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Changes
→Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe and Climate
In the 1400s-1500s, climate was somewhat stable and temperate conditions returned to many parts of Europe. This though did mean many of the settlements became harder to continue in regions such as Greenland. Wine making began to retreat southward to southern Europe. Populations did recover and expand after the Black Death of the 14th century, in part this was helped by the favourable climate conditions in the 14th century. However, by the 16th century, things took a more decisively colder step. The so-called Little Ice Age began around the 16th century and continued until well into the 19th century, resulting in about 300 years of colder conditions. Prolonged colder conditions began to lead to more crop failures as well as increased rates of disease. This may have contributed to some of the peasant revolts and increased activities of rebellion that gradually reduced the power of the nobility and gave greater power and freedom to the lower classes. Another result of this period was the association of witchcraft and weather-making. From the late 14th century and through the Little Ice Age, witchcraft became a significant accusation and increasing in Europe, with women in particular targeted with accusations. Witchcraft soon became associated with the power to shift the climate and the fact that rivers froze and crops failed led these accusations to become more common. Marginalized groups, such as Jewish communities, were also sometimes blamed for the turn in the climate.
There were other cultural responses. In the 16th century, artists began to increasingly use winter and winter-like scenes in their paintings. This was relatively rare before this period. The use of clouds and winter scenes appears to have peaked between 1600-1649 in paintings. Ice skating began to become a popular sport. From 1608-1814, London had a Frost Fair that included ice skating on the Thames and other winter activities. The fact that rivers froze deep enough to enable prolonged periods of ice skating had not occurred before. In Scotland, it is likely curling began to become a popular sport during the Little Ice age, as long periods of frozen weather enabled this sport to be played for a long period of the year. By around the mid 19th century, the climate began to take a clear warming trend, resulting in temperate conditions once again returning to most many parts of Europe.
==Changing Culture==
