Russian famine of 1601–1603
| Russian famine of 1601–1603 Великий голод (Russian: Great Famine) | |
|---|---|
Great Famine of 1601, a 19th-century engraving | |
| Location | Tsardom of Russia |
| Period | 1601-1603 |
| Death rate | About 1/3 of the population |
| Causes | Political instability during the Time of Troubles, possibly the 1600 eruption of the Huaynaputina volcano |
The Russian famine of 1601–1603, Russia's worst famine in terms of proportional effect on the population, killed perhaps two million people: about 30% of the Russian people. The famine compounded the Time of Troubles (1598–1613), when the Tsardom of Russia was unsettled politically and was later invaded (1605–1618) by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The many deaths contributed to social disruption. The famine resulted from a volcanic winter, a series of worldwide record cold winters and crop disruption, which geologists in 2008 linked to the 1600 volcanic eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru.