The Great Famine
In 1920, Edward I of England issued THIS order that expelled all Jews, and continental rulers took similar actions, forcing fractured Jewish communities to head east to Poland and beyond.
What is the Edict of Expulsion? p.177
How is food insecurity linked to injustice as depicted in this example or other examples you can think of in history?
The causes of the bubonic plague are complex, but it was THESE factors that may have facilitated its rapid spread.
What are climatic influences? p.182
The bubonic plague outbreak that took ⅓ to ½ of Europe’s population caused many societal changes. What changes were seen? Are there any similar changes seen with present-day epidemics or pandemics, life influenza or covid-19?
During the spread of infectious diseases, population die-off and reduced land-clearing reaches all time highs leading to THIS climate difference.
What is global cooling? P.189
How were crop seasons affected during this time period and what do you think you would have done differently as a farmer with the resources at your disposal?
By the 18th century, tuberculosis was the cause of THIS statistic of deaths.
What is “one in four” deaths? p.198
How had crop production influenced these statistics in the 18th century? (Malnutrition and lack of productive crop yields)
The climate related crisis that helped to foment persecutions, armed conflicts, and overthrow dynastic rulers was dubbed THIS by Francois Matthes, as cooler temperatures emerged, dipping by 1C globally.
What is the “Little Ice Age”? p.174
Presently we are seeing what the world looks like from a standpoint of global warming. What do you think our world would look like if instead of global warming being our issue, it was global cooling? What changes would we expect to see?
Following heavier rainfall brought on by the North Atlantic Oscillation, farmers were optimistic about growing grain in England, however production was not nearly as successful as they thought. Occurring in 1315 to 1322, THIS was perhaps the single worst subsistence crisis in Europe’s recorded history.
What is the Great Famine? p.177
Cooler weather coming in made for wetter summers and earlier autumns. This may not be good for grain, but can you think of a crop that would do better?
The synonymic relationship between the bubonic plague and THIS illness are being called into question due to its extremely high death rate in infected persons, the unusual seasonality, and the scarcity of dead rats in recorded accounts, as compared to the plague.
What is Black Death? p.185
How did the environmental temperatures influence the spread of the plague and other illnesses? Why do you think that was?
Animals such as flea-infested rodents were large contributors to the spread of disease, but the plague spread was especially enhanced due to THESE contributing factors during this devastating era.
What is warmer weather, unsanitary hygiene, and poor housing structures? p.190
If rodents were infesting your home town during this time period, what food source would you rely on given the depletion of fish populations and the unsanitary conditions?
An attempt to correlate the untimely death of THIS musical artist with the El Nino climate and edema-related deaths.
Who is Wolfgang Mozart? p.198
Do you find it interesting that these two events can be correlated/the fact that they brought in an influential classical composer in a climate change book?
THIS massive natural event occurred in Indonesia in 1257, disrupting harvests, causing an increase in epidemic outbreaks in Europe, and ultimately marking the start of a period of global cooling.
What is a volcanic eruption? p.174
We don’t usually think about global cooling today, but are there any other types of events, natural or anthropogenic, that you can think of that would contribute to global cooling?
Escalating crime rates, land sales, and death rates in addition to malnutrition and food shortages marked the time of the Great Famine, leading to many struggling families to slaughtering THIS type of animal.
What is a draft animal? p.179
What kind of effects do you think this and livestock-attacking epidemics (ie. rinderpest) had on families following the famine?
The natural ecology that triggered a spillover of plague into humans involved five species: Burrow-dwelling rodents, THESE, black rats, humans, and Yersinia pestis bacterium.
What are fleas (from the burrow-dwelling rodents)? p.186
Think of other human diseases that have natural sources. What was their ecological route that spilled over into humans?
THIS was a unique method of “depicting the scenes” to cope during this devastating time period and was helpful during cold, difficult, and long winters.
What is “painting?” p.190
What coping mechanisms would you have utilized in this plague season, or did you utilize during COVID?
THESE were the symptoms of Yellow Fever in the 1790s.
What is liver failure (leading to sickly yellow skin tone), internal hemorrhages leading to vomiting blood, kidney failure, and ultimately death. p.200
Mosquitos were the natural vector of this disease and spread it through the French colonies to the Eastern Americas. Can you relate this to your own ecosystem assessment in any way?
The time of the Little Ice Age was characterized by the growth of towns, commerce, trade, art, cathedral buildings, and class-based codes, such as THESE, that dictated the longer and more decoratively curled they were, the higher class a person was.
What are men’s shoes? p.176
What factors instilled by global cooling do you think were most influential in changing societal structures and functions? How did these societies evolve with these changes?
Given the desperation of the time, many people resorted to eating blighted plants that led to illness or poisoning, disturbing the immune, neurological, and behavioral functions. THIS is the effect of ergot poisoning from contaminated rye and grains, notable for its psychotic effects and dancing mania.
What is St. Anthony’s Fire? p.179
Outbreaks of this were common in the medieval times, and often lead to deaths. What technological changes have been made today to ensure similar events do not occur?
The burrowing rodents that carry the plague causing bacteria have THIS kind of relationship with the bacteria.
What is a mutually beneficial relationship? p.186
Think about how these rodents don’t get sick, but the black rats and humans did. What other examples can you think of that the host is relatively unaffected, but other organisms may have very negative effects?
The Tang Dynasty faced collapse due to THESE building circumstances.
What are extreme floods and mass drownings, weather disasters, social disorder, river banditry, and a severe drought-induced famine? p.195
In what ways is it important to learn and change due to historical events in this case?
THIS animal dropped dead in flocks due to rising temperatures in Australia.
What are bats? p.204
In what way can you see animals being affected by present-day rising temperatures? Give an example.
The Little Ice Age was a time marked by the recurrent outbreaks of typhus, smallpox, dysentery, and THIS terrible disease that first emerged as an epidemic in the 1330s in China.
What is the bubonic plague? p.176
What factors, anthropogenic or natural, helped to contribute to the spread of disease during this time?
THIS Grimm Fairytale was thought to reflect on the accounts of abandonment of children and of cannibalism during the Great Famine.
What is "Hansel and Gretel"? p. 180
How does this new connection with the fairytale change your perception of the story, if at all?
Black Death was thought to come out of Central Asia, dubbed THIS, around the turn of the 13th century, during a time when conditions were warmer and wetter.
What is “the Land of Darkness”? p.187
Because of the ideal weather conditions, rodent populations increased contributing to the increased spread of disease. If you were in a similar position, and you knew rodent populations were a factor, what would you do to decrease the spread of disease?
The Maori faced a growth delay among children due to the rise in THIS cuisine trend.
What is fast-food exploitation? p.196
In what way can you see this playing out in modern-day?
True or False: The correlation between extreme weather and exacerbated spread of disease can be EXACTLY proven through medical records.
What is “False?” p.205
Even though they cannot be correlated with 100% certainty, do you believe extreme weather and infectious disease spread is still a persistent issue that has importance to be recorded today?
What was the price increase of maize in Leon due to the droughts?
What is the “twelvefold increase” in price? p.200
Do you think any crop would have withstood the dramatic droughts of this time period, or would have somehow flourished with less watering?