Little Ice Age
Between the beginning of the 14th and the end of the 19th century much of western Europe suffered an unusually cold spell. Alpine glaciers in particular grew during this period. The most catastrophic climatic anomalies are rainy summers and extremely harsh winters. Also, the cereals we eat at this time are not adapted to these cold temperatures. The crops are therefore in danger.
The Climate in Dijon
From the summer of 1480, there was a refreshment in Dijon. The harvest for that year didn’t start until October. The Little Ice Age takes its course during the winter of 1480 which is very cold. All the rivers are frozen in Europe and in Côte-d’Or. The North Sea on the Flemish coast is also frozen over. In the fields, the sowing is therefore wasted. Then followed by floods in the spring and during the summer of 1481, rain and cold. Famine then set in in December 1481.
The prices are soaring
Inventories in the attic and large have decreased significantly. Which inevitably leads to an increase in prices. In 1481, two months after the harvest, there was already a first shortage. Poverty is on the rise. In December we cut all municipal budgets which will only be used for the crisis. To cope with the lack of raw material, the weight of the bread is reduced by two. In July 1481, a loaf weighed 17 ounces. He only made 8 in December of the same year.
Hungry migrants
From Doubs and Ain, 1,800 migrants are fleeing bad harvests and wars of succession. They come to seek help in Dijon. The city gets organized and sets up what is called “feeding the poor”. These starving migrants will be housed in the hospitals of the monasteries and convents until 1483, then in a barn outside the ramparts. To give them all the help they need, eight middle-class women will even redistribute alms to these new Dijon residents.