Royal Prophecy

Could the Prince of the Asturias be the restorer of Christendom? It sounds incredible but the idea has been put forward by some, based on a compilation of historical prophecies which draw enough parallels to modern times to tantalize the imagination. Some of these prophets have been monarchs, some saints and some, well, (let’s get this over with) one is Nostradamus, who I’ve never had much use for with so many of his “predictions” being so vague as to present a multitude of possible interpretations. However, to get him out of the way he will be addressed first. Nostradamus, IV 5, *seems* to predict a reunification of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches and clearly predicts that France and Spain will be united together after which will be a period of terrible struggle and warfare. The Orthodox prophet, St Methodius of Olympia, in a similar vein, predicts that ‘the west’ and Rome will be overrun by Islam but will be rescued by another power (which many presume to be Russia) after which time the Catholic Church will merge with the Orthodox. There will be a horrific war in which a King Philippe VI, with divine assistance, will drive the Muslims out of Europe, retake Constantinople and reign from there in a revived Roman (or more Byzantine) Empire.

The Russian St Seraphim of Sarov (whose canonization was pressed for by Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra) also prophesied that the throne of France would be restored and that the Hapsburgs would be restored to Austria (though in the lifetime of the saint the Hapsburgs had yet to be removed) after a terrible war. St Bridget of Sweden also prophesied about a great western monarch who will rise up to deliver the Christian world. So, how is it that the Prince of the Asturias is singled out as this potential monarch who will lead a war against Islam in Europe and be crowned Emperor in the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople? The prophecy of St Bridget spoke of the great king being of Spanish origin and the prophecy of St Methodius speaks of him ‘leaning against two pillars’ which is taken by some to be a reference to the pillars of Hercules. He also speaks of him having a white beard which I find particularly amusing considering that the only two Catholic royals named Philip today (Felipe of Spain and Philippe of Belgium) recently started wearing beards. Hmmm… Some have also pointed to the reputation of Prince Felipe of conservative religious devotion (which is not something you hear often about the prince, but it has been said) though of course this would be Catholic devotion and might not easily lend itself to someone expected to embrace Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

However, similar prophecies have also long existed in the Roman half of the Church as well. St Augustine of Hippo predicted the rise of a great Catholic monarch toward the end of the “sixth age” of the world. St Remigius, who baptized the first Christian King of the Franks (Clovis I) also predicted that the royal house of France would one day produce a great monarch who would restore the Roman Empire before the end of the world. As I am sure everyone knows the current Spanish Royal Family is the House of Bourbon, imported from France and descended from King Louis XIV. A number of other Catholic saints also made similar prophecies, involving the restoration of the Kingdom of France, a great struggle, religious reunification (though in western versions the Orthodox join with the Catholics rather than the other way around of course) and a revival of the Christian Roman Empire with a period of peace and plenty to follow.

Adherents of the theory that Prince Felipe will be the prophesied “King Philippe VI” also point to the prophecy of Brother John of the Cleft Rock (XIV Century) that the great monarch, with the aid of St Michael the Archangel, will drive the Muslims out of Europe (most of these prophecies assume a Europe dominated by Islam) who will then rule from Constantinople. The XVII Century figure David Poreaus claimed that, “The Great Monarch will be of French descent, large forehead, large dark eyes, light brown wavy hair, and an eagle nose. He will crush the enemies of the Pope and will conquer the East”. To back up the idea that “King Philippe VI” should be looked for now there are also a number of sources. St Augustine, again, placed this as happening in the “sixth age” which, according to some interpretations, is what we are living in now. Also, Emperor Leo VI of the East Roman (or Byzantine) Empire predicted that Byzantium would be liberated and restored to her former glory in twenty years less than six centuries, which, if we date from 1453 (the fall of Constantinople) would be about the year 2033. It is not 2012 but still not a very distant future. Some also figure into this the (more widely held) belief that the XX Century was the period foretold by many prophets as the time when the Devil would have free reign to do his worst. Figuring that into the equation would put this war for the restoration of Christendom at around 2034 to 2037.

Of course, by that time, Prince Felipe would be 66, a little beyond the realm of what we consider middle age, so if he is going to save Christendom and restore the Roman Empire, he had better get cracking! St Remy foretold that the great and pious king, from the Frankish line, would occupy Jerusalem as well as restoring the Roman Empire. St Isidore of Seville also predicted that in the last days a very pious king would rule over ‘greater Spain’ and that he will reign through a woman whose name begins with the letter “Y” and ends with the letter “L” which some have taken to be Ysabel or Queen Isabella II by whose line the current Spanish Royal Family came to the throne. However, his prophecy also holds problems for the adherents of Felipe as he says the king will come from the east, will reign from his youth (which the Prince is pretty well beyond) and that he will purify Spain. Obviously there would have to be some major and immediate changes in the laws and popular will of Spain for the prince to even be in the position to do that.

