In his 1555 collection Les Prophéties, the French astrologer Nostradamus wrote a quatrain that many later interpreted as predicting the death of King Henry II. The prophecy described a young lion defeating an older one in a duel, which seemed to come true when Henry II was mortally wounded in a jousting tournament in Paris. This event cemented Nostradamus's reputation as a prophet and his work became a key text of esoteric literature.

Nostradamus's quatrains became one of the most influential works of prophetic poetry in Western literature, inspiring countless interpretations and imitations. His cryptic style influenced poets and writers of the Renaissance and beyond, and his work has been cited in contexts from political propaganda to modern popular culture, demonstrating the enduring appeal of poetic prophecy.