Volcanic eruptions may have helped spark the French Revolution
Social upheaval across Europe between 1250 and 1860 correlates with volcanic eruptions, reduced sunspot activity and surging food prices
By James Woodford
29 August 2025
An illustration of an uprising that preceded the French Revolution
Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis via Getty Images
Severe volcanic eruptions and changes in the activity of the sun may have set the scene for some of the world’s most famous rebellions, including the French Revolution.
It has long been known that tough environmental conditions such as drought, deforestation and extremes of heat and cold can lead to social chaos, failed harvests and even disease.
One of the most severe periods of weather experienced over the last millennia, known as the Little Ice Age, gripped parts of the northern hemisphere, especially Europe and North America, from about 1250 to 1860. During this period of anomalous cold, when temperatures dropped by an average of up to 1.75°C and precipitation fell by as much as half, agriculture was thrown into chaos.
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David Kaniewski at the University of Toulouse in France and his colleagues scoured the literature to identify 140 rebellions during this interval that were large enough to register in the historical record.
For their study, they compared the records of these various social crises with records of solar activity, volcanic eruptions and climate change, along with swings in the price of grain and bread, to see if there was any connection between them and extreme weather associated with the Little Ice Age.
