When was the Little Ice Age?
Scientists have differing opinions of when the Little Ice Age began, when it ended, and whether or not there was more than one such event. Some scientists postulate that the Little Ice Age as we know it began around the middle of the 17th century, others believe that it was underway nearly four centuries before that date, covering a large portion of the Middle Ages. Most agree that it ended late in the nineteenth century, or at the latest by the second decade of the twentieth. Thus many events of European history, such as famines in France, Poland, Europe’s Great Famine, and others during the medieval period are sometimes attributed to the Little Ice Age.
Unlike the debate over climate change in the 21st century, the causes of the Little Ice Age are clear and are recorded in the geological evidence. Glacial expansion and encroachment took place on a global scale, and volcanic activity in some regions contributed clouds of ash and dust which contributed to further cooling. It has been suggested that the cooling period began with the eruption of the Salamas volcano in Indonesia in 1257, an event which deposited vast amounts of aerosols into the atmosphere and reduced solar warming. The Salamas event has been directly linked to crop failures and thus famine in Europe, but whether it was the trigger for the Little Ice Age is less clear.
Around the year 1300, what was expected to be cyclical in Europe, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, became disrupted. Winters were more severe, Springs too dry, and the warmth of Summer no longer arrived reliably. Famines and the diseases caused by malnutrition ravaged the continent; so did the plague. People sought out scapegoats for the climate changes and two in particular emerged on the European continent, witches and Jews. The Church attempted to prevent persecutions at first, arguing that only God controlled the weather, and that witches could not overpower God. Its arguments went unheeded among the superstitious.
The Catholic Church did not deny the existence of witches and sorcerers, both appear in the Bible, only the extent of their power. As temperatures dropped and crops failed, the earliest witchcraft trials and persecutions occurred in Europe. Honey was an important commodity during the Middle Ages, both as a sweetener and as a preservative, since honey contains no bacteria and thus is not susceptible to spoilage. Honey became scarce as continuing cold weather prevented bees from pollinating plants. Cows with less fodder produced less milk. These and other events were attributed to witchcraft.
Most accused of witchcraft were women, often widows with no husband to defend them against the spurious accusations of neighbors. Jews were accused of spreading diseases such as the plague. Many Christians opined that the loss of the warmth of the sun was a sign of divine retribution against those whom displeased Him, and took it upon themselves to make matters right with the Lord. This led to an exodus of many central European Jews to the Ottoman Empire, where they found a less oppressive regime under the Turks.