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The Independent
24-02-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Medieval diaries reveal how Europeans struggled with floods and plagues during Little Ice Age
Diaries written in the 16th century have helped researchers to chronicle famine, flooding and plagues in medieval Romania, shedding light on life during Europe's Little Ice Age. While glaciers and sediments have provided valuable insights into past climates, researchers have been relying on diaries, travel notes and parish registers to get a deeper understanding of society in medieval Europe. In a new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Climate, researchers assessed such written documents – collectively known as the ' society's archive ' – to understand how European societies adapted to significant changes. They focussed on a period in history known as the Little Ice Age, a global cooling event that spanned from the 14th to the 19th century. This shift from the warmer early Middle Ages to cooler climates deeply affected agriculture, food resources, as well as the social and economic stability of medieval societies. Western Europe cooled considerably as the Little Ice Age intensified, leading to a temperature drop of about 0.5C. In Transylvania, records chronicled heavy rainfall and frequent flooding in the late 1500s, but the weather was hot more often than cold before then. 'This makes us believe that the Little Ice Age could have manifested itself later in this part of Europe,' Tudor Caciora, a co-author of the study from the University of Oradea in Romania, said. A hot and dry first half of the 1500s was followed by a second half characterised by heavy rainfall and floods, particularly in the 1590s. 'A compelling passage comes from a historical document describing the summer of 1540. 'The springs dried up, and the rivers dwindled to mere trickles. Livestock fell in the fields, and the air was thick with despair as the people gathered in processions, praying for rain,'' Dr Caciora explained. 'This vivid account underscores the emotional and spiritual dimensions of living through climatic extremes.' These weather variations were catastrophic, researchers said, leading to three decades of the Black Death, 23 years of famine, and nine years during which locust invasions were recorded. 'Chronicles and diaries reveal how people perceived, responded to and were impacted by these events,' Dr Caciora said. Researchers cautioned that this method of studying historical records was somewhat flawed since few people in medieval Europe were literate and the reports that existed were often being subjective or only true on local scales. They also could not find records for about 15 years of the 16th century. Still, researchers said, such records gave a glimpse into how people in the past might have lived and could be relevant for modern climate resilience strategies. 'It provides a human-centric perspective on past climatic events,' Dr Caciora said.
Miami Herald
14-02-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
500-year-old diaries tell a story of plague, famine and ‘despair' in Transylvania
Researchers are using written documents from over 500 years ago to better understand an intense period of extreme heat and drought, famine and disease that plagued Transylvania during Europe's 'Little Ice Age,' one study shows. These documents, which include diaries, calendar entries, religious registers and travel notes from diplomats, missionaries and monks, offer glimpses into how extreme weather impacted — and often undermined — social stability in Transylvania, according to a study published Feb. 11 in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers. Climate 'calamities' in Transylvania From the 14th to the 19th century, the Earth experienced a cooling event called the 'Little Ice Age,' according to researchers. As the 'Little Ice Age' intensified during the 16th century, western Europe cooled dramatically, with temperatures dropping by nearly 33 degrees Fahrenheit, researchers said. In Transylvania, however, hot weather 'was recorded with a much higher frequency than cold weather' during this period of intensification, according to the study. In the first half of the 16th century, the region experienced years of intense heat and droughts which negatively affected crops and led to famine. By the second half of the century, Transylvania saw increased rainfall and flooding, leading to more food shortages and the spread of disease, the study said. Records reflect 30 years of a plague epidemic and 23 years of famine due to extreme climate shifts during this time, according to researchers. 'Air was thick with despair' Researcher Tudor Caciora recalled a 'compelling passage' from one of the documents, which described the drought during the summer of 1540. 'The springs dried up, and the rivers dwindled to mere trickles. Livestock fell in the fields, and the air was thick with despair as the people gathered in processions, praying for rain,' the passage read. 'This vivid account underscores the emotional and spiritual dimensions of living through climatic extremes,' Caciora said. The research team included Ovidiu Răzvan Gaceu, Tudor Caciora, Stefan Baias, Cezar Morar, Mihai Dudaș, MariusStupariu and Maria Maxim. Transylvania is located in central Romania.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
500-year-old Transylvanian diaries detail the peril of the Little Ice Age
With centuries' old primary source documents, a team of researchers in Romania are exploring how a region best known for vampire legends was drastically altered by the effects of the Little Ice Age. This period of colder than usual temperatures from the early 14th century CE to the mid-19th is known for major social upheaval, famine, and plague. According to these first person accounts, geographical regions of the continent also appear to have experienced major weather changes at different times and humanity responded. The findings are detailed in a study published February 12 in the journal Frontiers in Climate. The Little Ice Age was a period of global cooling that began during around 1300 CE and lasted until about 1850. Average temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere dropped by about 1.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists are still not certain what phenomenon caused the Little Ice Age. Reduced solar output, changes in the circulation of the atmosphere, and increased volcanism on Earth may have played a role. Mountain glaciers expanded in several locations across Europe, North and South America, and Oceania. Famine was widespread, as crops failed due to the cold. Social uprisings–and even witch trails–increased in response to the weather-induced devastation. To piece together Earth's history from this time, scientists can use ice cores, sediment samples, and pollen. This natural archive can tell us a fair amount about sea levels, temperature history, storms, glacier positioning, and more. Society's archive–written reports and observations about local climates or chiseled warnings like hunger stones–can help corroborate what nature's archive says. In this new study, a team used documents from people who lived in present day Transylvania during the 16th century CE. 'We show that the climate was marked by significant variability, including prolonged periods of drought, heatwaves, and episodes of intense rainfall and flooding,' Tudor Caciora, a study co-author and geographer at the University of Oradea in Romania, said in a statement. 'The study illustrates the complex interplay between heat waves, droughts, floods, and their cascading impacts on agriculture, public health, and societal stability, emphasizing the significant role of climate in shaping human history.' From the documents, it appears that the first half of the 16th century was particularly hot and dry. A passage describing the summer of 1540 reads: 'The springs dried up, and the rivers dwindled to mere trickles. Livestock fell in the fields, and the air was thick with despair as the people gathered in processions, praying for rain.' [ Related: 'Hunger stones' showing the history of drought in Europe are resurfacing. ] 'This vivid account underscores the emotional and spiritual dimensions of living through climatic extremes,' said Caciora. The second half of the 16th century saw heavy rainfall and flooding, particularly during the 1590s. Other parts of Europe were still cooling significantly when the Little Ice Age's effects began to intensify and temperatures dropped. However, hot weather was recorded much more frequently than colder weather in 16th century Transylvania. 'This makes us believe that the Little Ice Age could have manifested itself later in this part of Europe,' said Caciora. Additionally, some later writings describing severe winters and cold waves support this thesis. These weather variations often resulted in major catastrophes including the Black Death, numerous famines, and locust invasions that were directly and indirectly related to climate. The team believes that these weather extremes and the resulting upheaval could have driven changes in settlement patterns. 'Towns might have adopted flood-resistant infrastructure or migrated to more favorable areas. The challenges might also have spurred technological innovations, such as improved irrigation systems or storage facilities,' said Caciora. While the diaries do reveal how people understood and responded to these impactful events, there are several limitations with this study. Not many people at this time could read or write, records can be fragmented, and reports are often subjective and on a local scale so we are not getting a very holistic view of the time. [ Related: Shifting ancient climates shaped human evolution. ] These writings still provide scientists with a glimpse of the socio-economic consequences of extreme weather events and how they have constantly shaped human history. 'Studying climate records from the society's archive is as crucial as analyzing natural proxies,' said Caciora. 'It provides a human-centric perspective on past climatic events.'
