Meteorological Disasters in Medieval Britain (AD 1000‒1500): Archaeological, Historical and Climatological Perspectives within a Wider European Context

Peter James Brown

Ahead of Publication Published by De Gruyter 2023

Meteorological Disasters in Medieval Britain (AD 1000‒1500)

Archaeological, Historical and Climatological Perspectives within a Wider European Context

Peter James Brown

Volume 4 in the series Historical Catastrophe Studies / Historische Katastrophenforschung

Overview

About this book

When high-magnitude meteorological hazards impact vulnerable human populations, disasters are the inevitable consequence. Through archaeological and historical evidence, this book investigates how these sudden and unpredictable events affected British medieval populations (AD 1000-1500). Medieval society understood disasters in a practical sense and took steps to minimise risk by constructing flood defences and reinforcing structures damaged by storms. At the same time, natural hazards were widely interpreted through a framework of religious and superstitious beliefs and a wide variety of measures were followed to secure protection against the dangers of the natural world. Disasters, therefore, were interpreted through a duality of understanding in which their occurrence could be the result of spiritual or superstitious triggers but practical solutions were a key component in mitigating their tangible impacts. In evaluating this duality, this book focuses on specific case studies and considers both their diverse historical contexts as well as their consequences for society against the backdrop of significant demographic and climatic change—as a result of the Black Death and the transition to the Little Ice Age.

Author information

Peter J. Brown, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

Topics

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Scholars with an Interest in Medieval History, Archaeology, Human Geography, Disaster Studies, Historical Climatology
Pages
- Front matter: 10
- Main content: 240
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 64
- Coloured Illustrations: 6
Keywords: Natural Disasters; Medieval Beliefs; Resilience; Flooding

eBook

Planned Publication: October 12, 2023
ISBN: 9783110719628

Hardcover

Planned Publication: October 12, 2023
ISBN: 9783110719574