Diaries written in the 16th century have helped researchers to chronicle famine, flooding and plagues in medieval Romania, shedding light on life during Europe’s Little Ice Age.
“This makes us believe that the Little Ice Age could have manifested itself later in this part of Europe,” Tudor Caciora, a co-author of the study from the University of Oradea in Romania, said.
Researchers cautioned that this method of studying historical records was somewhat flawed since few people in medieval Europe were literate and the reports that existed were often being subjective or only true on local scales.
While glaciers and sediments have provided valuable insights into past climates, researchers have been relying on diaries, travel notes and parish registers to get a deeper understanding of society in medieval Europe.
Still, researchers said, such records gave a glimpse into how people in the past might have lived and could be relevant for modern climate resilience strategies.
