Medieval warm period
Topic: Medieval Europe: Feudalism and the Three Orders · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 4 "The Three Orders"
Meaning
The medieval warm period was a warmer climate phase in Europe from the eleventh century. Before it, from the fifth to the tenth century, Europe had a very cold spell with long winters and short growing seasons. The warm phase made the growing season longer and made the soil easier to plough. Forests receded, which means they shrank back, so more land could be farmed. It ended by the late thirteenth century, when bitterly cold summers returned.
Example
When the warm phase ended, growing seasons became about a month shorter and higher ground could no longer be farmed. This helped cause the great famine of 1315–17.
Don't confuse with
- The fourteenth-century crisis: this was the time of colder weather, famine, silver shortage and the Black Death (1347–50). It came after the warm phase had ended.