Yesterday I recounted a few failed Doomsday predictions. I saved the year 1524 for today since it was such an active year.
A gaggle of British astrologers declared that in June 1523 London would be ground zero for a Great Deluge that would end the world on February 1, 1524. Panic spread and more than 20,000 people abandoned their homes for other places while at St. Bartholomew’s, the Prior had a fortress erected and stockpiled with a two-month supply of water and food. When 02-01-24 came and went without so much as a decent shower, the astrologers put their heads together, recalculated and, lo and behold, determined they had made a miscalculation. Sheepishly, they announced they had been off by a century. As it happened, on February 1, 1624 a new crop of true believers were disappointed to learn that they, too, would not be drowning on that particular date.
However, beyond the Great Deluge scenario, other astrologers had predictions for 1524. For example, Nicolaus Peranzonus de Monte Sancte Marie, added to the 1524 panic by declaring that when the major planets were in conjunction in Pisces, swoosh, a great flood would sweep everyone away.
Johannes Stoeffler, also an astrologer, foresaw the Great Deluge occurring on February 20, 1524, way back in 1499. His prophesy was so highly regarded that it is reported that more than one hundred pamphlets were published about his pronouncement.
The dire 1524 predictions set Europeans to work planning to save their lives. The president of France had an enormous ark built as did Count von Iggleheim, whose ark was three stories high. Unfortunately for the good count, when the end did not arrive, the people became agitated and stoned him to death and then stampeded, killing scores more. Who needs a deluge to amass a body count?
Many Germans had smaller boats built; obviously Doomsday was a profit center for the neighborhood boat builder.
Another astrologer, George Tannstetter, who was also a mathematician at the University of Vienna, scoffed at the predictions. Once he calculated his own horoscope and discovered he would live beyond 1524, he mocked the others.
And, by the by, according to the 1878 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, 1524 was “a year…distinguished for drought.”
Actually their recalculation may have been partially right.
ReplyDeleteIn 1634 there was a major flood in Europe, called the Burchardi flood.