Die Hungerjahre 1770-1772 in den böhmischen Ländern

Verlauf, meteorologische Ursachen und Auswirkungen

Abstract

On the basis of visual daily observations and written narrative sources the course of weather in the Czech Lands in the period 1769-1772 is described with particular consideration of disastrous poor harvests in the years 1770-1771 as a result of prevailing outstanding rainy weather. lts synoptic-climatological causes are analysed according to the reconstructed sea level pressure field in the months of March-August. Poor harvests, together with other factors, caused high prices, hunger and diseases. Impacts of poor harvests on the dramatic increase in grain prices and population mortality are studied in the context of the rescue measures of the Vienna Imperial Court. Changes in the diet habits and the role of the hunger years as one of the impulses for the rise of the serf uprising in the year 1775 are referred to.