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Timeline of Natural World Events
The monks of the medieval ages documented the natural world and the events that they experienced. Listed below are some of those events, including earthquakes, comets, large storms and eclipses.
891
Several cultures around the world report seeing a large comet in the skies.
905
The chronicles report a comet seen in the skies at the end of the year.
920
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano.
934
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano.
960
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano.
987
Winter
A severe frost hit England that lasted for 120 days. The weather turned so cold that the Thames froze over.
1006
At a -7.5 visual magnitude, this supernova could be the brightest stellar event to be recorded. Civilisations around the world recorded the same event that was visible for several months. The minus figure indicating that it as a bright event as the magnitude scale runs backwards.
1030
A map was produced in Canterbury showing an accurate representation of Britain, Europe and the World.
1033
An eclipse of the sun was seen from France.
1037
Mount Vesuvius erupted around this time.
1041
Stormy weather destroyed crops and diseases killed many cattle during the year.
1046
Extremely cold weather caused many deaths amongst animals and people.
1047
Christmas
Reports of a long and cold winter.
1048
...
A large earthquake is supposed to have been felt across England.
1049
A large earthquake was felt in Worcester and Derby and many people were reportedly killed.
1053
Dec 21
Extremely strong winds destroyed churches and buildings.
1054
The supernova that occurred in this year formed the Crab Nebula and the event was recorded by astronomers in China. The explosion was so great that the supernova would have been visible during the daytime. Due to the huge distances involved, the explosion would have happened thousands of years earlier but the light from the event only reached Earth in 1054.
1066
A comet appeared in the skies and is shown on the Bayeux Tapestry. It is thought to be the same comet that was named after Edmund Halley who accurately predicted its return in 1758.
1076
A large earthquake hit England in this year.
1086
Violent storms killed many people while cattle died from disease.
1089
Aug 11
An earthquake was felt across England.
1091
London was hit by a terrible storm, possibly a tornado. Damage was done to the Tower of London, the old wooden London Bridge and many churches and buildings. Around the country storms destroyed steeples of churches, such as at Old Sarum.
1095
A comet was seen for several weeks with its tail pointing east.
1097
Oct 4
A star with a long tail was seen in the south-west.
1099
The sea rose in many places around England and Scotland and an area of land of Kent that belonged to Earl Godwin was covered in sand. The name being corrupted to Goodwin Sands.
1106
A comet was seen and reported by several civilisations around the World. Lasting for forty days the comet grew steadily in brightness until finally fading away.
Venice was hit by severe floods. Shortly afterwards a fire broke out destroying several districts of the city. Several months later another more deadly fire started. As many of the buildings were constructed of wood the fire spread out of control. The disasters led to future buildings being constructed of stone and brick.
1110
An earthquake is recorded to have struck Shropshire in this year.
Jun 8
The comet was visible from England for three weeks.
1111
An extreme winter prevented the growing of crops and cattle died of disease.
1114
Oct 10
A strange event took place in London where the tide went out and did not return for twenty-four hours. People were able to cross the river by wading across rather than using the bridge.
Nov
A large earthquake damaged the areas of the Frankish control in the East. Antioch and Edessa were hit by the shocks.
1117
The series of large earthqukes began in January and may have lasted for several months. Many churches and cathedrals in and around northern Italy were damaged in the quakes.
1118
...
An earthquake damages Crowland Abbey.
1124
Aug 11
A potential eclipse took place, although the area of totality is not known.
1132
The Chronical of Florence of Worcester mentions the sighting of a comet seen for several days in October.
1133
There was an eclipse of the Sun over Scotland and the north of England. Accounts detailed by Florence of Worcester report strange events happening including ships moving on their own accord and churches as if by a profuse pirspiration. The partial eclipse also being seen by King Henry when waiting to cross the Channel for Normandy. This may have happened in 1132.
Aug 4
An eye-witness account from William of Malmesbury tells of an earthquake affecting many parts of England. (Symeon of Durham's Historia Regum, by John of Hexham.) This is interesting as it occurred just after an eclipse. See year 1185 when another eclipse and earthquake occurred.
