Marie-Anne Lenormand: Prophetic prediction of Napoleon's marriage, rise and fall

Madame Lenormand (born 1772) knew from an early age that she had a gift for divination (which appeared in Europe more than 400 years earlier). Throughout her life, she predicted the fates of many people, including important events and people. Her life has gone through many turns, from studying at a convent school, becoming a fortune-teller for the rich and famous, going to prison, publishing house and then historical legend.

The Beginning of the Prophet

After the deaths of his mother and father, Lenormand was placed in a convent school at the age of five. Some living sources say that Lenormand predicted the abolition of the position of Permanent Superior, at the Benedictin monastery and then predicted a successor. She was 7 years old then. This made her one of the most famous French cartoonists, to this day.

At the age of 14, Madame Lenormand set out for Paris. Here she honed her divination skills by studying a wide range of subjects (mathematics, astronomy, Greek and Roman spells, Druids, divination, the Jewish Kabbalah). Thai and horoscopes), she became an expert in the practice of divination.

When Madame Lenormand turned seventeen, she began to tell fortunes professionally. With her skills, she opened a shop to professionalize the profession of fortune telling.

Fortune telling is illegal in France at this time. Madame Lenormand officially opened a bookstore to prevent government censorship. She was prepared to endure imprisonment for it in 1774, 1803 and 1809.

The first-person account of Captain RH Gronow in the book Celebrities of London and Paris reveals: 'It was unthinkable to form a more hideous creature. She looked like a monstrous, swollen and venomous toad with one eye, but a piercing in the other. She wore a fur hat on her head, and from below she stared at her frightened guests. The walls of the room were covered with enormous bats, nailed by their wings to the ceiling, stuffed owls, mummified marks, skeletons - in short, all of it. anything can impress a weak or superstitious mind".

Her first question, uttered in a low voice, was whether you would have da or petit jeu, it was just a matter of form. Then she asks your age, what color and animal you like. The word 'Coupez' is then repeated in an authoritative voice, repeated at intervals, until the required number of cards from the different packs are selected and placed in rows next to each other.

Madame Lenormand.

Bonapartes' future prediction

The close friendship between Josephine Bonaparte and Madame Lenormand began when both were in prison. At that time Josephine was Josephine de Beaharnais who was in prison with her husband and feared impending death. When she heard that Madame Lenormand was in the same prison as her, she desperately sought her support.

As a child, a fortune teller told Josephine that she was about to have a favorable marriage. Sitting in a prison waiting to die, Josephine was especially desperate when this prediction came true. Mrs. Lenormand told Josephine she would get out of prison, but her current husband would not as he was destined for glory in a second marriage.

Four days later, Josephine was released from prison. Her husband was executed. Two years after his release, Josephine married French officer Napoleon Bonaparte. After a coup d'etat in 1799, Napoleon became Emperor of France, and Josephine became Empress. During this time, Josephine and Madame Lenormand developed a close friendship.

Lenormand's lament, she did not anticipate the death of her best friend. Josephine died suddenly in 1814, leaving Madame Lenormand in ruins. 

Napoleon did not like his wife seeking prophets, and he particularly disliked her relationship with Madame Lenormand. Especially when Mrs. Lenormand's predictions turned to him. She makes predictions about Napoleon's divorce from Josephine (which took place in 1809), his exile (which is rumored to have accurately predicted the date), and his death (in 1821).

Famous Predictions

While there were many admirers and believers (among them Tsar Alexander I of Russia), Madame Lenormand faced many skeptics. Three such skeptics visited her one evening in 1972: Maxmillen Robespierre Louis Antone de Saint-Just and John-Paul Marat.

More than simply telling people what they want to hear, Madame Lenormand tells Robespierre, Saint-Just and Marat that they will all die of violent deaths.

Robespierre was the Architect of the Reign of Terror in France. Two years after Madame Lenormand's prediction, Robespierre was executed by guillotine, aged 36, in front of a cheering crowd.

Saint-Just, aged 26, was also killed by guillotine, the same day as Robespierre.

Despite his short life, Saint-Just left a strong legacy. His proposals for the right to vote, the right to petition, and equal status, directly informed the French Constitution of 1793.

Just before his death, he famously demonstrated the Constitution and declared "I am the one who made it".

Marat wears many hats. He was a political theorist, doctor and scientist. He survived much longer than teammates Robespierre and Saint-Just. The violent death predicted by Madame Lenormand would take 21 years to materialize.

As an influential figure in the French Revolution, he was a man with many enemies. While taking a shower one evening, he was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife. The killer hid the knife in his corset and stabbed him in the chest. During her murder trial, she stated, "I killed a man to save 100,000".

She died in 1843 at the age of 71. Having died without an heir, her belongings and possessions were left to her grandchildren. A Catholic man, he refuses to keep her paranormal paraphernalia - choosing to burn them all. However, his concern did not extend to her money. He kept Madame Lenormand's estate of 500,000 francs (worth about $5.3 million today).

Two years after her death, a deck of cards, featuring Madame Lenormand, was published. These cards have been created by many others since then, using the name Lenormand. The oldest surviving Lenormand deck, dating from the 1800s, can be viewed in the British Museum.

Madame Lenormand still generates interest to this day. She was introduced as a character in the 2014 video game Assassin's Creed: Unity.

Her resting place is still visited by graves. It is not uncommon to see flowers laid on her grave (zone 3, Cimetière du Père Lachaisearis, City of Paris, Île-de-France, France).