The Middle 17th Century:The Last Days?

Word Wall• Famine• Climate change• Rebellion• Natural Disasters• Harvests (Farming)

How to Have A Cataclysm

Revenues ***

Taxes***

Unpredictable Seasons

Crop Harvests

Food Prices***

Loyalty to Monarch***

*** Class Contribution

Snowball Effect?

Bad harvests

natural disasters

instability***

fewer resources*

**

= Cataclysmic Impact

Brainstorm #1• As an absolute ruler, to understand how would

you react to a string of disasters that threatened your nation, write how you would rank your priorities as ruler.

• The power of your nation (its territory, resources)• Stability of your nation • Your hold on power• Safety of your people

GROUP: Advise or Decide

• 1 will be a ruler, the rest advisers

• Advise your ruler on their response

• Rulers, decide

• Time goes on, advise and decide again

Stage One• Country 1• Floods wipe out your

crops by 60%• Your ally is invaded

• Country 2• Early frost ruins 50%

of your crops• Another country you

control is in rebellion

• Country 3• Bad harvests lose 30%

of your crops

• Country 4• Winter floods wipe out

40% of your crops• Summer drought wipe

out 30% of your crops• Revenues are down

40%

Stage Two• Country 1• A year without

summer• Your nobles rebel

against you

• Country 3• Bad harvests lose 30%

of your crops

• Country 2

• Another country you control is in rebellion

• Country 4• Winter floods wipe out

40% of your crops• Summer drought wipe

out 30% of your crops• Revenues are down

40%

Brainstorm #2• In groups, role-play how your feelings about your

ruler have changed based on their actions and decisions:

• Peasants• Military• Merchants• Nobles• Outsiders