One of the worst floods in human history occurred in 1287 in Europe, claiming the lives of tens of thousands of people.
It can be said that the flood of St. Lucia in 1287 was one of the greatest disasters in European history. With more than 50,000 people dead, dozens of villages wiped out and geographical maps redrawn, the event was one of nature’s fiercest rage and showed the fragility of coastal regions of the times. ancient, Ancient Origins on March 25 reported.
Map showing the development of Zuiderzee Bay in the Netherlands before and after the St. Lucia. (Image: Wikimedia).
For centuries, the Netherlands was known for its low-lying position in relation to the surrounding sea. That is why today, this place has become the land of canals and islands. This coastal nation is losing land and if water levels continue to rise globally, many places could be permanently submerged under the sea.
The map of the Netherlands was not always like that. In the early Middle Ages, the country had a larger area of exposed land and many villages existed closer to the sea. However, a catastrophic flood, triggered by a storm surge, permanently changed the landscape.
The flood of St. Lucia occurred on December 13, 1287 , the same day the Dutch celebrated the Feast of Saint Lucia. A violent storm appeared in conjunction with the tides and caused catastrophic flooding. Vast areas of coastline were quickly swallowed up by water, and villages and cities were submerged. Estimates suggest that between 50,000 and 80,000 people died in this flood. The low sandy beaches, coastal dunes cannot withstand large waves and easily erode. Many plains were submerged. People in villages that were not swept away were also evacuated.
The floods brought chaos to the Netherlands. Cities that were not destroyed are now in a whole new location because of the changing geography of the coast. The water did not recede, creating a number of islands and lakes that still exist today. The most notable is the appearance of Zuiderzee – a shallow bay up to 100km inland. Previously, this place was just a small freshwater lake, connected to the sea by the Vlie River. The flood of St. Lucia completely destroyed this river. This meant that the trading ports that flourished on the riverbanks also declined.
After the flood of St. Lucia, the new focus is shifted to the Ijssel River. There arose new commercial cities such as Zwolle, Deventer, Kampen and Doesburg. A new trading port called Amsterdam began to become bustling. Today, Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands.
Harlingen, a city once inland, is now a port in the Netherlands. (Photo: Uwe Moser Moser/Alamy).
In Frisia, in the vicinity of the Netherlands , the devastation was also devastating. Many small islands once inhabited disappeared forever, causing heavy loss of life. The coastline shifts many kilometers inland. For example, Harlingen, a landlocked city before the flood, was suddenly on the coast. After the flood, the city became a port. Nearby Griend Island, home to many residents, was severely damaged and only 10 houses remained standing.
In addition to the Netherlands and Frisia, the German coastal regions were also affected with many villages in East Frisia disappearing forever and thousands of people were killed. Survivors find the landscape has changed and their traditional way of life is no longer relevant. Many of them escaped to the mainland and had to start a whole new life.
The North Sea region also did not escape the storm’s power. The coast of England was heavily affected, and the map here was almost completely redrawn. The town of Old Winchelsea, once a busy port, is now gone forever. In the small village of Hickling, 180 villagers died. The commercial port of New Romney suddenly became an inland town as a storm flooded the harbor, diverting a nearby river about 24 kilometers to the west. The ground in the town increased by 13 cm due to the accumulation of silt.
In the town of Hastings , the storm caused half of the cliff to collapse, severely destroying the Norman castle. The town ceased to be a bustling harbor when the fjord was wiped out by a storm. One of the great British ports, Dunwich, was in rapid decline during this period. The hurricane of 1287 caused coastal erosion and flooding, ending Dunwich’s period as the premier seaside town. The town’s lifeline had shifted several kilometers to the north. Once a population of more than 3,000, Dunwich is now a simple village with 180 inhabitants.