European History: The Dark Ages

The term “dark ages” comes from Petrarch, who was an Italian scholar that lived after the dark ages, and compared it to the classical era. Medieval Europe happened from 500 AD to 1500 AD, also known as the medieval period in Europe. It is called “the dark age” because of the disease, famine, murder, chaos, and death that happened during that time.

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 was 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.

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

Another title that the Middle Ages deserve is the label Dark Ages because during the Middle Ages, there was constant chaos and destruction that plagued Western Europe. After the collapse of Rome, the invasions did not end there. The invasions continued throughout the Middle Ages by different groups and tribes. For example, during the ninth and tenth century, the Moor invasions have taken over the South and the Hungarians invaded the Eastern provinces. Both invasion groups sacked villages, held captives, burned down religious buildings, and left a path of destruction while many citizens that escaped took refuge in the mountains or deep forests (doc 1). Also during the invasions of the Moor and Hungarians, the Northmen struck terror in England. The plundered, burned towns, and returned home with boats filled with gold, people, and resources (doc. 3). However, that was not the end of all the chaos during the Middle Ages. During the 14th century, the black death hit Western Europe, which ended up wiping out 1/3 of the population and a body count of over 25 million by the end of the sixteenth century (OI). Consequently, because of the constant chaos and destruction from invasions and plague, little to no development was possible. This slowed down Western Europe's advancements and growth. The

Was it a Dark Age? The term “dark ages” describes a period during Medieval Europe when inventions and ideas stopped, violence increased, and disease killed many people. The term “dark ages” came from an Italian scholar named Francesco Petrarch. He compared it to the Classical Age that thrived before. The dark ages occurred during Medieval Europe, which lasted from 500 AD to 1500 AD.

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.

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.

After the Fall of Rome, the Dark Ages occurred during the Middle Ages in Western Europe, France, Germany and Italy. The term “Dark Age” is an accurate description for Western Europe despite the formation of feudalism and the united church. The severity of disease, such as the plague, killed millions of people and lead to society not having the desire to prosper with education . These reasons, among others, demonstrate that Western Europe was truly a Dark Age.

The term “dark ages” which is coined by the Italian Scholar Francesco Petrarch, applies to Medieval Europe during the times between 500 AD and 1500 AD. The term suggests a low-point in society with violence, disease, and war. Medieval Europe included many of these traits. Involving the Crusades, the Black Death, and violence involving religion. For these and the following reason, Medieval Europe was in a dark age.

According to Petrarch he coined that Europe was in " Dark Age " during 500- 1500. Due to many negative events that were happening. According to document B it gives examples of what was happening during the Middle Ages. Some examples are highway robbers, decline in trade, and travel became dangerous. Also in document D it states that concerning false money they had ordered that he who has been proved to have made it shall have his hand cut off.

The dark ages was a very dark and deadly place hints the name dark ages. The most deadly thing dark ages was the weaponry. It ranged from Bladed weapons to blunt weapons. The most know weapons are the sword and spear.

The Christian religions rise to supremacy in the middle ages was the result of several factors. Christians had long been persecuted by the Roman Empire because the Romans felt that Christianity challenged and offended the Greco-Roman Gods and the Christians were prone to revolt against Roman rule. Christianity survived because it had many teachings that appealed to the downtrodden in Roman society, these teachings being that even though they were suffering they would gain equality and possibly superiority in the next life, Christianity gave them hope.

Those who believe in the Dark Ages myth (hereinafter “myth believers”) argue that Greek and Roman intellectuals were on the verge of great scientific and industrial advancements. Myth believers argue that those who followed religious beliefs created a false reality dominated by religious emotion rather than fact. They claim that the Catholic Church persecuted those who used scientific discoveries to bring about new ideas solely because the new discoveries and ideas conflicted the Bible’s teachings. Myth believers support their claims by referring to the alleged persecution of three well-known intellectuals during the Dark Ages: Galileo, Hypatia and Giordano Bruno. These three intellectuals’ stories vary based on who is telling them; myth

The Middle Ages is a medieval time period in Western Europe that lasted from 500 to 1500 C.E. The Middle Ages began as a result from the collapse of the Roman Empire which began in 31 BCE, and fell in 476 C.E. In around 300 C.E. the emperor of the Rome divided the land for easier control. This began the decline of Rome. The Western half of Rome fell to Barbarian invaders, while the eastern half lived on as the Byzantine Empire. The Early Middle Ages began shortly after the western half fell. After the Roman Empire lost its position as the center of power, Western Europe fell into a time of chaos and warfare. There were a lot of attacks by Vikings, Magyars (hungarian nomads), and Muslims. The invasions caused disorder, and suffering, and the government system developed into feudalism.The High Middle Ages followed, the Early Middle Ages, and was the time period in Western Europe from around the 11th century to the 13th. The Middle Ages are referred to as the “Dark Ages” because of the disorder, hopelessness of the time. It is accurate to refer to the Middle Ages (500-1500) as a whole as a” the Dark Ages”.The Early Middle Ages meet the qualities of a dark age due to the, lack of government, education, and dysfunctional economy. However, the high middle ages was a time of improvement for these issues.

Western civilization can be traced back to the Western Mediterranean and Western Europe. It has been linked by many Historians to the Roman Empire, as well as with Medieval Western Christendom which came out of the Middle Ages in order to experience transformative ideas such as the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment. On the surface it may seem that there are abundant reasons to why Western Civilization was able to develop and grow during the Middle Ages. But ultimately it comes down to three main reasons Western Civilization in the Middle Ages was able to grow so rapidly. With all of this said, In order to truly understand how Western European Civilization was able to flourish and grow during the Middle Ages, one must look at the role of the Church during these times, how war and conflict shaped territories, and how disease and famine changed the world. First, during the Medieval Ages the Catholic Church was able to rise to one of the most powerful institutions in Europe. Second, wars such as the Crusades where the Catholic Church began to start military expeditions, otherwise known as Crusades, to kick Muslims out from what they considered the Holy Land. Finally, diseases such as the Black Death changed the way people during the Western Civilization acted and felt.