FIREPLACE AS A HISTORICAL INDICATOR OF CLIMATE CHANGE: THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEATING TECHNOLOGIES IN LATE MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN EUROPE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35774/gsip2025.01.012Keywords:
fireplace, climate change, European history, Late Middle AgesAbstract
This article examines the historical development of heating technologies in the context of climate changes in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe. The study of fireplaces, blast furnaces, and cast-iron plates, which served as primitive radiators, traces how societies adapted to the climatic challenges of the Little Ice Age. Prolonged deviations in average temperatures during this period triggered changes in heating methods, including the modernization of wall fireplaces, the introduction of hydraulic hammers, and the advancement of blast furnaces powered by hydraulic energy. These innovations enabled Europeans to produce cast-iron fireplace and stove plates for supplementary heating.
Special attention is given to early types of fireplaces, whose designs evolved from open hearths located at the center of rooms to corner and wall fireplaces typical of medieval castles. The emergence of fireplaces placed against a house's central supporting wall, equipped with chimneys and hoods, marked a significant scientific and technical breakthrough in medieval Europe. These fireplaces could be constructed on multiple levels within castles and abbeys, showcasing the engineering innovations of the era.
The research is based on historical accounts, archaeological evidence, and textual sources, including works by French historians. Archival documents from the 15th–16th centuries describe the development of heating technologies, including the reconstruction and repair of fireplaces in castles and abbeys.
The article emphasizes the use of «proxy» data for reconstructing climate changes and their impact on socio-economic development. The analysis of material culture, particularly fireplaces and stoves, offers new perspectives for studying climatic trends and their implications for daily life, technology, and architecture of the period.
References
Berneville, G. La vie de Saint Gilles. Poème du XII siècle. Paris: Librairie de Firmin Didot, 1881 (in French).
Campardon, É. La cheminée de madame de la Poupelinière. Paris: Charavay, 1880. 137 p. (in French).
Diot, M. Cheminées. Étude de structures du Moyen Âge au XVIII siècle. Paris: Édition du patrimoine, 2007 (in French).
Figuier, L. Les merveilles de la science ou description populaire des inventions modernes. T. 4. Paris: Furne, Jouvet et Cie, éditeurs, 1870 (in French).
Havard, H. Dictionnaire de l’Ameublement et de la Décoration. Depuis le XIII siècle jusqu’à nos jours. T. 1. Paris: Maison Quantin, 1887. 1086 p. (in French).
Klein, G. Arts et traditions populaires d’Alsace. La maison rurale et l’artisanat d’autrefois. Colmar: Alsatia, 1984. 255 p. (in French).
Lachiver, M. Les années de misère. La famine au temps du Grand Roi. 1680-1720. Paris: Fayard, 1991. 573 p. (in French).
Lenotre, G. Une Équipée Princière. La révolte et l’arrestation de la duchesse de Berry. Lectures pour Tous. Mars 1905. pp. 463–476 (in French).
Lecouteux, C. La maison et ses génies. Imago, 2000. 208 p. (in French).
Muratori-Philip, A. Le roi Stanislas. Paris: Fayard, 2000. 478 p. (in French).
Palasi, P. Plaques de cheminées héraldiques. Histoire d’un support métallique des armoiries - fin XV - XX siècle. Paris: Gourcuff Gradenico, 2014. 318 p. (in French).
Rager, G.; Geffroy, A.-M. Un Patrimoine au coin feu, les plaques de cheminées en fonte dans les monuments. ARAAFU CRBC No 36, 2020. pp. 181–191. URL: http://araafu.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/1505.pdf (in French).
Rossinot, A. Stanislas. Le roi philosophe. Neuilly-sur-Seine: Michel Lafon, 2004. 302 p. (in French).
Sarazin, C. Taques de cheminées. pp. 22–33 / Bulletin de la société archéologique Champenoise. 16 Année – Décembre 1922. Reims, 1923. 33 p. (in French).
Sibenaler, J.-B. Les taques et plaques de foyer du Musée d'Arlon. Arlon: V. Poncin, Imprimeur-Éditeur, 1899. 35 p. (in French).
Vernot, N. Les linteaux de cheminée en Haute-Saône: fonctions emblématiques et symboliques (XVIe-XVIIIe siècles). Haute-Saône SALSA, 2018. Pp. 2-39. URL: https://hal.science/hal-04085738v1 (in French).