The 17th century is often
referred as the "small ice age" in northern
Europe. Cold and unsettled weather prevailed in northern
Europe causing several failures of crop. Sometimes this
lead to famine conditions all around in Europe, also in
Finland. In 1695 the failure of crop was severe and the
situation got even worse next year when late spring and
early frost destroyed the crop again. Lack of food forced
people to leave their homes in hope of finding food in
towns. Malnutrition made the starving people more
susceptible to diseases, and famine and diseases combined
caused a demographic disaster. Only the successful crop in
1697 restored the people's faith in better future.
The famine was not as
disastrous in Helsinki as in the countryside. |
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| Burghers, at least the
wealthiest burghers, had other means to base their
livelihood on. The peasants, on the other hand, depended
entirely on land. It is not exactly known how many people
came to Helsinki to seek better living conditions, and how
many of them died there. The dead were buried to the
outskirts of town to the new cemetery in Kamppi. The
number of actual Helsinki parishioners who died during the
famine is known. In 1697, 130 parishioners died, the
number being double to the normal average. The birth-rate
also declined at the same time, in 1698 only 32 children
were born, the normal average was 63 children. Still, the
level of mortality was lower in Helsinki than in other
parts of Finland and good crop in the summer of 1698
ensured that things started to normalise again. |
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