Prophecy and People in Renaissance Italy

In the midst of the religious ferment, foreign invasions, and internal political strife that beset Italy before the full effects of the Counter-Reformation, the powerful and humble alike turned to popular prophecy for guidance and solace. Ottavia Niccoli examines here the forms of these prophecies—including interpretations of natural disasters, abnormal births, floods, and planetary conjunctions—and gives examples of how they were transmitted from the lower classes to the elite through stre...