1048 Yellow River flood

1048 Yellow River flood

Date	1048 - 1198
Cause	Failure of a fascine at Shanghu
Deaths	Approximately a million people

The 1048 Yellow River flood was a natural disaster along the Yellow River in China that was caused by the failure of a fascine in Shanghu in 1048 AD. ^[1] This has caused over a million people to be killed and many displaced. ^[2] It was caused by the failure of a fascine at Shanghu, which has led to a major flood and becoming one of the deadliest floods in Chinese history. This was also a major part of the Song dynasty's decline of power. ^[3]

Background

After five years of failed efforts to restore the river to its previous course following the 1034 flood, the dynasty attempted to change their strategy and adjust their flood control efforts along the river's new paths in 1041. ^[1]

Damage

The path was not complete when the flood went and shifted the river's main course sharply, overtaking the Hai River and further damaging the empire's northern provinces. Their revenues were reduced to about one-fifth their pre-1034 level. ^[1] This course lasted until 1194 when the other flood started. During this century and a half, the coast around modern Tianjin moved forward about 23 kilometers.

See also

• Floods of the Yellow River
• 1034 Yellow River flood

References

1. Elvin, Mark; Liu, Cuirong (1998-01-13). Sediments of Time: Environment and Society in Chinese History. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-56381-9.
2. Storozum, Michael J; Zhen, Qin; Xiaolin, Ren; Haiming, Li; Yifu, Cui; Kui, Fu; Haiwang, Liu (2018-11-01). "The collapse of the North Song dynasty and the AD 1048–1128 Yellow River floods: Geoarchaeological evidence from northern Henan Province, China". The Holocene. 28 (11): 1759–1770. doi:10.1177/0959683618788682. ISSN   0959-6836.
3. "Why did yellow river flood so frequently? - Aboutriver.com". 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2025-10-15.