«We did not eat bread for two or three months». Subsistence crises in the republic of Berne from 1315 to 1715

Camenisch, Chantal (2019). «We did not eat bread for two or three months». Subsistence crises in the republic of Berne from 1315 to 1715. Food & History, 17(1), pp. 37-64. Brepols 10.1484/J.FOOD.5.120192

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Subsistence crises are complex crises with a severe impact on a society and on demography. In the pre-modern period they occurred repeatedly in Europe and are especially visible on account of high food prices. This article aims to trace those subsistence crises that hit the city and republic of Bern from 1315 to 1715. For that purpose, historiographical sources, grain prices, and sources from the city administration of Bern have been examined. A first part includes an analysis of when these subsistence crises occurred. The number of crises varied over the centuries. The second part discusses the causes for two of the crises in Bern. Extreme weather phenomena were among the most frequent causes. The article concludes with an examination of how the Bernese government reacted to these two subsistence crises and what coping strategies were implemented to overcome the crises.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	10 Strategic Research Centers > Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR) 06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of History and Archaeology > Institute of History > Economic, Social and Environmental History
UniBE Contributor:	Camenisch, Chantal Eva Maria
Subjects:	900 History > 940 History of Europe
ISSN:	1780-3187
Publisher:	Brepols
Language:	English
Submitter:	Chantal Eva Maria Camenisch Loretan
Date Deposited:	18 May 2021 14:44
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 15:50
Publisher DOI:	10.1484/J.FOOD.5.120192
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/155344