~Darkness Forever~
There is many details that can prove that Europe was in a dark age from 500 to 1500 AD. Some statements that may prove that they were in a dark age was, the black death, The Crusades, and the government laws. To start, the black death affected ⅓ of europe's population,for example “[The Black Death] was such a frightful thing that when it got into a house, as was said, no one remained." This demonstrates that the plague affected everyone, and everything.People lost hope during the black death because i hit everyone and you could even smell dead people all throughout the town. Another example of why europe was in a dark age, was the crusades. The crusade was when the Muslims, and the Franks [Christians] fought for Jerusalem
These examples show how Europe was in a dark age. Europe was not in a dark age because of the many events that happened. These events actually helped Europe not become a dark age. For example, Document F discusses Europe had so much money and used that money to buy products and materials
Between 500 AD- 1500 AD Europe was said to be in a Dark Age. The term Dark Age came from Petrarch. He was an Italian Scholar who said, talking about Europe through the time 500 AD- 1500 AD, that before Europe was full of ideas and now there was not any at all. Europe witnessed tragic events like the Black Death and The Crusades. Europe has been said to be in both a Dark Age and a Growth Age, but ultimately the evidence proves that it was in more of a Dark Age.
The dark ages were considered dark because of the countless times Europe’s been invaded. “... the heathen broke in upon the Christians at many points, but more than 12,000 of them died. Another party of invaders devastated Gaul, and more than 600 of them died” (Doc C). This all happened in the same year (845) and just shows how often Europe was invaded and ravaged. This evidence was from the abbey of Xanten records, which was made at the time and is a primary source. “The heathen from the North caused trouble in Christendom as usual and grew greater in strength” (Doc C). The records say that they invaded as usual, which shows how frequently they were invaded and how routine it was. They were so terribly secured and a main cause of this was
A " dark age" is a period when violence and wars plus a lots of disease. Some historians call the period from 500 AD to 1500 AD in Europe a " dark age" because the black death and the crusades. The Magna Carta and the universities. The majority of the evidence will show that it was the dark age.
There is also compelling evidence, however, that suggests Europe was in a period of darkness at this time. For example, from 1095 to 1192 many Europeans were constantly engaged in holy wars as Crusaders fighting Muslims in the Middle East (Crusader Packet). These wars were brutal and showed a dark side of humanity. For example, Crusades Document A describes a siege on Muslims in the city of Jerusalem from a Christian Crusader’s perspective stating, “it was a just and splendid judgment of God that this place should be filled with the blood of the unbelievers.” Another example of darkness and setback in European society was the devastating Bubonic Plague that swept Europe in the 1300s killing half its population (Movie Talk – Black Death). This
‘Were the 1,000 years the Dark Ages lasted actually “dark”?’ is a highly debatable topic as some claim that the whole period was “dark” while others claim it was only “dark” for the early stages of it. Through textual evidence provided, the supposed 1,000 years of decline and decay known as the Dark Ages were not “dark” for the 1,000 years. According to the American Cyclopedia, the 1,000 year period did not support education, have creation of culture, any central government, and a bad economy. Document F says, “Beginning in the early 11th century, universities were founded throughout Europe. Attendance at these universities was limited to a small percentage of the population” (Document F).
The first reason this time period is not a “Dark Age” is that the education in Europe improved. In Document F, the texts states that “Universities were founded all throughout Europe.” They introduced a new form of education in Spain to France, England, and Italy that replaced the monastery and church schools. Document E states that people studied liberal arts in school. Most people from the Middle Ages wanted greatly to learn from philosophers.
Europe fell into the Dark Ages on August 24th, 410 A.D. Rome was one of the greatest empires at the time. That is, before August. It controlled most trade routes, and a lot of land. Then came the day where the Visigoths invaded the Visigoths were western branches of the nomadic tribes of Germanic. Famine, plague, persecutions, and persistent warfare followed. Half of the healthy people living in Rome died. The thugs looted markets, causing a downfall in supplies such as food and clothing. After that, traders brought rats over to europe to the crushed, once powerful empire.
Europe was seen as being in a Dark Age. It is known as a time where there were wars, disease, and pure chaos. The term “dark age” was coined by Francesco Petrarch, who compared it to the classical period before the dark age, which was full of innovation. He came up with this because during 500 to 1500 A.D it was utter chaos, death and war, and people were brutally killed and slaughtered. In the year 1095 A.D., the Black Death was in full swing and the Crusaders were set out to capture the Holy Land and conquer the Muslim Turks. The people were set out for blood and it caused several crusades for two whole centuries. Europe has been through war and sickness. Because of the economic structure of Europe during the time, this can be seen as a dark age.
Were the Dark Ages really dark? The Dark Ages are thought to have started at the fall of Rome, in the year 415. The Dark Ages ended at the first crusade where armies tried to recover the holy land of Jerusalem in the year 1095. Many people think that the Dark Ages weren't as dark as most people thought they were. Sarah Pruitt made a “History” article talking about why the dark ages weren't dark, and instead a period of time where there were many discoveries. In her argument, she stated that the idea of the dark ages came from later scholars who were heavily biased towards Ancient Rome, the time was a boom for agriculture, there were great advances in science and math, and the Carolingian Renaissance saw a flowering in art, literature, architecture, and other cultural realms. That is true, all that happened in the time of the dark ages and the name “Dark Ages” were named by biased scholars. But during the dark ages, there were Warlords and their struggle to be Emperor, outside forces raiding and/or attacking Europe, and the worse being The Bubonic Plague, or also known as the infamous Black Death. The Dark Ages were centuries of chaos, destruction, horrible plagues, and stagnant population growth.and it should be considered one of the worst periods in human history to live in.
There is many examples of evidence to support how Europe wasn’t in a dark age. To support this claim there are some examples. The Government ,The Rise of University, and the Gothic Cathedrals shows that Europe was not in a dark age. One reason Europe was not in a dark age was because if it was in a dark age they wouldn't know to stand up for themselves. They also had a lot of money, even though King John took it all proving that they were not in a dark age.They were also beginning to request laws so they can have some rights. According to the Black Death Documents,"To all free men of our kingdom we have also granted, for us and to our heirs for ever, all the liberties written out below, to have and to keep for them and their heirs.”Another
Many people cannot agree on whether the European Middle Ages were “Dark Ages” or an “Early Renaissance”. A Dark Age is a time during which a civilization undergoes a decline, while a Renaissance is a new period of growth or activity. Even though there is an equal amount of evidence for both the Dark Ages and the Early Renaissance, some pieces were more effective than others. The European Middle Ages were an Early Renaissance because citizens started to begin new lives as different roles, the feudal system was slowly being forgotten, and the Magna Carta was published.
In the High Middle ages (after 1000 A.D) and beyond there were major political, economic and intellectual changes that happed across Europe. The changes helped bring about new eras to the European landscape. As Europe was brought into these new eras, it thus brought upon the end of the Dark Ages.
Europe had many periods of growth from the 500's AD to the 1500's AD that shows that it was not in a dark age. One period of growth for Europe was all of its significant advancements. According the Document C, Europe's farmland tripled, it's food supply increased, the population raised, and Europe resettled lands. Europe developed technological improvements such as
Dark voids of weakness and disappointment drown all people at some point in their life. Dream - grasping is halted by issues we do not think we can overcome, but sometimes it is those problems that give a push we did not know was needed. One’s life can be influenced by hardships because they can learn from the mistakes endured.