The role of climate and famine in the medieval eastern expansion

Abstract

Competing concepts and multiple models of medieval expansion to the northeastern frontiers of Central Europe and the internal colonization of the continent have been discussed intensely in scholarship. Everett Lee's classical theory of migration has offered concepts determining push- and pull-factors for the migrations. However, modern theories of imperial colonization cannot explain the colonization of Eastern Europe by settlers introducing Germanic law. In many cases, the normative sources only confirm the existing conditions of the settlers' area of origin, but do not mention the new settlements, leaving much room for interpretation and speculation. Narrative sources are abundantly available across all regions, and provide broad chronological coverage of events for the years between 1150 and 1250. Medieval art offers the possibility to illustrate and visualize aspects between man, nature, environment, and people on the move. Analyzing the records of daily life and consumption, the Dorfschöppenbücher provide information on important dietary habits and working conditions of countrymen in East-central Europe regarding the climate. Paleo-climatic evidence sheds further light on the transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age.