Weather and climate and their human impacts during the Thirty Years’ War in Central Europe

The Thirty Years’ War in 1618–1648 CE was an armed military conflict in Europe resulting from culminating contradictions between advocates of Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches during reformation time of the 17th century on the one hand and power fight for European political hegemony on the other. This war meant for Europe a time of its great wide-ranging devastation. Based on documentary evidence, the paper characterises climate, weather extremes, economic and socio-political events of that time in Central Europe (nowadays Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary). Natural climate forcing indicates a gradual climate deterioration during the first half of the 17th century, related to a decrease in solar activity towards the Maunder Minimum and increased volcanic activity starting in the early 1640s. More variable temperature, precipitation and drought patterns (with respect to the 1961–1990 reference period) were typical for 1618–1648 in Central Europe. Seasonal and annual temperatures experienced cooler patterns (except summer), while spring and annual precipitation totals indicated rather drier conditions. These climatic patterns were characterised by the occurrence of many weather extremes, from which particularly late spring and early autumn frosts, heavy rain spells, followed by floods, and intense droughts were reflected in failure of grain, fruit and vine grape harvests as well as low yields of other crops. The years 1627 and 1628 are discussed as possible “years without summer”. Weather extremes caused different human impacts and responses as food shortages (reflecting harvests and prices of grain), famines and epidemics, decline in population etc. Results are discussed in a broader European context with respect to climate, weather extremes and socio-economic impacts.