Famines in the Czech lands facts for kids
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This article is about famines that happened a long time ago in the area we now call the Czech Republic. A famine is when there isn't enough food for many people, leading to widespread hunger. Between the years 1272 and 1847, several famines struck the Czech lands. These food shortages were mainly caused by too much rain, very cold weather, hail, wars, and diseases.
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Early Famines in Czech History
The first major famine recorded in the Czech lands happened between 1272 and 1282. This terrible event was caused by wars and bad weather. These problems meant that farmers could not grow enough crops. People were not ready for such a severe food shortage. About 600,000 people died, mostly from widespread diseases that spread easily when people were weak from hunger.
Other local famines also happened in Czech regions.
- In 1318, a famine was caused by ongoing wars.
- In 1361 and 1366, famines occurred because crops failed and there wasn't enough food.
The Hungry Years (1432–1434)
The years 1432 to 1434 are remembered as the "hungry years" in the Czech lands. This was a time of serious climate problems during the Hussite Wars. The Hussite Wars were a series of conflicts fought in Bohemia. They involved followers of Jan Hus, who was an important figure in the Protestant movement. These wars were some of the first where hand-held firearms were widely used.
During the last two years of these wars, the price of grain went up a lot. At one point, grain cost six times more than it did before the wars began. Most people in the Czech lands could not afford to buy food. They had to wait until the prices finally dropped back to normal levels.
Around 1560, colder temperatures led to another poor harvest. This caused more food shortages. Later, after the War of the Austrian Succession, a famine in 1748 killed 1,200 people in Doksy. Doksy is a town in the northern part of the Czech lands.
The Great Famine (1770–1771)
The next big famine in the Czech lands was called the Great Famine. It lasted from 1770 to 1771. This famine happened because of a disease that affected grain crops. Also, very heavy rains damaged the fields.
The Great Famine finally ended when the Czech lands started bringing in food from other places. Farmers also greatly increased how many potatoes they grew. Potato production went up by 100 percent. This famine was very severe, killing about 12 percent of the Czech population. This meant up to 500,000 people died. The difficult times also led to anger among the farmers, which caused peasant uprisings, like the peasant revolt of 1775 in Bohemia.
The Last Famine in Czech Lands
The last famine recorded in the Czech lands happened in Czech Silesia in 1847. This famine was caused by a disease that affected potatoes. It led to the deaths of over 20,000 people.
