Characteristic Features of the Middle Ages Essay

The Middle Ages occurred between the fall of Roman Empire and the fall of Constantinople (400-1500 C.E). Historians establish numerous attributes to give reasoning why the Middle Ages is believed to deserve multiple labels. This was a time of darkness that correlates with chaos, unorganization and violence. However, this was also a time when the adaptation of feudalism developed and prospered, and faith within the Catholic Church and other religions bloomed and expanded. The Middle Ages in Europe can be viewed as a Dark Age, an Age of Feudalism, and an Age of Faith.

In the Years between 500 AD to 1450 AD were considered the Middle Ages that started after the Roman Empire fell. During that Time there were crusades, Plagues, warfare, constant killing, and little advancements. People are always in a constant argument about the real label for the Middle ages; some say Age of Faith, the Golden Age, or Age of Feudalism. However the strongest argument for the correct label is the Dark ages.

The Middle Ages were the roughly thousand year period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. The fall of the Roman Empire divided the great Roman Empire into several smaller “empires” ruled by their own king. It produced a cultural and religious divide within Europe. The Renaissance was an era known for its vast cultural influence. The artwork of the Renaissance has achieved worldwide acclaim. Historians typically refer to the Middle Ages as the Dark Ages and regard it as being a trivial era. Historians argue that compared to other eras, namely the Renaissance, there was little cultural development in the Middle Ages. Foreign attackers, a complicated feudal system, and lack of universal education further solidify the epoch as the Dark Ages.

There are several labels that could best describe the era between 500 and 1400 in Europe otherwise known as the Middle Ages. The best three are, The Dark Ages, Age of Feudalism, and, the Age of Faith. All three of these labels represented ideas that were vital parts of the Middle Ages. For example, The Dark Ages lasted a long period of time right after the fall of the Roman Empire where much culture was lost.The Age of Feudalism brought a new type of social structure to the Middle Ages, helping the people of Europe attempt to once again bring about culture and knowledge lost because of the Dark Ages. Finally, the Age of Faith showed how truly powerful the Catholic Church was. Everything, whether it be architecture, art, literature, or music

Rome was important to Europe because the country was under its rule. In other words, all of Europe was part of the Roman Empire and depended on it. Therefore, when half of the empire declined; the rest fell as well. The fall of the Roman Empire’s government resulted into religion being the new government system. Three labels that describe the Middle Ages are: the Age of Faith; their lifestyle depended on their faith, the Age of Feudalism; their lifestyle depended on the feudal system, and the Dark Ages; everything going on was bad. The best label to describe the Middle Ages is the Dark Ages because everything going on during this time had a dark side.

Agriculture was becoming easier to understand and the population was rapidly increasing. The industrial revolution brought about new inventions such as the heavy plow, the shoulder crop for horses, metal horseshoes, and more efficient watermills and windmills. The population expanded from twenty-five million to to more than seventy million in eight hundred years. New land was available for farming thanks to past invasions. This fertile land was able to feed millions upon thousands of mouths in the Middle Ages. This proves that the Middle ages should be the called the Light ages because of the abundant food supply, increasing population, new inventions. Middle Age life was made so much more convenient thanks to the developing economy of

As the Roman empire fell, a new era unfolded. This era was known as The Middle Ages, also referred to as the Dark Ages. The Middle Ages was the time period between the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Renaissance. Starting in 476 AD and ending in 1500 AD, this time period was long, cruel, and consisted of many different events. The Middle Ages was a dark time because of the Viking raids, bubonic plague, cruel punishments, and a feudalistic society.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Europe remained split into two parts: Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe then after developed into the Byzantium Empire and left Western Europe in a period of slow development called the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages occurred around 500 A.D. to 1400 A.D. The Middle Ages were split into several different time periods called the Early Middle Ages, the High Middle Ages, and the Late Middle Ages, each period contributing to the tension or progress of the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages is deserving of the titles Age of Feudalism due to this governing style influencing the social order of the society and the Dark Ages because this time was plagued with disease and destruction, however, the

From 500CE until 1500CE was best known as the Medieval Ages. Medieval period began after the fall of the Roman Empire. In many parts of the Middle Ages significantly changed. Types of punishment and determination of guilt and innocence are examples of the continuity and change in the area of law and order.

The Middle Ages were a period in Europe dating from the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West, around the 5th century. However, the fixing of dates for the beginning and end of the Middle Ages is arbitrary. According to the Norton Anthology, "Medieval social theory held that society was made up of three 'estates': the nobility, composed of a small hereditary aristocracy,...,the church, whose duty was to look after the spiritual welfare of that body, and everyone else..."( Norton 76).

Christianity played a major role throughout the Middle Ages in society and politics. The Middle Ages, classified from 600 AD to 1350 AD, was significantly effected by Christianity because of the impact it had on the daily lives of people of the time. The beginning of the Early Middle Ages, after the Fall of Rome in 476 AD and the period known as the Dark Ages, the reorganization of the empire brought a desire for faith and religion, primarily Christianity. This trend of Christian importance was apparent until 1350, when the Black Death caused the end of a systematized era. The church is often viewed, during this period of time, as a center of corruption, greed, and evil, with materialistic popes and

Personally, when thinking of the middle Ages, I tend to have the misconception that it is a period of darkness with no progress. However, R.W. Southern’s book, ‘The Making of the Middle Ages’, offers an in depth study of the development of history in the world today. Observing that this book was published during the 1950s, Mr. Southern’s interpretation of the ‘Middle Ages’ was very distinctive in comparison to other historians of his time. He explores the significance of the Middle Ages as a separate sector in the study of history by which the audience will notice that previous categories of studied history is set aside, as we are no longer focusing on the usual ‘Classical Greece’ and ‘Rome’

The history of the modern world derives from thousands of years of human history. Embedded in its history are the many eras of man which have constructed our modern learning, art, beliefs, and order. The middle ages, although represented as “dark”, backwards, and idle, were in fact a bridge linking the classical and modern world. Medieval society may not have been in a sense glorious, but the era of itself was a prime foundation of the modern world’s newfound stability, a revival of the law and teachings from the classical era, a reinvestment and reform in the church, and a precursor to the golden age of art.

In the Middle ages there were things that could not be ignored like documents one such Document was the Magna Carta

In this time period there are no guns only swords,battle axes, maces, bows(longbow,crossbow), shields,spears, knight armour,ballista,battering ram, flails, warhammers, polearms,poleaxes, scimitar, catapult this time period is medieval times or middle ages and kings are at this and peasants and turkey legs were the main lunch and dinner eggs were the main breakfast and clothing was bad if you