Little Ice Age Research Papers (original) (raw)

During the 17th century period, there was a gradual separation of Varaždin Generalate (Slavonnian Military Border) from the eastern part of medieval Križevci County (today: northwest Croatia). Varaždin military and Križevci County, with interlinked jurisdictions of both authorities were, however, a part of greater contact area on the border between the Habsburg and the Ottoman Empires. This is where many civil and military jurisdictions and relations were in conflicting complexity, as it was the case for many other borderline areas. In late 16th century this region, encompassing Varaždin Generalate was almost completely devastated with population cut down to insignificant numbers.

It badly needed a repopulation and establishing prerequisites for life in a functioning society of a military border. Organization of civil life was, at the same time a process of adapting natural environment to the new needs. So the stories of that period are ultimately of the environment, of the people and their settlements.

Initially, I wanted to determine what were the environmental consequences of this process. Then I tried to explain who the people, who had settled here, were. Finally, I showed what types of settlements were created in this colonization.

History of environmental issues in the studied area can be divided into two segments. The first is related to the impact of nature on humans in the studied area, and the second to human impact on nature.

The first segment highlights the issue the "Little Ice Age" and the influence of Drava River. Unlike today's times, when climate is significantly affected by human (wrong)doing, and climate changes have huge impact on people all over the world - the pre-industrial era had only impacts on the population. In order to better understand climate changes today, we should strive to better understanding of the climate before Industrial revolution and its changes without human interference.

This is why it’s important to research the climate of Early Modern times, or rather, the effects of so called Little Ice Age, as it affected Varaždin Generalate and Križevci County areas and its influence on the following in particular:

agriculture, farming food production and human sustenance
forestation and permanent clearance of beech forests from the lowlands
effects on human health
effects on society and its culture
wars and conflicts
migrations (and, possibly, link Vlach migrations to “global cooling”).

During the 17th century period, Varaždin Generalate and Križevci County borderline regions were rich in natural water resources, rivers and streams. People from the lowlands and river valleys were heavily endangered by frequent flooding on the research areas:

Drava River valleys
Sava River valleys
Lonja River and Česma River lowlands.

As for Drava River area, the hydro regulation of its stream had begun in the 17th century, in order to prevent flooding and save the settlements and population. In 17th century, the regulation effects were very limited, but also announced the future of increased human interventions into nature, unlike the medieval times. River regulations in this region would intensify in the late 18th century, and later, in the 19th century even to greater extent.

Wetlands and marshes were important as a natural regulator for flooding- these terrains absorbed excess of water in flooding. Such wetlands were usually along the big rivers, like Drava and Sava, but would be found near other, smaller rivers like Česma, Bednja and Lonja, the latter being best known for the marshes of Lonja River valley.

Forming of settlements, right in the middle of 17th century wetlands, is an evidence of successful colonization of the terrain. 17th century anthropization of terrains was followed by drainage of wetlands. The second half of 17th century saw some successful drainage in vicinity of Molve, Hlebine, Čigoč and some failed ones, like Mačkovec. Human settlement succeeded only on elevated terrain, like island of dry land surrounded by wetlands and marshes. Even today, such higher grounds are called ‘rooftop beams’.

Another nature’s influence on humans is clearly visible: enlarged thyroid gland, a goiter, often seen in people living by rivers, due to river water deficiency of iodine. The research of the Drava River area confirmed this, as a limiting factor to colonization processes. Suffering from enlarged thyroid gland caused serious health problems to population in close vicinity of rivers. 17th century records of goiter disease, the way it was detailed in 20th century records, could provide room for hypothesis that endemic cretinism, as a direct consequence of deficiency of thyroid hormones, might have been similar to those in the Early Modern Era times.