1138
Mount Vesuvius the large volcano in southern Italy erupted.
1140
Mar 20
The Anglo Saxon Chronicles reported that an eclipse of the sun occurred.
1145
Return of the comet now named after Edmond Halley who died in 1742 that returns approximately every 75 years.
1150
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano.
1164
From the Chronicles of Meaux Abbey came the report saying 'In the tenth year of Henry II, about the first hour there appeared in the sky three circles and two suns; and a dragon of immense size was seen in St. Osyth (Osey Island, co. Essex), sailing the air so close to the earth that divers houses were burnt by the heat.' Is this a report of an airburst meteor? An airburst meteor is a meteor that explodes in the air before it reaches the ground and doesn't create an impact crator. A more recent example of an airburst meteor occurred in Russia at a place called Tunguska. This event, known and the great Siberian explosion, happened in 1908 and resulted in the felling of millions of trees.
1165
Jan 26
A large earthquake was felt across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. People were unable to stay on their feet.
1170
A large earthquake hit the eastern Mediterranean along the fault line that runs along that region. A huge amount of damage was done causing a major loss of life. The earthquake was so powerful that the massive castle Krak des Chevaliers was damaged and needed repairing.
1174
At about midnight, for the space of an hour or more, the whole face of the sky towards the north part was seen to be suffused with a red colour like blood.
1177
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano.
1178
A report from Gervase, a medieval chronicler at Canterbury, appears to indicate that the Moon was hit by a comet and resulted in flaming debris being ejected into space. Further reports state that people were killed by the debris hitting the Earth. So did the comet hit the Moon or just burn up in the atmosphere?
1181
Chinese astronomers saw and documented a supernova now known as SN 1181 and is believed to have originated in the constellation Cassiopeia.
1185
Earth tremors damaged the Cathedral at Lincoln beyond repair. The earthquake must have been very powerful as it was said that it was felt throughout the country. Only the West front survived in good shape and rest of the building had to be demolished.
Reports of an earthquake in the Plantagenet Chronicles occurring in Sicily. Need to confirm.
May 1
There was an eclipse of the Sun over the north of Europe. Interestingly, there was an earthquake that damaged Lincoln Cathedral in 1185. Did the earthquake happen before or after the eclipse? Are the two events related?
1191
Jun 23
Most of Europe would have seen the Sun eclipsed by the moon just before midday.
1193
A terrible famine struck both England and France, possibly caused by prolonged severe weather.
1194
A violent storm almost desolated large areas of Denmark and Norway.
1197
...
Paris may have been flooded. Many bridges being washed away.
1200
An eclipse of the moon occurred at around midnight. (Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC)
1201
Severe thunderstorms and floods during the summer affected England.
1205
Many lives lost and crops destroyed by very large hailstones.
The winter of 1204/05 was so cold that the River Thames froze over and the cold spell lasted until March.
1210
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano.
1222
Return of the comet now named after Edmond Halley who died in 1742 that returns approximately every 75 years.
1224
...
From the Chronicles of Meaux Abbey came the report saying 'A London fog occurred while the Bishop of London was officiating in St. Paul's there came on suddenly such a thickness of the clouds and darkness of the sun, accompanied by thunder and lightening and a most foul stench, that the people departed, leaving only the bishop there with one attendant.'
1233
Thunder and rain lasted for 15 days.
1235
The Tower of London was home to a menagerie of exotic animals given to the monarchs of England as gifts. In this year three leopards were given to King Henry III.
1236
The town and castle at Wisbech were hit by a fierce storm.
1245
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano.
1247
A very large earthquake is reported to have occurred in Wales and the west of England. St. David's on the west coast of Wales was badly affected. At Wells Cathedral the spire or vaulting collapsed but this is reported to have happened in an earthquake in 1248.
1250
Matthew Paris, the medieval historian, reported that an earthquake shook and damaged the church at St. Albans. Earthquakes are unusual in this area.
