empire as from 1695 until 1703. In the rest of Europe, the Habsburgs saw the death of the last member of their royal house in Spain, Charles II (November 1, 1700) Due to the lack of direct descendants from the King, a complex web of palace intrigues surrounding the succession, began.
This case become a matter of state and consumed the efforts of European diplomacy ("... such intrigues.") After the death of the heir agreed, Joseph Ferdinand of Bavaria, in 1699, King Charles II made his will on October 3, 1700, in favor of Philip of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV of France and the Spanish Infanta Maria Theresa of Austria (1638 - 1683), the eldest daughter of Philip IV and sister of Charles II.
Before proceeding, let’s know that the concept "virtue" can be replaced by dignity, integrity.
But let’s finish the story of Mustafa II. He proposed himself to repel the Austrian advance in his Empire and in 1697 ("The ones from the East by lunar virtue") took over in person in order to re conquer Hungary. ("Long before such intrigues, the ones from the East by lunar virtue.") When Nostradamus talks about long before such intrigues he is referring to the intrigues of succession to the Hapsburg throne which took place in 1700, with the death of Charles II, called the Bewitched. And let’s remember that after his death, the historic War of Spanish Succession began. ("Long before such intrigues.")
To his misfortune, he was defeated in Zenta by Eugene of Savoy (“almost subduing the Aquilonian corner,") and this event led the Ottomans to seek a peace agreement. Through the Treaty of Karlowitz, in 1699, Mustafa transferred Hungary and Transylvania to Austria, Morea to the Venetian Republic, and withdrew Turkish military detachments from Polish Podolia. "The Aquilonian corner” is Hungary. Now let’s know why. It is Hungary because let’s remember that it was part of the Roman Empire The ancient Roman city of Aquincum was located at the northeastern edge of the Roman province of Pannonia.
The ruins of the city can be seen today on the outskirts of Budapest, capital of Hungary. Aquincum is the Aquilonian corner that the prophet mentions; (“coing Aquilonaire”) but let’s support it even more. September 11th, 1697, Battle of Zenta. The Austrian forces achieved a decisive victory taking the Turkish army by surprise as it crossed the river Tisa. After this battle, the Ottoman Empire can not advance and in 1699, the Great Turkish War ends (1682-1699). Let’s remember that the Tisa River flows through Hungary. However, the prophet says that the year 1700 will bring great changes. And it is obviously so.
After the defeat they sign the Karlowitz treaty in 1699, losing Hungary and Transylvania ("... will make big changes.”) More than one scholar may say that this happened before 1700, which is effective. However, since the beginning of that century, the Ottoman Empire began to lose territories. Their bugbears: Austria and Russia. The Karlowitz treaty from 1699 meant the loss of their territories in Southeastern Europe. Mustafa II would die murdered in 1703. The quatrain is clarified.
L
From the aquatic triplicity born.
From one who will make Thursday his feast:
Its noise, praise, kingdom, his power will grow,
By land and sea to the Easts storm.
Original
De l'aquatique triplicit naistra.
D'un qui fera le jeudi pour sa feste:
Son bruit, loz, regne, sa puissance croistra,
Par terre & mer aux Oriens tempeste.
When Nostradamus infers "from the aquatic triplicity born," he is obviously involving three zodiacal signs, related to water: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. He does not mention rivers, oceans or tributaries. Nostradamus is accurate. He neither uses planetary alignments or bizarre astrological figures. He only uses the most objective aspects of the astrologic science.
The second verse retakes the previous idea and says that "From one who will make Thursday his feast." Let’s agree on something. When the prophet says "who will make Thursday his feast," he is not referring to an anniversary, birthday or saint’s day, because these are annual holidays and can fall on any day. “Celebrate” (“will make Thursday his celebration") relates to a specific day in a typical week: on Thursday, and every year.
Let’s also remember that the name "Thursday" comes from the Latin Jovis dies, or "Jupiter day,” but it is also possible that it could be annual and will always be on that same day, such as Holy Thursday among Christians worldwide. An annual feast, but this consecration is the Thursday of the Holy Week. Doubly successful, then: first, the origin of Thursday in Latin is Jupiter day (Latin related to Rome;) and second, the Christian feast of Holy Thursday: Especially if he says "kingdom" ("regne") and "praise" ("loz,") which means praise and commendation, very typical of Catholic culture in any case. When saying "kingdom," we must be careful not to rush and imply a sense of nationhood, monarchy. Because given the concept "praise," it could refer to a Christian symbolism.
