Nature's mutiny : how the little Ice Age of the long seventeenth century transformed the West and shaped the present

"An illuminating work of environmental history that chronicles the great climate crisis of the 1600s, which transformed the social and political fabric of Europe. Although hints of a crisis appeared as early as the 1570s, the temperature by the end of the sixteenth century plummeted so drastically that Mediterranean harbors were covered with ice, birds literally dropped out of the sky, and "frost fairs" were erected on a frozen Thames--with kiosks, taverns, and even brothels that become a semi-permanent part of the city. Recounting the deep legacy and far-ranging consequences of this "Little Ice Age," acclaimed historian Philipp Blom reveals how the European landscape had suddenly, but ineradicably, changed by the mid-seventeenth century. While apocalyptic weather patterns destroyed entire harvests and incited mass migrations, they gave rise to the growth of European cities, the emergence of early capitalism, and the vigorous stirrings of the Enlightenment. A timely examination of how a society responds to profound and unexpected change, Nature's Mutiny will transform the way we think about climate change in the twenty-first century and beyond."-- Provided by publisher The Hints Of An Impending Environmental Crisis Appeared As Early As The 1570s, As Winters Grew Colder And Crops Diminished. By The Turn Of The Seventeenth Century, The Temperature Had Plummeted So Drastically That Mediterranean Harbors Were Covered With Ice, Birds Were Dropping Frozen Out Of The Sky, And Enterprising Londoners Erected Semipermanent Frost Fairs On A Frozen Thames--with Bustling Kiosks, Taverns, And Even Brothels. Chronicling The Dramatic Turmoil And The Long-lasting Consequences Of This 'little Ice Age,' Best-selling Historian Philipp Blom Reveals How A New, Radically Altered Europe Emerged Out Of Environmental Cataclysm. Showing How The Drastic Weather Patterns Decimated Entire Harvests Across The European Continent, [this Book] Describes How Populations Fled The Starvation And Civil Unrest In The Countryside To Bourgeoning Urban Centers, Where The Emergence Of Early Capitalistic Markets Sparked The Transformation Of European Cities. The Political And Cultural Ramifications Were No Less Drastic. Moving From Political To Intellectual Events And To The Arts, Blom Evokes The Era's Most Exquisite Paintings, Like Hendrick Avercamp's Surreal Depiction Of An Idyllic Community On The Ice In Winter Landscape, As Well As The Revolutionary Ideas Of Enlightenment Figures, Who, Like Montaigne In His Essais, Imagined Novel Worldviews To Cope With What Seemed Like Nature's Vicious Scourge Against Humankind. Now, As We Face A Climate Crisis Of Our Own, Blom Offers Exigent Ways Of Understanding This History Of The 'little Ice Age' In Light Of Our Own Society's Fraught Relationship With The Environment. 'there Must Be Hope,' Blom Concludes, But Only If We Are Willing To Learn From The Past. Ultimately, [this Book] Offers An Essential Parable Of How Societies Struggle To Survive When Violent Environmental Changes Threaten The Very Fabric Of Their Civilization.--dust Jacket. Prologue: Winter Landscape. Life Without Money ; The Great Experiment -- God Has Abandoned Us: Europe, 1570-1600. A Monk On The Run ; God's Wind And Waves ; Harsh Frosts And Burning Sun ; A Time Of Confusion And A Fiery Mountain ; Pilgrims And Their Hunger ; Truth And Wine ; Wine In Vienna ; The Lights Go Out ; Witches And Spoiled Harvests ; The Truth In The Stars ; Doctor Faustus ; Infinite Worlds ; The Tower Of Books -- The Age Of Iron. Hortus Botanicus ; Revolutionary Places ; The City Devours Its Children ; The Magic Of Green Cheese ; The Great Transformation ; A Picture Of The World ; Idle Talk And Fabrications ; A Warning And A Call To Repent ; Tears Too Plentiful To Count ; The Revolution Of The Barrel Of A Musket ; Sell More To Strangers ; The State As Machine ; A Profitable Trade ; The Curse Of Silver ; Officer, Retired ; The Subversive Republic Of Letters ; Germanus Incredibilis ; Virtue In The Drowning Cell ; Leviathan ; An Inventory Of Morality -- On Comets And Other Celestial Lights. The Madness Of Crowds ; The Antichrist ; The Messiah And The Whore ; The Fair On The Ice ; The Face Of Change ; The Price Of Change ; Tapissier Du Roi ; The Public Sphere And The Vices Of Bees ; The Floating Reverend -- Epilogue: Supplement To The Fable Of The Bees. Songbirds, Wood Lice, And Corals ; Freedom And Luxury ; Inherited Compromises ; New Metaphors ; The Theology Of The Market ; The Market And The Fortress. Philipp Blom ; Translated From The German By The Author. Originally Published In German: Die Welt Aus Den Angeln (münchen : Carl Hanser Verlag, 2017). Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Text In English. “A sweeping story, embracing developments in economics and science, philosophy and exploration, religion and politics. . . . Beautifully clear.”— John Lanchester, The New Yorker Hailed as an “arresting” (Lawrence Klepp, New Criterion) account, Nature’s Mutiny chronicles the great climate crisis of the seventeenth century that totally transformed Europe’s social and political fabric. Best-selling historian Philipp Blom reveals how a new, radically altered Europe emerged out of the “Little Ice Age” that diminished crop yields across the continent, forcing thousands to flee starvation in the countryside to burgeoning urban centers, and even froze London’s Thames, upon which British citizens erected semipermanent frost fairs with bustling kiosks, taverns, and brothels. Highlighting how politics and culture also changed drastically, Blom evokes the era’s most influential artists and thinkers who imagined groundbreaking worldviews to cope with environmental cataclysm. As we face a climate crisis of our own, “Blom’s prodigious synthesis delivers a sharply-focused lesson for the twenty-first century: the profound effects of just a few degrees of climate change can alter the course of civilization, forever” (Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History). Hints of an impending environmental crisis appeared as early as the 1570s, as winters grew colder and crops diminished. By the turn of the seventeenth century, the temperature had plummeted so drastically that Mediterranean harbors were covered with ice, and enterprising Londoners erected semi-permanent frost fairs on a frozen Thames. Blom reveals how this 'Little Ice Age' radically altered Europe, as civil unrest in the countryside led to the emergence of early capitalistic markets, and sparked the transformation of European cities. He also examines the literary and artistic ramifications. -- condensed from jacket