Little Ice Age and Protestantism

[Hesychios]

I think the theory that the little Ice Age may have been a contributing factor in the eventual Protestant rebellion has some possible merit.

From a purely historical perspective, I think the periodic plagues and the accompanying population collapses had an effect. The little Ice age could have had similar effects.

One important historical event (not exactly climate related) that is often overlooked was the interdiction of England 1208AD to 1213AD. Those five years terrified the most devout Christians in England. Contrariwise, it probably also strengthened the religious sceptics who questioned everything and saw that the island did not sink in the process, weakening the general adherence to sacramental theology among certain types of people.

A brief timeline:
Interdict begins 1208AD
Excommunication of king John 1209AD
Interdict ends 1213AD King John reinstated in the church. England and Ireland become Papal fiefs for which the king must pay rent to the Pope.
Magna Charta 1215AD, Pope Innocent II annuls it quickly thereafter. Pope Innnocent releases king John from his oath to honor the agreement.

I believe that this series of events was a key historical episode that politicised religion and incubated objecting and protesting religious factions in England.

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

I assume that this is a joke.

It’s at least as plausible as suggesting that the LIA was caused by the failure of Western Christendom to speak Greek.​

It’s all the fault of Urban II - he should never have encouraged the First Crusade; then ther would have been no Reformation. This in turn was the reason for the discovery of the USA in 1492, which caused the end of the Austo-Hungarian Empire in 1922; which is what really caused the moon landings in 1969.

So the LIA is also the fault of Clint Eastwood - he should never have said “Make my day!” No Clint = no “Star Trek” = no Berlin Wall = no American Civil War. The connection is obvious.

 

[rr1213]

Obvious!

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

There is some linkage between all three, but the strongest is plague and Prot. Reformation

Europe’s “Wave of Plagues” began in the sixth century - probably because of the Emperor Justinian I (527-65).​

Yup - the Reformation is all the fault of those crafty Greeks. And

• Odysseus was a crafty Greek.
• Odysseus was present at the Trojan War.
• The Trojan War was caused by the abduction of Helen of Sparta.
• Helen was abducted by Paris.
• Paris abducted her because he had awarded the apple of discord to the goddess Aphrodite.
• He awarded it to her because she, Artemis, & Hera had quarrelled over it.
• Paris had been picked to judge between them.
• Aphrodite promised him the fairest of mortal women, if Paris awarded the apple to her instead of Artemis or Hera
• They quarrelled over it because it was marked “For the Fairest” by the goddess Eris (= Discord).
• Eris was offended at not being invited to the wedding of Peleus & Thetis;
• Eris threw it among the wedding-guests at the marriage of Peleus & Thetis.
• Thetis married Peleus because Zeus had been warned that Thetis would bear a son greater than his father
• So Zeus married her off to Peleus instead;
• And Thetis became the mother of the hero Achilles.
  So the Reformation was caused by the fear of Zeus & the spite of a goddess. And the LIA was caused by the Reformation.

Fallacy of False Cause ##

 

[GregoryPalamas]

There is some linkage between all three, but the strongest is plague and Prot. Reformation

Since many of the others just wish to be silly…I was teaching the section on the breakup of the wonderous thirteenth century and had the class look at the many events that took place during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries that caused the revolt. We have the rise of Nominalism, the plague which necessitated popes who were better at politics than doctrine and which may well have been exacerbated by the cooling period, etc. etc.

But then I guess besides you and Mike the Orthodox no one else is interested. I’ve got papers to grade.

CDL