1257
A huge volcanic eruption, thought to have occurred on the Indonesian island of Lombok, took place in this year. The large amounts of rock and gas thrown up into the atmosphere could have been the reason for global weather changes that caused crop failures and famines across Europe for several years. The volcano suspected to be the location is called Samalas.
1262
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano.
1264
From the Chronicles of Meaux Abbey came the report of the siting of a comet which was said to return every three hundred years. Rising from the east with more brightness than had ever been seen by a living person.
1271
A terrible storm hit Kent which left the area around Canterbury suffering from famine.
The spire and central tower at Norwich Cathedral was sruck by lightning during a storm resulting in damage to the building.
1275
The church at the top of Glastonbury Tor was badly damaged by an earthquake.
Heavy rains at the start of the year in France and Germany left crops rotting in the fields.
1280
This volcano in Ecuador is thought to have erupted around this time. The date may be wrong as weather conditions in Europe in 1275 could have been the effect of this eruption if it had occurred several years earlier.
Storms and flooding affected the region of Norfolk and possibly more widely around the country.
1287
A large storm hit the south coast of England. Winchelsea old town which lay on low lying land was totally destroyed by the violent storm.
1292
William of Saint-Cloud, a French astronomer drew up a table of the sun and planet observations.
1301
Return of the comet now named after Edmond Halley who died in 1742 that returns approximately every 75 years.
1303
A large earthquake hits the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey).
Possible earthquake in Crete.
1311
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano.
1315
Known as 'The Great Famine' this year had several natural disasters spread across western Europe leading to economic problems. In England famine was caused by severe rainfall which was so great that crops failed and people resorted to eating horses, rats, cats and dogs. The conditions lasted until 1317.
1317
The 'Great Famine' that started in 1315 affecting western Europe came to an end this year.
1337
A comet was seen in the skies of France and was viewed as a bad omen and that war was on the horizon.
1338
A second? comet trailing fire is seen in the skies over Europe.
1340
Several Icelandic volcanoes erupted at the same time including Hekla, Herdubreid and Trolladyngja.
1344
A large earthquake hit the city of Lisbon on the west coast of Portugal damaging the cathedral and palaces. The area suffers an earthquake on a regular basis, the biggest being in 1755 when thousands died.
Due to the length of the year not being an exact number, over time key dates in the calendar were slowly shifting. In an attempt to correct the situation Pope Clement VI invited two senior astronomers to Avignon to come up with a solution. They were Firmin de Belleval and John of Murs. Their suggestions were but forward with a delay until 1349. But the proposals were put aside as the Pope had to contend with more pressing issues such as the Black Death.
1347
Kipchak Mongols besieging a Genoese trading centre on the Crimean coast catapulted their own dead into the city. The cause of death was a mysterious disease. The Genoese escaped by sea taking the 'Black Death' with them. They landed at Messina in Sicily. Black Death or Bubonic plague was spread by the rat flea. The name Black Death came from the colour of the swelling in the groin, armpit or neck. The person suffering went into a coma and dies soon after. In Europe an estimated 25 million people died. The plague reached Britain in 1348 and again in 1360 and the population may have been reduced by a half.
1348
A large earthquake struck the north of Italy destroying many buildings. The event was felt across Europe.
The steady progress of the Plague westwards could not be stopped. The French king left the city for the relative safety of the countryside.But several of the royal family died including the King's niece Queen Jeanne of Navarre who had tended to the sick and had caught the illness herself.
The plague reached the shores of England first at Melcombe Regis in Dorset. By winter of the year, the plague had reached London.
1349
From the Chronicles of Meaux Abbey came the report saying 'Meaux Abbey suffered so severely that thirty-two monks, and seven conversi died, the majority being taken in the month of August.'
...
From the Chronicles of Meaux Abbey came the report saying 'during Lent, six days before Easter Sunday, there occurred an earthquake throughout the whole of England so great that the monks of Melsa were thrown so violently from their stalls that they all lay prostrate on the ground.'
Of the 43 monks at Ely Cathedral, 15 died from the plague.
All apart from the abbot and prior died from the plague at the abbey of Croxton in Lincolnshire.
