The effect of a change in food availability during the 14th century

Crop failures, a large scale bovine pestilence, and international conflicts significantly affected food availability during the 14th century in north-western Europe. As a result, cities that were dependent on external food sources were forced to change their food import strategies and the citizens needed to adapt their diets. The inhabitants of Ypres, present-day Belgium, were no exception. During the 11th to 13th centuries, the city expanded into one of the largest in north-western Europe, but experienced a population decline during the 14th century. As only fragmentary historical sources are available for this site and region, multi-isotope analyses on human remains can provide information on how the 14th century events affected the diet of the people of Ypres. Over 700 multi-isotope datapoints obtained from 88 individuals from medieval Ypres (12th – 16th century) are chronologically compared. Their 87Sr/86Sr reflect changes in food provenances over time, while their δ15N values suggest the intake of protein remained similar throughout the medieval period. Only their δ13Ccol values give some indication of a change in dietary composition. The implications of these findings are not only relevant for the medieval population of Ypres, but also for studies focussing on the impact of the 14th century, and studies on the medieval period in general.