Frost and Fortune: Survival Tactics in the Middle Ages in the 1300s Climate Crisis.

In England, when the price of wheat shot up 630 per cent. (315-1316), medieval society had a decision to make: either adapt or die. This is not because the transition between the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age was smooth, because there it was like a hammer blow to Europe, and the survival tactics which people invented still have something to teach us today.

The Climate Disaster That altered all Things.

 

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The climate of Europe changed dramatically around 1300. The change was initiated by drastic droughts in the period 1302 to 1307 that struck northern Italy to east central Europe. But subsequent destruction was still ahead. In 1315, the unstopped rains ruined crops on the continent over the next few years. Jean Desnouelles wrote at the period: "The rains were really enormous and they formed immense and deep mud-pools on the ground.

In the great famine of 1315-22, some 10-15 percent of the population of Europe was killed. Winters turned to be extremely cruel and the river Thames in London started freezing to allow full markets to be built upon it. This was not simply bad weather, it was a climate change that was to be over 400 years.

 Revolutionary Building Techniques.

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Peasants of medieval times did not just hide in shanty cottages. They designed advanced architecture that contemporary sustainable architects are reclaiming.

It is at this time that the cruck frame system became popular. These A-shapes of timber frames formed amazing stable structures that were capable of carrying heavy loads of snow with no collapsing. However it was the materials which were the real genius: wattle and daub walls had insulation that would rival the modern insulation and the thatched roofs not only resisted the rain, but actually repelled snow and avoided the formation of ice dams.

In North England and Scotland, people constructed partially underground dwellings. These ground-level designs used the consistent ground temperatures of 50-55degF all year round below the frost line. It was not primitive, but brilliant thermal engineering.

 Combined Food Production and Heating.

 

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Peasants invented heating systems, which could perform several functions. Initial houses had open fires in the middle of the rooms. The smoke was not only condoned, but armored. The timber-destroying insects and fungi which developed in timber were killed by constant fumigation and left centuries-old structures intact.

And this is one interesting point: in winter families kept livestock at home. A standard set of animals provided the amount of three or four rolling fires to the household heating system besides ensuring that the most prized animals were not frozen.

 Adaptation to Agriculture and Diversification of resources.

With crop failures of several seasons 1315-1317, societies could no longer depend on specific food sources. The frantic families tried to find alternative edibles: nuts, roots, leaves, nettles, even the tree bark became a part of the diet.

This was aggravated by livestock crisis. Europe was hit in 1318 by a cattle disease that could be rinderpest. By 1319-1320, 62 percent of the cows in England and Wales were dead. The production of dairy, a primary source of protein of the peasants, did not resume a pre-crisis level of production until 1331.

Thus communities become diversified. Coastal areas came up with building construction material that was resistant to salt using seaweeds locally found. Regions that had scarce timber invented modular building styles where houses could be converted to be dismantled and moved to different locations as circumstances evolved. This is the kind of systematic thinking on the issue of resource management that criticizes our assumptions regarding medieval abilities.

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In the World: Regional Innovation in Action.

The Case study of the Orkney Islands is interesting. It is archeologically documented that there existed entire communities of earth-shelved dwellings constructed into hillsides. These were not temporary shelters, but were permanent buildings meant to last as long as the Little Ice Age.

Coastal excavations have shown houses with special storm resistant characteristics: extra-thick walls to the east side of the house, stiffened roof structures with extra tie-downs, and elaborate drainage systems to dispose of the rain created by the wind. Every region worked out solutions corresponding to its own difficulties and it proves that medieval people were eager observers and creative solutions to the problems.

What This Means for You

The reaction of the middle ages to the 1300s climate crisis can teach us three important lessons. One, do not wait till something is just right, those peasants who survived did not have the government support, or even modern technologies, however, they made a quick adaptation using what was at their disposal. Second, unify systems-their houses were used as many purposes as possible (shelter, food storage, livestock protection, heating) since it was efficient during a period of scarcity of resources. Third, read your surroundings, medieval architecture varies by region and demonstrates the relevance of the local knowledge and adaptation as opposed to the universal solutions.

They are not mere historical fads. With the current challenges of climate that we have to confront today the reliability and order of the medieval communities suggests to us that human ingenuity is at its best when under stress and pressure. The issue of survival versus collapse is often a contest of who can adapt faster and do we have the determination to think again about all we thought we knew about the correct way of doing things.