It will cause "storm;" obviously, a storm is a weather phenomenon, and unless it is of historic importance, we are facing another symbolism. The term "conflict" not necessarily refers to something military. Let’s change what we have:
From the three water signs will be born
From one who will make Thursday his feast
The term "from one" is interesting. And it is key for understanding this quatrain. “From one” refers to a person. And that person combines these three water signs or aquatic triplicity ("from one will be born"). And he will make the day "Thursday (be) his party."
The concept "loor" can be replaced by praise. We can change the term "Kingdom" for domain, authority. And the concept "noise" may involve attracting much attention or doing things to get attention. We can change the concept "power" for influence. Also, we can synonymize the concept "grow" to increase, expand. And the concept "noise" can be replaced by voice. Let's see the verse now:
"His voice, praise, power, influence will expand"
In the last verse, Nostradamus says: "to the Easts." It turns out that the plural of the concept "East" is due to a geographical point of view which states that there are 3 (Near East, Middle East and Far East). We already said that the concept storm is figurative; therefore, the closest replacement is whirlwind. Let´s change this last verse:
By land and sea to the Easts storm
Well, Nostradamus is referring to Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the famous Society of Jesus or so called Jesuits, and also the so called Company of Jesus. But you may wander why I say that he is referring to this character and this institution. Let´s see:
First, the birth date of Ignatius of Loyola is October 24, 1491, and his birth is important because without him the Company of Jesus would not have existed. And that date corresponds to the sign of Scorpio, water sign.
Second, Ignatius of Loyola was ordained priest on June 24, 1538 by Pope Paul III in Venice, and this also is a valid date because he would neither had founded the Society of Jesus had he not been a priest from the Catholic Church. And that date corresponds to the sign of Cancer, also a water sign.
And thirdly, the Society of Jesus is really born through a Papal Bull Injunctum Nobis on March 14, 1543. We should say that before that date there is another Papal Bull called Regimini Militantis from September 27, 1540, which is the one that gives true life to the religious order because it lifted the number ban from its members; however, that Papal Bull limited the number of members from the new order.
And this limitation is of enormous importance because with a limited number of members it could never have spread, as the third and fourth verses indicate. In short, March 14th, 1543 is the real birth date of this congregation, called SOCIETA IESU, from the viewpoint of its fame, prestige and power. This date corresponds to the sign of Pisces. The last water sign.
That is the water triplicity:
Date of Birth of Ignatius Loyola: 24/10/1491 SCORPIO
Date of his priestly ordination: 24/06/1538 CANCER
Date of Papal Bull WITHOUT ban: 14/03/1543 PISCES
"From the aquatic triplicity from one will be born"
And this congregation, as we said in our analysis, will feast on Thursday, and of course, because every year during Holy Week, Thursday is celebrated as Holy Thursday. ("Who will make Thursday his feast.") And now it is easier to fit the following verses with the development of this order.
Let's briefly review history: The Society of Jesus has been an organization that has lived among the praise ("loor") and criticism, always in controversy ("Its Noise.") Its unconditional loyalty to the Pope has involved it in several conflicts: with Elizabethan England, with Spanish absolutism and the Sun King, with Bismarck's Germany, from where it was expelled (during the Kulturkampf), and with the Liberal governments of various countries in America and Europe, which also pursued it.
Also, the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe and China largely limited its activity as from 1945 ("By land and sea to the Easts storm.") Outstanding chapters of its history have been the origin and development of its famous Colleges and Universities in Europe, and its missionary activity in India, China and Japan ("By land and sea to the Easts storm.")
At this point it is important to emphasize the enormous challenge that the Jesuits had to face upon their arrival in distant lands, given the customs and religiosity of the Easts. They were also present in the reservations in Paraguay, the exploration and evangelization in Canada, the Mississippi and the Marañón, the theological conflicts with Protestants and Jansenists, their confrontation with the Enlightenment, their suppression and expulsion from America (1773) ("kingdom, its power will grow.)
In fact the power that they acquired in America was so great that the King of Spain ordered their expulsion. In 1965 they reached their highest numerical expansion: 36,000 Jesuits in more than a hundred administrative units (provinces and missions). That is why the Papal Bull dated 14/3/1543 is so important, because if it had not lifted the ban that strictly dictated having a certain number of members, they could never have increased their territorial power (especially in America) and their influence, and the execution of one of the largest evangelization exercises in history.
The Jesuits were widely known even in Asia, and suffered many sacrifices. (Middle East and Far East). The quatrain has been clarified.
