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ClimConflict: "Historical Dynamics of Violence, Conflict and Extreme Weather in Medieval Ireland", 2016-2018

ClimConflict: "Historical Dynamics of Violence, Conflict and Extreme Weather in Medieval Ireland", 2016-2018

Principal Investigator: Dr. Francis Ludlow

Project Description: The goal of this project is to investigate the role of climate in the occurrence of violence and conflict in medieval Ireland, examining the complex pathways connecting climatic shocks (such as extreme weather) to violence and conflict, and the means by which medieval society responded and achieved (or failed to achieve) resilience to these shocks. The Irish Annals, together with information from natural archives such as tree-rings and ice-cores, provide a rich source for such research, revealing the pressures that extreme weather could place upon society, as well as the coping mechanisms employed to restore order.

Funding: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship, 2016-2018.

Publications:

    Ludlow, F. and Kostick, C. (Invited Contribution, In Review) “Subsistence Crises, Mass Mortality & Drought in Early Medieval Europe and the Near East, 750-1000 CE”, In: Newfield, T. (ed.), Mortality Crises Between the Plagues, c.800-c.1300 CE. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    Ludlow, F. and Travis, C. (In Press, 2018) STEAM Approaches to Climate Change, Extreme Weather and Social-Political Conflict, In: de la Garza, A. & Travis, T. (eds.), STEAM: Transdisciplinary Approaches to Science, Arts, Humanities & Technology Studies. Springer.
    Kostick, C. and Ludlow, F. (In Press, 2018) “Medieval History and the Geoengineering Debate”, In: Chris Jones, Klaus Oschema, and Conor Kostick (eds.), Making the Medieval Relevant: Essays on Studying the Middle Ages in the 21st Century (Das Mittelalter, Beihefte). Berlin: De Gruyter.
    Ludlow, F. and Crampsie, A. (2018) “Environmental History of Ireland, 1550-1730”, In: Ohlmeyer, J. (ed.), Cambridge History of Ireland: Volume 2, Early Modern Ireland, 1550-1730. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 671-704.
    Manning, J. G., Ludlow, F.,* Stine, A.R. Boos, W., Sigl, M. and Marlon, J. (2017) “Volcanic Suppression of Nile Summer Flooding Triggers Revolt and Constrains Interstate Conflict in Ancient Egypt”, Nature Communications, 8, Article 900. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00957-y [*Corresponding Author].
    Keleman, A., Brock, S., Cortesi, L., Hebdon, C., Johnson, A., Ludlow, F. and Dove, M. R. (2017) “Indigenous Agriculture and the Politics of Knowledge”, In: Sillitoe, P. (ed.), Indigenous Knowledge: Enhancing its Contribution to Natural Resources Management. Cambridge & Wallingford: CABI Publishing, 203-217.