It is normal for a person to say that a particular year was the worst in their lives for reasons best known to them. Not to dismiss the impacts of personal problems, but there are a couple of years that the world as a whole has experienced significant troubles. Take 2020, for example. A lot of people died due to the coronavirus pandemic, and millions were left jobless. Let’s go a bit further back: in 1918, the Spanish Flu took out at least 50 million people. With that in mind, determining the worst year in human history has proven challenging. However, historians and scientists agree that 536 AD was the worst year for humankind. Here is why.
Why Was 536 AD The Worst Year to Be Alive?
The first person to come up with 536 AD as the worst year to be alive was a Medieval Historian from Havard University called Micheal McCormick. He mentioned that the year 536 AD ushered in one of the worst periods for humanity to be alive.
A couple of things happened in 536 AD, but the most important one was the volcanic eruptions in the Northern Hemisphere. This left the air filled with ash and dust, thus blocking sunlight for 18 months straight.
Without sunlight, the global temperatures dropped significantly, leading to a situation known as the volcanic winter of 536. As a result, agriculture, which people relied on at the time, was impossible. That ushered in a long famine, which led to starvation and death.
Millions of people residing in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia died due to hunger. The same hunger weakened the immunity of the masses, thus making them more vulnerable to diseases. Five years after the volcanic water, the bubonic plague infiltrated the Eastern Roman Empire, turning the situation from bad to worse. The volcanic winter led to the Late Antique Little Ice Age, which lasted until 560 AD. This further underlines how massive the ripple effect of the volcanic eruptions was.
The first victims of the volcanic winter were the residents of Constantinople. Locals observed high amounts of sulfate that reduced the sun’s radiation from reaching the Earth. Besides temperatures going low, the sky turned dark.
In other parts of the world, such as amongst the Gaelic Irish Annals, they documented a failure in bread production and an increased mortality in the Annales Cambriae. The effects of the volcanic winter were felt all the way in Peru. The Moche Culture reports a prolonged drought that led to starvation.
Who Were The First People to Identify 536 AD As The Worst Year To Be Alive?
Even though Historian Micheal McCormick is credited for pinpointing the worst year to be alive, other scholars have highlighted 536 AD as the worst period in history. Two Roman elites, Procopius and Cassiodorus, wrote reports of how the sun stopped shining on Earth, resembling an eclipse. Their reports talk about how weak the sun’s rays were and that there were no shadows even at noon. The summers were not as hot as usual, and the winters did not have storms. People had to rely on stored food to survive.
Were Volcanic Eruptions The Cause of 536 AD Being A Terrible Year?
It is often said that volcanic eruptions turned 536 AD into the worst year to be alive. However, scientists and historians disagree on which Volcanic Mountain triggered this unfortunate event. For instance, some researchers from Harvard University in 2018 claimed that the eruptions came from Iceland. In 2008, others came up with a theory that a meteorite caused climate change in 536 AD. R.B. Stothers, in 1984, presented evidence pointing to a Volcano in Papua New Guinea.
Robert Dull and his team claimed in 2010 that an eruption in El Salvador triggered the volcanic winter. While these conflicting opinions contribute to further confusion about what caused the volcanic winter, a massive volcanic eruption certainly caused the winter.
How Did Humanity Survive 536 AD?
The existing cultures in 536 AD did their best to survive these challenging times. Using the Scandinavians as an example, they deposited hoards of gold, intending to plead with the gods to return the sunlight. Unfortunately, these offerings did not work. Historian David Keys writes about how the volcanic winter led to the collapse of the Gupta Empire, the Sassanid Empire, and the Avars. On the other hand, it led to the rise of Turkic Tribes and Islam.
Were There Subsequent Volcanic Eruptions Equally As Bad As the 536 AD Ones?
After 536 AD, more volcanic eruptions affected Europe in 540 and 547 AD. This worsened the situation, and most parts experienced economic stagnation for 100 years. By 640 AD, most empires had turned to silver mining, which brought relief to the economy.
To date, historians continue to investigate what life was like in 536 AD. Because we have very little information to work with, such as the reports from Cassiodorus and Procopius, we can only imagine the experiences our ancestors had to endure during these trying times. However, from the little we have already gathered, it’s pretty clear that things were horrible.