Under this scenario, the ash and gases from a volcanic eruption caused extreme drops in temperature and led to poor harvests.
To avert famine, populous Italian city states were forced to import grain from areas around the Black Sea - bringing plague-carrying fleas that carried the disease to Europe as well.
This "perfect storm" of a climate shock, famine and trade offers a reminder of how diseases can emerge and spread in a globalised and warmer world, according to experts.
"Although the coincidence of factors that contributed to the Black Death seems rare, the probability of zoonotic diseases emerging under climate change and translating into pandemics is likely to increase in a globalised world," said Dr Ulf Büntgen of the University of Cambridge.
He added: "This is especially relevant given our recent experiences with Covid-19."
1 comment