Russian famine of 1601–1603

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Great Famine of 1601, a 19th-century engraving

The Russian famine of 1601–1603,

invaded (1605–1618) by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The many deaths contributed to social disruption. The famine resulted from a volcanic winter, a series of worldwide record cold winters and crop disruption, which geologists in 2008 linked to the 1600 volcanic eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru.[1][2]

Causes

A 2008 study by

Earth's surface (see Albedo), which scientists believe contributed to bitterly cold winters, loss of crops and animals, and massive famine around the world. As a result, people killed many animals with their bare hands to preserve their furs for warmth.[4][5][6]

The famine was documented across the world: "Records from

Colonial Peru. In China, peach trees bloomed late, and Lake Suwa in Japan had one of its earliest freezing dates in 500 years."[4]

Famine

Following the poor harvest of 1601 the prices of grain doubled reaching 60-70 kopecks per quarter of rye. In the next year many peasants did not have enough seeds to sow the fields and by fall the prices grew to 3 rubles per quarter. The weather in 1603 was fine but many fields were empty and thus the famine intensified.[7]

mass graves in Moscow alone. According to a witness "one third of the Muscovite Tsardom perished from the famine."[7]

Effects

The suffering and social disruption were part of the political unrest called the Time of Troubles.[4] Petty gentry were hurt by the famine as badly as peasants and many were forced to sell themselves into slavery, joining the armed retinues of magnates. Others migrated to the steppe frontier and joined Cossacks, as did many runaway serfs. A large number of trained and armed individuals in the southern regions formed a large manpower pool which was tapped by multiple ensuing insurgencies.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Perkins, S. (2009). "Disaster goes global: The eruption in 1600 of a seemingly quiet volcano in peru changed global climate and triggered famine as far away as Russia". Science News. 174 (5): 16–21.
    doi:10.1002/scin.2008.5591740519
    .
  2. ^ University of California – Davis (25 April 2008). "Volcanic Eruption of 1600 Caused Global Disruption". ScienceDaily.
  3. doi:10.1029/2008EO150001
    .
  4. ^ a b c "1600 Eruption Caused Global Disruption". Geology Times. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  5. ^ Andrea Thompson, "Volcano in 1600 caused global disruption", MSNBC.com, 5 May 2008, accessed 13 November 2010.
  6. ^ "The 1600 eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru caused global disruption" Archived 28 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Science Centric.
  7. ^
    ISBN 9780691136967
    .
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