On January 16, 1362, the Grote Mandrenke, a devastating storm surge, swept across England, causing catastrophic flooding and damage to coastal communities and cathedrals. Salisbury and Norwich Cathedrals were damaged, and the port of Ravenser Odd was completely obliterated. This storm was one of the worst natural disasters in medieval England, killing thousands and reshaping the coastline, while also being interpreted as a sign of divine displeasure with the state of the kingdom.

The Grote Mandrenke storm entered the literary imagination as a symbol of divine wrath and the inconstancy of earthly existence, themes that resonated deeply in a period still recovering from the Black Death. The destruction was recorded in contemporary chronicles and sermons, which used the disaster to call for moral reform and repentance. This tradition of interpreting natural disasters as moral lessons persisted in English poetry well into the Renaissance, finding echoes in works such as John Donne's sermons and the apocalyptic imagery of later metaphysical poets.