Such is one reason why with every passing year the handful who put their faith in Prince Felipe as the one foretold by these prophets becomes fewer and fewer. Most prophecies also included a royal son and heir which Felipe is conspicuously lacking (and like most of Europe Spain has come to consider male-preference succession terribly unfair these days) and so, in the end, most such talk is laughed off. I have heard plenty of such predictions even more far out than that (such as the Prince of Wales being the anti-Christ or Prince Harry being the Great Monarch because some Irish prophets said he would have red hair). Many of these prophecies (from Catholic sources) also involve the rise of an especially blessed and pious pope who will spread Christianity throughout the world and, especially lately, such prophecies concerning the popes have proven to be rather inaccurate. So, as with any such thing, it will be up to each individual to decide how much weight these prophecies hold and when or to who they may apply. I admit, for myself, it seems too fantastic to believe. There is the great change in public opinion that would have to take place and even if the French public decided to restore their monarchy I would, sadly, find it even harder to believe that the feuding monarchist camps could come together in support of one candidate. Nonetheless, it is something to think about and there are elements of many of these prophecies that have already come true and while I might not take them to the bank, I admit that they do have a way of sticking with you.

This is not the first time, of course, that these prophecies have tantalized the mind. Previously we mentioned the legend concerning the last Eastern Roman Emperor, Constantine XI, that he would return to lead his people to glory in a time of crisis. This was on the minds of many when King George I of the Hellenes named his son and heir Constantine. When he became king in 1913 some Greeks hailed him as “Constantine XII”. His leadership in the many conflicts in the Balkans at that time caused some to hope that it would be King Constantine who would restore Constantinople to Greek rule and fulfill the prophecy, however, these hopes were dashed by the failure of the 1922 Greek invasion of Turkey. The King was obliged to abdicate a short time later. In the west, Prince Harry appears again, as a story circulated that the Dauphin, King Louis XVII of France, escaped the revolutionaries and was hidden away by the Oldenburg family and that the current British royals descend from him. Some prophecies (in the Catholic tradition) give the name of the Great Monarch as Henry or Charles and so, again, some have pointed to Prince Henry as the one who will lead the Christian-monarchist restoration. Again, and we love Prince Harry, he would seemingly have to go through quite a personal and religious conversion for that to happen.

Not to be left out, some (using non-religious sources like {ugh} Nostradamus) have speculated that Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark will be the one while others, I am not kidding, have asserted it will be former French President Jacques Chirac (wish I was making that one up). Nor are such predictions limited to the Christian world. In recent years there has been at least some serious talk given to the revival of the Davidic monarchy of ancient Israel. There is a group in Israel today studying and planning for the rebuilding of the Temple, the reinstatement of sacrificial worship and in general a revival of the ancient United Kingdom of Israel. I am sure I do not have to tell most here that the restoration of the Temple also has an extremely significant place in Christian prophecy -involving the end of the world. Also, I cannot help but mention that, in the Far East, certain Buddhists of Tibet and Mongolia have long had a similar prophecy about the appearance of the “White King” of Shambhala who will lead a massive holy war against the enemies of dharma, restoring divine balance and putting the world back in order according to Buddhist beliefs. A number of people have been speculated as possibly being this expected savior including lamas and even Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and the mascot of this blog the Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg.

I also find it interesting that some such prophecies from such divergent groups as ancient pagans, Greek Christians and Tibetan Buddhists overlap. For instance, one prophecy that was melded in with the stories of the Great Monarch or the Marble Emperor has some similarities with the Shambhala prophecy. In this story Alexander the Great took his most fearsome enemies, subdued them, and sealed them in some lost northern mountains behind a mystical gate. At the appropriate time, in some prophecies when the Islamic forces had overrun Europe (again, this is an Eastern Christian prophecy) this gate would be opened and these northern super-warriors would then be the vanguard in the struggle that would destroy the enemies of Christendom and restore the Roman Empire. In any event, make of these predictions what you will, I present them simply as matters of interest with just one last word: when it comes to such prophecies, as they say, sooner or later one of them will one day be proven correct. Are the various lines coming together? Are we building toward something even now? I leave it to the individual to decide.