Europe is burning. That summer, extreme drought and record heat devastated the continent, withering crops and ravaging wildfires. Storms bring cooling but do not stop drought and can also create new problems such as flooding and falling trees.
The apocalyptic weather is unprecedented, as evidenced by the reappearance of ancient "hunger stones" in continental riverbeds. However, as climate change makes these crises more frequent, it is important to remember one important fact. Historical episodes of weather chaos have exacerbated the chaos, igniting everything from social unrest to epidemics.
Imagine a drought in central Europe in 69 AD. The Roman historian Tacitus remains the best source of this disaster. He wrote that the legions sent that year to fight the sick Germanic tribes were "in a bad mood" because "the Rhine was difficult to navigate due to an unprecedented drought in this climate". He explained that the soldiers' other complaints were "lack of pay and lack of food". Tacitus reported that superstitious Germans took the "lack of water" as proof that "those rivers, the ancient defenses of the empire, had left us" of the "wrath of the Rhine god" against the Romans. According to what happened in Rome in 69 AD, the god of the Rhine was very angry. It was the "Year of the Four Emperors" when the undernourished legions were involved in civil wars between different factions fighting for supremacy in Rome. The Germans met their stubborn opponent, Vitellius, who was killed in a bloody battle. Not only Vitellius, but also tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers were killed. The relationship between bad weather and rebel soldiers was not limited to this episode. In 2018, an economist compared the weather data of ancient Rome with the murder of a Roman emperor. He found a strong statistical correlation between drought in the northern border region and the assassination of emperors in Rome. Watch out king! Other studies of the climate of ancient Rome have suggested a link between a drought-induced famine and later disease outbreaks, such as the Plague of Justinian. Bad weather may have sown the seeds of famine, leaving the population vulnerable to predation by new pathogens.
The hypothesis that extreme weather conditions could pave the way for an epidemic has also been put forward to explain the severity of the Black Death. In the 1330s, unusual weather conditions devastated Europe and there was no food. Several groups of researchers believe that the resulting lack of crops made the local population particularly vulnerable to the Yersinia pestis bacteria that devastated the area in 1341. Just over 100 years later, another bout of extreme weather caused very different problems. In the early 1470s, after several years of extreme heat (a Belgian chronicler called "the unprecedented and abnormal drought that grips the world"), rivers dried up, crops failed and many died. Spain's political leaders blamed the bad weather on 'conversos', a Jewish convert to Christianity, and burned them at the stake. It is neither the first nor the last time that bad weather has fueled anti-Semitism. The most severe "drought" of the last millennium occurred in the summer of 1540 of the following century. Rivers, springs and springs have dried up. Lake Constance, one of the deepest and largest lakes in Europe, has lost so much water that people have walked to the former islands.
Forest fires, buildings on fire
The temperatures must have been terrible. In France, city dwellers used to go to cellars shortly after dawn to escape the heat. The French chronicles report that the grapes "were roasted and the vine leaves fell to the ground like a heavy frost". As things stand, wildfires have erupted across the continent. A Swiss report from the end of July 1540 indicates that “all those who complain of a lack of water are unbearably hot. "Forests are burning everywhere."
Buildings also caught fire. Thanks to careful German records, we know the vague distinction that 1540 saw more fires in the city than any peaceful year since the year 1000. Anecdotes from other countries show that Germany does not was not alone. The fire lent an eerie glow, and many observers claimed the sun and moon were in a red storm. A few centuries have passed since the Takitus era, but Germans and other Europeans have welcomed the sign with similar superstitions, considering it an evil. Soon, many were convinced that the murderous arsonist "Mordenbrunner" was lighting the fire. Then the search for the suspect began. In some places, Protestant rotations question the pope's plot in a deadly fire. In other places, the local authorities arrested several traditional victims: Baglon, beggar and foreigners -that they have not actually heard. In classical late medieval style, authorities tortured suspects to "confess" to treason.
Relentless fires, red skies, heat waves, failed crops and collective paranoia terrified farmers. In addition to the cruel situation, he did not return until 1921 with pity.
Climate changes were implemented in a new era. Europe has experienced the worst heatwave and drought since 2003 and 2022 is projected to be the worst on record. Historical records tell us to be careful. Whatever the cause, extreme weather wreaks havoc. It is a truly fantastic convenience.
