Catalogue of Floods in Medieval Hungary 1001–1500: Analysis of Individual Flood Reports

Abstract

In this chapter all medieval reports on flood events, preserved in contemporary documentation, either regarding single floods, series of events or the information closely related to preceding floods and high waters, are presented and separately analysed, as individual case studies. Flood-related information is mainly available in legal documentation (primarily charters) and partly in account books, foreign and domestic narratives and private correspondence. In order to understand the main characteristics of the individual events, each flood case is discussed in its local hydrological and environmental context; moreover, the historical context, interpretation questions, flood magnitude classification, timing, location and related uncertainties are as well discussed in more detail. The chapter contains 223 case studies on flood events: 21 from the eleventh–thirteenth, 82 from the fourteenth and 120 cases from the fifteenth centuries. Whereas for the eleventh and twelfth centuries flood references are only exceptionally available in contemporary documentation, flood is a more frequently mentioned phenomenon from the thirteenth century. The real increase of flood-related documentation is dated to the fourteenth century; the late Middle Ages is the best-documented period with special emphasis on the fifteenth century. Beyond the analysis of single flood references, if available, parallel flood observations in the neighbouring countries and Europe, with special emphasis on Central Europe, are also provided in each case study, together with the known weather conditions that might have been responsible for the development of floods.