One of Europe's worst famines likely caused by devastating floods
Friday, December 13, 2019 - 09:20
in Earth & Climate
Europe's Great Famine of 1315–1317 is considered one of the worst population collapses in the continent's history. Historical records tell of unrelenting rain accompanied by mass crop failure, skyrocketing food prices, and even instances of cannibalism. These written records strongly suggest Europe's Great Famine was caused by several years of devastating floods that began in 1314, but they can't tell us how this flooding compares to historic averages, or its full geographical extent.