Volcanoes set off chain of events that brought Black Death to Europe

By Stephen Beech

Volcanic eruptions set off a chain of events that brought the Black Death to Europe, according to new research.

Clues contained in tree rings have identified 14th Century volcanic activity as the "first domino to fall" in a sequence that led to the devastating spread of bubonic plague.

Researchers used climate data and documentary evidence to paint the most complete picture to date of the "perfect storm" that led to the deaths of tens of millions of people, as well as massive economic, political and cultural changes.

Their evidence suggests that a volcanic eruption – or cluster of eruptions – around 1345 caused annual temperatures to drop for consecutive years due to the haze from volcanic ash and gases.

That in turn caused crops to fail across the Mediterranean reg