The peak of the plague was reached in the summer of 1349. Estimates of a third of the population dying from the infection have been made but being accurate is very difficult.
1357
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano. Plus or minus three years.
1359
A violent storm killed many of King Edward's horses and men, just two leagues from Chartres.
1361
Another outbreak of the plague takes its toll. In Avignon many people died including several Cardinals.
1362
A fierce storm or hurricane hit Britain and the spire at Norwich Cathedral fell. The spire damaged the presbytery as came down..
1369
Another outbreak of the plague affects England.
1378
Return of the comet now named after Edmond Halley who died in 1742 that returns approximately every 75 years.
1382
May 21
An earthquake occurred somewhere in the Straits of Dover and was felt in southern England and in the Low Countries across the North Sea. The event happened during a meeting to condem the works of John Wycliffe.
1406
A great plague took hold in London, killing upwards on 30,000 people.
1407
An outburst of plague occurred sometime between 1405 and 1407 and the pestilence was so great that, according to the St. Albans chronicler, in London thirty thousand men and women were reported to have died in a short space of time. Henry IV is thought to have left London to wait for the plague to die out.
Christmas
England suffered a long and cold winter with the frost and snow lasting until March. Many birds died from the cold and hunger.
1416
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano.
1418
Within three months, 40,000 people in Paris were killed by the plague.
1434
Nov 24
Severe cold set in and lasted until February the next year. The Thames froze over forcing ships to unload futher down river than usual. Reports of severe cold in Ireland as well.
1436
A severe winter at the end of1436 and start of 1437 causes many deaths and hardship.
1440
Eruption of the large Icelandic volcano.
1444
This was the time before lightning conductors and when lightning struck the tower on St. Paul's Cathedral it started a fire.
1453
May 22
A partial eclipse of the sun occurred several days before the Turks captured Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
1456
Return of the comet now named after Edmond Halley who died in 1742. The comet returns approximately every 75 years.
In Naples, a large earthquake struck near the town of Pontelandolfo in the present-day Province of Benevento of southern Italy. With an estimated magnitude of between 7.1 and 7.4 this earthquake is possibly the largest to occur on the Italian Peninsula. The reported death toll varied from a few thousand up to 70,000. Several large aftershocks occurred in the following days causing even more destruction.
1458
Antarctica ice cores show a spike in sulpur deposits indicating a large volcanic eruption in this year, but its location is not known.
1465
Records indicate a large eruption that affected the climate around the world occurred in this year, but its location is not known. The change in climate was severe causing floods across Europe, lakes to freeze over and crops to fail. As records for the time can be inacurate, this could have been the same eruption that was recorded in 1453, the Kuwae eruption.
1481
William Caxton published the first illustrated book in England. The Myrrour of the World was an encyclopedia and was a translation of an earlier work by Vinvent of Beauvais.
1485
Mar 16
A total eclipse of the sun occurred on the same day as the death of Queen Anne. This was seen as a bad omen for King Richard. The track of total eclipse being in Scoctland and the north of England.
1498
Possibly 10,000 died from the plague in London this year.
Sep 20
A large earthquake possibly 8.6 in strength that caused a large tsunami occurred off the southern coast of Honshu. The disaster resulted in the estimated loss of over 30,000 people.
1500
Summer
The plague arrived in England and affected London. The king escaped to Calais while the pestilence was at its worse.
1504
Columbus had a book written by a German astronomer that predicted eclipses and he was able to use this information to trick the native Jamaicans. Columbus informed the leaders of the natives that God was not happy because they had stopped supplying the Spaniards with food and to prove this God would turn the moon blood red. This happens when the moon goes behind the Earth. When this event took place the natives were so afraid that they began supplying all the food that the Spaniards needed.
1506
Jan
A violent and prolonged storm hit England causing a lot of damage to houses and severe flooding. Many animals were killed in the floods.
1508
Sep 19
This earthquake was felt throughout Scotland and England.
1510
...
A violent storm hit Italy killing many animals across the country.
1516
Sweating Sickness affects England.
1517
...
Londoners were affected by a wide-spread illness forcing King Henry VIII and his court to move to the countryside where they felt safer.
