Environmental World History Questions
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FamineandWar1.pptxFamine and War
Europe in the High Middle Ages had been experiencing a population boom
BUT by about 1300, the growing population began to put a strain on medieval agricultural technology
thus by the beginning of the 14th century, farmers were facing increasing difficulties in accumulating a surplus of food – and then the weather worsened
from c. 1000 – 1300 Europe enjoyed a benign climate, but around 1300 the Little Ice Age, an era of slowly diminishing temperatures, set in & continued for several centuries
The Baltic Sea froze in 1303, 1306 & 1307; the Thames in London also froze & water levels in the Mediterranean, Caspian and Black Seas rose
a series of years with too much rain began in 1310
the winds & overcast skies made the growing season abnormally cool
sporadic famines were a part of medieval life, but in the 14th century they were more frequent AND affected more widespread areas
in 1309 there was a continent-wide famine
crops failed throughout northern Europe in 1315, 1316 & 1317 … with another widespread famine in the 1330s
there were perhaps 80 million people living in Europe in 1300 (there are c. 732 million today)
Some impacts of the rain and flooding: seedbeds sodden, crops and pastures under water, grain rotting, fish traps wrecked, dikes washed away, meadows too wet to be mown, turf too soggy to be cut, and quarries too swollen with the overflow to be worked for stone or lime
many of the open fields with heavy soils consisted of vast muddy tracts and sparse, beaten-down crops
On “marginal lands” brought into cultivation in the late 13th/early 14th century much of the sandy soil had washed away
Even minimally damaged land required 2 – 5 years (or longer) to recover
Farmers’ techniques did accomplish a relative cleaning of the soil
Weeds, ploughed into the soil, could return enriching nitrogen to it
Heavy broadcast seeding
No medieval manual says precisely how much seed ought to be sown
Many factors influenced crop yields, even in good years:
Hail, vermin, mold, mildew
Rotation and fallowing were practiced
The rains in 1315 removed nitrates from the soil and the moisture was also ideal for plant diseases
Stunted, failing crops
Grain, beans, peas and the vineyard harvests failed
Leaf rust
Parallel crisis among flocks and herds
Bovines and sheep were the animals primarily affected
Draft animals, especially oxen, were especially important on the peasant farm (pulling power, manure, cartage)
Horses were important as well, but more expensive to keep than oxen
Large numbers of both horses and oxen in northern Europe
Rinderpest (RPV), or cattle plague
mainly transmitted by direct contact and by drinking contaminated water, BUT could also be transmitted by air
measles virus emerged from rinderpest as a zoonotic disease between 1000 and 1100 CE
Deep fear of contamination
dampness meant that even if it was possible to mow the meadows, it was difficult to cure (dry) the hay in the fields
Storing uncured hay could be dangerous
often curing facilities for animal fodder were instead used for human food – animal fodder became scarce or unavailable
liver-fluke, an infestation of parasitic worms, was a problem in sheep
Reduction in herds compounded the problems of weather on arable
“strange diets” as a result of famine
diets of disagreeable plants, bark, leather, cloth, dirt, diseased animals and others—like grubs and vermin—not ordinarily considered palatable, and, in extreme cases, human cadavers
Psychological and biological impacts on those who consumed them
the stress on the human body from strange diets was normally less severe in rural areas than in towns
War also played a role in the stress on landscape, people and animals
French king Charles IV died without an heir
the barons chose Philip VI, Charles’ cousin, as king
the conflict began in 1337, between the French king Philip VI & the English king Edward III
Philip VI wanted to claim status of liege lord over lands in southern France held by Edward III (Gascony)
Edward did not want to accept anyone as his lord
thus, Philip declares Edward’s lands forfeit …
Edward reacts by exerting his dynastic claim to be king of France (Edward was the son of a Capetian [French] king’s (Philip IV) daughter (Isabella) & English king (Edward II)
catalysts for the Hundred Years’ War…
the Parlement of Paris (supreme court of France) had declared a woman could not transmit a claim to the throne thus Philip of Valois, a cousin of the previous ruler, had become king
the dispute between England & France was also founded on another issue: economics
urban revolts in Flanders offered Philip an excuse to interfere with the lucrative wool trade which existed between England & Flanders
the Flemish wanted Edward to act, so the trade could continue without disruption
catalysts for the conflict…
war begins with some impressive English victories
the naval victory at Sluys in 1340 secured the Channel for the English
the English also brought new tactics & weapons to the battlefield…
the longbow
the pike
gunpowder
Sluys, 1340
Medieval crossbow
Medieval longbow
Late medieval gunpowder use
Major battles of the Hundred Years’ War
the Battle of Crécy in 1346
the battle of Poitiers in 1356
the Peace of Bretigny in 1360
Battle of Agincourt in 1415
In 1428, the English laid siege to Orléans
Battle of Agincourt
Joan’s birthplace: Domrémy-la-Pucelle
The Donjon: the tower where Joan was held prisoner during her trial. Rouen.
Church dedicated to Joan of Arc in Rouen, adjacent to her execution site
The English were expelled from French soil
The French king emerged more powerful than his vassals
new weaponry that was used during the Hundred Years’ War set European armies on a new course: first “modern” war
Devastation of the French countryside – put additional strain on the landscape and people already suffering from famine and the Black Death
the aftermath of the war
