Volcanic Eruption Linked to Black Death Outbreak in 1347

A volcanic eruption around 1345 significantly impacted the climate of southern Europe, resulting in cold and wet summers that contributed to widespread crop failures. In response, Italian city-states, including Venice and Genoa, began importing grain from the Black Sea region in 1347. However, along with the grain, ships inadvertently transported the plague bacterium, leading to the outbreak of the Black Death in Britain by 1348. Tree rings from the Spanish Pyrenees indicate distinct 'Blue Rings' during the years of 1345 to 1347, while additional evidence from lunar eclipses and ice core sulfur layers corroborates this volcanic activity, which ultimately forced some medieval villages to be abandoned.