This Day in History: The Great Famine of Europe became so dire that even the king of England had difficulties buying bread for himself and his entourage on this day in 1315.
The Great Famine of 1315–1317 (occasionally dated 1315–1322) was the first of a series of large-scale crises that struck Europe early in the 14th century. Most of Europe (extending east to Russia and south to Italy) was affected. The famine caused many deaths over an extended number of years and marked a clear end to the period of growth and prosperity from the 11th to the 13th centuries.
The Great Famine started with bad weather in spring 1315. Crop failures lasted through 1316 until the summer harvest in 1317, and Europe did not fully recover until 1322. Crop failures were not the only problem; cattle disease caused sheep and cattle numbers to fall as much as 80%. The period was marked by extreme levels of crime, disease, mass death, and even cannibalism and infanticide. The crisis had consequences for the Church, state, European society, and for future calamities to follow in the 14th century.
It's interesting to note that the Great Famine coincided with the end of the Medieval Warm Period and the start of the Little Ice Age. The global warming of the Medieval Warm Period (900 AD to 1300 AD) was actually good for crops and vegetation, and humanity in general as the population grew at that time. The Great Famine marked a clear end to this unprecedented period of population growth. Although some believe growth had already been slowing down for a few decades, the famine was undoubtedly a clear end of high population growth. The Great Famine later had consequences for future events in the 14th century, such as the Black Death, when an already weakened population would be struck again.
No comments:
Post a Comment