Randi describes the era within which Nostradamus lived as an age of civil and religious wars, as well as of heavy censorship. Nostradamus was protected, however, by Catherine de' Medici, Queen of France, and by his support for the aristocracy.
Randi describes the 16th-century France where Nostradamus lived as a period of great upheaval, strict control, and intense scrutiny. However, Nostradamus's connections to powerful individuals like Queen Catherine de' Medici and his loyalty to the nobility helped him avoid persecution.