Articles | Volume 12, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-2107-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-2107-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
01 Dec 2016
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 01 Dec 2016
The 1430s: a cold period of extraordinary internal climate variability during the early Spörer Minimum with social and economic impacts in north-western and central Europe
Chantal Camenisch
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Economic, Social, and Environmental History, Institute of History,
University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Kathrin M. Keller
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of
Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Melanie Salvisberg
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Economic, Social, and Environmental History, Institute of History,
University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Benjamin Amann
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Department of Geography and Planning, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
Martin Bauch
German Historical Institute in Rome, Rome, Italy
Sandro Blumer
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of
Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Rudolf Brázdil
Institute of Geography, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Global Change Research Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno,
Czech Republic
Stefan Brönnimann
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Ulf Büntgen
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Global Change Research Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno,
Czech Republic
Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Bruce M. S. Campbell
School of the Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Laura Fernández-Donado
Department of Astrophysics and Atmospheric Sciences, Institute of
Geosciences (UCM-CSIC), University Complutense, Madrid, Spain
Dominik Fleitmann
Department of Archaeology and Centre for Past Climate Change, School
of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading,
Reading, UK
Rüdiger Glaser
Institute of Environmental Social Sciences and Geography, University
of Freiburg, Germany
Fidel González-Rouco
Department of Astrophysics and Atmospheric Sciences, Institute of
Geosciences (UCM-CSIC), University Complutense, Madrid, Spain
Martin Grosjean
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Richard C. Hoffmann
Department of History, York University, Toronto, Canada
Heli Huhtamaa
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Economic, Social, and Environmental History, Institute of History,
University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, University of
Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
Fortunat Joos
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of
Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Andrea Kiss
Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management,
Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
Oldřich Kotyza
Regional Museum, Litoměřice, Czech Republic
Flavio Lehner
Climate & Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for
Atmospheric Research, Boulder, USA
Jürg Luterbacher
Department of Geography, Climatology, Climate Dynamics and Climate
Change, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
Centre for International Development and Environmental Research,
Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
Nicolas Maughan
Institut de Mathématique, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
Raphael Neukom
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Theresa Novy
Historisches Seminar, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
Kathleen Pribyl
University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
Christoph C. Raible
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of
Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Dirk Riemann
Institute of Environmental Social Sciences and Geography, University
of Freiburg, Germany
Maximilian Schuh
Historisches Seminar and Heidelberg Center for the Environment,
University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Philip Slavin
School of History, Rutherford College, University of Kent,
Canterbury, UK
Johannes P. Werner
Department of Earth Science and Bjerknes Centre of Climate
Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Oliver Wetter
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland
Economic, Social, and Environmental History, Institute of History,
University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Viewed
Total article views: 19,609 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 12 Feb 2016)
| HTML | XML | Total | Supplement | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11,301 | 7,677 | 631 | 19,609 | 828 | 312 | 416 |
- HTML: 11,301
- PDF: 7,677
- XML: 631
- Total: 19,609
- Supplement: 828
- BibTeX: 312
- EndNote: 416
Total article views: 16,886 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 01 Dec 2016)
| HTML | XML | Total | Supplement | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,198 | 6,069 | 619 | 16,886 | 585 | 300 | 402 |
- HTML: 10,198
- PDF: 6,069
- XML: 619
- Total: 16,886
- Supplement: 585
- BibTeX: 300
- EndNote: 402
Total article views: 2,723 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 12 Feb 2016)
| HTML | XML | Total | Supplement | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,103 | 1,608 | 12 | 2,723 | 243 | 12 | 14 |
- HTML: 1,103
- PDF: 1,608
- XML: 12
- Total: 2,723
- Supplement: 243
- BibTeX: 12
- EndNote: 14
Latest update: 06 Dec 2025
Short summary
Throughout the last millennium, several cold periods occurred which affected humanity. Here, we investigate an exceptionally cold decade during the 15th century. The cold conditions challenged the food production and led to increasing food prices and a famine in parts of Europe. In contrast to periods such as the “Year Without Summer” after the eruption of Tambora, these extreme climatic conditions seem to have occurred by chance and in relation to the internal variability of the climate system.
Throughout the last millennium, several cold periods occurred which affected humanity. Here, we...
