When Europe Was Burning: The Multi-season Mega-drought of 1540 and Arsonist Paranoia
Christian Pfister
The year 1540 is known in German cultural history for the persecution of alleged arsonists (Mordbrenner) blamed starting frequent town, village, and forest firesFire . Most were related to a ten-month long Europe-wide record-breaking heatHeat wave droughtDrought Proceeding from blaze town EinbeckEinbeck which resulted confessional conflict fought out on level Reich, article outlines arsonist paranoia literature puts it into larger context mega-droughtDrought physical reality this event its multi-faceted impact upon humans natural environment (such as mass deathDeath cattlecattle devastating ) are reconstructed coherent narratives laid down by chroniclers FranceFrance , SwitzerlandSwitzerland GermanyGermany PolandPoland ItalyItaly author concludes their reports that palaeo-climatic evidence such tree-ringsTree-rings grape harvestGrape harvest dates no longer valid indicators earlier climateClimate due severe droughtsDroughts (untimely leaf-fall trees, dried grapes at timeTime maturity). finally placed historical context. Fire-raising was gender-specific crime attributed males, whereas witchcraftWitchcraft arising cold wet extremes frost, hailstorms, rainsRain since 1430s mainly women.
Transcultural research - Heidelberg studies on Asia and Europe in a global context