The time period between 500-1400 C.E. deserves the title “The Dark Ages”. It began with the fall of the Roman Empire and ended with the rise of the Renaissance. The Middle Ages were split into three different periods. The first period was the end of the Roman Empire. The second period was the birth of population growth in Europe. This population growth was accompanied with many new ideas and economic growth. The third period was the worst period of all, the late Middle Ages. During this period, the Black Death and other deadly disease spread across Europe. With the end of the Middle Ages came the beginning of the early modern period. There were lots of negative events and very little positive ones during the Dark Ages. One reason why the Dark …show more content…
Though it may have brought new ideas and new empires, it also gave people uncertainty and little safety. After the fall of the empire, poverty struck Europe. It became a country lacking economic growth, and major social inequality. Ancient Rome was one of the areas impacted severely. After the Roman Empire fell, life in Europe became more brutal and short. Peasants would work all day in the field and the life expectancy was very low. The average life expectancy for a male child born in the UK between 1276 and 1300 was 31.3 years (“A Millennium of Health Improvement”). Life was strict and unwell during these periods of the Middle …show more content…
Along with bad events that took place in The Dark Ages, there were also bad people that ruled Europe. One of which was Pedro The Cruel King Of Castile And León. Pedro was recognized (1350-1369) and got his nickname for the numerous murders he ordered. Another reason why the Middle Ages was seen as dark was because there was lots of religious struggle in Europe during this period. Orthodox Christians and Catholics viewed this era from different perspectives. Orthodox Christians believed this era was a time of religious corruption. Catholics thought different. Catholics did not view this era as “Dark” they believed this era was productive, and a harmonious religious era. Along with deadly viruses and events, Medieval battles were destructive to Europe also in the Middle Ages. Medieval Battles were very long. For example, The Hundred Years War between England and France lasted for a total of 116 years (“Medieval Battles”). It was a very violent period. And it didn’t stop there, there were many battles between The Crusades also. The Crusades are generally portrayed as a series of holy wars against Islam led by power-mad popes and fought by religious fanatics (“The Real History of The Crusades”). There were many medieval battles between
Late Medieval Europe was a very different time from what Europe is today. It was a time where social mobility was unthinkable; people lived in fear of their creator, and were always trying to please their creator. In addition, Medieval Europe was an unhealthy and unhygienic state, where sickness and disease was rampant. It was a place where women had little to no rights, and minority groups were frequently falsely accused of many problems that were out of their control. For example, they were blamed for drought, which usually resulted in their unjust persecution because they “angered” God. Overall, Europe was the last place one would want to live unless you were of the nobility. On the other hand, Europe was also a major trading power, engaging
The Black Death had profound effects on Medieval Europe. Although most people did not realize it at the time, the Black Death had not only marked the end of one age but it also denoted the beginning of a new one, namely the Renaissance.
Documentaries on television have changed quite a lot over time. They used to be good outlets to learn about things, but now they are seen as more of comical piece of entertainment rather than an educational source. The History Channel’s documentary The Dark Ages is no exception. The documentary portrays the early middles ages as a time of death and hunger mixed with religious conflicts, also containing an abnormal amount of bright red objects in an otherwise bleak and monochromatic world. This is contrary to the readings and lectures with descriptions of historical figures and religious affiliations, but similar in its description of the amount of war and hunger in the society.
The time period between 400 CE and 1400 CE was not a Dark Age for Europe because there was still laws and education that kept areas in Europe alive and moving forward. The Dark Age was a historical period in time when culture and economy levels decreased. This occurred after the fall of the Roman Empire. One factor that prevented the Dark Age in Europe was that there was still education during this time period. A monk, Richter, in Journey to Chartres, 10th Century, said, “While engaged in the study of the liberal arts, I wanted very much to logic through the works of Hippocrates (an ancient philosopher)” (Doc. E). Even in this time period of negativity, there were people who still wanted to be educated. This quote proves that there was still
The time period between 400 CE and 1400 CE wasn’t a “Dark Age” for Europe because of progress in academic success, blossom in architecture, and religious unity along with improvements in government. This time period wasn’t a decay or decline because it didn’t die out but passed on its’ discoveries and interpretation of the world. It may not have been the “best” period in European history but it certainly wasn’t dark and awful as we believe. If it did decline or decay than there would be a different civilization today on that land. Medieval Europe shouldn’t be labeled “Dark” because it had important and fine aspects that made it simply “Medieval Europe”.
Norman Davies, a leading English historian, wrote, “There is an air of immobility about many descriptions of the medieval world” (Davies 291). However, these descriptions he refers to do not capture the true essence of the Middle Ages of Europe, which were a continuation and a formation. They were a continuation of old Rome in race, language, institutions, law, literature, arts, and in cultures independent of Rome. Nevertheless, the Middle Ages were not merely a continuation; they were the formation of our world. Many modern-day historians argue that the so-called Dark Ages were a period of ascent rather than of descent, that with the withering of the pagan classic civilization came the first budding of a new culture that was to develop into our modern civilization. James M. Powell, a prominent historian, agreed with this argument concerning the untold progress of this age. Powell believed that the Medieval Ages was a multi-faceted period of time in which the roots of modern civilization began to emerge, and that it was. This time period was critical because, although it seemed to be a dark age, seeds were being planted for future generations such as ours. These seeds have sprouted and have given us templates to work with regarding issues of centralization, the economy, scholasticism, education, expressions of art, and religion.