1520
Apr 17
Magellan observed a solar eclipse while anchored off the east coast of current-day Argentina.
1531
Jan 26
A very large earthquake occurred in Portugal that triggered a tsunami and killed many thiousands of people.
Return of the comet now named after Edmond Halley who died in 1742 that returns approximately every 75 years.
1556
A bright comet was seen and reported by many countries in Europe. As usual, the siting of such an unusual object in the skies was seen as inauspicious and spread fear. This comet has been linked to a similar siting in 1264 but no evidence links the two.
1561
Lightning again struck the spire of St. Paul's Cathedral. The roof and much of the cathedral were damaged by the resulting fire requiring extensive repairs.
1572
A supernova visible to the naked eye in the constellation Cassiopeia was seen during this year. Starting in November, its brightness, greater than Jupiter's, diminished over several months.
1577
A large comet entered the Solar System and was visible and recorded by many around the World. Chief amongst them was Tycho Brahe who was able to measure the position of the comet. Although his model of the Solar System was wrong his investigations led to the improved understanding of comets.
1580
A large earthquake struck southern England and northern France. It caused damage on both side of the Channel and caused the bells of the London churches to ring. Waves generated by the quake sank boats on the shores. The epicentre could have been somewhere between England and France.
The large Icelandic volcano Katla erupted.
1581
Reports of a large earthquake near York. This could be the same event that occurred in April of 1580.
1596
The tomato is native to South America and is thought to have been brought to England in this year.
1597
Starting in January a very large volcanic eruption of the Hekla volcano in Iceland began. The eruption generated large amounts of ash and lasted until June or July.
1600
The large Peruvian volcano Huaynaputina erupted in this year. Not only did it badly affect the local population in Peru it potentially caused a volcanic winter, reducing global temperatures. The northern hemisphere was also affected where a famine began in Russia a year later.
1601
A great famine started in Russia and lasted for two years. It is thought to have killed 30% of the population and the crop failure may have been caused by the eruption of a large Peruvian volcano that created a volcanic winter a year earlier.
1602
The plague was back in England. Many died in London and thousands in Norwich. In Norwich there was also a scarcity of food.
1603
A severe outbreak of the plague occurred in London and started a trend of yearly outbreaks during the summer months until 1610.
1604
Oct 8
This supernova was visible to the naked eye and described by Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer. It is also known as Kepler's supernova and is the last supernova to have been seen with the naked eye.
1610
Jan 7
Galileo Galilei, the astonomer, pointed his telescope at Jupiter and saw several bright points near it. Over subsequent nights he discovered that the points of light moved in such a way that they would be orbiting the planet. Up until this time many believed that all of the objects in the sky rotated around the Earth, but this showed objects orbiting another. The four moons he saw were Ganymede, Callisto, Europa and Io, later to be known as members of the Galilean moons. Copernicus had proposed the planets revolved around the Sun and these new observations supported that theory.
Mar 13
Galileo Galilei published his treatise on astronomy called Sidereus Nuncius (Sidereal Messenger). The publication contained information based on observations made through a telescope including details of the moon.
Dec 18
The English astronomer Thomas Harriot became the first person to observe sunspots through a telescope. Due the dangers of looking directly at the Sun, his observations were done shorty after sunrise or just before sunset or when there was a mist. Even in these conditions damage to the eyes was a great possibility.
1625
Aug
Britain was affected by another outbreak of the plague. A large number of people died in London, possibly 35,000 or more.
1626
The plague's affects had diminished in London
1633
A banana tree was shipped from the Bahamas to by a Mr Johnson who put it in his shop.
A Medieval Mystery
There appear to be some strange connections between the fourteenth century Old Wardour Castle and ancient stone circle Stonehenge.
1: Location
Old Wardour Castle appears to be aligned to ancient sites in the Stonehenge landscape.
2: Alignment
Stonehenge is aligned to the Summer Solstice. Old Wardour has a very similar alignment.
3: Size
Could the builders of Old Wardour used mesaurements from Stonehenge to layout the geometrical keep?
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