What major famine struck Europe in the early 14th century, reducing population and economic activity?

• A. The Great Famine of 1250-1252
• B. The Great Famine of 1315-1317
• C. The Potato Famine
• D. The English Famine of 1340

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how a sustained climate shock can trigger widespread famine across a whole continent, reshaping both population and economy. In the early 14th century, Europe faced the Great Famine of 1315–1317: a period of unusually cold and wet weather that ruined harvests across much of Western Europe. Crops failed year after year, hoofed and grazing animals died from malnutrition, and prices for food soared. With so little to eat, people starved, and weakened populations brought higher susceptibility to disease, slowing labor forces and dampening economic activity. This famine didn’t just strain households; it disrupted markets, reduced agricultural production, and helped set the stage for the social and economic tensions that characterized the decades leading up to the Black Death.

Other listed famines occurred outside this specific timeframe or in very different contexts (for example, the 13th-century famine predates the early 14th century, and the Potato Famine and the English famine of 1340 refer to later or different situations). The Great Famine of 1315–1317 is the emblematic crisis of Europe’s early 14th century.