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How did Alpine glaciers affect farms and villages during the Little Ice Age?

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Line graph showing estimated temperature variations from 1000 to 2000 CE for the Northern Hemisphere and central England, with three lines representing different data sources. The chart highlights the medieval warm period around 1100-1300 and the Little Ice Age from about 1500 to 1850, followed by a sharp temperature rise in the late 20th century. Temperature is shown as deviations from the 1961-1990 average. — Little Ice Age Estimates of temperature variations for the Northern Hemisphere and central England from 1000 to 2000 ce.

During the Little Ice Age, which spanned from the early 14th century to the mid-19th century, the expansion of mountain glaciers in the European Alps had severe consequences for human settlements. As these glaciers advanced far beyond their previous limits, they physically obliterated farms, churches, and entire villages in regions such as Switzerland and France.1

This glacial encroachment was part of a broader period of climatic instability characterized by declining temperatures and increased precipitation variability. The resulting environmental pressure, combined with frequent cold winters and cool, wet summers, led to widespread crop failures and famines across northern and central Europe.1