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Table 8.1 Climate variations and major events in Europe during the fourteenth century
Pre-1300-50
English wars with Scotland
1303-28
Erratic climate, mix of cold and warm years, increased flooding and
severe storms
1304
Major sea flooding in coastal areas, north and west
1304-7
Very severe winters, most of Europe
1310
Floods in eastern Europe
1310-17
Higher level of volcanism around the globe
1314-17
Cool wet summers, poor harvests, famine
1315
Floods in eastern Europe
1316
Price of wheat in London eight times higher than 1313; harvests
reduced by 60%
1316
Rain and mud stop Louis X (France) attacking Flanders
1319-22
Very poor harvests and very cold weather
1322-3
Worst cold intensity in winter in 300 years
Late 1320s to
early 1350s
''Average'' weather, cold winters dominate but no severe
winters
1337
Beginning of Hundred Years War between England and France
1340-50
High level of volcanism around the globe
1348-50
Black Plague years, population of Europe reduced by 25-33%
1354-5
Very severe winter
1355-75
Highly variable winters
1359-60
Very mild winter
1362
Major sea flooding in coastal areas, north and west
1363-4
Very severe winter; rivers freeze in north Italy and the French
Mediterranean coast
1375-6
Poor harvests in England
1376-1400
''Average'' temperatures for the Little Ice Age but yearly fluctuations
1398-9
Very cold winter
Based on information from Lamb ( 1977 ), Pfister et al.( 1996 ),
Burroughs ( 1997 ), and Brown ( 2001 ).
the French Mediterranean. One the other hand, the winter of 1359-60 was very
mild and dry. Summer wetness extended across most of Europe during the later
1350s and early 1360s. Between 1376 and 1400, there was a return to ''average
LIA'' winter temperatures, with milder fluctuations from year to year. Wetter
summers dominated western Europe at the close of the century.
Lamb ( 1977 ), Pfister et al.( 1996 ), and Brown ( 2001 ) describe several prob-
able reasons for the increased harshness of climate (see further details in
Section 6.3.4 ). Between 1280 and 1350, a period of sunspot reduction (the
Wolf Minimum) occurred. While this was not as significant as the Maunder
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