"In A.D. 536, Europe had a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad year.

"It started when a mysterious fog swept over the continent, veiling the
sun in a blue haze and casting Europe, the Middle East and parts of
Asia into darkness 24 hours a day, for 18 months. Falling temperatures
ushered in the coldest decade of the past 2,000 years, crops failed
from Ireland to China, and famine ran rampant. Those who endured the
long, cold night faced even harsher times in the years to come;
in A.D. 541, an outbreak of bubonic plague known as Justinian's Plague
scythed through the Mediterranean, killing up to 100 million people."

Read about how this weather/natural phenomenon is now believed to have been caused by an Icelandic volcanic eruption, here:

https://www.livescience.com/64132-worst-year-ever-536.html

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