 The depredations of the French Army and the destruction of numerous cities (especially within the Palatinate) created economic hardship for the inhabitants of the region, exacerbated by a rash of harsh winters and poor harvests that created famine in Germany and much of northwest Europe.The specific background of the migration from the Palatinate, as documented in emigrants' petitions for departure registered in the southwest principalities, was impoverishment and lack of economic prospects.The emigrants came principally from regions comprising the modern "Länder" (states) of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, and northern areas of Baden-Württemberg along the lower Neckar.