In the year 476 A.D., Rome officially fell as the greatest and most thriving empire at the time. The time period following this downfall was called the Middle Ages, more infamously recalled as the Dark Ages; but were these years truly as dark as historians say? These medieval times lasted for approximately one thousand years, could such a long time period have been all that dreadful? The answer will soon become clear. The Middle Ages deserved to have the alias of the Dark Ages because there were several severe illnesses, the monarchs were cruel, and the crusades brought the death of many.
The Dark ages is the time between the 500’s and 1400’s. The Dark ages was a time of civil wars, Death, diseases, invasions and thief. There was a lot of invasions and to protect them self from that communities made a code call The code of Chivalry as (Doc 5) states “Europe in the Middle Ages was a dangerous place. Invasions from Muslims, Mongols, Vikings, and other tribal groups were common. War between lords was also common. The value of protection and warriors created a social code called Chivalry. Knights fought for lords and ladies, and lived by a gentleman- warrior code of Chivalry.” And other big thing in The Dark Ages was Diseases. Diseases in the dark ages was deadly because there was not antidote and even Doctors were scared of
Rome fell in 476 AD, the subsequent 1000 years made up a period of time called the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages are often referred to as the Dark Ages because of the way of life in Europe during that age. William Manchester suggests that this time period was actually a dark age, in his A World Lit Only By Fire. Manchester describes the ‘Dark Ages’ as a “mélange of incessant warfare, corruption, lawlessness, obsession with strange myths, and an almost impenetrable mindlessness”. He also states how famines and plague repetitively thinned the population, and that “rickets afflicted the survivors”.
The Dark Ages is a name given to Europe during A.D. 500-1400. According to historian Frantz Funck-Brentano from document one, the conditions in Europe were really bad. There was no trade going on, only unceasing terror. This was happening because the Saracen invasions and the Hungarians were swarming over the Eastern provinces. European churches were burned down and then departed with a crowd of captives. In the years 842-846, Anglo-Saxon tells us there was a great slaughter in London, Quentaxic and Rochester. The Northmen stole goods and burned the town Dordrecht in 846 evidenced in document three.
The Black Plague, perhaps one of the worst epidemics in history, swept its evil across Europe in the middle of the 14th century, killing an estimated 20 million people. This major population shift, along with other disasters occurring at the time, such as famine and an already existing economic recession, plunged Europe into a dark period of complete turmoil. Anarchy, psychological breakdowns, and the dissipation of church power were some of the results. As time passed, however, society managed to find new ground and began its long path of recovery. The plague, as catastrophic as it was to medieval Europe, had just as many positive effects that came with this recovery as it did negative effects prior. An end to feudalism, increased wages and innovation, the idea of separation of church and state, and an attention to hygiene and medicine are only some of the positive things that came after the plague. It could also be argued that the plague had a significant impact on the start of the Renaissance.
Imagine having to bury your own children. How awful would that be? The Middle Ages were a brutal time that included the bubonic plague, many wars and other horrible things. This period is considered to be one of religion and the Catholic Church, but this was overshadowed by chaos and confusion. Although the Middle Ages is often known as the age of faith, a more appropriate title for the time period would be The Dark Ages because of the black death, wars and the collapse of government.
People in the Dark Ages were engulfed in the shadow of greatness of their predecessors, which 18th-century English historian Edward Gibbon called “barbarism and religion,” (History). Life in Europe during the Dark Ages were quite simple, as there was no efforts in unifying Europe, and the Catholic church was the only real body of power in Europe at this time. European societies were governed by feudalism, in which the king gives land to the nobles, while peasants worked on the land to live there in return. Little is actually known about this era, in that nothing significant was recorded, announcing it a “dark’ era. There was little to nothing significant about this time period in Europe, other than strong Catholic authority. A shift begins during this time period
The fourteenth century was the darkest period in recorded European history. This period saw religious corruption and a great decline in population along with terror and devastation due to war and disease. Although there were many minor calamities, the three major crises were The Great Schism, the Hundred Years' War, and the Black Plague.
The Middle Ages encompass one of the most turbulent periods in English History. Starting with the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest - when William the Conqueror effectively took all of the lands from the Saxon English and gave them to French nobles. The English Middle Ages then saw the building of the great English castles, including the Tower of London, which helped the Normans to retain their hold on England. The start of the Crusades and the knights of the Middle Ages, including the founding of the Knights Templar. The Domesday Book and the Magna Carta. The Kings and Queens of the Middle Ages including Richard the Lionheart and great Plantagenet Kings from Henry II (1154-1189) to Edward III (1327-1377). The Hundred Years War between England and France. The Medieval Kings and Queens of the Royal Houses of Lancaster and York and the Wars of the Roses. The Middle Ages Feudal System and the terrible Black Death which really did plague the period of the Middle Ages.The Middle Ages 1066-1485