An anonymous Franciscan monk of Werl recorded this prophecy, which he received in 1701. It was first published in 1849:

"There will be a terrible war. On one side will be peoples of the West, on the other those of the East. They will" arrive with a multitude of soldiers. The war will be fought for a long time with indecisive results until they reach the Rhine. There they will fight for three days until the waters of the Rhine will be all red. Then the affair will be decided at the Battle of the Birch Tree, where white, blue and gray soldiers will fight with such might and rage that those multitudes will be completely rubbed out. Then there will be peace and calm everywhere. The time will come when there will be general malcontent and contempt of religion. When persons will obey no more, when they will not be able to distinguish the rich and the poor, believe that the time is near. The whole north of Europe will wage war against the whole south led by a strong monarch. This man will restore divine order in the Church, state, and family, thus giving true peace to the nations."