Abstract
The paper aims to present narrative sources from the late phase of ‘Little Ice Age’ period for a part of the Southeastern Europe, which is still poorly investigated. In the lack of solid evidence, obtained by geo-sciences (dendrochronology, sediment and pollen analysis, records of instrumental measurements, etc.), the text relies on documentary ‘proxies’ derived from several chronicles and short notes. These accounts – from Dalmatian cities of Split and Makarska, Ottoman metropolis of Sarajevo, Franciscan monasteries in Kreševo (Bosnia) and in Šarengrad (Srem, after Habsburg re-conquest) – are unevenly distributed in time and geographical space, far from the quality of ‘weather diaries’, which existed elsewhere in Europe of this period. Nonetheless, the preserved sources verify in their own manner cumulative changes occurring throughout the region: people observed changes not only in high frequency of change of seasonal temperature and precipitation patterns and the scale, but more significantly, there was coupling of extreme weather events and heavy disturbances of weather patterns. Franciscan writers in Makarska and Kreševo repeatedly wrote how weather features and course of seasons were untimely, unexpected, sudden and detrimental, ‘suis temporibus non correspondens’, and how particular agricultural works could not be performed ‘ut moris est’, at the usual, traditional schedule, due to the weather perturbances. Adriatic summers turned extremely hot and dry, with long periods without any rain, while data from Šarengrad corroborate results obtain in the historical climatology for Hungary on the severity of winters and long period of frozen Danube River. Mulla Basheski’s records from Sarajevo yield information on Miljacka River flood events, in connection to both climate condition and land-use patterns. This paper is foremost an attempt to draw attention to research possibilities for the Western Balkans, and there are more documentary, narrative and archival sources to be further investigated, with collaborations among geoscientists and historians.
Highlights
During the third week of April 2017, the Western Balkans were hit by a strong cold wave and “unseasonable” heavy snowfall, which made headlines in the region; parts of central and eastern Bosnia, as well as western Serbia, experienced power shortages
This paper aims to fill the void in the substantial body of literature on past climate research in Europe and the Mediterranean basin, given that this particular area of the Western Balkans is neglected, and even more, to present a range of possibilities in view of the historical sources still not thoroughly investigated
One of few real famine crises in the Western Balkans was during the period of the Holy League War (1683-1699), and it can be corroborated with evidence during the Maunder Minimum from France and Switzerland, as well as with the price of cereals in Europe
Summary
During the third week of April 2017, the Western Balkans were hit by a strong cold wave and “unseasonable” heavy snowfall, which made headlines in the region; parts of central and eastern Bosnia, as well as western Serbia, experienced power shortages While these had significant impacts on the local population, raspberry and strawberry farmers were in a dire situation: the heavy snowfall broke branches and the morning frost damaged the fruit, decreasing the expected production and its associated income. These berries are high-quality crops that are exported to EU countries, and a highly prized agricultural commodity, expanding under the global market rules perhaps outside the limits of sustainable production (Spaić 2017; CBI 2017). As opposed to modern ‘culture of progress’, the preindustrial time this text deals with, that is, agro-ecological production regime, was dominated by a ‘culture of survival’ (Hassan, 2000, 121-140)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
