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Did a Volcano Trigger Europe's Deadliest Plague?
4 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Volcanic eruption around 1345 may have initiated the Black Death.
- Tree rings suggest eruption caused climate shock and poor harvests.
- Imported grain from Black Sea regions brought plague to Europe.
New research suggests a volcanic eruption occurring around the year 1345 may have been the catalyst for Europe's most devastating pandemic, the Black Death.
Evidence from tree rings indicates that the eruption triggered a significant climate shock, resulting in drastically reduced temperatures and subsequent agricultural failures across the continent.
This dire situation forced populous Italian city-states to seek grain supplies from regions bordering the Black Sea. It is hypothesized that these imports inadvertently carried plague-infested fleas, thereby introducing the deadly disease to medieval Europe.
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